The sound of battle echoed through the trees—grunts, sharp crashes, and bursts of magic cracking through the dense air. Noah crouched near a rocky ledge, his crimson eyes peering down into a small clearing just ahead.
There, in the center of the chaos, stood Amelie Ardean. Her breaths came fast, her stance defensive, her green-and-yellow-streaked hair tied back hastily. The ornate staff she held glowed with residual heat, signs of recent fire magic, but her arm trembled slightly.
Surrounding her were three students, each radiating confidence and strength.
To her right, Nora, clad in black with her dark violet aura trailing behind like smoke, rolled her shoulders and whispered,
"Should we go?"
The other two didn't hesitate.
Varek Drenor, with his heavy boots and brutal spiked gauntlets, cracked his knuckles and gave a nod.
Tirien Vale, still calm, pushed his glasses up and summoned a flicker of mana to the small golem perched on his shoulder.
All three stepped forward in sync.
'Tch. A 3v1? Seriously?' Noah's jaw clenched as he watched from above.
Amelie's staff ignited once more, a spark of defiance in her eyes—but her footing was already faltering.
She wasn't going to last long.
ust as Varek launched forward with a brutal swing of his gauntleted fist, Amelie raised her staff to block—but she was too slow.
Before the hit could land, a blur of black dropped from above.
Clang!
Noah landed between them, his katana drawn and angled upward, intercepting the strike with the flat of the blade. The shock sent a wave through the ground, and Varek stumbled back a step, surprised.
Amelie blinked, stunned.
"Noah? What are you doing here?"
Noah tilted his head slightly, eyes still locked on the other three.
"What do you mean 'what am I doing here'? I'm here for the test—same as you."
Then he smirked.
"No, just kidding. I saw you might need a hand… and, well, they've got quite the collection over there."
He nodded toward the cluster of bracelets hanging from Varek and Tirien.
'I need to get rid of a few of you. It's not you guys—it's me. I'm really sorry.'
Tirien adjusted his glasses, amused.
"Didn't expect a knight in black to show up. It's just like the novel I was reading."
Nora scowled, forming a shadow blade in her palm.
"Nor did I. But it changes nothing. One or two—it'll be the same result."
Noah shifted his stance, eyes narrowing.
'3v2. Not ideal, but manageable. The game put me through worse back then… I still remember that one playthrough where it left me hanging at the edge, barely alive. Took me an hour to find anyone. Let's see what Amelie can handle—looks like she's already been fighting for a while.'
Next to him, Amelie tightened her grip on the staff and gave a short nod.
"Thanks. Let's show them."
Noah cracked a grin.
"Oh, now we're talking."
From the treeline, someone moved. Eyes fixed on Noah.
Hidden behind a wide-branched tree just outside the clearing, Cordelia Ross crouched silently. Her breath was steady, but her pulse betrayed her. She had been following Noah for a while now, curious… watchful.
And now, everything had shifted.
She watched as he stepped in front of Amelie—sword in hand, calm, confident. Cordelia's fists tightened around the bark.
'This isn't how it happened. In the original story… Amelie lost here.'
Amelie was supposed to be overwhelmed, stripped of her bracelets, humiliated in the rankings. That event had driven her even deeper into her mother's shadow. Cordelia remembered reading it—remembered feeling angry at how unfair it was.
But now…
Noah had changed the script.
Again.
She narrowed her eyes, watching him speak with that ever-present smirk. He wasn't flustered. He wasn't cornered. If anything, he looked like he was enjoying himself.
And Cordelia hated how much she noticed the difference.
'This boy… this version of Noah… it's not the same one from the novel. The Noah I knew was timid, hesitant—he was weak at the beginning. But this one's sharper, more confident… more dangerous.'
Her gaze flicked to Amelie, who was now standing tall beside him.
'And he's protecting people. Why?'
Cordelia exhaled, straightened up, and took a step forward.
'I can't let them lose.'
With a surge of mana beneath her feet, she leapt from the treeline, landing near Noah and Amelie in a burst of displaced air and light.
The surprise on everyone's faces was immediate.
Cordelia rolled her shoulders and raised her chin. "I guess I'm joining this side."
The clearing went still for a beat.
Varek narrowed his eyes. "Oh, now it's a full-on team-up, huh?"
