The number of examinees gathered at the tally hall had decreased to nearly half compared to the start.

The competition, which had lasted for two weeks, had led many to retire.

As a result, the atmosphere among the examinees was filled with shock.

They could personally feel the harsh realities of a competitive society for the first time.

Some even wore ferocious expressions.

However, the examiners showed no particular reaction to this.

It was a rite of passage they experienced every year.

What surprised them for a different reason was the significantly higher number of final survivors than the average in previous years.

- They said this batch’s talent is the best in history…!

- The northern 4th place, which would have easily secured the top spot in a usual batch, is actually lower.

- Theo Ragnar isn’t someone to underestimate...

- Even Ray Ragnar, who’s known as the weakest among the northern 4th, came in 2nd.

- And not just that! We have to keep an eye on Erica Ranke, who is Hulcus Ranke’s sister. She’s definitely talented.

- Even with Aksion Ragnar dead, there’s not much to regret.

As these opinions circulated,

The examinees looked at the final results in shock once again.

- Theo Ragnar is in 1st place again?

- I heard Aksion and the Beast Association retired... Is that true?

- It’s not just a simple retirement; I heard some even died.

- Even the Beast Association was involved. This is driving me crazy.

- How on earth are we supposed to beat that guy?

- I’m already worried about the 3rd exam...

- The top placements haven’t been announced yet. Let’s wait a bit longer.

- They’re coming!

At someone’s shout, all the examinees turned their attention to the entrance.

Theo and Ray were stepping into the tally hall.

They both looked disheveled and covered in dust, as if they had just come from a battle.

But no one dared to disregard the two.

The intensity of their gazes was far too sharp.

A few examiners even flinched.

- Both of them have completely transformed due to this exam...

Theo bowed his head to the judge standing on the platform.

“We were a bit late because we took down the last magical beast.”

While the judge silently nodded, an examiner standing in front of the scoreboard hurriedly adjusted the scores after whispering to another examiner.

<Final Rankings>

1st: Theo Ragnar (1,521 points)

2nd: Ray Ragnar (1,102 points)

3rd: Erica Ranke (926 points)

...

“Y-You raised your score by 200 points all at once?”

“Even Ray Ragnar increased by a hundred points...!”

“Insane...!”

“What on earth did they do in the meantime?”

While everyone was buzzing, the judge blew a horn.

“Everyone, quiet down-!”

The atmosphere became as silent as if ice water had been poured over them.

“Theo Ragnar and Ray Ragnar were delayed because they just hunted the 5th-grade magical beast ‘Sword Beast’. The examiner in charge has stated that there are no issues with the procedure, so no objections will be accepted-!”

“......!”

“......!”

“......!”

The Sword Beast was known for its tough bones and skin, making it difficult to penetrate, and it was also fast, making it one of the trickiest 5th-grade beasts to hunt.

Especially since they often hunted in groups of three or four, the difficulty of tackling them was essentially comparable to that of a 4th-grade beast.

Yet their successful hunt meant they had managed to capture several at once.

Such an extraordinary achievement even made the judge, who was supposed to show no personal emotion, gasp in admiration.

“Theo Ragnar and Ray Ragnar, please stand in your places-.”

Theo and Ray lowered their heads and returned to their spots.

For a moment, Theo and Wellington’s eyes met briefly.

‘You’ve improved since then. Truly remarkable, Young Master Theo. You’re incredible beyond measure.’

Wellington chuckled bitterly at the widened gap between him and Theo.

‘He’s changed. Has something happened?’

Theo was quite surprised by the drastic change in Wellington's demeanor.

He had wondered if there was some issue because Wellington’s score was too low for his skills.

It seemed he had been doing something unrelated to the exam.

‘What kind of lucky break did he have?’

Theo was already curious about his best friend’s secret weapon.

“Now, since everyone is here, we will begin the final tally-!”

At that, the judge’s words drew all the examinees’ attention.

However, the perceptive examinees sensed something odd and tilted their heads in confusion.

- The final tally?

- Are you saying that the final rankings aren’t the end?

“When I announced the results of the 2nd exam, I clearly stated that you would see the cumulative scores from this type. However, in fact, there were two components to this exam. Does anyone know what the other one is?”

At that moment, bewilderment was evident on the examinees’ faces.

Another exam component out of nowhere?

