Ronan ran through the smoke with the node pressed tightly against his side.

The stealth skill still covered his presence completely. No mana leaked from his body. No sound escaped his footsteps beyond the chaos already flooding the clearing behind him.

Ronan knew this from the entrance exam, but it was really solidified by what he’d just done.

Ronan looked down at the node in his hand.

But this is a problem.

The moment it had been ripped from the statue, and Ronan held it in his hand, it let out a distinct mana signature.

Anyone with half the skill required to get into the Academy would be able to sense it.

Ronan’s expression tightened slightly.

That explained the sudden shift behind him.

Class S had stopped scattering.

He could hear it now through the smoke.

They were chasing him. They weren’t close, but they were closing in for sure.

This body didn’t have stamina to outrun all those class S students.

Ronan changed direction immediately.

His boots slid through loose dirt as he cut between two burning trees near the outer edge of the clearing. The fire had spread farther than expected.

He felt the mana signatures behind him getting closer.

Ronan clicked his tongue.

While it wasn’t many, 3 or 4 max, even one of them would be enough to take care of him if he was caught.

He saw movement at the edge of his vision.

Mira.

She crouched near a burning tree farther uphill, partially hidden by smoke and shadow. The moment she saw Ronan looking toward her, she raised one hand slightly.

Then a small burst of mana erupted farther east.

It wasn’t strong, but it didn’t need to be.

Immediately, Ronan felt the mana signatures of the people chasing him turn directions.

Ronan almost smiled as he turned to the girl. That was smart.

But Ronan was mistaken. It wasn’t Mira, and he found that out as quickly as he misunderstood it.

A figure emerged from the smoke.

Cole stood near the shattered statue with blood running down the side of his face while several Class S students closed behind him.

"RONAN!"

Ronan turned to him, but he didn’t run this time. There were only three class S students taking chase, and there were three of them.

"You insane bastard!" Cole shouted. "How fucking dare you!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the mana signatures behind Ronan shifted sharply.

"The node!"

"He has it!"

"There!"

A spell exploded against a tree several meters to Ronan’s right.

Wood splintered apart while flames spread further across the area.

Tch. This was annoying.

Cole had let them right to him.

Ronan sprinted towards Mira.

"We have to go. Do you have any magic to confuse the enemy?"

"No! Specialize in stealth and wind magic."

Ronan turned back. One of the class S students had completely subdued Cole, and the other two were coming after them.

"There’s only two after us. We will split. They’ll likely split up, allowing the both of us a better chance of escaping. Make sure you flare your mana as well. Understood?"

Mira frantically nodded her head.

Ronan patted her shoulder as a signal, and shot a fireball directly into the ground, creating a cloud of dust.

He deactivated stealth and sprinted away.

Irene watched the smoke for several more seconds after Ronan disappeared.

Then she forced herself to turn away.

The area was still unstable.

The fire spread across the outer edges of the battlefield while smoke drifted between the trees.. Burning branches cracked overhead every few seconds.

But the chaos from earlier had faded.

Class S was listening to her again.

That was what was important.

Irene pressed one hand against her throat and forced herself upright completely.

Pain spread through her neck immediately, rough and burning beneath her skin.

"Secure... Darius first," she said hoarsely.

They were already on it, and two of them had pinned Darius to the floor, disallowing him from moving.

Darius had a burn on his leg and it looked to be twisted or broken.

Perhaps if his leg was fine, he would have been able to escape, but he was sabotaged by a member of his own class.

Ronan.

No. She would think about that later. Right now, she had to focus on the situation at hand.

Ronan’s goal was clearly the node, so she could well assume that he was long gone by now.

She had sent three students after him and the rest, but she didn’t expect them to catch the class B group.

"We have captured one of them!"

Irene turned to where the voice came from.

It was a fellow class S student, and he was dragging in the brown haired boy from before.

He was scowling at her and the rest of class S in pure hate.

"That bastard planned all of this!" Cole struggled against the students restraining him near the edge of the clearing. "Fuck, why did I trust him! I should have known he was a slimy bastard from the rumors! He never intended on saving Darius no matter what happened!"

Irene’s eyes shifted toward him.

"Explain," she said calmly.

"He told us the node mattered more," Cole growled. "Said saving Darius would only happen if the opportunity showed up."

He thrashed helplessly.

"But he fucking blasted Darius in the leg when things weren’t even messy! We could have escaped with him!"

Irene studied him silently.

Anger had stripped away most of his caution already, he was just venting now.

That meant he would talk willingly.

Good. That made him useful.

Fractured trust was easy to exploit. Irene had that drilled in her head countless times through the tutors her father had hired for her.

Two students emerged from the smoke carrying Wesley between them.

Alive, but barely conscious.

His face looked pale beneath the ash covering his skin, and one side of his uniform had been burned near the shoulder.

Ronan again.

Irene’s face darkened.

"The node is gone," one of the students said quietly. "What do we tell Lady Saintess?"

"No worries," Irene stressed. "That was not the objective. We have secured an additional hostage as well. This mission was a success."

"Withdraw from the clearing," Irene ordered quietly. "This area is compromised."

Several students acknowledged the command immediately.

"Prepare a full report for Grace."