Rain Arthur was not feeling great.
It was partly due to this unnecessarily grand exam, and the fact that she had to move around with other foolish students like Liu Yan.
Even more so, Rain’s mind was preoccupied with thoughts of an already eliminated fortuneteller.
‘Namgoong Min…’
Unlike those other fools, she was convinced that only she understood his essence and value.
A powerhouse strong enough to take down a <Saint> all on his own.
While the weak, who could only see what was in front of them, sang praises of his score, the true worth of Namgoong Min came from his immense strength.
That was why Rain followed him.
Being weak in the presence of a strong person was part of her nature.
But.
“Ugh, ugh!”
Boom!
“R-Rain! We can’t break through that girl student….”
“Shut your mouth! Instead of whining like an idiot, charge!”
“U-ugh, uhh!!”
It had been a while.
Since Liu Yan, she had not encountered anyone she didn’t want to acknowledge as a ‘stronger’ opponent.
Punch. Smack!
“Ugh….”
“………..”
The blonde fighter girl student who had taken out one of the idiots in just two hits.
Rain wasn’t someone who didn’t know who that student was.
As the daughter of the prestigious Arthur family, every girl student from a European family attending this academy was in her faction.
Of course, her information network was beyond imagination.
“Eileen, Teddy Bear.”
“You know me. Nonbeliever.”
“Charles Teddy Bear’s daughter… and a typical middle schooler calling others nonbelievers. I’ve heard she’s quite skilled.”
“Are you even listening to me?”
“If you withdraw quietly now, I’ll let it slide.”
“Hah.”
So overwhelmingly arrogant and arrogant.
It was worlds apart from how she acted in front of her brother Lucas or Namgoong Min, but this was the side of her that truly reflected her personality.
Stronger to the weak, weaker to the strong.
Rain thought it only natural that if she, as a strong person, had to submit to someone, then those weaker than her should also submit to her.
It was only logical that Eileen Teddy Bear, who she hadn’t yet recognized as a ‘stronger,’ would comply with Rain’s words.
“Shut up.”
“…This is why I despise foolish weaklings.”
Weaklings cannot survive in this world. Clinging and submitting to the strong is the only answer.
How could they not understand that?
With a genuinely contemptuous expression, Rain pointed her fingertip at Eileen.
And then, <Superpower>.
“Get out of the way.”
“………!!”
Boom!
In an instant, the <Superpower> was activated, and telekinesis threw Eileen against the building.
Only those like the Crown Prince, Crown Princess, Lucas, the Saint, Namgoong Min, or the academy instructors could withstand the full force of her telekinesis.
Thus, Rain acknowledged them as ‘strongers’ and submitted to what they said.
However, that meant…
Crack. Snap.
“Ouch… that hurt?”
“…………..”
If Eileen was as strong as them, it meant that her telekinesis wouldn’t work.
As she dusted herself off while stepping out from the crumbled building, Rain clicked her tongue.
It was the same reaction as when she first saw Liu Yan as a child.
“Hey, Rain Arthur. You’re famous among the academy girls, right? The crazy bitch.”
“…………”
“They say you kick around the faction girls like they’re your slaves and treat the servants with disdain. You do all sorts of vile deeds?”
Rain Arthur was a villainess.
That had been the case before entering the academy, and nothing had changed since.
It was a command from her father.
‘For the sake of the Arthur family.’
Strong to the weak, a term that could describe Rain but also seemed strange.
If she truly followed the strong, then being commanded to commit suicide or become a slave would mean she had to comply.
Yet, Rain did not do that.
There were ranks even among the strong, and the strongest person she knew was her father.
‘You belong to the Arthur family.’
That was the command to be prioritized above all, and because of that, Rain could submit to the strong while maintaining her identity as the ‘young lady of the Arthur family.’
Moreover, the command she had heard since she was young was to ‘gather infamy,’ which is why she only acted like a villainess.
However, she didn’t want to explain all this in detail, nor was there a reason to do so.
“So what?”
As usual, Rain ignored all words and lifted the debris around her into the air.
If she delayed any longer, she might not be able to fulfill her brother’s order.
Additionally, it was quite delightful to show that arrogant girl, who somewhat resembled Liu Yan, who the real ‘stronger’ was.
Once all the students she brought along had collapsed from exhaustion, Rain opened her <Psychic> job skill.
“Truly a crazy bitch.”
“I’ll make you kneel and beg for that.”
With a rumble—
The floating debris filled the area, blocking the sky and casting darkness over the place.
At that moment, as the transcendent spectacle rose, Eileen clenched her fists tight.
<300 survivors remain. From now on, the remaining number will be displayed!>
<From this moment, the names of the eliminated will be displayed in the air!>
“…..huh?”
