The transition through the Pocket Dimension lasted less than a second.
Yet the moment my feet touched solid ground again, freezing wind slammed directly into my body hard enough to make Kael curse beside me.
“…Okay, this place is trying to kill us immediately.”
Snow stretched endlessly across the landscape surrounding us.
Massive glaciers and frozen cliffs dominated the horizon while violent winds carried streams of ice through the air sharp enough to cut exposed skin.
Dark clouds covered the sky completely, allowing only fragments of pale light to illuminate the frozen biome around us.
The temperature alone would already eliminate weaker participants within hours.
Interesting.
So the Battle Royale truly wasn’t designed around combat alone.
Survival itself mattered here.
Authority of Knowledge activated instinctively while I analyzed our surroundings.
The mana density across the region remained unusually high due to the extreme elemental concentration saturating the biome.
Ice-affinity creatures would naturally dominate this territory while fire-based combatants would consume mana far faster simply trying to maintain body temperature.
Which made Varkas immediately invaluable.
Without waiting for instructions, the demon calmly removed one glove before dark crimson flames slowly ignited around his hand.
Unlike ordinary fire, his Hellfire produced surprisingly stable heat without spreading chaotically into the environment.
A few seconds later, warmth gradually expanded around our group like an invisible barrier protecting us from the freezing storm.
Kael visibly relaxed almost immediately.
“Alright.
I officially like you.”
Varkas glanced toward him without much reaction.
“You were shivering.”
“I was adapting dramatically.”
“You were dying theatrically.”
Faelyn laughed quietly while brushing snow from her shoulders.
Compared to the rest of us, the elf seemed almost completely unaffected by the environment itself.
Wind mana naturally flowed around her body constantly, redirecting most of the cold air before it could even touch her directly.
Interesting.
Each member of the group already adapted to combat situations differently without even realizing it.
Lyra stepped closer toward the center of the heat barrier while observing the frozen landscape surrounding us nervously.
“Do you think other teams spawned nearby?”
“Definitely,” I answered calmly.
Twenty thousand participants spread across multiple biomes still meant thousands of active teams roaming the dimension simultaneously.
Encounters were inevitable, especially once the battlefield started shrinking later.
But rushing blindly toward conflict this early would be stupid.
Most candidates would still be disorganized after the transfer.
Fear and panic would eliminate plenty of people naturally.
“We prioritize survival first,” I continued while scanning the horizon carefully.
“We don’t know how long the examination lasts, so food, shelter, and positioning matter just as much as combat.
Stay together at all times.
If another team attacks, Lyra remains protected in the backline.”
Lyra blinked slightly.
“You’re assuming they’ll target me first.”
“Because competent opponents will.”
Healing mages were invaluable inside prolonged battles.
Eliminating support first was basic strategy.
Kael adjusted one of his daggers while grinning.
“So basically me and Noctis at the front, Varkas and Faelyn supporting damage, Lyra support?”
“Works for me,” Faelyn answered immediately.
Varkas crossed his arms.
“As long as nobody does anything suicidal.”
Kael looked personally attacked by that statement.
Honestly…
The group adapted to teamwork faster than expected.
Interesting.
A few days ago, none of these people even knew each other existed.
Now they instinctively listened, coordinated, and positioned themselves naturally without wasting time arguing over leadership.
That level of compatibility was rare.
The snowstorm intensified slightly while we continued moving across the frozen biome together.
Thick layers of ice cracked beneath our footsteps while distant mountain ranges disappeared periodically behind waves of white mist carried by the wind.
And despite the danger surrounding us…
The atmosphere inside the group remained strangely light.
Kael continued talking almost constantly while Faelyn mocked him every few minutes just to provoke reactions.
Varkas occasionally joined the conversation through dry sarcasm while Lyra quietly tried maintaining enough order to stop the group from becoming completely chaotic.
Meanwhile, I simply listened.
Observed.
Learned.
Strange.
Even now, part of me still struggled to fully process how enjoyable this felt.
Back then, when I stood beyond reality itself, nothing ever truly surprised me anymore.
Every outcome became predictable eventually.
Every interaction lost meaning beneath omniscience.
But here?
Everything felt uncertain.
Alive.
And somehow, that uncertainty made every moment infinitely more valuable.
Suddenly, Authority of Knowledge reacted inside my mind.
Large mana signature detected.
Aquatic-type entity.
Estimated Rank: A.
Distance: approximately two kilometers.
Interesting.
At the exact same moment, the frozen ground beneath our feet trembled slightly.
Kael immediately stopped talking.
Faelyn’s chain moved instinctively into her hand.
Varkas extinguished his casual flames and drew one revolver smoothly from beneath his coat.
Then, somewhere beyond the frozen cliffs ahead of us…
Something roared.
The roar echoed across the frozen biome like the sound of an entire glacier splitting apart.
For several seconds, the wind itself seemed to freeze around us while distant layers of snow collapsed from nearby cliffs beneath the sheer pressure carried by the creature’s voice.
