The moment the referee declared Chloe the winner, the tension that had been coiled inside Lina’s chest finally snapped.

She barely waited for the arena attendants to escort Chloe off the battlefield before rushing toward the rookie staging area.

The moment Chloe stepped through the stone archway separating the arena from the competitors’ section, Lina closed the distance between them in a sprint.

Without hesitation, she wrapped both arms around her friend.

"You scared me to death," Lina blurted, her voice shaking with relief. "When he kept throwing those flames... I thought..."

Chloe blinked before a warm smile spread across her face. She returned the embrace naturally, allowing herself to lean against Lina’s shoulder.

"I was terrified," she whispered. "My legs almost gave out halfway through the fight."

The words sounded perfectly believable, to everyone watching nearby, it looked exactly like two commoner girls celebrating an impossible upset.

Only Chloe knew the truth.

Only she knew that every step, every dodge, every tiny counterattack had been guided by the small rabbit quietly resting inside Lina’s carry-bag.

Inside the bag, Qhuin remained hidden beneath the folds of cloth, his crimson eyes closed briefly before his calm voice echoed through the mental links connecting the three of them.

"Acceptable work, Chloe."

His tone remained composed, carrying neither excitement nor arrogance.

"You followed every instruction without exposing yourself."

A brief pause followed.

"Lina, inspect her left forearm later. One of the flame blasts grazed her defensive boundary. The injury is superficial. Her mana channels remain stable."

Both girls instinctively relaxed; neither of them realized just how much they had begun to rely on the quiet certainty in that voice.

Lina loosened the hug and immediately looked toward Chloe’s arm.

"You’re hurt?"

Chloe quickly smiled and shook her head."It’s only a little burn."

"I’m fine."

Lina frowned anyway. "We’re treating it after this."

Chloe laughed softly.

"Yes, yes."

Nearby competitors watched the interaction before losing interest.

To them, it was simply another emotional reunion between frightened first-year students.

No one imagined that the innocent-looking carry-bag was the true strategist behind the match.

Far above the arena, inside the royal viewing platform carved into the highest tier of the colosseum, an entirely different atmosphere prevailed.

The air itself felt heavier.

Imperial guards stood like statues beside towering obsidian pillars while ancient runes glowed faintly beneath polished marble flooring.

The Emperor leaned comfortably against the back of his golden throne, and then he laughed.

It was a restrained chuckle but a loud deep blooming laugh that echoed throughout the royal box

"Hahaha, interesting ". He rested one elbow on the armchair, still smiling as the attendant replayed the final moments of the battle through a floating mana projection.

"The boy possessed raw power but too much arrogance.. and the girl understood this and used it well"

His smile widened." Pride dulls a blade faster than rust."

Several ministers forced polite smiles, while others lowered their heads. They know the emperor’s words were rarely casual observations, they were lessons.

His golden eyes remained on the replay.

"Battles are not won by whoever burns brighter, but are won by whoever is still standing when the flames die"

Sitting only a short distance away, Duke Kenneth remained perfectly composed, at least outwardly

His silver cane rested on the floor between his polished shoes; only the slight grip on his fingers betrayed the pressure building behind his refined smile.

The spell weaver belongs to a noble house that publicly supports his political faction. Watching the noble lose felt like an insult.

"What an embarrassing child" Kenneth said calmly, then he continued. "He exhausted himself trying to impress an audience, it seems the academy standard has declined."

The emperor merely smiled." Or perhaps yours have"

Kenneth offered no reply; instead, he quietly turned his gaze towards the arena.

Principal Alistair remained silent throughout the exchange unlike the other, he wasn’t watching the unconscious noble, nor did he participate in the emperor’s amusement.

His ageless eyes lingered on a different scene, replaying the fight again and again.

He was particularly interested in the attack but the footsteps, he watched Chloe’s position during the fight, every movement she made was without effort.

His expression remained unreadable.’Someone had to have taught her’

And he was curious, it was a technique rarely found in the first year and not on a commoner, then he dismissed the reply with a wave of his hand.

He could find no proof, only a small question quietly settled back into his mind.

Back in the student box, qhuin shifted his attention somewhere else. His consciousness brushed against another connection.

Far across the stadium, seated among upperclassmen from several noble families, Marcus’s older cousin remained perfectly composed.

To everyone around him, he looked like another spectator casually observing the tournament.

Only the faint mental thread linking him to Qhuin betrayed the truth.

The report arrived almost instantly.

"Master."

"The administrative office has already finalized the preliminary incident reports."

Qhuin listened silently.

"The instructors attributed Chloe’s increase in performance to an unstable synchronization event triggered by prolonged stress."

"No abnormal bloodline mutation has been recorded."

A faint smile cross qhuin mind.’ Except as expected’

People rarely questioned the answer that they already assumed, then his reply." Good, continue observing’

Then he paused for a moment and added."Watch Professor Elizabeth, inform me immediately if her movement changes"

"As you command". And the connection faded. Qhuin calmly settled deep into the bag, and another thought came to his mind Elizabeth’s holy compass.

That artifact remained the greatest unknown variable inside the academy.

Above the arena, massive enchanted gears suddenly began turning, and a deep metallic rumble spread throughout the colosseum.

Thousands of conversations gradually faded.

Every spectator instinctively looked toward the enormous magical projection suspended above the battlefield.

Blue runes appeared one after the other as the tournament brackets began to spin. The names flashed faster then they eyes could see.

And the students held their breaths, then the spinning gradually slowed and one name appeared and the projection stopped.

Blue letters illustrated the arena as the first name showed.

Lina Woods— Class A

Then the second name slowly materialised beside it.

Gareth Stoneheart —- Class C

Murmurs spread among the spectators, even before Gareth entered the arena whispers spread among the audiences

"The earth synchronizer.."

"That kid wears heavy armour daily and I heard he has never been knocked down"

Lina exhaled and the weight of her sword rested comfortably in her hand. She gripped her fingers around the leather-bound hilt, weeks of training and midnight drill had all led to this moment.

Inside her carry bag qhuin opened his eyes." Your turn, brat."

Everything else disappeared only his voice sounded in her head. " Every training and everything we’ve done is for this first step."

Lina smiled as she took her first step into the arena, behind her Chloe watched silently.

Qhuin finally word followed her all the way to the arena. "Now.. walk into that arena and make them remember your name."