"Wow~" Amon gazed outside the window as the beautiful clouds, flying birds, and the small city below came into view.

Currently, he was sitting in an airship. A ship not made for sailing across the seas, but for gliding through the vast sky.

The hum of mana engines filled the cabin, soft and steady. Rows of first-year students sat around him, some talking excitedly, others nervously gripping their seats.

It was the day of the Practical Exam, and no one knew where they were being taken. The teachers hadn't said a single word about the location, only that it would test everything they'd learned so far.

Just last night, everyone got a notice on their pagers about gathering on the huge ground of the academy. Be ready for the exam. Prepare well. When everyone gathered there, an airship came big enough to take at least more than four hundred students.

Amon leaned his cheek against the glass. The sunlight shimmered faintly over the metallic wings of the airship. "Man… they really like to keep us guessing," he muttered.

Beside him, Marcus sat with arms folded, eyes closed as if meditating. Across the aisle, Eliana and Seraphina were quietly chatting, their expressions calm but alert.

"Well, Sera, are you prepared for the exam?" Amon asked, looking at the young woman who was like a light.

Seraphina stopped talking to Eliana and turned to Amon. She nodded, her expression as calm as ever.

"I have prepared everything that I think was important..." She paused for a while, then asked, "What about you?"

Amon smirked at her question. Eliana raised one eyebrow at his curved lips. Marcus, despite his closed eyes, was listening to everything.

"Of course, I am fully prepared. I have bought a lot of healing potions, a good amount of bullets... and... that's it?" Now that he thought about it, there was nothing special that he had prepared for the exam. Why was he acting so smug then?

"Hahaha~ Amon, you really just took only those things? What about some daily necessities? What if we are thrown into a dungeon or some unknown place for many days? How will you survive?" Eliana giggled while talking to him.

Seraphina just gave him a very small but worried smile.

Amon clicked his tongue in irritation. "I always carry my daily necessity things with me in my storage ring. My extra clothes, toothbrush and toothpaste, and even soap. Don't underestimate me, Eliana." This time, he gave her a smug smile.

"Pftt—" Marcus tried to suppress his laugh at this commoner. Eliana also laughed.

Amon frowned because of them.

"Hey, are you looking for a fight?" Amon asked Marcus, with a challenging face.

Marcus scoffed from beside, not wanting to waste his time with an idiot.

Amon turned his face back to the two girls. "Well, I don't want to waste my precious time with the young master."

A vein bulged on Marcus's forehead, his eyes snapping open in rage. "What did you say, bastard?"

Every time Marcus tried to ignore this foolish boy, he found a way to get on his nerves.

This time, Amon folded his arms over his chest, looking outside the window with a serene expression, ignoring Marcus's outburst like he was just another extra. Not so important.

While the group of four students enjoyed their time, on the other side of the row sat Aisha Darkfang. Her wolf ears twitched as she heard the voice of a weak, weird boy.

Her red eyes fell on him—the messy black-haired boy talking with Marcus and the other two girls.

For a long time, or say from the time the academy started, she didn't understand why those three, who were from high noble families and top of the class, were hanging out with him. One of them was actually a princess. She was from a race known for warriors for power and strength.

It's not that she hated commoners or anything. If they were strong, she would respect them. But Amon was far from being strong. Though she couldn't deny he was getting stronger. Much better than before.

The memory where she spent time with him came to her mind. It actually was a good time. That night, she thought maybe he was good and friendly.

That's why those three hung out with him. But then came the memory where she hugged him, rubbed her cheek against his like a spoiled kid.

"Tch!" She clicked her tongue. Her cheeks turned pink. She turned her face in another direction. She felt shameful to have acted like that in front of a man.

Meanwhile,

On one corner of the ship, a young man with blue hair sat near the window seat. His dark blue, cold eyes looked outside the window. His cold eyes held resolve.

For something important, something greater that no student could understand. His ambitions were high, as if he was looking at a goal that no one could think about.

He was none other than Arnold Bigod, the mysterious, good-for-nothing youngest son of the Bigod family. But he was not that anymore.

He tapped his index finger on the armrest. He exhaled heavily.

"It's getting closer. I will be at the top in this exam... and after that... I will survive it. No matter who comes, no matter what trial or enemy I have to face, no one can stop me," he muttered.

The person who was called a protagonist by Amon was really acting like a real protagonist.

The airship suddenly shook lightly, and a calm yet commanding voice echoed through the crystal speakers.

"Attention, first-year students," Professor Aria's voice resounded. "You are about to arrive at the site of your Practical Survival Exam. Listen carefully to the instructions once we land."

The cabin went silent. Even the most talkative students stopped whispering. Amon straightened up, curiosity sparking in his eyes.

A few minutes later, the airship began its descent. The clouds parted, revealing an endless stretch of emerald green. A massive forest that stretched beyond the horizon.

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