Rain looked up to see the letters appearing between the rubble.
Crash!
“Rain! The operation is canceled, retreat for now!”
“……..! You better count your blessings.”
“You too.”
As Lucas shouted orders while running over, Rain stepped back.
The debris fell with a loud crash, and as all the dust obscured Eileen’s view, the sounds of footsteps faded away.
“…Huh.”
She had no desire to chase after them. Even if they hid the ball within the academy, if they were completely subdued, there was nothing she could do.
If it were just Rain Arthur, it might be different, but taking on a <Warlock> and that distant <Rich Tycoon> was impossible.
“But why aren’t there any other students?”
She had moved to block the special unit led by Rain Arthur on Princess Kim Eun-ha’s orders, but now she questioned why only Lucas and Liu came running without other students.
Since they were the attackers, it was natural to retreat with the other students if they were pulling back.
It was too unrealistic to think that all students except Lucas and Liu had been subdued.
‘…Should I listen in?’
Beyond the swirling dust that blurred her surroundings. Eileen stepped into a nearby building and closed her eyes for a moment.
With that, she relaxed her power and heightened her consciousness—
Job skill <Observer's Gaze>.
‘Got it.’
—Just like that, she could project her spirit outside her body.
This skill, which had previously surprised the Saint, allowed Eileen to traverse the space like a ghost. Others could neither see nor touch her.
She had heard that this skill was different from the one possessed by the Saint.
‘Who cares?’
The claims that the Saint and the Saintess had the same skill were honestly of no concern to her.
She had no intention of revealing her identity as a Saintess, had no interest in power, and was solely focused on Namgoong Min.
That was why she wanted to win in his place and dedicate the victory to him.
She had thought about voluntarily being eliminated to be alone with Namgoong Min, but if she had to stay at the base after being eliminated, it seemed best to win and dedicate the victory to him.
‘Let’s go.’
Just because she didn’t want to chase and battle didn’t mean she didn’t want to eavesdrop.
Eileen, as a spirit, swiftly passed through buildings and dust, finally spotting three figures running somewhere.
A somewhat exhausted Lucas Arthur and Liu Yan. And Rain Arthur, who still seemed oblivious to the situation.
Eileen approached them as they engaged in conversation.
“…I see now.”
“It was a correct decision to retreat, but the <Hero>‘s ambush was completely unexpected.”
“Where did that guy even come from? Just like when he vanished.”
“He seemed to have been hiding somewhere in the building… but surely, as you said, Liu, it’s bothering me how he just disappeared suddenly.”
“Suddenly… disappeared?”
“Literally, rain. The hero who ambushed us eliminated all other students or subdued them before simply vanishing. Without any warning.”
“Is that… a skill of the hero?”
“I don’t know. The job of Abel Legion is completely unknown. Anyway, for now, it’s best to flee as far away as possible.”
“Damn.”
‘So that’s how it is.’
Eileen pondered after following the three without stopping.
It seemed they had retreated for some reason and were then attacked by the <Hero>, managing to escape barely with just the <Warlock> and <Rich Tycoon>.
She wanted to keep following them to listen in, but there were restrictions with the job skill <Observer's Gaze>.
One of which was that she couldn’t drift more than 300m away from her body.
She could gradually extend that distance if she kept using it, but for now, this was her limit.
Returning quickly to her body, Eileen decided to head back to the Princess within the academy.
And then.
“There! There’s the ball!”
“Stop that guy!”
“Princess, where are you!?”
“Save me!”
“What is this…?”
The Romance Academy was already a chaos stew.
Collapsed barricades and students chasing each other. Students trying to keep the ball and others trying to smash it. The remaining count and names of eliminated students visible in the sky.
Groups that had come together to survive began crumbling, and as expected in a survival, everyone was now fighting individually.
Right in the middle of it all.
“……so this is what’s happening.”
As Eileen saw the news of the <Crown Prince>‘s elimination in the sky, she understood the mess.
“…For Namgoong Min.”
Boom!!!
“What, what was that!?”
“That’s Eileen Teddy Bear! Everyone, get out of the way!”
“She’s supposed to be one of the strongest fighters! Let’s run!”
Everyone leaped into the battle, throwing punches.
“Yeah, for my brother Namgoong Min.”
To dedicate her victory to the fortuneteller.
*
“…How much time is left?”
“About 17 hours have passed… roughly 7 hours remaining, Liu.”
“Damn.”
“The remaining number of participants now….”
Exhausted, Liu and Rain swallowed their words.
17 hours and 8 minutes had passed since the start of the survival exam.
Remaining Participants:
6.
The end of the exam was approaching.