One, Two, Three, Four

"Absurd! This student must be punished immediately. Attacking Princess Ravenna in such a way... this is a direct insult to the kingdom!" A teacher rose to his feet, his face flushed with anger, as he pointed toward the large hologram screen floating in the air. The screen displayed the fight in the forest, with Princess Ravenna kneeling in defeat, bloodied and humiliated.

Gasps of surprise and murmurs of concern spread through the teachers' gathering, but one person remained completely unmoved—Lilith.

"There's nothing wrong here," Lilith's chilling voice cut through the rising tension like a blade. Her words silenced the angry teacher at once. "In this competition, no one is a princess, and no one is a commoner. Everyone is just a student. No special treatment."

Her silver eyes gleamed with an eerie calm as she continued, "In fact, this is a good lesson. The taste of defeat is something everyone must experience at least once in their lives. If not, they'll never truly mature. The reason Princess Ravenna and her team lost so quickly is because they've never been exposed to real pain. They've lived their lives in comfort, barely even scratching the surface of hardship. This wound was too much for them to handle."

Lilith's words were harsh, but they were the truth, spoken without a hint of sympathy. The angry teacher clenched his fists, still not willing to give in. "Hmph... if it had been a contest of mana, our princess would have definitely won!"

Lilith's lips twitched, a shadow of amusement flickering across her face. "Who knows?" she said, her voice soft but dangerous.

At that moment, **Sylvia**, the class teacher of Class B, decided to add her own perspective. "There was an incident not too long ago. The princess of Leviath Kingdom... she went on a hunting expedition with her party. They had mana, powerful essence stones, and incredible battle skills at their disposal, and yet..." Sylvia paused for effect, her expression somber. "Even with all that, they were overwhelmed by monsters and demons, Most members died and every female members including princess herself got raped for three days and three nights and then finally an army of soldiers came and rescued her. In the end, the princess couldn't bear the humiliation and defeat. She took her own life."

The room fell silent. No one had the courage to speak after that.

Sylvia shook her head slowly, her gaze faraway as if recalling the tragedy. "It's because she never had real combat experience. She had only ever fought in controlled duels at her academy. Real battles are different. Fighting demons is nothing like fighting humans. The difference is like night and day."

The weight of her words settled over the room. Everyone knew she was right. The truth was bitter but undeniable. There was a world of difference between sparring in the safety of an academy and facing the horrors of real battle.

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Meanwhile, on the second path leading to the orange crystal, Corin Reynold and three of his classmates from Class B stood their ground. Their strategy was simple but effective—defend first, wear down the attackers, then strike back with all their might. All four of them were prepared, their eyes sharp, weapons ready to face any threat.

But what they hadn't anticipated was that the person coming toward them wasn't just any ordinary opponent. No, the figure that approached was Kaelith Maranthia. Alone.

Corin's heart skipped a beat when he recognized her. Kaelith was a dragon—a being of raw power and grace. However, she approached them barehanded, without a weapon. She hadn't even bothered to pick one from the academy.

Was she underestimating them?

Corin sneered and stepped forward, determination written on his face. "I'll handle her!" he commanded, motioning for his teammates to back off. He was confident. Even though Kaelith was a dragon.

The battle began with lightning-fast moves, Corin lunging forward with brutal strikes. Kaelith, despite her draconic heritage, struggled to keep up with his relentless assault. Every time she tried to counter, Corin deflected her attacks effortlessly, his strength overwhelming her.

She gritted her teeth, trying to match his pace, but it was clear that Corin was dominating the fight. His fists connected with her again and again, each blow heavier than the last. A sharp jab to her stomach caused Kaelith to stumble back, blood splattering from her mouth.

Her body was battered, bruises and wounds covering her once pristine skin. Corin didn't stop. He pressed on, determined to make her submit.

Finally, Kaelith's legs gave out, and she collapsed to her knees in front of him. The sight was humiliating for a dragon to be brought down like this, but she had no strength left to fight back.

Corin smirked, towering over her, savoring the victory. "Bow down," he said coldly. His voice was laced with contempt. He wanted to humiliate her further, make her remember this moment of defeat.

Kaelith's silver eyes blazed with anger, but she had no choice. Her body trembled as she lowered her head, forced to bow before him.

And then, to make things worse, Corin raised his foot and placed it on her face, pressing down with a cruel smirk. "Not so tough now, are you?" he taunted, his voice dripping with arrogance.

Corin rubbed his foot on Kaelith's face, expecting to feel an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. Yet, all he felt was… bitterness. His chest tightened with a strange discomfort. "Why… why isn't this as satisfying as I thought it would be?" The thought nagged at him, twisting in his mind.

As his foot pressed harder against her, the triumph he craved never came. It felt hollow. Suddenly, a realization hit him like a cold gust of wind, freezing him in place. His eyes widened in shock as the truth dawned on him. "Oh… I know what's happening… It's all just a dream!" The words echoed in his mind.

And just like that, the dream shattered.

Reality rushed back, and Corin found himself lying on the cold ground, the taste of defeat fresh in his mouth. Pain coursed through his body as he blinked, dazed and disoriented. His half-conscious eyes managed to look up—only to see Kaelith's feet walking away from him.

He had lost.

Kaelith, unbothered and unscathed, strode confidently toward the crystal his team had been defending. With a swift and effortless motion, she destroyed it, sending shards scattering across the battlefield. Corin could do nothing but watch, his body heavy and unresponsive. His teammates were already beaten, lying around him, utterly defeated.

There was no glory, no victory for him today. Only the bitter taste of humiliation.

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Maruti was in her own world, singing loudly as she half-danced down the cave towards the orange crystal.

"One, two, three, four~ Get on the dance floor~ Booty shake, booty shake... Do the Dappangathu Hardcore!"

She wiggled her hips, shaking her shoulders with a playful grin. It was impossible to tell she had just come from a bloody fight. Her upbeat, carefree attitude was a stark contrast to the chaos she had left behind.

"Sho–ul–der...Hitchick michik, Body... Hitchick michik....Gemme, Gemme, Gemme, Gemme, Gemme... some more!" she sang, still moving to the rhythm only she could hear, as she reached out and grabbed the glowing orange crystal without missing a beat. The moment she took it, a blinding orange light filled the cave, shooting up like a beacon into the sky, practically screaming her location to the world.

But Maruti didn't care. She laughed and twirled, "Leave your worries aside and come here~ Shake your waist on the beat~" She shook her waist dramatically as if performing her own personal dance number, completely unbothered by the exposure.

As she started to leave the cave, humming the next lyric, her voice caught in her throat, and she froze.

Her eyes narrowed as she stopped mid-step. Standing in front of her, with silver hair and icy silver eyes fixed on her, was none other than Kaelith Maranthia.

Kaelith's gaze was cold and unwavering, cutting through the air like a sharp blade. "Where's Esdeath Crimson?" she asked, her voice low and serious.

Maruti blinked, still holding the crystal, her carefree dance mood crashing to a halt. For a split second, she considered responding with another silly dance move, but something told her Kaelith wasn't in the mood for jokes.

But who cares? Maruti Doesn't Give a Shit. Without a second thought, she resumed her wild dance, humming louder than before. She twirled on her toes, the crystal held up high as if it was part of her routine. Her carefree attitude radiated, as if Kaelith wasn't standing there at all.

"There's a wall behind me, and a valley in front of me~

Now you tell me, where should I go?~

Is it a blessing or a curse, that I landed here?~"

Just leave your worries aside and come here~

One–two–three–Four, Get on the dance floor~