When Gwen and Astrella entered the classroom, they were greeted by the chatter of conversations among their classmates. The room was bright and spacious, layered with faint mana fields woven into the walls. It was one of Mystwood's special features, created to prevent summoned creatures from going berserk. The desks curved in a semicircle around the teacher's desk and the massive blackboard behind it. The students' seats rose gradually toward the back to improve visibility.

A handful of students looked their way, and Gwen immediately felt a dozen eyes on her. She had expected this, and it was one of the reasons she had struggled to come here in the first place. Whispers began as soon as she took a step forward.

"That's her. The girl from D-class."

"Rainstar, right? The one who jumped two ranks in one term?"

"Yeah, I heard her familiar was some kind of living armor. Probably a fluke summon."

Her fingers tightened around the strap of her satchel.

'Keep walking. Just ignore them.'

She thought to herself, but Astrella, however, turned on her heel and flashed a radiant smile at the gossiping students.

"Yes, she's the one who placed first in the main exam, in case anyone forgot! Maybe the rest of you could learn something from her."

The room fell silent again, and Gwen wished she could melt into the floor. She knew her friend meant well, but Astrella was unaware of the truth. Gwen's best summon was unpredictable and difficult to summon. She had tried to resummon Rusty several times after the exam but had been unable to. Even now, he would not answer her call, and she knew Astrella was overestimating her abilities.

'I need to tell her, or she will get me in trouble again.'

For some reason, Astrella liked to boast about Gwen's strength and wanted her to display it more often. Even when Gwen's recent tests had gone poorly, Astrella insisted she was just holding back and would summon Rusty again when things got serious. It almost seemed as if she wanted Gwen to make a fool of herself.

"Come on, we should sit… how about right there?"

Gwen pointed toward the topmost seat by the window, far from everyone else's eyes. It was one of the least desirable spots in the room since the view of the blackboard was poor and it would make hearing the lecture harder.

"Wouldn't it be better to sit somewhere in the front instead? Or maybe in the middle?"

Astrella scanned the rows of seats with a grin that was far too confident for the situation.

"Front row, of course. The best students always sit in front."

Before Gwen could protest, her friend grabbed her wrist again and marched toward the two desks at the front center of the room. They were positioned directly beneath the teacher's lectern. Several students turned toward them, their voices rising. Some sounded surprised, others openly hostile.

"Front row?"

"Do they even know who sits there? They are bold."

"She really thinks she belongs there just because of that exam?"

Gwen's stomach tightened. She could feel the resentment radiating from the other students. Sitting in the front row was more than a matter of pride; it was a declaration of status. At Mystwood Academy, even where one sat reflected rank, power, and lineage. Astrella either failed to notice or simply did not care. She placed her hand confidently on one of the desks.

"Here. Perfect. We'll see everything clearly from here."

"Um, Astrella, maybe we should–"

Before Gwen could finish, three new students entered the classroom. Two were young men, and the third was a pale-faced girl whose complexion made her look almost ghostly. She moved slowly, and as soon as she stepped inside, the room filled with whispers.

"There she is. This is going to be good."

"Now they're in for it."

The pale girl's footsteps echoed through the room, and the chatter died instantly. Though she was of average height, her presence carried an unmistakable weight. Her long hair, black as obsidian, was tied neatly with a thin white ribbon. On her left cheek rested a faint spider tattoo, the ink glimmering faintly as if it were alive.

The two students walking beside her were tall, clean-cut boys who carried themselves like knightly escorts. They moved half a step behind her, their posture rigid and respectful, making it clear she was the one in command. Gwen's heart sank the moment she recognized one of them.

'Oh no… that person was there during the exam with Katherine.'

She didn't recognize the pale girl, but one of the boys was familiar. He was the snake user who had been defeated by the lightning tiger during the exam. If he served under Katherine and now followed someone in B-Class, then the girl leading him had to be exceptional.

