Much to Ethan’s dismay, the instructor who had treated him with nothing but undisguised contempt a few minutes ago was now all smiles as he spoke to Drey.
The difference was so obvious it was almost laughable. When Ethan had arrived late, the man had looked ready to skin him alive.
But when Drey arrived late...
He practically looked honored.
Wow...
Talk about classism at its finest.
"It’s quite alright, Lord Drey," the instructor said with a courteous smile. "Just that the briefing has already been concluded a few moments ago."
Watching the scene unfold, Ethan felt the corner of his eye twitch.
I swear...
At this point, he was genuinely contemplating punching that polite smile right off the man’s face.
"It’s fine. I’ll understand either way," Drey replied with a casual shrug before making his way toward the only empty seat left in the classroom.
Unfortunately...
That seat happened to be right beside Ethan. He sat down gracefully without sparing Ethan so much as a single glance. Seeing that, Ethan couldn’t help snorting inwardly.
Hmph.
Good.
Let’s keep it that way.
Completely ignored suited him just fine.
With Drey now seated, Ethan immediately shifted his attention back to the instructor, who thankfully appeared to be wrapping up the explanation.
Finally...
"Alright, everyone," the instructor announced, clapping his hands together to regain the students’ attention. "Without wasting any more time, we’ll now begin today’s practical examination."
His cold gaze slowly swept across the room before finally settling on Ethan. A trace of disappointment instantly flashed across his face.
"Luckily for you..." He paused deliberately. "And much to my displeasure... You now have a partner, which means you’re eligible to participate in today’s test after all."
Turning away from Ethan, he continued, "Lord Drey Valen and Guide Ethan Ashford you two have been paired together and will form one team."
Ethan’s eye twitched.
...Seriously?
It just had to be him.
Out of everyone in this academy, the one arrogant jerk Ethan wanted to avoid was the exact person fate by all means possible, had decided to pair him with.
He immediately turned toward Drey, fully expecting him to object.
After all... Didn’t the man despise him? Wouldn’t he be the first to reject this arrangement?
Instead...
Drey simply gave a small nod. "Mhm." That was it. No complaints. No objections. And still didn’t even bother looking at Ethan.
"..."
Ethan stared at him in disbelief.
Wait. He nodded? He actually agreed?
Is this guy actually in his right mind?
Unable to hold back any longer, Ethan turned fully toward him. "I don’t want to be partnered with you." His words came out through gritted teeth.
Only then did Drey finally acknowledge his existence.
Resting one arm lazily on the desk, he propped his chin against the palm of his hand before turning to face Ethan. His brown eyes settled on him with that same calm, unreadable expression, looking almost... bored. "Mhm..."
"And why is that?"
Ethan nearly choked.
Oh, for the love of—
This man was genuinely going to drive him insane. What kind of question was that Wasn’t the answer painfully obvious?
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down before speaking. "Well, first of all... We’re ex-fiancés."
One of Drey’s brows rose slightly.
"So?"
"So?" Ethan repeated, staring at him in disbelief. "We’re supposed to have absolutely nothing to do with each other anymore. Secondly, you’re an S-Rank Sentinel while I’m an F-Rank Guide. Naturally, you’ll be assigned one of the highest-ranked rifts. If we partner up, I’ll have to enter that dangerous place filled with monsters that can kill me in seconds without any means of defending myself or any real power." He spread his hands. "Tell me how that’s supposed to end well."
Drey’s expression didn’t change. "You don’t have to worry," he replied lazily. "Naturally, as your Sentinel for this exercise, I’d have to protect you."
"Oh, right." Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Because I totally trust that my ex-fiancé, who hates me, wouldn’t hand me over to the monsters the moment he got the chance."
His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Drey simply looked back at him that arrogant smirk already plastered on his face. "Then," he said with another careless shrug, "go ahead and tell the professor you don’t want to partner with me. You can miss the test instead."
He slowly straightened his posture, no longer leaning against the desk as he looked calmly at Ethan. "I don’t really have much to lose either way."
Ethan’s face twisted in frustration.
He opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
He searched for a comeback still nothing came.
This jerk... He was unbelievably irritating.
After letting out an annoyed huff, Ethan turned his head away. As much as he hated to admit it... Drey was right.
He couldn’t afford to miss the test especially if he wanted to improve his standing in the academy.
The instructor, completely oblivious to the exchange between the two, led the class out of the building and toward the academy’s enormous training grounds.
Towering barriers of shimmering mana surrounded the vast area, and beyond them stood seven enormous Rift Gates, each radiating a different intensity of spiritual energy. These were specially stabilized training Rifts maintained by the academy for practical examinations.
Unlike naturally occurring Rifts, their difficulty could be carefully monitored, making them suitable for student assessments while still retaining genuine danger. The instructor stopped before the seven glowing Gates and addressed the class.
"Today’s examination will take place across seven different training rifts," he announced. "The Rifts are divided according to rank—S, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Every team will be assigned according to their overall combat strength, Guide compatibility, and average rank of both partners."
The students instinctively straightened.
"Each rift will contain exactly ten students, divided into five Sentinel-Guide teams. Your objective remains the same—eliminate as many monsters as possible before the time limit expires. The stronger the monster, the more points you earn. Work together, survive, and accumulate the highest score you can."
One after another, the instructor began assigning teams to their respective rifts.
"A-Class Rift..."
"B-Class Rift..."
"C-Class Rift..."
One by one, the students called stepped forward and took their designated positions.
When it finally came time to assign Drey and Ethan...
The instructor paused as his eyes slowly shifted toward Ethan. A strange almost wicked glint appeared in them.
The moment Ethan caught that look, a cold chill crept down his spine.
His heart sank. He already knew.
He already knew exactly what that expression meant.
Yep.
This was going to end badly.