CHAPTER 251: BEGINNING OF THE LAST EXAM

A/N:Hello, dear readers! As promised, here’s the mass release! 🎉 It’s a total of 8 Chapters this time. I know I initially planned for more, so let me explain why.

I recently made some changes to the Privilege Chapters. For example, for the SAINT tier, it was previously 1,000 coins for 15 Chapters, but starting tomorrow, it will increase to 20 Chapters. So, 5 of the Chapters I wrote went into that.

I actually wrote 13 Chapters in just 2.5 days, which completely fried my brain. 😅 I really hope you’ll support me with power stones—it keeps me going after all this effort!

Thank you so much for sticking with me. Enjoy the Chapters! ❤️

****

It feels nice..

Melissia thought as she walked back towards her dorm room, having just finished her Second Exam. It had gone splendidly, far better than she had expected.

Moreover, Melissia’s mood was peaceful, almost unnaturally so. Her mind was calm, free of all traces of sadness, depression, or self-doubt. There was nothing but positivity within her, overflowing endlessly as though no darkness could ever taint it again.

That was not all. Her body itself brimmed with power, so much so that she felt as if she could shatter mountains with her bare hands. Of course, that was only an illusion born from her drastic increase in physical strength, but it was not far from reality either. Breaking a massive boulder or two would hardly be difficult for her now.

Though everyone would probably faint if I actually did that..

The changes brought forth by her bloodline were not limited to her personality. Her entire being had shifted to the point that no one would believe she was the same Melissia they had once known. She had no intention of revealing everything, however, and preferred to keep it hidden.

Her parents were the only ones she had told. Both her father and mother had been elated beyond words, so much so that they wanted her to abandon the academy and come home at once. Yet she had chosen to remain, determined to complete her exams and only return once the holidays began.

Because she did not want to leave. That was her will, firm and unshakable.

The awakening of her bloodline had not only granted her strength but had also sharpened her maturity and decision-making.

Though the change in class was quite a surprise..

Everyone believed that once an individual’s class was determined, it could never change. But reality was different. A class could evolve into a stronger form, and in extremely rare cases, it could even change entirely. Such evolution required hidden conditions, conditions that not every class possessed.

No clear pattern had ever been found to explain which classes could evolve or what was needed, but it was observed that only classes with untapped potential could awaken into something greater.

Just like her own Fire Mage class, which had now evolved into a Unique Class, Flame Empress. A class unlike any other in the entire world. It granted her complete immunity to fire and absolute dominion over it. As long as her opponent was only a rank above her, she could suppress any being who wielded fire, no matter their talent or mastery.

Even more profound than her new class, however, was the transformation of her very existence. She was no longer entirely human. She had become half human and half phoenix. And as she climbed the ranks, her humanity would gradually fade away, until at last nothing remained and she was reborn as a true phoenix.

And the most extraordinary change of all..

I still can’t believe I awakened the Eternal Flames..

Even now, the thought sent shivers down her spine. The Eternal Flames, said to be everlasting, were the flames of rebirth and the flames of destruction, carrying with them both creation and ruin.

Along with them came knowledge. The moment she awakened her bloodline, she had inherited the Crown of Ember, the holy relic of the Phoenix Clan. Memories, truths, and ancient knowledge had simply embedded themselves into her mind.

She had learned that the region called the Forbidden Zone, the Land of Ashes, was nothing more than a side effect of the Crown of Ember’s presence. The crown unconsciously devoured mana, oxygen, and even the smallest particles in the air as a form of defense, leaving behind a barren wasteland.

The place where she and Nyra had gone had been a secret base of the Ravencroft family, built in ancient times as a last refuge. The Crown was linked to it, and so, when the Third Head of the Ravencroft family perished, his body had been drawn into the base and preserved by the Crown’s power.

Even now, Melissia could not fully control or comprehend the might of the Crown. What she knew for certain was that as her rank grew and her phoenix bloodline matured, her bond with the Crown would deepen, granting her greater and greater command over its power.

