"Ugh..." Nerixa groaned softly as she slowly opened her eyes.

What greeted her was the unfamiliar ceiling of a cave.

"Where am I?" she asked weakly as she pushed herself into a sitting position.

She looked around and found herself in a fairly large cave. Light seeped in from her right, seemingly leading outside.

"Oh? You're awake already. I thought you wouldn't wake up so soon."

A playful voice came from behind her.

Startled, Nerixa turned around and saw Merlin walking toward her, carrying a bucket of water.

"Merlin Clay?" Her eyes widened. She quickly took a fighting stance and snorted, "Do you think I've lost? Don't count on it! I'll defeat you!"

Merlin: "..."

Are all dragons this stubborn, or is it just Nerixa?

Ignoring her stance, Merlin walked past her and placed the bucket of water on the ground.

"I'm not interested in fighting you. After all, you already lost earlier," Merlin said indifferently.

Those words felt like a knife stabbing into Nerixa's heart.

Seeing her expression darken, Merlin turned away and continued, "I brought water for you. There's a towel inside to clean the wounds on your body. I know the dragon race is physically strong, but those wounds aren't a pretty sight. After all, you're a girl, aren't you?"

He glanced over his shoulder with a faint smile.

Nerixa froze, her cheeks flushing.

Without waiting for a response, Merlin left the cave, leaving Nerixa standing there in a daze.

***

"[Tsk! Tsk! Master, you've truly grown into a conqueror of girls! Amazing!]" the system praised, giving him a thumbs-up.

"You're flattering me too much, System." Merlin remained calm, as if unaffected by the praise. "I'm just doing what I have to do. That's all."

He walked over to the dead campfire and relit it, then began roasting the newly marinated bear meat again.

The previous one had disappeared somewhere due to Nerixa's sudden attack.

Suddenly, Merlin heard footsteps behind him.

He turned and saw Nerixa approaching.

"Are you done? Have you eaten?" Merlin asked.

Nerixa was about to say no, but the sound of her stomach growling instantly made the atmosphere awkwardly silent.

"You seem hungry," Merlin chuckled. "Wait a moment. The meat will be ready soon."

Without waiting for her reply, he continued grilling the two pieces of bear meat.

Nerixa looked hesitant, as if she wanted to say something but didn't know how to begin.

In the end, she sighed softly, walked over to Merlin, and sat down beside him.

"Why did you save me?" she asked weakly. "You saw clearly that I wanted to kill you and take your points, right?"

She stared at him, intense curiosity shining in her eyes.

At first, she thought she would wake up at the academy as the first person to be eliminated.

Who would have thought that Merlin would let her live—let alone save her?

Merlin remained calm as he replied, "Nothing special. I just thought it would be a shame if you were the first to be eliminated."

Of course, that was nothing more than a made-up excuse. If Nerixa weren't a heroine, he wouldn't have let her live. He would have killed her on the spot.

After all, he was no saint with a heart of silk.

Moreover, everyone in this test was an enemy, and their goal was the same—to be the first.

Eliminating one student meant opening up more opportunities for himself.

However, it was impossible for Merlin to tell her that. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to conquer her.

Nerixa fell silent at his answer. It was hard to believe he would say something like that.

"The meat is ready. Eat—I'm sure you'll like it."

Merlin handed her a piece of bear meat skewered on a long iron rod.

"Be careful. It's still very hot."

Nerixa accepted it and inhaled the appetizing aroma.

"What kind of meat is this?" she asked as she took a bite.

Instantly, savory, sweet, and spicy flavors blended together.

Her eyes lit up, and she ate greedily, no longer caring about the heat.

"It's meat from a level six Red Armored Bear. I killed it last night," Merlin replied casually.

"Red Armored Bear?" Nerixa froze. Even her teeth stopped chewing. "You killed it? But how is that possible?"

She knew about the Red Armored Bear. It was a ferocious monster famous for its extremely hard skin.

Its entire body was covered in thick armor. No ordinary sword or weapon could pierce it.

Although Nerixa considered herself strong, she didn't believe she could defeat such a powerful monster.

"Yes, I defeated it. Don't you believe me?" Merlin smiled playfully.

"No, I believe you! Now it all makes sense—how your points reached fifteen hundred." Nerixa let out a long sigh.

It had been foolish of her to challenge Merlin. Still, she had no regrets. She was actually glad to have met someone stronger than herself.

Merlin merely smiled as he continued eating the bear meat in his hand.

When they were done, both of them stood up.

Nerixa turned to him and said in a softer tone than before, "Even though it's embarrassing, I'm grateful for your kindness, Merlin Clay. In the future, I will repay you a hundredfold. This is my promise as Nerixa, the dragon princess!"

She smiled brightly and extended her hand. Merlin smiled back and accepted it.

"All right. I accept your promise."

"[Ding! Heroine Nerixa Obryx's affection increased by 5 points! Current affection: 45 points!]"

Seeing this, Merlin nodded silently in satisfaction.

"Well then, I'll continue my hunt. I'm currently ranked fifth, and I can't afford to lose!"

"Be careful. The other students won't be as kind as I am," Merlin warned.

Nerixa nodded slightly, then turned and disappeared from view.

"Who would have thought I could form a relationship with Nerixa? This test really is great," he chuckled.

Shaking his head, his figure gradually faded, carried away by a gust of wind from the left.

...

A day passed quickly. The genius students participating in the test felt the competition reach its peak.

This was no surprise, considering that the fifty lowest-ranked participants would be eliminated from the academy.

Being among them would be no different from bringing shame to their hometowns.

Boom!

About five kilometers from Merlin's previous position, Lucius attacked five students from different kingdoms.

"No, don't kill me! I don't want to be eliminated!"

"Prince Lucius, please spare us!"

"I don't want to lose! Prince, have mercy on us!"

The five students begged, tears streaming down their faces. In just one day, twenty students had already been eliminated.

If they were eliminated as well, they would certainly become part of the fifty expelled from the academy.

"Forgive you?" Lucius laughed loudly. "Hahaha! That's impossible! You're nothing more than stepping stones for me!"

With those words, he raised his left hand high. A bolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere, striking down the five students.

[Points transfer in progress… Congratulations, one thousand points have been awarded! Current points: 3500.]

Seeing this, Lucius burst into laughter once more. "Hahaha! This test… I will win it!"

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