Ghostly flames surrounded the Death Knight from every direction.

She broke through them with brute force.

However, every second she spent breaking spells allowed the Ghost Knight to attack again.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The battlefield shook with every collision.

After several minutes, the Death Knight’s breathing became heavier.

Her Mana was nearly exhausted.

Meanwhile, Cherry still hadn’t taken a single step from where she was standing.

She simply continued commanding her two Wraiths.

Eventually, the Ghost Knight knocked the spear out of the girl’s hands.

The Spectral Mage immediately bound her with ghostly chains.

The Death Knight struggled for a few seconds before letting out a tired sigh.

"I surrender."

Her body dissolved into countless particles of light.

Only Cherry remained.

Back in the classroom, Leoness smiled.

"As expected."

"The winner is Cherry Heimball."

Many students let out quiet sighs.

After watching the entire battle, they finally understood why she was considered one of the strongest students in the academy this year.

Even the powerful Death Knight had been no match for her.

The large screen suddenly changed.

The battlefield disappeared.

In its place, a ranking list slowly appeared.

Every student immediately looked up.

A moment later, the final rankings were displayed.

Final Survival Rankings

1. Cherry Heimball – Ghost Knight Path

2. Isabella Duskbane – Death Knight Path

3. Blake Graves – Plague Master Path

4. Evans Mortis – Necromancer Path

5. Victor Crowe – Curse Master Path

6. Lucien Ashgrave – Death Assassin Path

7. Kaiser – Knight King Path

8. Ryder Blackstar – Spectral Knight Path

The remaining positions were occupied by students who had survived longer than the others before being eliminated.

Some students looked satisfied.

Others sighed in disappointment after seeing their rankings.

Ryder looked at the board before glancing at Kaiser.

"You ranked above me."

Kaiser shrugged.

"Barely."

"You eliminated more students."

Ryder nodded.

"But you survived longer."

Neither of them said anything else.

At that moment, the classroom door opened.

Leoness casually walked inside as if nothing unusual had happened.

She looked at the ranking list before turning toward the class.

"Those are your temporary rankings."

She paused for a moment.

"But don’t get too attached to them."

"The first month means almost nothing."

She folded her arms.

"Three months from now, you’ll participate in the academy’s first official competition."

"Unlike today’s lesson..."

"That competition will determine your real rankings."

The classroom immediately became quiet.

Leoness continued.

"Your academy ranking decides almost everything."

"The higher your rank, the more resources you’ll receive."

"Better training rooms."

"Better instructors."

"Priority access to the academy’s libraries."

"Rare spell records."

"Special missions."

"And many other privileges."

She pointed at the ranking board.

"Especially the top ten."

"The academy invests heavily in its strongest students."

"The rewards for reaching the top ten are generous."

She smiled faintly.

"So if you want those benefits..."

"Train hard."

"Because after today..."

"Everyone knows exactly who they have to surpass."

As she finished speaking, almost every student’s gaze unconsciously shifted toward the names at the top of the ranking list.

Especially the top two names everyone had remembered.

Cherry Heimball.

Isabella Duskbane.

Leoness looked around the classroom.

"I’ll also be announcing your first monthly evaluations."

"They will begin next week."

"They aren’t meant to test your strength."

"They’re meant to measure your progress."

She looked directly at the class.

"I don’t care if you’re ranked first or fortieth today."

"What matters is whether you’re improving."

"If someone ranked twentieth becomes stronger than someone ranked fifth..."

"The rankings will change."

"The academy rewards results, not reputation."

Several students nodded.

Others quietly clenched their fists.

Leoness smiled.

"Good."

"I like seeing that look."

She tapped the ranking board once more.

"Remember."

"Today’s rankings were decided inside an artificial world."

"In three months, your official competition will be held in a real battlefield."

"You’ll face real danger."

"There won’t be resurrection."

"There won’t be instructors protecting you."

"And there won’t be a second chance if you make a fatal mistake."

The classroom became even quieter.

Everyone understood what she meant.

Leoness waved her hand.

The ranking board disappeared.

"In the next three months, you’ll learn new spells."

"You’ll master your current ones."

"And if you’re talented enough..."

"You might even learn your first Art."

Several students immediately looked excited.

Even Kaiser’s eyes showed a hint of interest.

Leoness noticed their reactions and smiled.

"Don’t get ahead of yourselves."

"An Art isn’t something you can force."

"You first need perfect mastery over the spell it’s based on."

"Only then can you begin creating or learning an Art."

Her eyes briefly stopped on Kaiser.

Then they moved away as if nothing had happened.

"That will be all for today."

"You’re dismissed."

The students slowly stood up.

Groups immediately began forming as they discussed the battle royale.

Most of the conversations revolved around Cherry, Isabella, Ryder, and Kaiser.

Many students were especially curious about Kaiser.

It was the first time they had seen someone use Spectral Hands and Spectral Blades together in such an unusual way.

As the classroom gradually emptied, Ryder walked past Kaiser.

Without stopping, he calmly said,

"Three months."

Kaiser looked at him.

"I know."

Ryder nodded once.

"I’ll win next time."

Kaiser smiled.

"We’ll see."

Ryder didn’t reply.

He simply continued walking toward the exit.

Kaiser watched him leave before picking up his bag.

"I should stop by the library first."

"I need to find more books on Arts and fusion spells."

With that thought, he left the classroom and headed toward the academy’s central library.

The library stood near the center of the academy.

It was a massive stone building with several floors.

Thousands of books filled its shelves.

Many students were already coming and going.

Kaiser walked through the entrance.

An elderly librarian sitting behind the front desk looked up at him.

"Student ID."

Kaiser nodded and handed over his academy badge.

The old man examined it before placing it on a small crystal.

The crystal glowed for a moment.

"Rank seven."

"Not bad."

He handed the badge back.

"As a top ten student, you have access to the first floor."

"It contains all Tier 0 and Tier 1 spell records."

"You may also borrow up to three spell records at a time."

Kaiser accepted his badge.

"Thank you."

The librarian pointed deeper into the library.

"Remember."

"You can read as many books as you want inside."

"But only three spell records may leave the library with you."

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