Even Kael stopped joking immediately.
“What exactly was that…?” Lyra whispered.
Authority of Knowledge continued analyzing the mana signature spreading through the region.
The creature possessed overwhelming elemental density concentrated around both water and light affinity, creating a strangely unstable pressure throughout the surrounding environment.
Interesting.
A monster capable of naturally wielding two elemental branches simultaneously already stood far above ordinary magical beasts.
“A Leviathan,” I answered calmly while observing the frozen horizon ahead of us.
“Likely territorial.”
Kael slowly grinned despite the tension.
“You say that like it’s supposed to make me feel better.”
“It shouldn’t.”
The frozen ground trembled again moments later, this time violently enough for visible cracks to spread beneath layers of snow nearby.
Far ahead, beyond several towering ice formations, flashes of pale golden light illuminated the storm itself before vanishing behind the blizzard.
Water and Light.
An unusual combination.
Most aquatic creatures relied purely on destructive force or freezing attacks.
But Light affinity added something significantly more dangerous.
Speed.
Precision.
Mana density.
Which probably explained why Authority of Knowledge had evaluated the creature as Rank A almost instantly.
Interesting.
A monster like that appearing this early inside the Battle Royale either meant the academy wanted constant pressure on the participants…
Or the Pocket Dimension itself was far deadlier than expected.
“We avoid unnecessary risks,” I said calmly while scanning the terrain surrounding us.
“Our priority remains survival and information gathering.
Fighting an A Rank creature blindly inside an unfamiliar biome would be stupid.”
Kael looked disappointed immediately.
Faelyn looked even more disappointed somehow.
Varkas, however, nodded almost instantly.
“Finally, someone capable of rational thought.”
“Coward,” Faelyn muttered.
“Alive coward.”
The elf clicked her tongue but didn’t argue further.
We continued moving carefully through the arctic landscape afterward, using the frozen cliffs around us as cover while avoiding the direction of the mana signature directly.
Snowstorms intensified periodically throughout the biome, reducing visibility enough to make navigation difficult without Authority of Knowledge constantly analyzing the terrain.
Even then, surviving here remained exhausting.
The cold never truly disappeared despite Varkas maintaining a controlled layer of Hellfire warmth around the group.
It simply became manageable instead of lethal.
Interesting.
The Battle Royale really did force participants to rely on teamwork naturally.
Kael eventually moved closer beside me while keeping one hand resting near his daggers.
“So,” he asked quietly, “how strong is an A Rank monster actually?”
“Strong enough to destroy most teams here alone.”
His grin widened slightly.
Of course it did.
“You look excited,” I observed.
“I mean…” He glanced toward the distant flashes of golden light beyond the storm.
“Wouldn’t beating something like that prove we belong here?”
Interesting answer.
Not pride.
Not greed.
Validation.
Kael wanted proof that people like him truly deserved a place inside Aetherion Academy despite everything the nobles believed about commoners.
Honestly…
I understood that feeling more than expected.
Suddenly, another tremor spread across the frozen terrain, this time accompanied by the sound of rushing water somewhere nearby.
Which was impossible.
This entire region remained frozen solid.
Authority of Knowledge reacted immediately.
Warning.
Rapid environmental mana fluctuation detected.
Then the ice beneath us exploded.
A massive shape erupted upward from beneath the frozen sea hidden below the glacier itself, shattering layers of ice apart like fragile glass.
Water surged violently into the air alongside blinding golden light while the enormous body of the Leviathan finally revealed itself completely.
Even I paused for half a second.
The creature was colossal.
Its serpentine body stretched across the frozen ocean beneath the cliffs while silver-blue scales reflected both the storm and the golden light radiating from within its body.
Crystalline fins lined its spine like glowing blades while fragments of frozen water orbited around the creature instinctively through pure elemental control.
And its eyes…
Its eyes glowed like miniature suns beneath the storm.
“Okay,” Kael muttered quietly.
“That is significantly bigger than expected.”
The Leviathan roared again.
This time the attack came immediately afterward.
A massive wave exploded upward from the shattered ice beneath the creature before surging directly toward us like a moving wall of destruction.
Golden light mixed into the water itself, amplifying the mana density to terrifying levels.
“MOVE!” Varkas shouted.
The group scattered instantly.
The tsunami crashed through the frozen cliffs moments later with enough force to erase entire sections of the battlefield completely.
Ice shattered.
Snow exploded through the air.
Entire rock formations disappeared beneath the impact.
Interesting.
So this was the level of an A Rank creature.
Good.
Now I could finally see how the others reacted under real pressure.
Haut du formulaire
Bas du formulaire
The shockwave from the tsunami still echoed across the frozen biome while fragments of shattered ice continued falling around us like frozen rain.
Snowstorms mixed with exploding water mana while the Leviathan’s colossal body moved beneath the broken glacier like a living natural disaster.
