Vincent looked at the figure ahead of him and hesitantly asked, "Aren't you afraid of running into another magical beast like the one earlier?"
Austin didn't bother turning around, nor did he respond to Vincent. Vincent sighed but continued following behind him.
After all, he was out of water, and if he stayed in the desert alone, it was only a matter of time before he dried up and was teleported out.
Vincent had expected to encounter another Red or Purple-ranked magical beast, but their journey went surprisingly smoothly. They walked in a straight line right to the Forest Zone.
When Vincent saw the boundary between the two zones, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
He turned to Austin, excitement in his voice, "Austin, you're really my lucky charm! When you said we wouldn't see any more magical beasts, I didn't believe you."
With that, he ran over, arms outstretched as if he wanted to hug Austin.
Austin, seeing the sand-covered arms coming toward him, stepped aside. Vincent missed, falling face-first into the sand yet again. But he wasn't resentful, just got up and continued running after Austin.
Austin looked at the forest ahead. In his previous life, his tragedy had also begun in this very place. Earlier, he had released a wave of pressure, causing all the magical beasts in the Desert Zone to cower. Now that they had arrived at the Forest Zone, he withdrew his aura, knowing that it wouldn't be long before they encountered magical beasts.
As expected, just as this thought crossed his mind, a Blue-ranked magical beast shrieked and flew straight toward them.
Outside the assessment zone, the plaza was crowded with upperclassmen students, all watching the large screens and chatting away.
Some were betting on who would emerge victorious, while others were scouting for potential candidates to recruit into one of the five Houses of the Royal Academy.
The elevated stands were reserved for the elders and instructors, who were responsible for monitoring the safety of the students.
Suddenly, the orderliness of the group was disrupted by the arrival of Mr. Adonis, his face naturally stern. He walked up to the stands, heading directly toward the headmaster.
No one seemed surprised by Mr. Adonis's appearance. After all, the bet between Austin and Ciel had spread throughout the entire Royal Academy, so it would have been odd if he didn't know about it.
None of them believed Austin would win, and neither did Mr. Adonis. He knew his son's abilities all too well.
Mr. Adonis took a seat next to the headmaster. He had once been the headmaster's best student, so the two were well-acquainted.
Mr. Adonis asked, "Headmaster, is it possible for students to leave the assessment zone now?"
The headmaster squinted, the wrinkles on his face deepening as he turned to Mr. Adonis and said, "By the rules, they cannot."
Mr. Adonis frowned, his gaze shifting to the live screen in the plaza.
The headmaster sighed and continued, "It's just a children's bet. Let's give Austin a chance. Even if he doesn't win this assessment, perhaps he'll gain something else from it."
In the bottom right corner of the screen, the scene showed Vincent leaping in front of Austin, delivering a flying kick to a magical beast.
Merfolk were known as the kings of the seas. In truth, their combat abilities were often compared to monsters.
With razor-sharp claws, immense strength, and a voice that could enchant the minds of all beings, they were fierce and mighty— warriors who never tired.
Vincent kicked the magical beast away and jumped down beside Austin, saying, "Stay here, don't run around. I'll take care of it."
Austin didn't respond, and Vincent had already leapt into battle with the magical beast.
At that moment, another magical beast suddenly swooped down from the sky, aiming directly at Austin. Austin looked up, expressionless, facing the Red-ranked magical beast. Before Vincent could even shout, a net appeared in mid-air, catching the beast. The net's platinum color glistened under the sunlight, indicating its high value.
A strong female voice echoed, "Catch it already! Stop dawdling, you slowpokes!"
Austin turned toward the voice and saw a girl emerging from the forest, her short hair and tight outfit highlighting her graceful curves. Her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she coldly watched her team clean up the magical beast.
By now, Vincent had already dealt with the Green-ranked beast. He walked over to Austin, licking a bit of the beast's blood from his claws and clicked his tongue. "Tsk, it's Henry's girl."
Henry?
Hearing that name, Austin couldn't help but take a closer look at the girl. In his previous life, the Henry family had fallen in a single night— all the elders were killed, and their castle and treasures burned to the ground. Alice Henry, the second child of the Henry family head, was the only one to survive. She wandered through mercenary groups, eventually leading one herself after years of combat.
But what caught Austin's attention was that Alice Henry became the left-hand lieutenant of the continent's strongest person—himself.
Yes, in his previous life, Alice had been Austin's loyal subordinate, dying during the eight-nation siege against him. But the Alice in his memories was very different from the one he saw now. Back then, she always wore a long cloak that touched the ground and a mask that she never removed. Cold and taciturn, she rarely spoke. The only time Austin saw her face was at the moment of her death. Her cloak had been torn to shreds from battle, and her mask shattered. Behind it, half of her face was beautiful, while the other half bore a scar that ran from her eye to the corner of her mouth.
Austin frowned, pulling himself out of the memory. In his past life, only two people remained loyal to him until the end. One of them was Alice. Now that he had returned, he wouldn't mind helping her in this life.
Vincent suddenly grabbed Austin's arm, trying to pull him away, but before he could act, a lackey ran up to them, shouting, "Miss Alice, I found two strays over here!"
Austin: "..."
Vincent: "What are you talking about?!"
Alice glanced at the two of them, then slowly began walking their way. Only now did Austin see clearly that she was holding a riding crop. He couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. So, even before the Henry family fell, this girl had a leader's aura.
When Alice saw Vincent, she smirked and mocked, "Didn't expect you haven't dried up into a fish yet."
She glanced briefly at Austin but then looked away without saying anything more. Austin raised an eyebrow. He had expected that, given his current status, Alice might taunt him a bit, but she showed no sign of disdain.
Vincent gritted his teeth at Alice's comment but ultimately said nothing. Austin found it amusing; the boy who usually talked so much was now silent when it came to an argument.
After throwing two jabs at Vincent, Alice led her team away without any intention of staying. Her cold, distant demeanor was that of a true ice queen.