The surrounding atmosphere slowly but unmistakably grew tense between Phoebe and the troll guy standing before her. The air itself felt heavier, as though an invisible pressure had begun to coil around their bodies. Whispers echoed among the nearby examinees, some curious, some amused, others already sensing that trouble was about to erupt.
Phoebe's posture stiffened, her fingers twitching at her side as her gaze locked onto the troll. His towering figure, broad shoulders, and scar-ridden green skin made him an intimidating presence, yet the smug curl on his lips irritated her more than his size ever could.
Soon, Ammy noticed the shift and hurriedly tried to stop Phoebe.
"P-P-Phoebe please stop, he is a troll, their domain is right here in the middle continent, also having a fight with them won't end well for us, can we just move away instead please," Ammy said with teary eyes, clutching Phoebe's sleeve tightly.
Ammy's voice trembled, not from weakness, but from fear born of experience. As an orc, she knew the racial politics of the Middle Continent all too well. Trolls were notorious for holding grudges, and once provoked, conflicts involving them rarely ended cleanly.
Phoebe clenched her jaw. She hated backing down—especially when insulted—but she also knew Ammy was right. This wasn't a battlefield. This was the academy, and they were surrounded by unknown examinees, many of whom carried their own hidden agendas.
"But… alright then, let's move away since," Phoebe said, forcing herself to turn around, clearly trying to avoid dragging Ammy deeper into trouble.
Her words were calm, but inside her chest, frustration churned violently. She took one step forward.
Then—
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
Before anyone could react, a stone flew from behind and struck Ammy directly on the head.
The impact produced a dull thud.
"Ack—!"
Ammy collapsed instantly, her body crumpling to the ground as the surrounding examinees gasped in shock. The chatter ceased at once, replaced by a stunned silence.
Phoebe froze.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she spun around, her heart slamming violently against her ribs.
"A-Ammy hey are you okay?" Phoebe said, her voice filled with concern as she rushed to Ammy's side.
She knelt beside her friend, hands hovering uncertainly as panic threatened to take over.
Ammy groaned softly before pushing herself up a little.
"Y-Yes it didn't bleed since we orc are tough, so I'm okay Phoebe," Ammy said, forcing a small smile, though a dark lump had already begun to swell on her cheek.
Phoebe's relief lasted only a heartbeat.
Slowly, she turned her head.
Her gaze followed the direction the stone had come from—and landed directly on the troll.
He was standing there casually, arms crossed, lips curved upward in a mocking grin.
Phoebe's blood boiled.
Soon, Phoebe turned her head fully and saw the troll was the one who threw the stone. Her fury erupted instantly.
"YOU!!! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM, WHY DID YOU THROW THAT?" Phoebe shouted furiously, her voice echoing across the open space.
"Haaah? What you talking about, you bitch?" the troll replied lazily. "Do you even have the evidence to prove I was the one who threw it?" he added while smirking, clearly enjoying her reaction.
"YOUU!!" Phoebe yelled as she charged toward the troll, intent on confronting him directly.
Her mana surged unconsciously, sparks of azure flame flickering briefly at her fingertips.
"N-No Phoebe S-Stop!!!" Ammy cried out, scrambling to her feet and reaching after her.
But the troll stepped forward as well, gripping his massive axe with one hand.
"Woahhh HAHAHA, it seems you've gone crazy," the troll laughed loudly. "Come on, bitch, I'll take you on right now."
The two closed the distance rapidly.
Their hostility collided before steel ever could.
And then—
An overwhelmingly powerful killing pressure descended upon the entire dome.
It felt as if the sky itself had collapsed.
Phoebe and the troll froze mid-step, their knees buckling instantly as they were forced down to the ground. Their bodies refused to move, muscles locking painfully as their consciousness began to blur.
Both struggled desperately just to remain awake.
Slowly, with immense effort, Phoebe raised her eyes.
Standing before them was a tall figure cloaked in authority.
The headmaster.
Andrew.
His crimson eyes glowed ominously as he stared down at them, his killing intent pouring out without restraint.
"H-Headmaster, please stop," Phoebe begged, her voice shaking under the pressure.
"You little saplings," Headmaster Andrew said coldly, his voice carrying absolute dominance, "don't you dare cause trouble in the academy I am managing. Or else, I will punish you harshly."