Gwen's knowledge of academy rankings was limited. She had never paid much attention to the lists, assuming she would never reach a ranked position herself. Yet the presence before her radiated power and danger. The girl's eyes were a strange, glowing shade of violet, and they narrowed the moment she noticed the intrusion at the front of the class.

"And who might thou be? Remove thyself, that desk does not belong to thou."

The pale girl spoke, her voice calm yet commanding, quiet but impossible to ignore. There was something unusual about the way she talked, but that was not what unsettled Gwen. What struck her more was how the rest of the class reacted. It made it clear why the entire front row had been empty. Even though three desks could easily seat six people, no one had dared to occupy them. This girl and her followers were clearly the reason.

"Ah, s-sure, I'll just…"

Gwen began to lower her head, ready to step aside. She had no desire to draw attention on her first day. Although she had gained some courage in recent weeks, her first instinct was still to yield. Without her main summon present, she did not feel capable of standing up to these B-class members, especially the ones at the top. But her friend Astrella had other plans.

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"Hold on there! Why don't you remove 'thyself' instead!"

For reasons Gwen could not understand, her new friend seemed determined to get her into trouble. Astrella even spoke in a mocking tone, imitating the way the pale girl had addressed them. Every student turned their attention toward the two girls at the front.

Gwen's heart pounded so loudly she could hear it in her ears. Astrella stood firm with one hand on her hip, and her fairy mirrored her perfectly. The pale girl tilted her head slightly, studying Astrella as if she were an insect that had dared to challenge her.

"…Repeat that."

The girl's tone didn't rise. If anything, it grew quieter.

"You wish I to move?"

Astrella folded her arms.

"You heard me. There are plenty of seats. We got here first."

The pale girl blinked slowly as though weighing Astrella's words with clinical precision. The faint shimmer in her spider tattoo pulsed once. The two boys behind her exchanged uneasy glances, clearly aware of what might follow. A murmur spread through the class since everyone already knew what was about to happen.

"...It seems thou art unaware of tradition. When a claim is made over a seat, it is not words that decide, but strength. Are thou prepared to stand by thine insolence?"

Astrella's expression did not change. It almost seemed as if she had been waiting for this.

"Unaware? I think not. I simply believe the true number one of B-class should be seated in the front."

She shifted her head to the side so Gwen could see her wink. It was clear that Astrella had no idea how much stress she was causing her new friend, who could not find the words to save the situation.

"Then thou hast invoked the right of challenge."

The pale girl responded in a monotone, calm fashion.

"I…"

Before she could finish, one of the young men behind her stepped forward. He was the same one Gwen had interacted with before, and his brows were furrowed.

"Lady Aranea, please allow me. You should not have to face this pretender. Let me handle it instead."

The pale girl did not respond immediately. She slowly raised one hand and rubbed her cheek, her long nails darker than her hair.

"Very well. If thou insist."

The classroom erupted with whispers. Gwen's stomach sank as one of the young men called her out directly. A duel on the first day of the new term sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. She only wanted to spend her days in peace and hopefully graduate while staying in B-class, but it seemed that was not going to happen.

"Now then, Gwendolin Rainstar, if you wish to sit here, you will have to go through me first!"

Astrella turned to Gwen, looking disappointed, though for a different reason.

"Ahh, darn it, I wanted to get their leader. You might not get to show your true abilities against just an underling, but it should still be good enough to earn the front seat."

"Haha… yeah, sure…"

Gwendolin looked at the young man standing before her. He was ready for a duel, and refusing would be worse than losing. She was unsure of her chances, but she was also curious to see how she ranked in this class now that she could use living armor summons. Before she could respond, and just as the whispers grew louder, the teacher entered the room.

"What is this? Why aren't you all seated?"

The teacher was tall and thin, dressed in something that resembled a tailored suit. His head was completely bald, but his full beard made up for it, and a monocle rested on his left eye.

"Teacher, we have a seating dispute!"

One of the students seated in the second row called out and pointed to the perpetrators. The teacher's sharp gaze swept across the room like a blade. His eyes lingered on Gwen, then Astrella, and finally on Aranea and her two followers.

