[Vol. 7] Chapter 177: The Things They Gained
The seal was something she could choose to break at any time.
But it wasn’t something she could use again and again. Once undone, it would greatly impact their entire plan.
And more than that…
It would mean she could no longer relate to ordinary people, could never truly be friends with Lenka and the others.
It would mean that… in the end, she was still nothing more than a lonely being, with nothing but her master and her own power.
That feeling, Xiao Guang didn’t like it.
“Hah!”
A platinum-colored dragon breath blasted out, engulfing and burning away a huge wave of charging [Magic-Devouring Ant Swarm].
But compared to the beginning of the battle, her signature dragon ability had clearly weakened, both in strength and intensity.
It was no longer enough to cause mass destruction, barely holding back the swarm, and even now, she was being forced back, step by step.
Her magic was almost completely drained…
For a dragon, breath attacks were not just their strongest weapon but also their last resort in a crisis.
As Xiao Guang felt her magic depleting like a dried-up ocean, her heart remained calm, colder and clearer than ever.
She wanted to try believing in someone other than her master, at least…
At least until the very last moment…
“Boom!!!”
Suddenly, a blinding white flame erupted into the sky.
Standing at the center of the swarm, golden dragon breath still flickering at her lips, the golden-haired girl, her face slightly pale from exhaustion, paused for a moment.
Then, a small, knowing smile, one no one had ever seen before, appeared on her face.
That was the signal she had agreed on with Lenka beforehand.
It meant the team had reached the entrance to the lower level, she could retreat now.
“These guys… really gave it their all,” Xiao Guang murmured.
“So this… is what cooperation among ordinary people feels like.”
“It’s… different from being by Master’s side.”
“But… it’s not a bad feeling.”
A golden wave of power erupted from her small body like a tidal wave, shattering the surrounding [Magic-Devouring Ant Swarm] into dust.
With her last ounce of magic, the little dragon girl spread her wings and darted into the sky, vanishing above the endless black tide.
And in that lonely, unheard whisper, she disappeared.
………………………………………………
“We did it, Your Highness!”
“We’re the first team! We got the hidden bonus points!”
As soon as the scoreboard flashed, jumping from 0 to 500, excitement exploded among the students of the Royal Academy.
They had just descended further down through a mysterious staircase built by some unknown person, and now, they were the first team to score hidden points!
Among them, Noelle, a cat-girl who was especially close to Carinvega, immediately pounced into her arms.
Her furry ears twitched, brushing against the chest of the heterochromatic-eyed girl, rubbing against her with pure happiness.
Carinvega, out of habit, gently patted the little cat’s head, then turned her gaze to the watch-like device on her wrist, which was showing the real-time team score.
Shaking her head a bit awkwardly, she sighed.
“Honestly… the team that fought their way through should’ve been the ones to get the hidden points. Winning like this feels kind of… unfair.”
A blonde girl holding a staff stepped forward, smiling as she shook her head.
“Your Highness, you’re being too modest. The rules were set by Sainz, even if there’s something unfair about it, that’s the organizer’s problem, not ours.”
“So what if we cheat? There's no rule saying we have to play fair, right? So why should we feel bad?”
“Besides… getting here ahead of time wasn’t just luck, right?”
“Hmm? Rosie, what do you mean…?”
Before the surprised Orluk could finish, Rosiem one of the most trusted strategists in the group, made a ‘shh’ gesture and pulled her aside, speaking in a low, amused tone.
“Keep it down. If word gets out, it could hurt Her Highness’s reputation.”
“As long as we know the truth, that’s enough.”
The quiet, blue-haired girl blinked, her lips parting slightly in shock.
“…Wait. Does this mean Her Highness knew someone would act at that moment?”
“But how did she know this specific path was the fastest way down? Even with research, it’s impossible to predict every single monster’s movement in the maze…”
Rosie chuckled.
“Who knows? I can’t fully guess what Her Highness is thinking.”
“But if we’re talking about who in this tournament would be bold enough to charge head-on into [Magic-Devouring Ant Swarm]…”
“…Then it’s definitely [Scorching Dragon Golden Flame], one of Sainz’ Seventh District Prodigies.”
“She’s the only one who fits the profile… and she’s also likely to be Her Highness’s biggest rival in this tournament.”
“Come to think of it…”
“We actually saw her at the banquet before the event, didn’t we?”
“She was right there, standing beside Miss Violet, the exam proctor for this competition.”
"Uh…"
As if she had suddenly thought of something, Orluk froze for a moment, then turned her head nervously, sneaking a glance at the black-haired girl who had suddenly appeared to verify their hidden points and was now having a brief conversation with their captain, Princess Carinvega.
However, before Orluk could observe any longer, the girl’s silver-blue eyes seemed to notice her gaze and turned directly toward her.
Startled, Orluk immediately looked away, avoiding the priestess’s half-smiling expression, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Rosie, seeing this, shook her head helplessly and returned to Carinvega’s side, who hadn’t heard their whispered conversation.
She began to offer advice.
“Your Highness, hidden points are valuable, but they alone won’t be enough for us to win the tournament.”
“Now that we’ve reached the Jungle Zone, we should start moving quickly.”
Carinvega instinctively glanced at Violet, the exam proctor, to see if she would make any comments or objections.
But when she saw that Violet remained silent, she cleared her throat and gave orders to the team.
“Ahem… In that case, Noelle, you can begin now.”
“Yes, Your Highness! Hehe~ Noelle’s been ready for a while!”
Before anyone had time to fully react to the dense jungle environment, the petite cat-girl swiftly moved to the front of the team.
Closing her eyes, her long, triangular cat ears suddenly stood straight up. Then, in a way that defied all logic, they bent at a perfect 90-degree angle and started spinning at high speed!?
“Uwaah…”
Violet, seeing this bizarre sight for the first time, let out a strange murmur of surprise.
But the rest of the team barely reacted at all, it was clear that they were already used to it.
This was Noelle’s special ability, an ability her teammates jokingly called “Treasure-Seeking Cat.”
Noelle herself had never explained the specific mechanics of this ability, but after spending so much time together, the team had figured out the general pattern.
As the name suggested, Noelle could sense treasures within a certain range. Items of extraordinary value, regardless of type, difficulty to obtain, or effects.
No one really understood how her ability judged value, but the results never failed. She would always locate the most valuable unclaimed item nearby.
Of course…
Could a cute little cat ever have bad intentions?
She was just here to find treasures, whether they could actually claim them, well…
That depended on the treasure hunter’s own skills!