Volume 2 Chapter 7 – Obstacles

As the semester reached its midpoint, all teams and class members were busy preparing for their midterms. After enduring the harsh reality of the enrollment test, the Freshman Crown Tournament, and the Freshman Preliminary Cup, this batch of new students finally began to understand that Coleman Academy was no easy ride. It wasn’t the kind of lax school where you could coast to graduation without effort.

Here, those who lacked motivation and drive wouldn't even last half a year.

Never mind the cutthroat promotion exams—just the atmosphere alone made a difference.

Imagine your entire dorm team studying intensely, striving to improve, while you're the only one lazing around. Wouldn’t that make you anxious?

A good environment has the power to change habits. Even those not keen on studying would end up buried in books under this kind of pressure.

The midterms came to an end. Unsurprisingly, the one who still lagged behind was the pink-haired catgirl. Her foundations were just too weak—catching up would take more than a few days.

Still, two months of focused tutoring had paid off. And considering that she’d been taught by an all-star team, it was impossible not to improve.

Though Wenfu's scores were still somewhat painful to look at compared to her Class A peers, she had made substantial progress since the enrollment test. At the very least, all her grades were now in the double digits, and she could even pass the subjects she was good at.

That was impressive enough. Dylin was already quite pleased. Watching the pink-haired kitten bounce around in an apron with her test results in hand, he couldn’t help but smile fondly like a proud father.

The cat I raised... has finally grown up.

As the days went by, Felicia’s condition seemed increasingly... “unsatisfied.” She was like a glass cup filled to the brim with water—no matter how much was poured out, it would soon overflow again.

"Felicia, hasn’t your Divine Authority Domain been stuck at LV20 for a while now?" On the weekend, Teresa sat beside her, flipping through a book as she analyzed calmly. "While building a solid foundation is good, hoarding too much experience is bound to cause issues. I’ll handle your temporary leave application form, so be ready."

"Teresa, I have a question." Felicia raised an eyebrow.

"And what is it?"

"How did you know my Domain was at LV20? Did you guess?"

"Of course not. Mr. Dylin mentioned it to me," Teresa answered.

Dylin’s Divine Appraisal is that high level? Felicia thought. Something about Teresa’s words didn’t sit right.

To be able to see her Domain level so clearly—it was unheard of. She had always assumed Dylin's Divine Appraisal was decorative at best, but it seemed not.

But if that’s true... Why has Dylin never used [Divine Insight Share] before? That was a basic Divine Child skill—shouldn’t it be simple if his appraisal level was so high?

"Felicia, go get some proper rest tonight. Don’t go training. I’ll handle the application. If everything goes as expected, we’ll be heading into Ruglian tomorrow. Get a good night’s sleep and conserve your strength."

"Being full of energy is good, but staying up late can really affect performance."

"Then, if I’m too full of energy to sleep tonight... could I ask Miss Teresa to help me, you know, relieve it a little?" Felicia quipped back, smirking, clearly trying to get her own playful jab in after being teased so much.

"Of course," Teresa halted her steps and smiled, her eyes glimmering. "I won’t lock my door tonight. Felicia, you’re welcome to come chat under the candlelight anytime."

"Not locking your door? Isn’t that a bit careless? How about you leave the key somewhere only I’d know?" Felicia teased, flicking a lock of hair.

"I’ll leave it under the blanket. Come by whenever you like, Felicia."

"I’ll be sure to accompany you all the way~" Teresa gave her a sly wink, lightly touched the corner of her lips with her tongue, and walked off, quietly humming to herself.

No need to rush. The plan for tomorrow didn’t involve diving deep. They were just going to scout the area. Once they gathered enough intelligence on the layout of Ruglian and the local Demon Race distribution, they’d make their move.

And for intel gathering, they'd need Divine Appraisal—Dylin’s domain.

Though Teresa could technically use the skill too, the one to report the findings had to be Dylin. Having to speak through a puppet was bound to cause errors. Playing both roles was too much hassle. Besides, the puppet couldn’t perfectly mimic Teresa, and since this was just recon, there was no need to bring her along.

In recent days, while balancing study and training, Teresa had also been researching Ruglian and the Coleman Forest.

Gathering information about a target site beforehand was a basic Divine Child responsibility. Apart from confirmed details and rumors, Teresa came across an unverified tale in a non-academic book called Legends of Coleman Forest.

It spoke of mysterious disappearances of demihumans near the forest.

But there was no proof. Recently, no such disappearances had been reported, so it was likely just another exaggerated horror story—an urban myth distorted through retelling. Teresa didn’t take it seriously.

Once she finished her preparations, she left her room. As the team leader, it was her duty to check on her teammates before departure.

She’d just seen Felicia, so she skipped her and went first to Astrid’s door. She knocked three times.

"Sorry to bother—Astrid, are you free right now?"

Inside came a brief clatter, as if someone were caught off guard. Then light footsteps approached the door. Soon, it opened to reveal Astrid, dressed in a silver gown that matched her hair.

What was she just doing? Why did she take so long to answer?

Teresa didn’t pry. She simply reminded Astrid to rest up—they were leaving for Ruglian tomorrow—and not to get too nervous.

Astrid nodded gracefully as usual, her expression calm and collected.