"A seating dispute?"

He repeated slowly, adjusting his monocle.

"It is a new term, perhaps we should handle this now…"

The man nodded, implying that it was something he was already accustomed to. The teacher tapped the side of his monocle with one gloved finger as he thought.

"Well then, are there any other seating disputes I should be aware of?"

A murmur spread through the class. To Gwen's dismay, several hands went up. At first, some were hesitant, but once they realized it was acceptable and that no punishment would follow, more hands rose confidently. The man sighed as he set down a large book on his lectern.

"As expected. A new term brings new ambitions. It is the same every year."

He turned toward the board, and with a motion of his hand, a piece of chalk floated into the air and began to write.

"Very well. Since you are all so eager to test one another, we shall make productive use of this chaos. Our first lesson will be practical. You will resolve your seating disputes through sanctioned duels. Win, and you claim the seat. Lose, and you move to the back."

Once the teacher finished, the words new seating arrangement took shape on the blackboard along with a drawing of the whole lecture hall.

"Isn't this great, Gwen! Show them what you can do! I'll be cheering for you!"

Astrella said this with a thumbs up and a cheerful smile. Gwen could only nod sheepishly, as it was already too late and the teacher had gotten involved. From what she knew, a duel was held for each desk, and once someone won, that desk could be used by up to two people. If the winner allowed it, another person could sit there, which meant that for Astrella, who preferred to take on a supportive role, Gwen's victory would benefit her as well.

"Aha… s-sure…"

Gwen replied, and soon they started walking. Once everyone who wanted to change seats had stepped forward, they moved to one of the training chambers. Since magic protection was embedded in most areas, summoned creatures could only fight in designated spaces. As expected, no one dared to challenge the first-seated Aranea Venomridge, and Gwen was set to face one of her followers in order to win the first desk by the window.

The dueling chamber was large, though not as vast as the arena where Gwen had defeated Katherine. The main platform was shaped like a hexagon and paved with stone blocks. Around it, a faintly shimmering barrier marked the boundary of the battlefield. Beyond that, a ring of observation decks encircled the chamber, each separated by thick panels of reinforced glass. The spectators' seats were elevated and distant, ensuring that even the strongest shockwaves would never reach them. Gwen followed the others toward the observation area, and once everyone had gathered, the teacher began to speak.

"First duel…"

The teacher announced while looking over a stack of parchment he had brought.

"Gwendolin Rainstar versus Eldric Greystone. The match will continue until surrender, incapacitation, or mana depletion. You may use as many summons and any support items you have on hand."

'Why do I always have this kind of luck…'

Gwen felt a wave of dread and wondered if she should call it off. Yet before she could decide, her thoughts drifted to the past few weeks and that fateful day she met the strange summon called Rusty. Since then, she had trained hard and grown stronger. She now believed she could stand among the C-class students, not the strongest but no longer weak either.

'I just have to try. I promised myself I wouldn't run anymore.'

She clenched her small fist and stepped forward toward the dueling arena. As expected, more students began to gather in the observation decks. Not everyone had classes at this hour, and the prospect of a duel always drew a crowd. Some lower-classmen whispered among themselves, joined by curious upperclassmen.

"The third years are having a duel for seating?"

"Rainstar's that girl from D-class?"

"She's going to get crushed. Eldric's been in B-class for three years. He'll never lose to someone like her."

"Are you sure? I heard she beat someone from A-class before. This could be interesting."

The murmurs grew louder as Gwen and Eldric took their positions. The barrier shimmered again, sealing them inside. Just as before, Gwen found herself underestimated. Her opponent had been in B-class from the start, with access to better training facilities and superior support items that strengthened his summons.

"You were lucky last time, but your luck ends now!"

Eldric shouted and raised his hand, summoning a massive serpent that coiled beside him. Its scales gleamed with a green sheen, and its twin fangs dripped venom.

"Behold, my twin-fanged green viper! It will make short work of your creatures!"

The time for battle now came, and Gwen started by summoning her defenders, multiple living armors…