At last, the midterm exams had begun.

The first two days were written tests.

Every subject, crammed into two intense days.

And just now, I’d finished the final one.

“Ugh, my neck...”

Staring down at the test sheets for so long had left my whole body aching.

I cracked my neck a few times and stretched lightly as I stepped outside the building.

Gaon was buzzing with activity—preparations for the exams and upcoming events were in full swing.

After all, tomorrow marked the beginning of visits from external evaluators.

“Where does the professor live, seriously?”

“Just give us the results already... Who makes heroes take written exams?”

Students were grumbling as they crossed the plaza, venting their frustrations.

Amid the noise, I sat down on a bench and looked up at the massive floating display screen in the center of the plaza.

The large aerial monitor was showing a live feed of the students who had been challenged for one-on-one duels.

[1v1 Duel Challenge Notification]

[Rank 2 Johan] → [Unknown: Jeong Haein]

[1v1 Duel Challenge Notification]

[Rank 42 Sung Siwoo] → [Unknown: Jeong Haein]

And there was my name.

“...What to do.”

Honestly, I didn’t care either way.

I’d already sensed it yesterday at the café—Johan’s challenge wasn’t exactly surprising.

He was the type. It made sense.

But Sung Siwoo...

What the hell is this guy?

He usually treated me like I was invisible, and now he wants a duel?

What, did he go off on some retreat and find enlightenment?

...Not likely.

Still, there was something more important than this.

I had no intention of participating in all three rounds of the duels.

I’d planned from the start to only fight in the first match, then forfeit the second and third by default.

Because by that time, I’d need to be moving to intercept the demon ambush.

There were far more important things than my midterm score.

So now, I had to decide.

Which one would I fight—Sung Siwoo or Johan?

The screen looped and displayed my name again.

Click.

I clicked my tongue and pulled up my smartwatch.

Every student was given a single-use “Duel Rejection Ticket.”

I used mine.

[You have used your Duel Rejection Ticket on Rank 42: Sung Siwoo.]

To be blunt—

I’d already fought Sung Siwoo once during the sparring session with training weapons.

He was weak back then. And since then, he hadn’t received any kind of help or training from me. It hadn’t even been a full month.

I couldn’t imagine he’d changed much in such a short time.

This world didn’t hand out enlightenment just because you practiced a few times. It was much more brutal when it came to talent.

In other words,

You’re still weak.

I didn’t want to waste my one official match on Sung Siwoo.

It wouldn’t even be fun.

So my choice was made.

[Duel Rejection used — automatically matched with Rank 2: Johan.]

Johan it was.

***

I thought it had «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» been crowded yesterday...

But I was wrong.

Today’s plaza was on a completely different level. The main event of the midterms: the one-on-one duels.

Banners and flags fluttered in the wind. The noise of the crowd echoed across the grounds, practically shaking the air.

It felt like a full-blown festival.

And I was supposed to fight in all this?

I sighed and pushed my way through the packed crowds.

There were three arenas total—A, B, and C.

Since matches were happening simultaneously, spectators moved around depending on which student they were cheering for.

I was assigned to Arena A. So I needed to get there—but it was swamped.

Rank 2 Johan, and Rank 1 Kang Arin, were both fighting here. Of course the crowd was insane.

I barely managed to squeeze through to the stands.

WAAAAAAHHHH!

A massive cheer erupted through the arena. Even I flinched.

Inside the giant stadium, a fight was already underway.

Kang Arin versus some girl I didn’t recognize.

Judging by the situation, the girl had challenged Kang Arin without really knowing what she was getting into. Probably driven by pride.

“Are you really that strong?”—something like that.

I found a decent spot and sat down, watching the match unfold.

It was one-sided. Just as expected.

Kang Arin was overwhelmingly strong.

An archer using long-range attacks had allowed a martial artist to close the distance.

That meant the outcome was already sealed.

This was the third time I’d seen this happen.

But—

Kang Arin wasn’t finishing the fight.

She kept glancing toward the crowd, searching for someone.

And then, her eyes locked with mine.

Her eyes widened—and in the next instant, her body vanished.

BOOM!!

Her fist slammed into the archer’s gut.

One strike. A single blow was all it took.

The girl collapsed without even having time to scream, clutching her stomach and gasping for air.

“The winner——Kang Arin!!!”

With the announcer’s declaration, the crowd erupted into wild cheers.

WOOOOAAAAHH!

Arin waved to the audience, basking in the celebration.

But her eyes never left me.

“She’s good,” I muttered.

I didn’t know her exact reason for delaying the fight, but if she wanted to finish it earlier, she clearly could’ve.

The other girl probably knew it too. She looked bitter, clutching her stomach with a look of frustration.

Then the display board flashed again, announcing the next duel.

It was my match.

And suddenly, I heard my name everywhere.

“Jeong Haein...? Who’s that?”

“Ugh, this is gonna be another one-sided slaughter. I’ll start taking notes from Match 2—Johan’s up next, right?”

Murmurs spread across the arena, mostly from guild scouts and evaluators.

Which made sense.

These scouts came to see raw talent shine.

If the match was too lopsided, there’d be no opportunity for that. They hated it.

I stood quietly from my seat.

Time to go.

With the stage being prepped between rounds, now was the perfect moment.

I slipped out of the stands and made my way to the fighter tunnel.

As I walked through the long corridor, the roars of the crowd gradually faded.

All that remained were the dull, steady echoes of my footsteps on the floor.

After confirming my identity at the gate, I stood at the entrance to wait.

