Stella Cafe Terrace, Ninth Star.

According to the academy's regulations, it was a space which could be used by any Stella student.

However, due to the expensive dessert prices and the influence of nobles, this place was mostly frequented by the aristocracy.

The terrace, in particular, was favored by nobles with their factions for the purpose of gatherings.

Despite having a club room, the reason for choosing this place was likely to show off their power.

Hong Bi-Yeon was no exception. If she didn't periodically showcase her abilities, she could appear insignificant to the other riffraff, so she must never leave any room for vulnerability.

"It tastes awful."

She forced herself to drink the tea that didn't suit her palate and listened to the girls' conversation.

"Oh, really?"

"That's right? The Earl of Koden's grandson gave me a bouquet..."

"How romantic!"

"Is that so? I found it burdensome."

"As a woman, I envy it so much. I wonder if there's any man like that for me."

It was a typical conversation among ordinary noble girls. The topics of conversation were also similar every day.

What clothes are in fashion these days? What jewelry is in fashion? What food is popular?

So-and-so is dating someone.

So-and-so got into an accident. So-and-so confessed but got rejected.

It was a tedious and nutritionally empty exchange of banal conversations. Hong Bi-Yeon didn't particularly enjoy the atmosphere of this place, but she maintained her composure.

Each person gathered here was a child of the powerful figures who excercised authority. There was a reason for bringing them all together in one place.

"Princess, you've been reading the familiar dictionary since earlier, haven't you?"

{TN:- Changed Divine Beast to Familiar for now.}

"Oh, come to think of it, after the second exam, there was a formal Familiar Contract Ceremony, right?"

"Ah! You're already preparing ahead of time. Impressive. I can't even understand the familiar dictionary."

"That's right. The princess is indeed different from others, right?"

The topic suddenly shifted, turning into flattery towards the princess, but it wasn't bad. It happened quite often.

However, it was still boring, so Hong Bi-Yeon gave a vague response.

Then naturally, the topic among the girls shifted again.

"Oh, by the way, have you heard about this? My father told me to keep it a secret..."

"What is it?"

"This time, there was a commotion because Stella's assistant unraveled the Delta Augmentation Formula. But you all know there's a co-author, right?"

"Of course."

"Actually, that co-author... is said to be one of Stella's students."

"What? Is that really true?"

Hong Bi-Yeon, who was idly playing with her tea, abruptly stopped her hand movement. It was the first time an interesting conversation topic had come up in a while.

"Well, even so, it's a problem spanning more than 300 years. Could a student be a co-author?"

"But, Father was certain."

"Ah... Since Rachel's father is the head of the Information Bureau, it must be certain."

"But who could it be? Someone who can solve unresolved mysteries with a student's status. It's likely someone from the Alchemy Department, right?"

Exactly.

Whether it was the head of the Information Bureau or others, it seemed that those who hadn’t delved deep didn’t grasp the concept of this 'co-author.'

However, Hong Bi-Yeon happened to uncover the truth while investigating someone else.

Baek Yu-Seol.

He was the co-author of Delta Augmentation Formula.

"But why keep his identity confidential?"

"That's true. They only mentioned the name without any acknowledgement of help. Could it be that they did it out of embarrassment and apology?"

"Oh my, that could be the case. If it were me, I would feel embarrassed and sorry, so I would keep my identity confidential."

"Hohoho."

Just like the girls, Hong Bi-Yeon had her own doubts.

Why? What was the purpose? What could be the reason for doing such a thing?

"Princess? Why do you look so worried?"

Suddenly, one of the girls took an interest in Hong Bi-Yeon, allowing her to regain her composure. "Oh, it's nothing."

"Oh, is it because of the upcoming Persona Gate training?"

"That's right. Princess, you'll be participating again this time, won't you?"

Upon hearing their words, Hong Bi-Yeo nodded slightly.

‘Persona Gate training…’

The Persona Gate was a space completely detached from common sense in reality.

Unlike simple dungeons where clearing was achieved by defeating a boss or destroying a core, the Persona Gate required extensive preparation and study because one could only clear it by understanding and overcoming its "patterns" and "mechanisms".

Starting from analyzing the concentration of the Persona Gate, mathematical knowledge such as spatial deformation, topology, soul isolation, and understanding and memorization of thousands of patterns and possibilities in the Persona Gate were immensely necessary.

However...

The most important thing was undoubtedly combat prowess.

Without the ability to fight properly, no matter how smart one might be, they couldn’t successfully clear the Persona Gate.

In fact, since the purpose of nurturing magical warriors was to hinder the Persona Gates of the Dark Mages, it could be considered the most crucial subject.

The upcoming Persona Gate training would be conducted in groups of 4 to 18, and the key was how they cooperate and strategize together.

Even for Stella's first-year students, who had an average level of Class 2, it was not easy to tackle a Persona Gate that was expected to be prepared at a difficulty level of 3, especially since it was their first real combat experience.

Most of them would likely fail.

However, the scoring was based on whether they understand the mechanics of the Persona Gate; how they cooperate and synchronize with their team members, and how they respond to enemy attacks or similar situations.

So, it was not necessary to succeed in the strategy.

Of course, in the Persona Gate training, where most would inevitably fail, Hong Bi-Yeon was determined to succeed in the strategy.

That way, she could prove her superiority.

That way... she could gain recognition from her mother.

‘I hope I get matched with some worthy opponents…’