When Teresa reached Wenfu’s room, she was about to knock when she noticed a shadow beneath the door—Wenfu was already asleep.

Looks like I didn’t even need to check in. They all have excellent mental discipline.

The hallway was silent, with only Teresa remaining. She turned off the crystal lights on the first floor, returned to the third, took off her hair ornament, and transformed back into Dylin—finally sleeping in his own bed for once.

***

The next morning, the academy bustled with activity. After all, the weekend was over.

A temporary leave application was filed when a team needed time to leave campus to complete their assignment. The administration would issue official leave passes.

Typically, such requests were submitted near the end of the semester. Submitting one halfway through, as Clarity of Sun and Moon was doing, was almost unheard of.

After breakfast, the four gathered in the courtyard. Unsure if they'd end up sleeping in the forest or the wild, they all packed their bags accordingly.

"Huh? Isn’t Miss Teresa coming?" Wenfu looked around nervously.

"Wenfu, are you saying the three of us can’t protect you?" Dylin chuckled, his flintlock strapped to his back.

"That’s not it!"

"This is just reconnaissance—to get a sense of the demon's presence nearby. No need for full combat power." Dylin explained. "Teresa went to submit the leave form. So just the four of us this time."

Submitting that form actually took a whole day, but Dylin had turned it in a while ago.

"I see..." Wenfu nodded, though her eyes kept drifting toward the horizon, still uneasy in Teresa's absence.

Astrid stayed quiet as usual, occasionally casting glances at Dylin. Felicia, on the other hand, was gazing toward Coleman Forest, lost in thought.

They locked the estate’s gates behind them and set off beyond campus.

Each carried different gear: Dylin had a cloth backpack and ammo belt; Astrid wore a few trinkets at her waist and thighs; the strong Felicia carried the most, but her strength made it effortless. Wenfu had a little student-style backpack and her usual loafers, her cat ears twitching—she looked like a grade-schooler heading to class.

As they neared the outskirts, Coleman City’s walls shrank into the distance. The city’s banners grew smaller and eventually disappeared.

Dylin calculated silently.

With daylight strong, they’d try to return before dark. At night, Ruglian's monsters became far more aggressive.

Up ahead was the Coleman Forest. Beyond that lay the dark depths of Ruglian.

Every time he saw this forest, Dylin remembered the day he first entered—emerging within a secret realm that led to the Sacred Tree of the Elves.

“Hold it. Where do you kids think you’re going?” A coarse voice barked as they approached the forest.

They turned to see a tall officer in armor, flanked by several patrolling soldiers.

Wenfu’s ears twitched. She instinctively hid behind Felicia.

"And you are?" Dylin asked politely, noting the imperial insignia on the man’s sleeve.

"I’m with the Empire’s perimeter forces around Coleman. What business do you have in the forest?" The officer’s gaze lingered briefly on the three striking girls before locking onto Dylin, clearly trying to assert dominance.

His voice had deliberately been raised.

"We’re students of Coleman Academy. We’re heading into the forest to conduct field research for a class assignment. May I ask what the issue is?" Felicia replied coolly, her tone calm and firm.

"What issue? You’re entering the Coleman Forest without authorization. This is a restricted zone! You’re not allowed in!" the officer declared, puffing himself up. "And 'field research'? Who knows what you’re really up to!"

Dylin now understood—this guy was clearly trying to cause trouble.

"Sir, once again—we’re Coleman Academy students." Despite the man’s arrogance, Felicia’s expression didn’t change.

"Academy students? Hah! And I suppose I’m the Emperor. You could be colluding with the Demon Race for all I know!" the officer sneered, eyes narrowing.

You’ve got to be kidding.

Dylin’s lip twitched. Colluding with demons? As if that wouldn’t be instant suicide.

Clearly, this man just wanted to provoke them.

Dylin could guess why. They were in full Coleman Academy uniforms. There was no way he didn’t recognize them—it was because he did that he came over to stir up trouble.

From Dylin’s studies, he’d learned Coleman City was originally neutral, rich in resources and strategically located. Many factions had wanted to station troops here under the excuse of “defending against demon invasions.”

But the Elves beat them to it, negotiating with the city lord and taking over public security.

Other nations weren’t happy. They refused to withdraw their troops, claiming they were “helping guard” the city, but their true motive was clear—make life difficult for Coleman Academy.

Dylin’s instincts were screaming “play the politics card.” But before he could speak, Felicia acted.

BOOM!

She slammed her massive sword onto the ground, sending up a whirlwind of dust.

"Sir, I suspect you’re impersonating an imperial officer to damage the military’s reputation. Please present proof of identity—or I may be forced to take action."

"You—!" The officer and his cronies went pale. They hadn’t expected her to go on the offensive and demand they prove their identities.

"Can’t you see our armor and insignia?!"

Felicia gave a mocking smile. "Armor? That proves nothing."

"You have some nerve impersonating imperial soldiers and blocking students from Coleman Academy. If the academy hears of this, they’ll consider it a provocation. You really think that’s a good idea?" she said, licking her lips.

The message was clear: We’re here on official grounds. If something happens, the Empire won’t lift a finger for some nobodies.

"We’re heading into Ruglian to slay demons. We wouldn’t mind warming up by beheading a few bandits first." Felicia’s eyes gleamed with a predatory glint, clearly eager for battle.

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