The pressure intensified.
It wasn't only Phoebe and the troll anymore.
Everyone in the surrounding area collapsed to their knees, mouths foaming as their bodies were crushed into submission. Examinees from every race—Guertenaz, Lumier, Murlok—all fell helplessly to the ground, completely paralyzed.
"Ugh—Y-You!" the Guertenaz examinee shouted, veins bulging. "I Order You To Stop!"
The Guertenaz activated his racial command trait, a power meant to enforce absolute authority over weaker beings.
The command struck the headmaster.
And was instantly brushed aside.
Andrew turned his gaze toward the Guertenaz, unimpressed.
"Make me if you can, kid," Andrew said calmly as he increased the pressure even further.
The result was immediate.
Every examinee was slammed face-first into the ground.
Phoebe's vision darkened.
"P-Please stop, headmaster, we will stop, so please stop," Phoebe pleaded desperately.
"Y-Y-Yes headmaster," the troll stammered in panic. "We will stop, I-I took it a bit far, I apologize so P-Please stop or I'll get crushed!"
Finally, Andrew began to withdraw his killing intent.
But just as he was about to fully release it—
He turned his head.
And froze.
While everyone else lay flattened against the ground, two figures remained standing at the entrance of the dome.
Unbothered.
Untouched.
One was a man wearing academy attire, black hair brushed forward, crimson eyes staring back at Andrew with a cold, unreadable gaze. His aura was calm, terrifyingly so. He belonged to the Riveras race.
Beside him stood a woman in the same academy attire, lavender-blue hair with soft bangs framing her face, lavender-blue eyes filled with amusement. Her arms were crossed, lips curled into a smirk as though watching an entertaining play.
Andrew's eyes widened.
These two… his mind raced. There is no way in hell they are just examinees.
Their presence alone screamed danger.
They might be comparable to rankers… perhaps even beyond. The way they resist… they're equal to me.
Cold sweat slid down Andrew's spine.
What are they after? he wondered. could they be bad news or what?
After a brief moment of thought, he made his decision.
It's pointless to assume now, I'll keep an eye on them then.
With that, Andrew fully retracted his killing intent.
"Well, well, well," he said with a sudden laugh. "As long as you two understand what you did wrong and reflected on it, everything is fine then! HAHAHAHA!"
The abrupt shift left everyone stunned.
"Then I will call for the professors who are in charge of the examination," Andrew continued. "Everyone, get yourselves together. The examination will start soon when the professors arrive here."
Slowly, the examinees regained consciousness and struggled back to their feet.
Andrew walked forward and soon encountered three professors assigned to oversee the exam.
"Oh, Grandmaster, how are you?" Professor A said cheerfully. "Did you see the examinees? Aren't they a bunch of interesting people?"
"Well," Andrew replied seriously, "something really puzzling happened. You three listen to me—we need to gather information on a bunch of wolves in sheep's clothing."
"What do you mean, Headmaster?" Professor B asked.
"Well, it's something like this… listen well," Andrew said quietly.
Soon, preparations for the examination began in earnest.
Three professors stood prominently before the examinees—two female, one male.
The male professor wore a long tailored black tailcoat with deep burgundy inner lining, flaring dramatically from the knees down. Gold winged emblems adorned his shoulders, while a high-collared burgundy vest rested over a crisp black shirt. Polished boots and a silver pocket-watch chain completed his dignified appearance.
The female professors wore similar attire, though one opted for high-waisted black shorts, thigh-high stockings, and ankle boots, her uniform blending elegance with authority.
Soon, the dome gates opened.
The examinees entered and were greeted by an enormous arena-like interior. Towering seats surrounded an open field at the center.
Phoebe's breath caught.
A massive golem stood there.
Flesh.
Pulsing.
Professor Kate stepped forward, her presence immediately drawing everyone's attention. Her expression was cold and serious, devoid of any warmth as her sharp gaze swept across the gathered examinees.
"I am Professor Kate Bolevwood, and I am in charge of handling your examination," she announced calmly, her tone firm and authoritative.
