Link instinctively turned his head, following the gaze that had been locked onto him.
He quickly found its source—
a stunningly beautiful girl who radiated an icy coldness.
But what caught Link's attention even more than her expressionless face
was her incredibly voluptuous figure.
In all his years, Link had never seen a girl built quite like her.
At the same time, a panel appeared in Link's vision:
[Name: Seraphine][Power Values: 289][Flesh Forging Art: "Glacivenom Flesh Forging Art"][Meditation Technique: "Glacivenom Meditation Technique"][Skills: Unknown][Talent: ???]
What surprised Link most was that Lib, his analysis system, had immediately identified the girl's name and identity.
It was clear:
she was none other than the little princess of House Roland, Seraphine.
However, something puzzled Link.
Unlike the usual "Pending Analysis" tag, her talent was listed as three question marks.
What could that mean?
Surely it didn't imply that Lib's database had no record of her talent?
There was another possibility—
that her talent level was simply too high for Lib to assess.
The thought made Link's heart sink slightly.
After all, Lib itself was an SSS-rank talent analyzer.
If even it couldn't process Seraphine's talent,
then hers might very well be at the UR rank.
Still, there wasn't enough evidence to be certain.
It wasn't like he could just walk up and ask her directly.
Shaking his head, Link forced himself to look away.
Although he was incredibly curious about her abilities,
there was no point dwelling on something he couldn't change.
At that moment, a loud shout broke through the murmuring crowd:
"Link! I challenge you!"
The booming voice instantly drew the attention of everyone present.
Students turned to look and saw a furious blond-haired boy standing next to the petite Annora.
It was the blond youth who had shouted the challenge.
He looked utterly disheveled—
his clothes were ripped and tattered,
his weapon was broken in half.
"Who is that guy? Why's he challenging Link?"
"Look at the girl standing next to him—that's Annora, isn't it?"
"Ohhh, now it makes sense.
Look at how Annora's been sneaking glances at Link this whole time.
I bet the blondie is jealous!"
Meanwhile, Link also glanced over and saw Annora's panel appear in front of him:
[Name: Annora][Power Values: 189][Flesh Forging Art: "Dark Flesh Forging Art"][Meditation Technique: "Flame Meditation Technique"][Skills: Unknown][Talent: Pending Analysis]
As for the panel of the blond youth beside her,
Link didn't even bother to check.
Clearly, he wasn't worth the effort.
Still, Link had to admit—
the kid had guts.
The blond boy stormed over, glaring at Link furiously.
"Link! I refuse to believe you racked up that many points fairly!"
"I demand a proper fight with you!
If you're not a coward, prove it right here and now!
Otherwise, I strongly suspect your results are bogus!"
Although deep down he knew Link must have real strength,
he simply couldn't accept it.
How could someone from an ordinary middle school outperform him—
a student from an elite academy?
How would he ever face Annora if he just meekly accepted it?
What if Annora started admiring Link instead?
He would be a complete joke!
Thus, blinded by jealousy and wounded pride,
the blond youth decided to go all-in and publicly challenge Link.
Annora blinked anxiously, her chubby cheeks tightening.
Panic flickered in her big, dark eyes.
This situation was spiraling far beyond her control.
She had only been curious about how Link achieved such an incredible feat—
she never wanted a confrontation.
After hesitating, she spoke in a small, hesitant voice,
"Jake, you don't have to do this. Link really is very strong, and…"
"Annora, leave this to me!" Jake cut her off firmly.
"I have my own reasons!"
Link could only chuckle helplessly.
These kids... so young, so emotional.
He was just about to reply when a calm, authoritative voice interrupted them.
"I personally witnessed Link's performance," the voice said.
"I can vouch for the fairness of his results on behalf of the entire camp."
Everyone turned to see a middle-aged man approaching—
the same man who had overseen the Entry Test.
He shot a cold, dismissive glance at Jake and said,
"As for you..."
"You don't even qualify to question our camp's top scorer."
"And now, you are officially disqualified from the camp.
Pack your things and leave immediately."
Jake stood frozen, stunned beyond belief.
He hadn't imagined that simply issuing a challenge would get him kicked out.
Wasn't this a bit... too harsh?
"I protest! I was just issuing a normal challenge!" he cried.
"How can you expel me for that? How is that fair?!"
The middle-aged man, his face expressionless,
gave Jake a single icy glare—
and that one look made Jake feel like he had fallen into a frozen abyss.
"You think you were expelled for challenging Link?"
"No. You were expelled for daring to question the authority of this camp."
"When you chose to join the camp, you accepted one fundamental rule: absolute obedience."
"If you can't even follow basic orders,
then you are not welcome here."
"You have ten seconds to get out of my sight."
Faced with that crushing pressure,
Jake's bravado collapsed instantly.
Without even sparing a final glance at Annora,
he turned and fled the arena in a panic.
Once Jake was gone, the middle-aged man turned his stern gaze back to the remaining students.
"Congratulations.
You have passed the Entry Test."
"Now, reorganize yourselves into orderly ranks!"
At his command, the students immediately fell into line.
It was only then they realized something unsettling—
the group was much smaller now.
Originally, over a hundred prodigies had been gathered here.
Now, only about half remained.
The students exchanged uneasy glances,
hearts heavy with dread.
Had the missing ones fallen to the moonfolk?
Only Link understood the truth.
Most of them had probably been directly expelled—
just like Jake.
Once the ranks were tidy, the middle-aged man spoke again.
"Alright. Time for introductions.
I am called Martin.
You may address me as Sergeant Martin."
"For the next two months,
I will be personally overseeing your training."
"I won't waste time with meaningless words.
Just remember:
the moonfolk you faced during the Entry Test—
they were merely cannon fodder."
"The real moonfolk on the frontlines are far more terrifying!"
"Now, everyone follow me—onto the transport!"
The students all turned to look as a large bus slowly pulled into view.
A wave of relief washed over them.
Finally, a break.
Finally, a chance to breathe.
But just as they were about to move forward—
BOOM!
The bus exploded in a massive fireball.