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The biting wind of midwinter blew fiercely.

In the blink of an eye, it blinded his vision and buried him in a snowstorm.

If one wasn’t careful, they could easily suffer frostbite.

Theo thought that the Ice-White Martial Arts resembled such a midwinter wind.

A fierce wind that could drive an enemy to death in an instant.

He had strived to embody that principle in the Three Fangs of the Dragon.

And to some extent, he had succeeded in refining his sword path.

Crunch—

Even frost remained where his sword had passed.

‘With this, I might be able to strengthen the Flashing strike as well.’

Theo smiled lightly.

While treating Ray, he had gained a deeper understanding of the Ice-White Martial Arts and wanted to organize it in this way.

As expected, after organizing it, his sword path seemed much sharper and cleaner than before.

The ability to continuously improve and strengthen his own swordsmanship.

Theo regretted how he had missed out on something so enjoyable all this time.

Just then—

“……?”

Theo suddenly felt a gaze fixed on him from somewhere and turned his head.

Ray was watching him.

‘Oh no.’

When had she woken up? He had been too absorbed in his training to notice.

How much of his training had she seen?

She wouldn’t have missed the traces of the Ice-White Martial Arts, and as he was about to offer an excuse—

“That’s not how you do it.”

“……?”

Ray suddenly stood up, holding her sword, and swung it a few times in the air.

Swish, swish—

Her movements were much more concise and faster than Theo’s.

Yet, they were so sharp that even the mere wind from her sword left marks on the cave floor.

“Swinging it like you’re throwing the sword is fine, but your pulling motion is unnatural. The Ice-White Sword isn’t just about sharpness. Look at the traces left on the ground.”

Was she explaining the secrets of swordsmanship to someone who had stolen and learned her style?

Theo couldn’t understand Ray’s intentions, but he did as she said and examined the marks her sword left behind.

They were immaculate.

As if carefully carved.

“Now, look at the marks you left.”

In contrast, Theo’s marks were jagged and rough in some way.

“Ah……!”

“See the difference?”

When Theo nodded, Ray smiled faintly.

At that moment, Theo was quite surprised.

In both his past and present lives, it was the first time he had seen her express her emotions like this.

“Recovering the sword is just as important as swinging it. Swing it like you’re throwing it, and then pull it back as if you’re retrieving it. Make sure these movements flow smoothly, without sharp breaks.”

Theo pondered her words for a brief moment, as if he had found a clue to something.

Ray continued to watch him, still smiling faintly.

She believed that he would understand.

‘If I can help him in any way, even like this.’

For the first time, Ray felt encouraged by the fact that she was able to assist Theo.

After a short while, Theo ended his brief contemplation and once again gripped Drake’s Blade in his hand.

“Would you mind watching me one more time? I know it’s a bother.”

Ray shook her head, assuring him that it wasn’t bothersome at all.

Swish, swish—

Theo began swinging his sword again.

* * *

“Are you sure it’s around here?”

“I’m telling you! I left a knife wound in her side, so she definitely couldn’t have gone far!”

Orien stroked his chin and smiled coldly.

He had received the news of Ray’s injury while diligently hunting monsters alongside Axion.

Orien believed this was the perfect opportunity for Axion to solidify his position as the top contender.

‘If we make sure she’s completely incapacitated here, no one will ever challenge Axion again.’

Currently, Axion had amassed 431 points.

Considering that the average score of the other candidates didn’t even reach 100 points, the gap was overwhelming.

This was largely thanks to Orien and the rest of the Gathering of the Hidden Dragons who had channeled most of their points to Axion.

The problem was that the second place contender, Ray, had quickly closed the gap with a score in the 300s.

Despite working alone without a team, she was still moving at a rapid pace.

But now, they had an unexpected opportunity to force Ray out of the competition.

‘Besides, the place where they said she was spotted happens to be where traces of Haid’s group were found… That means Theo is probably nearby too.’