She was an elf—her pointed ears visible beneath her long green hair, which was tied neatly into a single ponytail that fell behind her back. Her emerald-green eyes reflected years of experience and discipline. The elf race was known for their extreme speed and agility, traits that made them feared combatants and excellent instructors. Most elves resided within the Middle Continent, guarding ancient forests and acting as neutral observers of the world's conflicts.
Professor Kate raised one slender hand and gestured toward the far side of the dome.
"So, as for your examination," she continued, a faint smirk forming on her lips, "I believe all of you already have an idea of what it is going to be, right?"
Her finger pointed directly toward the massive figure standing silently in the open field.
"I believe everyone here can see the huge golem over there—with skin covering its body, correct?" she said. "That golem is called a Flesh Golem. It is a type of golem capable of continuous regeneration."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
"In fact," she added casually, "it was originally meant to serve as a middle boss inside a Tower of Genesis. However, we managed to capture one and bring it here for ability-testing purposes."
A chill ran through several examinees.
"So for the first part of the exam," the Murlok examinee asked cautiously, "you want us to fight that thing?"
Professor Kate turned her gaze toward him, her smile widening slightly.
"What else would it be?" she replied. "Your examination is simple. You are to defeat that Flesh Golem using everything you've got."
She paused, letting her words sink in before adding lightly, "Oh, and don't be scared about casualties. We have top-tier healers standing by, ready to deploy in case things get out of hand."
The troll examinee—the same one who had picked a fight with Phoebe earlier—snorted.
"Then how do we choose who goes first?" he asked.
"Well, of course," Professor Kate said, producing a translucent cube from thin air, "whoever this dice chooses will be the one to fight the golem."
"A dice?" the troll frowned. "How will that even choose us?"
Professor Kate held it up for everyone to see.
"This dice contains the names of all examinees present," she explained. "Once it is rolled and lands, a hologram will appear displaying a randomly selected name."
"I see," the Lumier examinee said thoughtfully. "So it's one of the Hydro Sovereign's inventions too—just like those cards that can store information and display it as holograms."
"Yes," the Murlok examinee added. "That's one of the latest inventions of the Hydro Sovereign. That dice doesn't just randomly display stored records—you can also store multiple items within each face. It functions as a pocket dimension as well."
"To use such a powerful item just for storing names…" the Guertenaz examinee muttered, shaking his head. "That's insane."
Professor Kate shot them a sharp glance.
"Hey, I can hear that," she said flatly. "All of you, shut up. Let's start."
With a flick of her wrist, she threw the dice high into the air.
The cube spun rapidly, glowing faintly with blue runes before descending and striking the ground. It rolled several times before coming to a stop.
A water-like hologram burst upward.
A face appeared.
Along with a name.
Kevin Moire, The troll.
"Alright," Professor Kate said, pointing at him. "You, Kevin Moire over there—step in. You've been chosen."
She raised her voice so everyone could hear.
"I'll say the rules once, so listen carefully. You must defeat the Flesh Golem. The time it takes you will be recorded. Once it's defeated, you pass. If you fail to defeat it within thirty minutes, you fail the examination."
The troll grinned, gripping his axe tightly.
"Alright," he said eagerly. "This will be fun."
As soon as he stepped into the field, the Flesh Golem reacted.
The massive creature—nearly as tall as a one-story house—let out a low, wet rumble. Its grotesque body shifted as it charged forward, raising its massive arm and swinging a devastating punch toward the troll.
The troll dodged at the last second and countered, slicing cleanly through the golem's arm.
The severed limb fell to the ground.
The troll smirked.
But then—
The flesh on the fallen arm began to squirm.
It crawled.
Stretching like living meat, it reattached itself to the golem's shoulder.
The arm regenerated completely.
"That's not even regeneration if its flesh is alive," the troll muttered to himself. "This might take a while."
He rushed forward again.
The golem opened its palm.
Blades erupted from its fingers.
In a flash, it slashed across the troll's abdomen.
Blood sprayed as the troll was sent rolling backward, clutching the deep wound carved into his stomach.
The crowd fell silent.
Only the heavy footsteps of the Flesh Golem and the metallic clashes of the troll's weapon echoed throughout the dome.
The troll's wound began to regenerate slowly as he struggled back to his feet.
The examination had truly begun.
And hidden among the examinees—
Wolves remained disguised in sheep's clothing.