Other teams were still struggling against the first wave of monsters. But Derek's team? They had wiped out the first wave in mere moments.

Or rather — Derek had wiped them out. Not a single person on his team had needed to lift a finger, let alone fight.

Now Derek was already facing the second wave of monsters, all of them E-class creatures.

One upward slash — a creature was cleaved cleanly in half.

Then a spinning motion — his twin daggers flashed in a double arc of light. Two more monsters were sliced apart from the middle.

But his movements were so fast, most students couldn't even follow what was happening. All they saw was a streak of light, weaving through the battlefield like a phantom. Only a few students with sharp perception, and the instructors could track Derek's movements clearly.

And those who could see him… Those who could follow his blade-work…

They were stunned speechless.

His dagger-wielding technique was exquisite — fluid, deadly, merciless. Every swing carried lethal efficiency. Every step predicted the monster's next move.

But something else was happening as well.

Derek's comprehension of dagger techniques was rising at an alarming rate. With each slash, each parry, each movement, his mastery sharpened further.

Derek could feel it. His mind throbbed with exhilaration, almost ecstatic, but he didn't lose himself. He didn't grow careless.

He simply continued his slaughter with terrifying focus.

Meanwhile, seated comfortably in the gallery on a cushioned sofa, Nicholas was gritting his teeth so hard his jaw trembled.

Emma, a student of his House had joined another team leaving the team that had secured 1st position in last half yearly ranker's test.

Frederick, also from his House, had mysteriously disappeared.

And worst of all?

Some snot-nosed cultivator from another House was single-handedly dominating the first round of the Ranker's Test.

His blood boiled every time Derek's figure flashed across the screen. If not for the two outstanding performers from his own House, Nicholas would have already lost his composure.

The first was Cecilia Glaciblade.

Despite being only a first-year student like Derek, she stood in a league entirely her own too. Her mesmerizing swordsmanship, enhanced by her ice magic, left little opportunity for her party members to shine.

They weren't completely idle like Derek's teammates, but they were undeniably overshadowed by the young prodigy. Yet unlike the members in Derek's team, they weren't frustrated. They knew exactly who Cecilia was.

If Derek hadn't stolen the spotlight, she would have been the one dominating every conversation in the arena.

Her graceful sword arcs, reinforced by chilling bursts of ice, were tearing through monsters effortlessly. Every step, every movement radiated elegance and lethal precision.

The second student softening Nicholas's rage was Gedion Flamesworth.

A fourth-year elite mage with fire affinity.... currently, the strongest among all the students in the entire academy. Or that's what the ranking system said.

Emma ranked third. And Frederick had ranked second.

While Cecilia moved like a frozen goddess, every strike beautiful and serene, Gedion's combat style was the opposite — wild, ferocious, and devastating.

His fire spells didn't just kill monsters.

They obliterated them, scorching the ground and reshaping the battlefield with every explosion.

Where Cecilia was an elegant blizzard…

Gedion was a raging inferno tearing through everything in his path.

Meanwhile, in the middle of fighting, Derek suddenly sensed something. He paused for a brief moment and glanced back at his team.

"Guys, can you take over for a while? I need to try something."

He wasn't forcing them — he was asking if they were willing to replace him and handle the incoming monsters.

Emma grinned. "I was afraid we'd have to sit through the whole test doing nothing."

Henry cracked his knuckles eagerly. "Glad you asked."

None of them questioned him. They simply stepped forward and began intercepting the monsters. Since the second wave consisted only of E-class creatures, Emma, Eva, Henry, and Art had no difficulty holding the line. Even though Art was comparatively weaker, their combined effort was more than enough to deal with E-class beasts.

After all, Emma was no pushover — she was the third strongest student in the academy, already a Ranker, and her strength alone could match several ordinary students. Their teamwork wasn't as overwhelming as Derek's solo slaughter, but it was still enough to handle the horde efficiently.

Derek, meanwhile, walked a short distance away from the battlefield and sat down cross-legged.

Then, to everyone's confusion, he closed his eyes.

He began meditating, as if he were cultivating right in the middle of the trial.

This puzzled not only his teammates but the entire audience watching from above.

"What's he doing?" Selina muttered, irritation clear in her voice. She was also a first-year from one of the legacy families, and one of the few who absolutely couldn't tolerate Derek's existence.

"Maybe he's tired and trying to recover his energy," her brother Skylar suggested.

Nicholas narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Up in the instructor's gallery, Yami let out a soft chuckle. "Just what are you up to now… Derek?"

Time continued to pass.

His teammates kept fighting. They had already cut down almost all of the remaining E-class monsters. Other teams, however, began catching up. Without Derek, their pace slowed noticeably. Only Emma was performing at a truly high level, and while Henry, Eva, and Art were managing, their combined efficiency couldn't match the elite teams.

Compared to them, the other groups, filled with stronger students were progressing faster and more cohesively.

Still, Derek didn't move.

Minutes ticked by, yet he remained perfectly still, as if locked in a trance.

Inside his mind, an indistinct shadowy figure wielded twin daggers. Its movements were ethereal, refined, and impossibly fluid — far superior to anything Derek had executed so far. It was as though this phantom was showing him what his dagger technique should become.

Or rather… what the next realm of his dagger mastery looked like.

And without Derek even realizing it, a faint glow began radiating from his body.

A soft yet noticeable light enveloped him completely.

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