Not long ago, Ed had discreetly passed on a message through one of the examiners:

– Make sure Theo Ragnar doesn’t fall into the Elder’s clutches.

Orien couldn’t quite understand why they were suddenly being told to help that guy.

Because of this, Orien had parted ways with Axion and was currently on his way to find Theo.

And now, their paths had coincidentally aligned.

If he could take out Haid’s group and force Ray to retire from the competition, there couldn’t be a more perfect scenario.

‘No, if I think about it, it’s more like killing three birds with one stone. I just have to break that bastard Theo’s arms and legs while I’m at it.’

Orien still hadn’t forgotten that moment when Theo had cut off his friends’ right arms and wrecked the banquet hall, nor how Theo had dared to look him straight in the eye, unaware of his own place.

The humiliation he had suffered back then—he was determined to avenge it somehow.

Even though Ed had ordered him to save Theo, he hadn’t said anything about keeping him unharmed, had he?

All he had to do was keep him breathing.

Just breathing.

‘Looks like the Mistress of Plum Blossom Palace’s men are after you too… Heh! There’s no way you’ll make it out of this exam in one piece, you crippled fool.’

Orien felt pleased, imagining Theo on his knees, desperately begging for his life, clutching at his ankles.

“Where is it? Lead the way.”

* * *

Was it thanks to their conversation about swordsmanship?

Theo and Ray had quickly grown close, without any awkwardness between them.

“There are a lot of people targeting you. You need to be careful,” Ray said, her expression serious.

Since they had already clashed with the Gathering of the Hidden Dragons, it was only a matter of time before they would return with more reinforcements. That was Ray’s thought—preparing for what was to come.

“Luckily, this is still a safe zone that hasn’t been discovered yet, so we can buy some time for the moment…”

Ray trailed off, tilting her head in confusion.

Theo had smiled faintly, almost cryptically, and began walking deeper into the cave.

There, beneath a giant magic circle, stood a totem shaped like a horse.

A totem meant to block the approach of monsters.

Around it, a large number of supplies were gathered, including food and weapons.

“……?”

Was he just trying to grab something to eat?

Ray tilted her head, unsure of what Theo was doing.

But then—

Thud!

Suddenly, Theo yanked the totem out of the ground and smashed it.

“You…!”

Ray couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She couldn’t comprehend Theo’s actions at all.

The totem created a safe zone where they could avoid monsters and receive supplies.

By destroying it, the magic would be nullified…!

In their current situation, where they needed to seize every opportunity, this was pure madness.

But Theo didn’t immediately explain himself to Ray.

His eyes were fixed on a navy blue orb left behind after the totem was destroyed.

“What is that?”

“It’s a magic tool for summoning monsters. Or maybe I should call it a guiding tool? Whatever. The point is, it works differently when it’s embedded in the totem compared to when it’s outside.”

“…What?”

Ray’s eyes widened in shock.

Was there really such a device hidden inside the totem?

At that moment—

Rumble, rumble—

The ground began to tremble faintly.

A chill ran down Ray’s spine. Her instincts, honed through years of swordsmanship training, were screaming at her.

A terrifying monster was approaching the area.

At least 6th grade, with a navy color or higher…!

‘Navy? Could it be?’

Ray looked at the orb in Theo’s hand. It was navy.

“Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, navy, violet. Out of the seven colors, the further you go, the higher the monster’s rank, but the points you get increase exponentially too. This is meant for that. To earn points.”

“……!”

Ray finally realized what Theo was aiming for.

Though she didn’t know what he had been doing up until now, Theo had zero points since he hadn’t hunted a single monster.

But if he could selectively hunt only powerful monsters in the remaining time?

A swift turnaround would be possible.

And if he had a method to summon monsters whenever he needed, it would be even more convenient.

However, there was one problem.

“But…!”

“You’re wondering how the two of us, without any preparation, could possibly defeat a navy-grade monster, right?”

Ray nodded heavily at Theo’s question.