“Those who know, please raise your hands.”

A few hands went up.

Theo and Wellington.

‘Was the lucky break the spirit summoning technique?’

Theo was a bit surprised to see Wellington, who was also looking back at him with a chuckle.

‘What’s going on? Wellington clearly didn’t awaken the hidden piece in his previous life.’

In previous generations, there was barely one person per batch who discovered the secrets of the spirit summoning technique.

It was the same in the previous life.

Even among the best of the best, only one person had managed to discover it.

But now there was another.

Wellington.

What could have possibly happened?

‘Could it be... the butterfly effect?’

As Theo pondered this, suddenly two more people raised their hands high.

One was beside Theo.

“Ray?”

“Stop being sneaky, Theo. You think I wouldn’t notice you hiding this from me?”

Ray squinted her eyes slightly and complained.

Theo gave a bitter smile.

It seemed she had picked up on things after examining the patterns inside the magical beast.

‘Maybe I should have explained it earlier. This will only create unnecessary misunderstandings. Meanwhile, those two are still oblivious.’

As Theo considered how to placate Ray, he glanced to the side.

Next to Hulcus Ranke stood a woman with a similar face, also raising her hand.

‘Erica Ranke.’

Hulcus Ranke’s older sister.

The future head of the Ranke family, known as the ‘White Bear’ and hailed as a prodigy.

She was the one who originally discovered the spirit summoning technique.

‘The future I know is starting to deviate bit by bit.’

Theo pondered how to accept this result.

He had anticipated that his prominence and Aksion’s death would lead to a shift in the future.

But witnessing unexpected outcomes left him feeling strange.

Whether this result would bring about good fortune in the future or disaster was entirely uncertain.

“Are you saying that a total of four people discovered the secret? This generation is indeed different.”

Of course, the judge, who had no knowledge of this fact, wore a peculiar smile at the unexpected outcome.

From the perspective of those running the Ragnar family, the emergence of talented individuals was a joyous occasion.

Then he began to call out the names of those who raised their hands.

“First, Erica Ranke, what did you obtain? Depending on your answer, there will be additional points.”

Erica stepped forward and replied.

“I obtained ‘Flame’.”

“How many?”

“Four.”

“Please demonstrate.”

The examinees, unaware of the existence of hidden pieces, alternated their gazes between the judge and Erica, their eyes widening.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

As magical winds swirled around Erica, small flames began to jump up above them.

And then—

Whoooosh!

The flames connected, forming a large will-o'-the-wisp that circled around Erica.

- S-She’s exhibiting the element…!

The ability to imbue magical power with attributes was a privilege granted only to those ranked among the upper echelons or deemed talented within the Ragnar family.

It was no wonder the astonishment grew.

“Erica Ranke, pass. You will receive a total of 400 points, calculated as 100 points per hidden piece.”

With the judge’s declaration, the scoreboard quickly updated.

<Final Rankings>

1st: Theo Ragnar (1,521 points)

2nd: Erica Ranke (1,326 points)

3rd: Ray Ragnar (1,102 points)

...

- The rankings have changed…!

The examinees buzzed in shock, but Erica didn’t seem pleased.

No matter what, regaining the 1st place was impossible.

“Ray Ragnar, what did you obtain?”

“I got ‘Frost’.”

“How many?”

“Two.”

“Please demonstrate.”

Ray nodded and raised her sword.

As she activated her magical power with a light inhalation, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and a snowstorm swept through.

Crackle—

The area where Ray swung her sword became covered in ice, with sharp ice spikes protruding everywhere.

At that moment, Erica’s eyebrows twitched.

The combination of the Ice White Style and the frost attribute was more impressive than she had anticipated.

What if Ray had one more?

Erica’s flames would not have been able to overcome the frost.

“Ray Ragnar also passes. You will receive 200 points.”

Clank—

Ray quietly nodded in acknowledgment.

Her final score was 1,302 points.

She was just 20 points short of Erica, cementing her in 3rd place, but her expression showed she didn’t care much.

“Next is Wellington Narciso. What did you obtain?”

Wellington answered with an unreadable expression.

“I obtained ‘Water Flow’.”

“Water Flow, huh. How many?”

“Eight.”

Erica and Ray quickly turned their gazes toward him.

In particular, Erica looked like she was about to burst into flames.