“You’ll be entering in three minutes.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Following the attendant’s signal, I waited a few more minutes.

Then, slowly, I stepped into the arena.

WAAAAAAAH!!

The roar of the crowd pierced my ears the moment I emerged from the tunnel.

Louder and more intense than before.

Of course, most of it was probably for Johan standing in front of me.

He waved to the audience with a wide smile, soaking in their cheers like a man basking in his own private spotlight.

And now, we stood face-to-face.

“You accepted it, huh?”

He greeted me with a smile.

No matter how loud you shouted here, the audience couldn’t hear it. The field was soundproofed from the stands.

“I thought you’d chicken out.”

I didn’t bother responding.

There was no need to say anything.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I just rolled my wrist, stretching it slightly as the countdown ticked down.

Johan’s smile wavered—just for a split second. Then he quickly recovered, slipping back into his warm, friendly façade.

“Went dungeon diving together, didn’t we?”

He continued.

“I know you’ve been spending time with the Saint lately.”

He’d clearly had Cheon Yeoul investigated.

Still, I gave him nothing.

Johan narrowed the distance between us, his smile curling a little tighter.

“Just one question,” he said, softly.

Then, with a breath—

“Did you sleep with her?”

Haa...

I sighed.

The foggy haze of emotion I’d been carrying since walking through the tunnel disappeared in an instant.

Like mist blown away by wind, all those needless feelings vanished.

Not even worth laughing at. My expression turned cold.

“You’re more screwed up than I thought.”

Hero Johan.

He had the public image of a friendly, gentle golden boy.

But if people saw what he was really like—this pathetic—

What would they think?

3! 2! 1!

The countdown echoed.

I slowly raised my spear.

And looked at him one last time.

Still smiling.

But behind that smile writhed a twisted obsession.

“Get a grip.”

***

Most guilds observed the matches from the general stands, watching the students’ fights and taking notes.

But things were different here.

Gaon’s arenas were divided into A, B, and C, with a special VIP suite located in the central vantage point that overlooked all three.

Only the top players—the major guilds and organizations known as “majors”—had access to this room, where they could freely observe any match at any time.

Click.

A soft sound echoed as a crystal glass touched down on a finely polished wooden table.

“Lady Arin’s match... was spectacular.”

The officially acknowledged “Rank 1 of Gaon.”

Naturally, her fight was the hottest topic of discussion.

Kang Yunhyeok, Guildmaster of the Glory-affiliated Mangju Guild, found himself the center of attention.

“Guildmaster Kang, Lady Arin’s growth is truly remarkable.”

“She may reach S-rank immediately after graduation.”

Yunhyeok nodded with a composed smile.

It was all within expectations.

Kang Arin.

His niece, and the brightest jewel raised by Glory.

Even after the death of Kang Yuseong, their legitimate heir, what seemed like a crisis had instead become a moment to blossom anew.

His gaze slid to the floating display.

The next match schedule was being announced.

“Hm...”

A match was about to begin in Arena A.

With Johan participating, members of the Church and other organizations were naturally flocking to his section of the stands.

“Haha, Bishop. Johan’s match is next. He’s truly impressive, isn’t he?”

People began to gather around the old man in white priestly robes, eager to flatter him.

“That child... will be the new light of the Church.”

“Indeed, indeed.”

Johan’s match was drawing massive expectations.

Even in the VIP room, nearly everyone was there to see him.

But Kang Yunhyeok’s attention was elsewhere.

Uncle, I’m adding this guy to Glory.

Out of the blue, Kang Arin had tried to register someone into the elite Glory team—Mangju’s vanguard unit.

She hadn’t just recommended him. She’d gone so far as to fill out the paperwork.

Yunhyeok had temporarily halted the registration using his guildmaster authority.

Jeong Haein.

A name he’d never heard in his life. But upon investigation, he’d found that Haein was a registered hero—one who went by the alias “Silent Ghost.”

Not a bad record for someone so young.

But Glory wasn’t the kind of place any halfway decent hero could just stroll into.

So instead of sitting in Johan’s section, he took a seat in Haein’s.

He wanted to know why his niece had chosen this guy.

However, as Yunhyeok looked around Haein’s section, his brow furrowed.

“...What?”

He had expected it to be empty—everyone should’ve gone to watch Johan.

But surprisingly, Haein’s section had gathered quite the crowd.

Arcadia. Lotus Guild. And... Vanquisher.

Vanquisher?

He’d already found it strange when they announced their participation in this year’s evaluations—but even their seating choice was unexpected.

Yunhyeok turned his attention to someone familiar—Arcadia’s representative.

He quietly addressed him.

“Bishop Luke, did you come here to watch Johan?”

But Luke shook his head.

“No, it was the Saint’s recommendation. She strongly urged me to come observe Jeong Haein.”

“I simply follow her will.”

Yunhyeok’s expression hardened subtly.

The Saint, too...?

Something was off.

Now that he was looking more carefully, the people watching Haein’s match weren’t ordinary.

A bodyguard from the Yu family. Lotus Guild. Arcadia Order. Vanquisher.

...And now me, too?

What began as mild curiosity suddenly felt like something deeper.

Kang Yunhyeok leaned back in his seat, ready to watch properly.

And in the center of that section—

Crunch.

“Wow~ Haein’s popular, huh?”

A man lounged casually, munching on a snack.

It was Park Gwangcheol.

Completely relaxed, he’d taken the best seat in the house.

“Oh damn. Haein’s pissed.”

Crunch.

“You’re fucked~”

With another loud bite, Park Gwangcheol settled in to enjoy the show.