As he said, a 6th-grade monster was so powerful that even a group of seasoned swordsmen couldn’t easily take it down.

However—

“Who said we’re unprepared?”

“What?”

“A hidden piece like this means there’s also a way to overcome it. The Blossoming Ceremony is meant to test the candidates’ abilities, not kill them.”

Theo rummaged through the piled-up supplies and pulled out a few items.

“See?”

Ray let out a small, incredulous laugh when she saw the items.

Theo was right.

Who would have thought that, besides essentials, these kinds of weapons would be hidden here as well?

“…But even with these, won’t it still be difficult for just the two of us?”

Ray still had plenty of worries, but Theo merely gave a calm smile.

“Don’t worry. We’re not the only ones who’ll be fighting the monster.”

“……?”

Ray tilted her head, unable to grasp the meaning of Theo’s words.

Just then—

“Aaargh!”

“W-What is this…?”

“Why is a navy-grade monster here, all of a sudden?!”

“Stop it! Hurry!”

Loud noises erupted from outside the cave.

Clang, clang—

Along with the sound of the bell signaling the monster’s arrival.

Ray’s eyes widened once more.

“I’m going to watch. Wanna come with me?” Theo asked, standing up with a cold smile.

* * *

“Shields! Raise your shields first!”

“I-I left my shield back in the safe zone because it was too hard to carry up here…!”

“What the hell are you talking about?! Then how are we supposed to stop that thing?! Damn it!”

Orien’s group, who had been tracking Ray’s trail, was now in utter chaos.

It was because of the Sandworm that had suddenly burst through the ground.

A Sandworm!

No one could understand why a monster that lived in the desert would appear in the frigid winter mountains.

To make matters worse, it had surfaced right beneath them as they passed through the area.

As a result, three of their fifteen members had been swallowed into the Sandworm’s stomach, and seven others had tumbled down the slope with various injuries.

Nearly two-thirds of their team had been knocked out of commission from the start.

The remaining five members scrambled to form a formation and tried to resist, but the sheer ferocity and terror of the Sandworm made them hesitant to act.

A single mistake in their defense could result in even more severe injuries.

The problem was, the longer they hesitated, the greater the damage they would sustain.

Roooar—

Fortunately for them, the Sandworm didn’t seem immediately interested in hunting the remaining five. It quickly withdrew its massive body into the hole it had created.

Gulp!

Orien and the other candidates nervously swallowed dryly, tension etched on their faces.

The fear that the Sandworm could reappear at any moment weighed heavily on them, heightening their sense of dread.

They hoped it had disappeared for good, but the slight tremors in the ground hinted that the creature was lurking below, waiting for the perfect moment to strike—like a shark, poised to snatch its prey from beneath the surface.

“D-D-Damn it…! We came here to catch Ray, and now this happens…!”

Orien’s legs trembled uncontrollably as he struggled to keep himself standing.

“This is a disaster…! The examiners…! They should come and save us at least…!”

He screamed, hoping the examiners, who might be somewhere nearby, would hear him and intervene. But no response came.

“Sh-shit…!”

As his fear deepened, Orien’s pants grew damp.

Boom!

Suddenly, the ground in front of Orien exploded, and the Sandworm shot out.

Crunch, crunch, its jaws moved as chunks of flesh from the two candidates it had already devoured spilled out.

Kaaah—

The Sandworm lunged at Orien next, its jaws gaping wide, revealing layers of sharp, menacing teeth.

“A-Aaaah!”

Orien, pale with terror, squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the end.

Crack-boom!

In that instant, a bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky, striking the Sandworm’s head and smashing it to pieces in a single blow.

Thud…

The massive body, now headless, collapsed to the ground.

A faint white steam rose from the dark, jagged edges of the creature’s severed head.

Sh-shiver…

Orien, still sitting on the ground, looked up in shock at the fallen Sandworm.

Standing atop its corpse, like a conqueror, was a familiar face.

It was Theo.