Every movement of the creature generated waves powerful enough to reshape the environment itself.
And despite the danger…
Kael was smiling.
“Now THIS feels like an academy exam!”
Before anyone could stop him, lightning exploded around his body as he dashed directly across the shattered ice toward the Leviathan.
Blue electricity crackled beneath his feet while his daggers reflected the golden light surrounding the creature.
Impulsive.
Reckless.
But fast.
Interesting.
Faelyn clicked her tongue before immediately following him using bursts of wind magic to propel herself across the battlefield.
Her chain whipped through the storm behind her like a living blade while she accelerated from one ice formation to another with unnatural agility.
“Absolutely not,” Varkas muttered while drawing both revolvers.
“I refuse to let the suicidal idiots outperform me.”
Crimson Hellfire erupted around his weapons moments later.
The first shots echoed across the frozen sea immediately afterward.
Unlike ordinary bullets, the projectiles exploded into condensed infernal flames the moment they impacted the Leviathan’s scales.
Violent bursts of crimson fire spread across parts of the creature’s body while steam exploded into the air from the clash between Hellfire and water mana.
The Leviathan roared violently.
Good.
That meant Varkas possessed enough raw power to actually damage a Rank A creature.
Meanwhile, Lyra remained behind me exactly as instructed, already channeling healing and support magic simultaneously while trying to follow the battle unfolding across the frozen biome.
“You’re not fighting?” she asked suddenly.
I glanced toward the battlefield calmly while the Leviathan attempted to crush Kael beneath another tidal strike.
“No.”
That answer clearly surprised her.
“But… you’re the strongest one here.”
“Exactly.”
The group needed real combat experience far more than another overwhelming display from me.
If I solved every dangerous situation personally, they would never properly evolve.
And honestly…
I wanted to see what they could become.
Another explosion shook the battlefield as Kael narrowly avoided one of the Leviathan’s glowing fins before retaliating with lightning-infused strikes across the creature’s side.
His speed had become genuinely impressive once fully focused, though his lack of patience remained obvious in every movement.
Too aggressive.
Too direct.
Faelyn compensated for that weakness naturally.
The elf moved constantly around the battlefield using wind magic to manipulate positioning while her enchanted chain wrapped repeatedly around sections of the Leviathan’s body to disrupt its movements.
Every time the creature focused on Kael, she attacked from another angle immediately afterward.
Interesting.
Their combat styles synchronized surprisingly well despite having met only recently.
Meanwhile, Varkas continued bombarding the Leviathan relentlessly from long range.
Each infernal shot detonated with enough force to crack the surrounding ice while dark flames slowly spread across parts of the monster’s body.
And unlike ordinary fire…
Hellfire didn’t extinguish naturally.
Good ability.
The Leviathan clearly realized the ranged attacks represented the greatest threat because its attention suddenly shifted toward Varkas entirely.
Authority of Knowledge reacted instantly.
Danger prediction detected.
“Move,” I said calmly.
Varkas trusted the warning immediately.
The moment he abandoned his previous position, a concentrated beam of compressed water and light tore through the glacier behind him hard enough to erase an entire section of the battlefield instantly.
Interesting.
So the creature possessed precision attacks too.
That made it significantly more dangerous.
The Leviathan roared again before massive mana fluctuations spread throughout the frozen sea beneath us.
Water started rising unnaturally across the battlefield while golden light intensified beneath the surface.
Authority of Knowledge immediately analyzed the phenomenon.
Large-scale area attack incoming.
Then the ocean exploded upward.
An enormous tsunami surged toward the entire battlefield, vastly larger than the first one.
This time the attack wasn’t aimed at a single target.
It intended to erase everything at once.
Kael froze.
Faelyn stopped moving.
Even Varkas visibly tensed.
The scale was simply too massive to dodge completely.
And then…
Light erupted behind me.
Lyra stepped forward instinctively while golden mana exploded around her body far more intensely than during the academy examination.
Her eyes widened slightly, almost like even she didn’t fully understand what she was doing, yet her hands continued moving naturally through the spell formation appearing around us.
“Sanctuary.”
The word barely left her lips before a massive barrier of water and light expanded across the battlefield.
The tsunami crashed into it moments later.
The impact shook the entire frozen biome violently enough to split glaciers apart, but the barrier held.
Golden light illuminated the storm while water surged around us like an entire ocean trying to break through divine protection itself.
And somehow…
Lyra endured it.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Even the others looked stunned.
Kael stared at the barrier with complete disbelief while Faelyn slowly lowered her chain.
Varkas himself looked genuinely speechless for the first time since joining the group.
Meanwhile, Lyra stood trembling beneath the pressure of the spell, clearly pushing far beyond her current limits just to protect everyone.
Good.
This was exactly why support mages became terrifying in large-scale battles.
The Leviathan roared furiously after the attack failed.
And for the first time since the battle began…
Its movements had slowed noticeably.