The number of hidden pieces she had collected while nearly giving up on hunting magical beasts was only four.

Yet Wellington had twice that amount?

“Oho? Is that true? Finding more than five is already rare among other batches, and you say you have eight, just one short of nine?”

The examinees were busy buzzing with excitement.

If that were true, a prodigious practitioner who had almost mastered the spirit summoning technique at just fifteen years of age would emerge.

That would put him on a completely different starting line than the others.

“If it’s false, I’ll strike you down.”

“You’ll see the results.”

Swish—

Wellington slowly drew his broad sword.

He glanced at Theo and then calmly closed his eyes, steadying his breath.

Mental concentration.

And then—

Pssss—

Water streams began to appear one by one around Wellington, swirling together to form a mass of water.

- S-She not only manifested the attribute but also controlled it…?

- No, he said he discovered the spirit summoning technique! Is that even possible?!

The shock among the examinees was escalating into confusion.

Endowments, manifestations, control, expansion, spirit sword.

Divided into five stages, manifesting three stages already was an undeniable mark of immense talent.

The mass of water that Wellington created was six in total.

At that moment, Wellington opened his eyes.

Simultaneously, the mass of water dispersed, forming a gigantic vortex.

The streams of water that made up the vortex were sharp as blades, producing a chilling sound that echoed in the ears of the examinees.

<Water Flow Spirit Summoning Technique – Blade Vortex>

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Splash, splash, splash!

“Good.”

The judge made a small exclamation as he watched this display.

Then suddenly, he leaped off the platform, rushing toward Wellington.

It was an incredibly swift movement, almost like teleportation.

As he approached, the judge thrust his right hand into the midst of the Blade Vortex.

The target was Wellington’s face.

Wellington, caught off guard by the judge’s unexpected reaction, was startled but responded calmly.

<Narciso Vision – Lion's Fang>

It was as if a lion were about to sink its fangs into the neck of its prey.

Wellington attempted to stab with his broad sword.

A very simple action, but when the Blade Vortex condensed around the blade, the narrative changed completely.

It was sharper than anything.

The judge’s hand collided with the tip of the broad sword.

Boom—

As the Blade Vortex shattered, water splashed in all directions,

Wellington was pushed back several steps, coughing up blood.

It was an internal injury.

“Correct your posture!”

At that moment, two waiting examiners landed behind Wellington.

One helped him up while the other placed a palm on his back, pouring magical energy to aid in treating his injury.

Fortunately, as time passed, the pale color of Wellington’s face began to regain some color.

“It seems I got too excited and forgot my duty. I apologize for any trouble I’ve caused.”

With his hands behind his back, the judge offered his apology as Wellington straightened himself and performed a bow.

“It’s nothing. Thanks to you, I was able to find a clue about my breathing technique. Thank you.”

Wellington’s words were sincere.

What others saw as a simple attack was more than that; the judge’s movements and the way he wielded his hand—Wellington gained a brilliant inspiration from them.

He only wanted to return to his lodging and reflect on this newfound inspiration.

If he could handle it well, he would be able to make a leap of at least one step.

The smile on the judge’s face grew even wider.

He was also a master who had learned the Water Flow spirit summoning technique.

So, seeing Wellington’s talent inspired him, and it seemed he had seen something beyond that.

‘He’s truly talented... If only someone like him had been born in the Ragnar family instead of Narciso. Narciso will surely prosper. Or perhaps...?’

At that moment, the judge's eyes sparkled as he looked at Wellington.

A very small desire to have a disciple in his later years began to rise in his heart.

“Wellington Narciso, pass. Because you not only have the hidden piece but also a deep understanding of the attributes, I will award you an additional 900 points.”

Once again, the scoreboard changed.

<Final Rankings>

1st: Wellington Narciso (1,689 points)

2nd: Theo Ragnar (1,521 points)

3rd: Erica Ranke (1,326 points)

4th: Ray Ragnar (1,102 points)

...

- The 1st place has changed!

- So it was possible for those scores to flip...?

- Other batches say that surpassing 1,000 points guarantees the top spot, but what about ours…!

The examinees were now beyond shock, reaching a level of disillusionment.

Then, following the judge, all eyes turned toward Theo.

His final tally was still pending.

The judge spoke up.

“Theo Ragnar! What did you obtain, and how many did you gather?”