"Where am I?"

Luna opened her eyes and realized she was in a forest.

The forest stretched endlessly—dark, dense, and foreboding.

As far as she could see, shadows swallowed everything, except for a small patch about five meters away, faintly illuminated by the moonlight.

Cwoak! Cwoak!

The distant cawing of crows added to the eerie atmosphere surrounding her.

Yet Luna felt no fear. Ghosts were meaningless to her.

The only things that concerned her were monsters—but even they didn't scare her.

With her abilities, she could easily defeat a fifth-level monster, even a sixth-level one.

Unsure of where to go, she walked to her right. For some reason, her intuition whispered that the path to safety lay that way.

But after walking just fifty meters, she noticed a small box hidden among the bushes.

Curious, she approached and picked it up. Inside was a tablet, identical to the one in her room.

"A tablet?" she murmured, surprise flashing across her face as she activated it.

Instantly, a blue screen lit up, revealing a detailed, crystal-clear map.

"This is a map!" Her eyes widened.

She hadn't expected to find one, especially in the midst of her confusion, unsure of where to go next.

"My luck is incredible!" Luna couldn't help but laugh.

With this map, navigating the star island would be easy.

As she examined it, she realized it wasn't an ordinary map—it was magical.

A red dot marked her current location, while names of caves, rivers, and other landmarks appeared at various points.

Once she understood how it worked, Luna tucked the tablet away and set off toward a safe spot.

The test would last two days, giving her plenty of time to complete it.

There was no need to rush.

…

"Tch! System, are you sure this is the right place?" Merlin asked irritably.

He had been wandering aimlessly for two hours, following the system's instructions.

Yet, strangely, he couldn't find a safe spot to rest. All around him was nothing but dense, endless trees.

"[I'm guiding you according to my calculations, Master. Why not just buy a map from the system shop? It's not expensive—only 10,000 system points]," the system said casually.

Merlin sneered. Ten thousand system points wasn't a huge sum, but they weren't free either.

Earning them took effort and time, and for just a map, spending that much seemed excessive.

He wondered if the system was deliberately trying to trick him.

Just then, something caught his eye to the left. Hidden beneath a pile of dry leaves under a tree was a small box.

"A box?" His eyebrows rose.

Curiosity flared as he stepped closer, picked it up, and opened it.

"This…" His mouth fell open. "A tablet!"

Without hesitation, he activated it. The tablet was identical to the one in his room, except for its function.

While his room tablet was used for communication and other tasks, this one served as a map, a leaderboard viewer, and a guide to the test rules.

"Tsk! Tsk! I didn't expect to find a tablet here. Looks like the academy deliberately hid it, letting only the lucky ones discover it," he said with a small chuckle.

Although he wasn't certain, the possibility couldn't be ignored. After all, this was a test, not a vacation.

Surely, the academy wouldn't give everyone a tablet like his—they had to keep the challenge meaningful.

"Good thing I didn't waste system points buying a map. Right, system?" He smiled playfully.

The system just rolled its eyes and stayed silent.

"About two hundred meters from here, there's a cave that can serve as a temporary shelter. Alright, time to go."

He tucked away his tablet, channeled mana into his legs, and dashed toward the cave.

Four minutes later, he reached the cave marked on the map.

It was large and spacious, hidden among thick trees. From a distance, no one would suspect it was a cave.

"Is this really safe?" Merlin muttered, skeptical.

The place didn't look convincing. To be sure, he picked up a rock and tossed it inside.

Seconds ticked by with no reaction.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he stepped inside casually.

Then, suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Merlin leapt backward instinctively.

Whoosh!

Boom!

An explosion erupted just in front of him. A three-meter-tall monster slammed its massive claws into the ground.

"A monster bear?" His eyes narrowed.

The monster did resemble a bear, but it was far from ordinary. Its enormous body was covered in red armor, and its jaws were wide open, revealing a row of sharp, threatening teeth.

Above its head, information appeared:

[Red Armored Bear (Danger): A level six monster. Its entire body is protected by red armor, making it extremely powerful. Only strong magic or magic-coated swords can penetrate its defenses. Requirements to defeat: Fifth Spirit Core, Fifth Awakening, Five-Star Mage.]

"Red Armored Bear? Level six?" Merlin's eyes widened.

He hadn't expected to face such a powerful monster on the very first night of the test.

But he was not afraid. On the contrary, his spirit burned brighter than ever.

With both palms, he summoned two Primordium daggers.

Without hesitation, he darted toward the beast.

The bear, sensing the attack, swung its right paw at him.

Bang!

Merlin didn't dodge. The blow slammed into him, hurling him twenty meters across the ground.

Mid-air, he twisted his body and landed gracefully, immediately regaining his balance.

"Tsk! True to its reputation—that bear is strong!" Merlin grinned.

He had purposely not dodged to test his strength, and the results did not disappoint.

"Come on, hit me again!"

In a blur, he shot forward like the wind, reappearing right above the bear's head.

He spun his body like a rapidly turning top.

The bear swung its paw to strike him, but Merlin didn't budge as expected.

Instead, the paw shattered into countless pieces.

Roar!

A deafening roar echoed through the area.

The bear lunged again, but Merlin was already behind it.

"Die!"

Red flames flared along both daggers as he drove them into the bear's neck, then slashed down its body.

The fiery cuts seared through the beast's insides, and even its formidable armor was no match for the Primordium blades.

Merlin landed lightly, watching the bear collapse in a pitiful heap.

"So easy..."

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