The sea journey ended beneath the crimson colors of sunset.
The Azura Horizon vessel slowly entered the harbor of Aetherial Island while countless golden reflections danced upon the water's surface.
Leviathans accompanied the ship for part of the journey.
Massive shadows moved beneath the waves.
Ancient.
Majestic.
Terrifying.
Yet now they no longer inspired fear.
The guild members stood proudly upon the deck, waving toward their new companions.
Several Leviathans responded by releasing towering fountains of seawater into the air.
The sight drew attention from every nearby sailor.
The harbor immediately descended into chaos.
"Leviathans!"
"Why are there Leviathans here?!"
"They aren't attacking!"
"What kind of nonsense is this?!"
Rumors began spreading before the ship had even finished docking.
Meanwhile, Kel simply stepped off the vessel.
As always.
He left before anyone could ask too many questions.
Some things never changed.
Seraphine and Elena remained behind to manage guild affairs.
Guild Master responsibilities never ended.
Evelyne returned toward the faculty district carrying research notes regarding the Leviathan potion.
And Kel—
Returned to his student dormitory.
The evening passed peacefully.
For once.
No monsters.
No ancient ruins.
No divine catastrophes.
No mysterious conspiracies.
No kingdoms requiring rescue.
Just silence.
Kel lay upon his bed staring at the ceiling.
Moonlight entered through the window.
The room felt comfortable.
Relaxing.
Peaceful.
A rare luxury.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Finally."
His eyes slowly closed.
"Perhaps now I'll have some peaceful academy life."
Far away beneath Scarder Lake.
A familiar voice echoed inside his mind.
"Whenever you say that, something unfortunate happens."
Kel opened one eye.
"That's slander."
"It's observation."
"I have enjoyed several peaceful days."
"You negotiated with Leviathans three days ago."
"..."
"Before that you purified a centuries-old monster."
"..."
"Before that you fought the Leviathan King."
"..."
"Before that—"
"Enough."
Seiren laughed.
Kel rolled over.
Determined to ignore reality.
Eventually he fell asleep.
...
The next morning.
Aetherial Institute bustled with activity.
Students hurried between buildings.
Professors prepared lectures.
Assistants organized documents.
The academy remained alive with energy.
Inside one of the lecture halls.
Students gradually filled the room.
Luna occupied her usual seat.
Her long black hair rested neatly behind her shoulders.
A stack of books sat upon her desk.
Several notes surrounded her.
She was reviewing material seriously.
Unlike most students.
Then Kel arrived.
The moment he sat down—
Luna looked at him.
A strange expression appeared on her face.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
Kel stretched lazily.
Then rested his chin upon his hand.
Luna stared.
Kel stared back.
Several seconds passed.
"What?"
Kel finally asked.
Luna blinked.
"What do you mean what?"
"You are looking at me strangely."
The black-haired girl looked confused.
"Did you forget?"
"Forget what?"
The confusion deepened.
Luna slowly lowered her book.
"The examination."
Kel blinked.
"The what?"
Silence.
Complete silence.
Luna stared.
Kel stared.
The surrounding students stared.
Then Luna spoke very slowly.
"The examination."
Kel continued staring.
Luna's eye twitched.
"The examination."
Kel frowned.
"What examination?"
A dangerous silence descended.
Several nearby students turned toward them.
One student nearly dropped his pen.
Luna looked genuinely horrified.
"You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"The examination."
Kel felt something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Then Luna delivered the final blow.
"It starts today."
The world became silent.
Several nearby students immediately looked toward Kel with pity.
One student even whispered.
"He's doomed."
Another nodded.
"Absolutely doomed."
Meanwhile—
Kel sat motionless.
Processing.
Exam.
Today.
No preparation.
No studying.
No notes.
Nothing.
After several seconds he finally spoke.
"Oh."
Luna grabbed her forehead.
"That's all you have to say?!"
Kel considered.
Then nodded.
"Apparently."
Luna looked like she wanted to throw a book at him.
Several books, actually.
"Didn't you study?"
"No."
"What?"
"I don't really study."
The answer arrived casually.
Far too casually.
Luna stared.
Then blinked.
Then stared again.
"You..."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"You didn't study?"
"No."
"At all?"
"No."
"Not even once?"
"No."
"..."
"..."
The black-haired girl slowly lowered her face into her hands.
She suddenly understood many things.
Mainly why Kel always looked relaxed.
Because he never opened a textbook.
Meanwhile Kel appeared completely calm.
Luna finally looked up.
A determined expression appeared.
"Don't worry."
"Hm?"
"I'll help you."
Kel blinked.
"Help me?"
She nodded.
"As much as I can."
A small smile appeared.
"You're my friend."
The words carried unexpected sincerity.
Kel looked slightly surprised.
Then smiled faintly.
"Thank you."
Luna crossed her arms.
"You're welcome."
Then she paused.
"Though I still think you're hopeless."
"Fair."
Kel laughed softly.
Then replied.
"Don't worry."
Luna narrowed her eyes.
"Why am I suddenly worried again?"
"I'll manage."
The confidence in his voice felt ridiculous.
Almost suspicious.
Luna sighed.
"If you need help, ask."
Kel nodded.
