Max touched down in front of the three figures standing just past the finish line.
A layer of sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breath came in sharp gasps. He had pushed his agility to the edge, even taken to the skies in a desperate burst.
Yet he hadn't secured first place.
His golden eyes lingered on Skyler, Zack, and Charles, a swirl of emotions behind them. Still, he offered the trio a smile. At the side, the professor's assistant quietly jotted his name down in fourth place.
He crossed the finish line and came to a halt in front of Skyler, his eyes a bit bitter.
"Congratulations on claiming first place. Did you use a space-type skill? I am glad to see you getting so much stronger—but I am competitive, and next time, the victory will be mine. So don't you dare slack off."
Skyler arched an eyebrow. This guy was almost too selfless for his own good.
Then again, he couldn't expect anything less from Max, the main protagonist who sacrificed everything to save the world—only to realize he was merely a pawn.
"Thanks. But now that I've claimed first place, it's mine forever. So, get used to it."
Max's smile wavered, tightening for a moment before he let out a heavy sigh.
He had grown accustomed to being the best after joining the academy, but that didn't mean he couldn't handle defeat.
After all, he had started from the bottom and climbed his way up to where he was through sheer hard work and dedication.
"I like your enthusiasm. But don't think beating me next time will be easy, Skyler. Give it your all. Aim for the top like I do."
Skyler hummed. Though his gaze held a smile, his fists were clenched—because he could see the message in front of Max.
#Goddness of Compassion: This man is becoming unusually powerful, just as you said. I will look into him—there must be a reason he's grown so strong so quickly. I hope no higher being is backing him, but if there is one, we will have no choice but to eliminate him. It's a shame, really—only a select few from each universe can qualify, and I won't let you lose your final place to someone whose path isn't even defined.
Max dismissed the fading message, a frown forming on his handsome face. He hated receiving such messages from the Goddness of Compassion, but she was far stronger, leaving him with nothing to say.
Still, he had no intention of harming Skyler or anyone else simply because they had the potential to outgrow him. Instead, he would push himself harder to surpass them. If he failed, then it only meant he wasn't worthy.
Although Skyler being noticed by her was very dangerous, Max would make sure the young man wouldn't suffer because of it.
He was the oldest among them and should be the one to protect Skyler. Skyler was still young and had a long way to go. Unlike him, who had been fighting for years.
He glanced back as Austin crossed the finish line, rolling his brown eyes before giving him a light smack on the back.
"Damn, I'm not even third. How unfair."
He whined, shooting sharp looks at Skyler and the others who claimed the top spots.
"You've grown powerful, huh? Tsk."
He suddenly patted Skyler's shoulder, a curious glint in his sharp, smiling eyes.
"Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you—how did you get so tall all of a sudden...? The change is kind of really weird. Also…"
He paused, then shrugged and continued, saying whatever the hell was on his mind.
"I have no clue what went down between you and the others during the preliminary test—I ran off before it all started, haha. I didn't even care about Max and the others. My life is more important than all of you."
He shook his head with a wide smile.
"Regardless, I'll admit—I was a bit selfish back then, wanting to beat you up for not stepping down from the Battle Stage and hogging all the benefits. But I really hope that grudge between us died the moment you made a huge dragon chase after us."
With that said, he cringed at his own words before moving to sit on the ground, trying to steady his breathing, which had grown a bit ragged from all the running and flying.
Skyler blinked, quite dumfounded.
What the hell just happened?
Austin had thrown a question at him—one he never even waited to hear the answer to—rambling on with whatever came to mind before walking away as if he didn't need a response or care whether Skyler still held a grudge against him. The man simply said what was on his mind casually and left.
"Wow…"
He turned to look at the dark-haired man lounging on the grass, frowning faintly.
"There's no grudge between us."
Austin gave him a look—as if he cared.
Still, he gave him a respectful nod.
"Then, thank you ever so much for your mercy, Mr. Skyler Thorne—the prince."
Charles stifled a laugh nearby, but unlike him, Zack wasn't so restrained. He burst out laughing at the faintly mocking tone.
Skyler's eyebrow twitched.
What was wrong with Austin? Where did that attitude come from? What did he even want? Should he hold a grudge—or not?
'He's weird—that's why he was the first to die in the story. People like him don't last long because of their bad personality.'
His face regained its composure as Elena and Jenny finally reached the finish line.
The lighthearted atmosphere created by Austin's arrival vanished instantly, replaced by an awkward silence that made even the nearby assistant professor shift uneasily.
Jenny fixed Skyler with a sharp, knowing glance. Her earlier words had been firm—she still believed he should apologize for endangering so many in the Battle Royal.
But when he simply looked away as if he didn't care, it only made her more irritated.
Elena simply frowned, annoyed that she hadn't secured third place. How frustrating. Her gaze lingered on Skyler, but she looked away as more students began to arrive.
The air buzzed with shocked murmurs as everyone began to discover it wasn't Max who had claimed first place—it was Skyler.
Even more shocking was that Zack, the laughingstock, had taken third place.
As the last student crossed the finish line, Professor Sinclair arrived in front of them, her eyes immediately fixed on Skyler.
Seeing him wield such a powerful skill openly in the classroom had truly been a genuine surprise. Wasn't it customary to keep abilities like that under wraps?
She hummed inwardly, then clapped her hands to gather everyone's attention.
"You all did well. But as promised, the top three will receive Star Coins. Step forward with your student ID cards. My assistant will transfer your rewards to you."
Skyler raked his fingers through his hair, deliberately meeting the eyes of everyone around to rub in that he was the winner.
With confident steps, he approached the assistant and presented his student ID.
Charles and Zack followed suit, collecting their rewards without hesitation. The area fell into stunned silence when Zack quietly transferred his reward to Skyler's ID card.
Without missing a beat, Skyler glanced at Charles, silently waiting for him to do the same as Zack—like a boss commanding his loyal, well-behaved minion.
Yet, Charles merely flashed a faint smirk and tossed his ID into his storage ring.
"I never said I'd give you mine."
Skyler froze in his spot, realizing he had missed offering the same deal to Charles.
Unlike Zack, he had naturally assumed Charles was entitled to second place!
"Ah… You got me this time."
Charles patted his shoulder.
"If you are that desperate, take out your phone. I can transfer you some Star Coins online, but the ones in the student ID card are too valuable. I'm not giving you those."
Skyler eagerly reached for his phone—he didn't mind, as long as he didn't take a loss. However, his face fell when he couldn't find it in his pockets or storage ring.
Charles noticed his surprised look.
"Don't tell me you lost your phone?"
Zack perked up too, but Skyler shook his head, scratching his chin with a smile.
"I think Riruru took it. I didn't realize."
Charles's mouth opened and closed, too shocked to form words. In the end, he gave up. Zack simply looked at Skyler with pity.
He was such a promising seedling… yet clearly not completely right in the head.
The professor called for their attention just as they began chatting among themselves, with Skyler making Charles promise to give him the Star Coins he owed later.
The class ended on a good note amid the faint murmurs. The next lesson was Spell Language, taught by Professor Garrick, the First-Year Elite Class A spell instructor, who greeted the students with a warm nod.
But who would have thought that midway through the Spell Language lecture, when the professor announced a friendly match and paired the students, Austin and Skyler would be matched against each other, Elena against Charles, and Zack against Max?
Skyler chuckled at Austin.
"What a coincidence. Do your best—because I'm not going to hold back."
Austin shook his head with a smirk.
"Kid, show me what you've got."