The next morning, inside a small hall adorned with old antiques and paintings.
"Hurry up, we're gonna be late!"
Neon's voice echoed sharply through the space. Dressed in a dark blue jacket with matching pants, his sleek black hair gave him a striking look, despite his otherwise ordinary appearance.
Last night, he had been assigned the task of accompanying Kyle to the entrance test, as both Baron Ohan and Ray were busy with work-related matters. He accepted—gladly.
As Neon waited impatiently, a reluctant voice called down from upstairs.
"Coming."
After a minute, Neon heard footsteps on the stairs. He looked up, only to frown in frustration as Kyle strolled down leisurely, wearing a lazy, nonchalant expression.
"Why are you strolling slower than someone on a walk? Hurry up!"
Neon shouted, clearly irritated, and within seconds, Kyle stood beside him. Unlike Ray, Neon had a short temper and never missed an opportunity to give Kyle a good beating whenever he was being lazy and carefree.
As a (D)-Rank warrior, Neon clearly had the upper hand over Kyle, who hadn't advanced even a sub-rank since awakening his talent.
Kyle often ended up with bruises—and the occasional black eye—from his one-sided beatings, which Neon liked to call brotherly 'training sessions' in front of their father.
Shameless jerk! He was always bullying his weak (F-)-Rank brother with no powers!
Kyle thought bitterly, glancing at Neon's smiling face with quiet resentment.
'One day, I'll get my revenge!'
Only to shrug—because, despite having a (B)-Rank talent, he was still at (F-)-Rank.
So, that day might never come.
Neon gave Kyle a quick once-over.
He was dressed in a purple long-sleeved shirt and pants, looking more like he was heading for a nap than an entrance test.
Neon let out a sigh. Without another word, the two hurriedly stepped out of the house.
As usual, the city was alive with activity.
The narrow roads, flanked by buildings, bustled with the voices of shopkeepers eagerly calling out to customers. While walking, Kyle's eyes drifted to a distant, empty house—almost unconsciously.
'I wonder what those golden-haired jerks have been up to since they left Nyan City.'
A flicker of coldness passed through his eyes, vanishing just as it had appeared.
Taking in his surroundings, Kyle noticed a large crowd heading west, where the city's sole Teleportation Array was located.
"Of course… today's the entrance test for the kingdom's most prestigious academy. Even if they can't take part, they can still watch others compete in the arena."
Kyle muttered with a bitter look.
After all, unlike the joyful crowd, he was going there to get his bones rearranged.
After half an hour, Kyle and Neon arrived at the site where the Teleportation Array was located. It was etched as a large circle on a raised platform, covered in shiny runes. This array enabled people to instantly travel long distances from one place to another.
A crowd was already present, forming two long lines in front of the array, so it took a while before Kyle and Neon's turn came.
Just then, an old man dressed in formal attire hurriedly approached the pair.
"Where do you want to go?"
Neon recognized the man—he had seen him a few times before during his travels.
"The Capital City."
He stated their destination, then retrieved a pouch of mana stones from the storage ring on his finger and handed it to the old man.
Mana stones were the second currency used in every kingdom, after gold coins.
These stones contained naturally sealed pure mana and were commonly used to enhance weapons, forge artifacts, and power a wide variety of magical arrays.
Storage rings, meanwhile, were magical accessories that allowed users to store a vast number of non-living items in a space pocket—without adding weight to the ring.
The old man accepted the small pouch, swiftly counted the mana stones within using his keen senses, then gestured for Kyle and Neon to step onto the platform.
"Alright, go stand with that group."
Neon nodded and, with Kyle, quickly stepped onto the Teleportation Array, already crowded with people.
The old man walked over to a pedestal a few meters away and placed several mana stones on top. Instantly, the array began to glow. Kyle felt as if his internal organs were being shaken, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished—along with everyone else on the platform. Seconds later, they reappeared in a different location, bustling with people.
Since Kyle very rarely left the house, this was actually his first time traveling through a Teleportation Array—and it showed. The moment they arrived, a wave of nausea hit him, and he nearly threw up his breakfast.
Neon, on the other hand, was unfazed, clearly well accustomed to the feeling.
Seeing Kyle's pale face, he smirked.
"Well, not bad for your first time using a Teleportation Array. At least you are not throwing up like I did. Haha."
Kyle shot him a furious glare. He was the one who had dragged him here in the first place—now he had the nerve to mock him?
He seriously wanted to land a few solid punches on Neon's smug face, but deep down, he knew he wouldn't last a second.
'Better to swallow my fury than my teeth.'
He sulked in silence. Moments like these almost made him want to stop being lazy and start training—just so he could wipe those smug grins off his brothers' faces.
But, well… in the end, the motivation was never strong enough to get him moving.
Neon noticed Kyle's seething expression, and his grin widened as he casually slung an arm around Kyle's shoulder.
"You are cooking up something wicked in that small head of yours, aren't you?"
"N…o, definitely not."
With a roll of his eyes, Neon turned and began walking down the busy street. He glanced back, then quickened his pace.
"Whatever. I was going to let you rest a little, but I've changed my mind. We are already running late—let's move."
Kyle cursed silently but trailed behind. After all, if he really got left behind, he didn't even have enough money to make it back home!
Soon, the duo arrived at a plaza where the entrance test registration was taking place.
Dozens of tables and chairs were arranged in neat rows, staffed by young women and men in blue uniforms that marked them as official students of the Royal Academy.
Due to the large number of applicants, the Academy had assigned many duties to its students to ease the burden on the faculty.
After waiting in line for nearly twenty minutes, it was finally Kyle's turn.
He stepped forward, studying the azure-haired student seated behind the table.
The student wore a blue, long-sleeved uniform adorned with three white lines across the chest—simple, yet striking.
Kyle tapped the table lightly.
"Hello, I'm here to register."
The student glanced up briefly.
"Name and exact age?"
"My name is Kyle, and I'm 16 years old."
Without another word, the student pulled out a round crystal ball and asked him to place his hand on it. Kyle nodded, his expression unusually serious. A bright glow confirmed his age. The student gave a brief nod and handed him a token with the number 1055.
"You can go in."
Kyle took the token and rejoined Neon.
Together, they headed toward the massive arena behind the registration area. As they entered, Kyle stopped for a few moments—thousands of individuals filled the stands, creating a wall of noise and anticipation.
The large crowd buzzed with excitement, curious to see what kind of entrance test the Royal Academy would use this year, since the test format changed every time.
Neon quickly found an empty seat in the stands and waved Kyle toward the large stage at the center, where thousands of other participants had already gathered.
Kyle hesitated but stepped onto the stage, scanning the vast sea of competitors with a nervous expression. It was his first time standing before such a massive crowd.
'If it's 1vs1 battles like last year, how many times am I going to get beaten to a pulp?'
He shuddered. If it really was one-on-one, he would just admit defeat right away! What was even the point of saving face if it meant ending up with multiple broken bones?
After a short while, an elderly man named George stepped forward to begin the event.
Clad in a crisp white shirt and black pants, with black hair and grey eyes, he spoke in a calm, authoritative voice. He was the Vice Principal of the Royal Academy. However, his long speech was far from captivating.
Kyle struggled to keep his eyes open, the weight of his earlier anxiety slipping away as he fought to stifle a yawn. But clearly failed.
Unlike his lazy self, everyone else hung on George's every word. It wasn't every day you got to see an (SS)-Rank warrior—also the fourth strongest on the Eastern Continent!
"...In this 57th entrance test of the Royal Academy, I am truly honored to witness the talents of the younger generation. I hope the participants do not disappoint."