Then looked toward her.
"If you need help, ask me."
Luna nearly laughed.
The statement sounded absurd.
Completely absurd.
Yet strangely enough—
Something told her he was serious.
Before she could respond—
The professor entered.
Instant silence followed.
The examination had begun.
...
Sheets of paper were distributed.
Students immediately turned pale.
The moment the questions became visible—
The atmosphere changed.
Completely.
One student froze.
Another began sweating.
A third looked as though his soul had left his body.
Even Luna's expression became serious.
Very serious.
The questions were difficult.
Far more difficult than expected.
Ancient magical theory.
Historical analysis.
Mana circulation calculations.
Complex combat applications.
The examination showed absolutely no mercy.
Several students already looked defeated.
Meanwhile—
Kel picked up his paper.
Read the first question.
Then the second.
Then the third.
A strange expression appeared.
Luna noticed.
Her heart sank.
He must be confused.
Completely confused.
The poor man probably didn't understand anything.
Then—
Scratch.
His pen moved.
Then again.
And again.
And again.
Without hesitation.
Without pauses.
Without uncertainty.
Kel wrote continuously.
Smoothly.
Effortlessly.
Almost casually.
Luna blinked.
Five minutes passed.
Ten minutes passed.
Fifteen minutes passed.
Students continued suffering.
The sounds of scratching pens echoed throughout the room.
Some stared at questions desperately.
Others appeared ready to cry.
Meanwhile—
Kel continued writing.
Question after question.
Answer after answer.
Like flowing water.
No interruptions.
No mistakes.
No hesitation.
Luna slowly turned toward him.
A dangerous feeling emerged.
Something wasn't right.
Very much not right.
Eventually—
Kel placed down his pen.
Finished.
The examination hall remained silent.
Hundreds of students still struggled.
Kel was already done.
The professor looked confused.
Several students looked confused.
Luna looked especially confused.
"Impossible..."
She whispered.
Kel simply leaned back comfortably.
As though waiting for lunch.
Time passed.
The examination continued.
Then disaster struck.
Luna reached question seven.
And froze.
Her expression stiffened.
Question seven involved an ancient magical principle.
One rarely discussed.
One easily forgotten.
Unfortunately—
She had forgotten it.
The answer refused to appear.
No matter how hard she tried.
Minutes passed.
Nothing.
The clock continued ticking.
Panic gradually appeared.
Luna clenched her pen.
Her breathing became slightly uneven.
No.
Think.
Think.
Think.
Still nothing.
Then—
A tiny voice reached her ears.
"So that's the problem."
Luna nearly jumped.
Her eyes widened.
Without moving her head she whispered.
"Aedon?"
"Question seven?"
"...Yes."
"Interesting."
Luna wanted to scream.
Interesting?
Interesting?!
This was a disaster.
Not interesting.
Then something strange happened.
Words appeared upon her paper.
Not written by any hand.
Not written by any pen.
Letters slowly materialized across the blank space.
Like invisible ink revealing itself.
Luna froze.
Completely froze.
The answer.
A complete answer.
Perfectly structured.
Perfectly accurate.
Her blue eyes widened.
"What—"
"Copy it."
Kel's voice remained calm.
Luna looked horrified.
"Are you insane?"
"Possibly."
"That's cheating."
"A little."
"A little?!"
"A moderate amount."
Luna nearly choked.
The absurdity of the situation left her speechless.
Then she looked at the answer again.
It was flawless.
Suspiciously flawless.
She immediately understood something.
Kel knew every answer.
Every single one.
Which raised an even more terrifying question.
Why?
How?
He never studied.
At least—
He claimed he never studied.
The realization slowly dawned upon her.
This monster didn't need to study.
The thought felt unfair.
Extremely unfair.
Eventually she sighed.
Then copied the explanation.
Her pride protested.
Her survival instincts won.
Several rows away.
A student stared at question nine with tears in his eyes.
Another looked ready to accept academic death.
Meanwhile Luna silently completed her answers.
The illusionary writing vanished shortly afterward.
Leaving no trace behind.
The professor never noticed.
The students never noticed.
Nobody noticed.
Except Luna.
Who now viewed Kel with entirely new eyes.
The examination eventually ended.
Students collapsed dramatically.
Several looked traumatized.
One stared into the distance questioning life choices.
The professor collected papers.
Then dismissed the class.
The moment everyone exited—
Luna grabbed Kel's sleeve.
The young man blinked.
"What?"
The black-haired girl stared directly into his eyes.
"Explain."
Kel smiled.
"Which part?"
"Everything."
"A very broad request."
Luna pointed accusingly.
"You said you don't study."
"I don't."
"You finished first."
"I did."
"You knew every answer."
"Apparently."
Luna's eye twitched.
Then she sighed.
A long defeated sigh.
Because somehow...
Against all logic...
He was telling the truth.
He genuinely hadn't studied.
He simply already knew everything.
The realization was terrifying.
Kel smiled innocently.
Luna immediately became even more suspicious.
And somewhere far away beneath Scarder Lake—
Seiren laughed so hard through their telepathic connection that Kel finally had to mute her.
His peaceful academy life had lasted exactly one evening.
A personal record.