That was the sum of all the changes she had experienced in these past days.

And yet, she was still a little disappointed. Deep inside, she believed—or at least she hoped—that there was still more awaiting her.

Well, there was one thing: her thoughts about Ash.

They were quite conflicting.

She thought her feelings for Ash would eventually vanish, or at the very least, she wished for them to fade, but instead of disappearing, they only grew stronger, multiplying until they nearly blinded her. The more she tried to suppress them, the more fiercely they burned, leaving her heart restless and unwilling to let go.

But she also knew the truth. Ash was already taken. He had Elysia.

It was nothing more than a one-sided love on her part, but.....

There was nothing she could do. One part of her wanted to curse her fate and the heart that had chosen so foolishly, while another part clung to those feelings as if they were the only thing keeping her alive. It was a cruel contradiction, and it made her chest ache in ways she could not put into words.

Shaking her thoughts away, Melissia increased her pace. Her throat felt unbearably hot, as if fire still lingered inside her, and she found herself craving something cold, anything that could soothe the burning within.

Now then, what flavor should I try today..?

If there was one other change in her, it was her sudden and growing fondness for ice cream. She had already been fond of teddy bears, but this new obsession was something she could not have predicted.

It was ironic, almost laughable. Being immune to fire, her heart now craved the coolness of frozen sweetness. A paradox, perhaps. Or maybe hypocrisy.

Right now, she found herself stuck in a dilemma, unable to decide which shop to go to.

Darn it, I’ll just eat every single one..

****

Meanwhile, Ash followed her for quite a while, and as he saw her eating large amounts of ice cream and drinking one cold beverage after another, in her tidy and beautiful appearance, he felt an immense sense of relief rise within him.

Looks like she succeeded.....

Ash smiled lightly, then turned around and walked away.

He was genuinely glad that everything had worked out. Even in the novel, she had developed a deep fondness for cold food after awakening her bloodline, and seeing it here was not surprising. Rather, it was an undeniable sign that she had succeeded.

The thought of someone suffering because of him was something he could never bear. Ash himself had gone through such torment before, and he knew very well just how horrifying it could be. He never wished to experience it again, nor did he want anyone else to suffer such pain because of his existence.

So, he was glad. Glad that this time, he had been able to cleanse that turmoil from someone else. He chose not to appear before her, keeping himself out of her sight, unwilling to stir memories that might trouble her heart again.

Time passed, and within a few days, the second exam had concluded for everyone in the academy. Before long, the day of the third exam finally arrived.

---

"Are you nervous?" Ash asked in a calm voice.

Elysia turned to him after hearing his question, her eyes meeting his. "Of course, but not that much," she replied with a faint smile.

Ash raised his eyebrows slightly. "Why so?"

It was surprising to him that Elysia was not more nervous, especially since the third and final exam was about to begin. The academy had placed great importance on this stage, preparing more extensively than before, with even more teachers present to oversee it.

They were wary of sudden gate breaks and unexpected attacks, yet most of the students carried the same thought in their minds. If there was truly danger, then why would the academy still conduct the exam?

The answer was simple. It was to train the younger generation, to teach them that nothing should be allowed to hinder their path. Growth was never meant to be safe or easy, for it always came hand in hand with danger.

"I have trained as much as I could during the past month, and since it is an academy exam, everything should be fine. I am only hoping that we get selected into the same team." Although she spoke with confidence, there was a subtle edge of nervousness in her voice that could not be hidden.

Ash smiled gently and said, "Don’t worry, nothing will happen. But if something does happen, just do what I told you before, and everything will turn out all right."

He held her hands firmly, the warmth of his touch spreading into her skin. Elysia felt her heartbeat steadying, her unease melting away. His voice, calm and assured, seemed to carry a strange power, one that wrapped around her like a quiet embrace and eased her restless heart.

Just then, a loud voice echoed across the vast arena field where they stood, silencing all chatter and drawing every gaze toward the stage.

***