Nora clicked her tongue, annoyed. Tirien didn't say anything, but the little stone golem on his shoulder started twitching, sensing the tension.
Amelie blinked at the sudden arrival. "Cordelia…?"
Cordelia ignored the others for a second and looked directly at Noah.
Noah tilted his head, smirked. "Took you long enough."
Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "You knew I was there?"
Noah's grin widened. "Since the beginning. But you didn't seem hostile, so I let you do the work of a paparazzi."
Amelie tilted her head.
"What's a paparazzi?"
Noah glanced at her.
"Nothing. It's a profession." He let the smirk linger, then turned back to face their opponents.
Cordelia, meanwhile, was internally screaming.
'This boy is not Noah. He's someone using Noah's body. His speech, his behavior, that smug aura—this isn't the same guy from the novel I read. This is someone else entirely!'
She clenched her fists, forcing herself to stay calm.
'Fine. First we win. Then I get my answers.'
On the other side, Nora twirled her shadow blade. "So what now? You three gonna lecture us on friendship and balance?"
Noah stepped forward slightly. "Nah," he said flatly. "We're just gonna beat you."
Noah's final words hung in the air for only a second before everything exploded into motion.
Varek charged first, fists coated in mana, his body gleaming with physical reinforcement. He roared as he lunged at Noah, gauntlets aiming straight for his ribs.
Noah didn't back down.
Gibbous Step.
A quick sidestep and an afterimage remained—Varek punched through empty air. From behind him, a flash of black steel lashed out. Varek barely raised his arms in time to block, sparks flying.
"Fast," Varek muttered, grinning. "I like that."
Meanwhile, Nora dashed toward Amelie, her shadow blade extending into a whip-like tendril mid-swing. Amelie deflected with the base of her staff, then countered with a pulse of fire magic, forcing Nora back two steps.
"Not bad," Nora said, wiping ash from her cheek. "Didn't expect that much fight from you."
Amelie didn't answer—her eyes were focused.
Cordelia moved like water. Slipping past Tirien's summoned golem, she conjured blades of flame and ice, weaving attacks that kept the manipulator pinned. The golem tried to grow, reaching three meters high, but Cordelia's Shadow Bind interrupted its spell channeling, rooting its limbs to the ground.
Tirien clicked his tongue, clearly frustrated.
"Keep your golem on a leash," Cordelia said coolly.
All across the clearing, it was chaos—controlled, intense, and full of power.
From his side, Noah parried another hit from Varek and took a half-second to glance at his allies.
Amelie was holding up. Cordelia was pressuring her target.
'Not bad for a thrown-together team.'
He ducked a punch, twisted, and landed a kick to Varek's ribs.
"This," he muttered, "is starting to get fun."
The momentum had shifted.
Varek staggered back, one gauntlet cracked from Noah's relentless counters. Nora's breathing had turned ragged, her shadows slower, her steps less sure. Tirien was losing focus, trying to manage both his collapsing golem and Cordelia's unpredictable elemental spells.
The field was theirs.
"We need to retreat," Tirien barked, finally admitting the obvious.
"Coward," Nora spat, but she was already stepping back.
"Another punch and my arm's toast," Varek muttered, shaking it out. "Fine. Let's go."
The three began pulling away, their bracelets still intact but pride clearly bruised.
Noah didn't chase. He stood still, katana low, watching them disappear through the trees. Then he exhaled and rolled his shoulders with a grin.
"Guess that's settled."
Amelie let out a relieved breath and wiped sweat from her brow.
"Thanks, both of you," she said, genuinely. "I didn't think I'd make it through that."
Cordelia didn't answer at first. She was staring at Noah again—scrutinizing him.
'His voice, his movements, even that reckless smirk... none of it matches the Noah I knew from the novel.'
The three stood there for a moment, catching their breath.
Cordelia was still staring at Noah, lost in thought.
"What are you doing still there?" Noah asked, tilting his head slightly.
Cordelia blinked, caught off guard.
Before she could answer, Amelie chimed in: "What do you mean?"
Noah smirked and tapped the hilt of his katana against his shoulder. "Now we hunt them."
Amelie's lips curled into a grin.
Cordelia finally let out a soft breath and nodded.
The fight wasn't over.