"You'll be the alpha here," Mike said. "Live in this forest. Protect it. Don't harm humans unless they attack first."

The wolf met his eyes.

Then it lowered its head deeply.

Mike nodded.

"Good."

With that single decision, the forest around Spireheart City gained a silent guardian. In the future, travelers would speak of a great wolf that watched from the trees—one that drove away monsters and bandits alike.

Some would call it a guardian beast.Others would worship it as a forest deity.

But Mike wasn't there to see any of that.

Zephyr stepped to his side, tall and radiant, his spirit presence completely overwhelming the other wolves. With a final glance at the forest, Mike turned away.

"Let's go back," he said.

Zephyr followed without question.

They returned to Spireheart City before nightfall.

Back at the inn, Mike finally allowed himself to relax. He lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling as exhaustion caught up to him all at once.

For the next week, Mike continued to train diligently, refining his new abilities and coordinating with Zephyr. As a Spirit Wolf, Zephyr now possessed vast arrays of attacks and could summon lesser spirits to fight alongside them. He had also mastered Spirit Cannon, which is—like a dragon's breath unleashed with pure annihilation energy.

During this time, Mike had also leveled up considerably. He reached level 79, gaining experience from countless encounters with goblins, orcs, and other forest creatures alongside Zephyr.

"These gains aren't that great," Mike muttered as he watched his experience bar tick upward. "I can see some of my skills leveling up too, but why is it so slow?"

For Mike, leveling used to be much faster. Normally, defeating a monster of Rank 2 or higher would significantly increase his skill levels. But here, because the story-driven quest limited how far he could go from Elina, he couldn't stray too far without ending the dungeon run.

This forced him to hunt in the nearby forest, which only contained Rank 0 beasts. As a result, his leveling speed dropped to nearly normal levels.

"Sigh… anyway, tomorrow is the academy entrance test," Mike muttered, settling onto Zephyr's back. "I suppose I'll get a taste of academy life before going to the real one."

He smiled faintly as he rode Zephyr back to the city.

That night, after returning to the inn and eating dinner, Mike finally rested. The next morning, he set out for the academy together with Elina and Drax.

During the past week, Elina had also trained diligently with her new fairy magic. She accompanied Mike on several hunts, steadily gaining experience. By now, she had reached Level 51, her control over nature and water mana far more refined than before.

The academy stood on the outskirts of Spireheart City.

Massive ivory gates rose from the ground, carved with runes and living vines that pulsed faintly with mana. Floating crystal platforms hovered above the entrance, slowly rotating, while students from all races gathered outside—humans, elves, beastkin, and even a few races Mike couldn't immediately identify.

"This place is… huge," Elina whispered, her eyes shining.

Drax crossed his arms, smiling proudly. "Spireheart Academy. One of the top academies in the Spade Kingdom. Only those with real talent make it past today."

Mike dismounted Zephyr and gently dismissed him, the Spirit Wolf fading into light as he returned to his contract space.

"Talent, huh," Mike murmured. "Let's see what kind of test impresses them."

A loud, amplified voice echoed across the plaza.

"Applicants for the academy entrance exam—line up by registration crystal! The test will begin shortly!"

At once, the crowd stirred.

Some faces were confident.

Some were nervous.

Others hid sharp ambition behind polite smiles.

Mike glanced at Elina. "Ready?"

She nodded, gripping her staff a little tighter. "Yes."

Drax stepped back, giving them space. "I'll be watching from the stands. Don't hold back."

Mike smiled faintly as he and Elina moved forward with the crowd.

The first test was simple—but cruel.

A tall examiner stepped forward beside a towering crystal pillar. His robe bore the academy's crest, and his voice carried easily across the plaza.

"First test: Class Qualification," he announced. "Only applicants with an A-rank class or higher are allowed to proceed."

A murmur spread through the crowd.

"Place your hand on the crystal," the examiner continued. "If you qualify, the crystal will glow green. If not—red. Those who fail will leave immediately."

The line began to move.

One by one, applicants stepped forward.

A young man placed his hand on the crystal.

Red.

His face went pale as guards calmly guided him away.

Another followed.

Green.

Cheers erupted from his friends.

Again and again, the crystal judged them without mercy. Red flashes appeared far more often than green.

Mike watched quietly.

"So many…" Elina whispered. "They're being eliminated already."

"Yeah," Mike replied calmly. "This academy doesn't waste time."

Minutes passed.

Hundreds were gone.

Then thousands.

Out of the massive crowd that had gathered at dawn, only a fraction remained.

By the time Mike and Elina reached the front, barely three thousand applicants were still standing.

Elina went first.

She placed her hand on the crystal.

For a brief moment, it shimmered—

Then burst into a bright emerald-green glow, vines of light spiraling around it.

"A-rank confirmed," the examiner said, clearly impressed.

Elina exhaled in relief and stepped aside.

Now it was Mike's turn.

The moment his palm touched the crystal, the air shifted.

The crystal didn't just glow green.

It flared.

Golden-white light surged outward, flooding the pillar so intensely that the runes carved into it lit up one by one. The crystal hummed loudly, vibrating as if struggling to contain the response.

The plaza fell silent.

"…What the hell?" someone muttered.

The examiner's eyes widened.

"This reaction…" he said slowly. "High A-rank—no—S-rank class."

A shockwave of whispers exploded through the remaining crowd.

"S-rank?"

"A human?"

"That's impossible—"

Mike calmly pulled his hand back as the crystal slowly dimmed.

"Qualified," the examiner said firmly, his tone changing. "Proceed to the next stage."

Mike walked back to Elina, unfazed.

Drax, watching from the stands, stared with his mouth slightly open.

"…Of course," he muttered. "Of course he's S-rank."

Around them, applicants looked at Mike with new eyes—some filled with awe, others with jealousy, and a few with unmistakable hostility.

The examiner raised his staff once more.

"Those who passed the first test—prepare," he announced. "The second test will begin shortly known as—Aptitude and Combat Assessment."

Mike cracked his neck slightly and smiled.

"Looks like things are finally getting interesting."

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