Hanzuo had only taken a few meters away from the hall's doorway when it opened again, revealing Desmond from inside.
"Headmaster Hanzuo," he called out to the old man.
Because of that, their headmaster paused and turned to Desmond, who was also walking toward him. Hanzuo hid both hands behind his back and smiled.
"What seems to be the problem, Desmond?"
The instructor slipped his hands into his pockets and glanced toward the window before looking back at the elderly man with narrowed eyes.
"It's about the boy Valestron. There's something important you need to know first, Headmaster Hanzuo."
The old man's brows rose at that. "What do you mean by something important, Desmond?"
Desmond exhaled heavily and leaned closer, speaking near the old man's ear.
"When I gave him the test before he could enter the institution, the amount of strength I was supposed to release should have only been twenty percent—just like with the previous students who came before him.
But I made a mistake… I accidentally poured out my full strength in my attempt to take him down. It was an accident, please believe me."
Desmond fell silent for a moment before speaking again, eyes now lowered to the floor.
"But… I didn't expect that he would still pass despite the mistake I made as an instructor you entrusted with that task. He didn't flinch. He didn't protest. He didn't move. He didn't complain at all—he accepted it as if it were a normal test for him. What do you think?"
"Hm. He's strong. Without a doubt." The old man chuckled under his breath.
Desmond closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head slightly.
"If you allow him to join the Guilds Event, there's a high chance he'll grow even stronger—much stronger than when I first met him. And soon—"
"Hold on, Desmond. Calm yourself," Hanzuo interrupted. "Are you saying that a mere First Grade Cat like him is—"
"He's hiding his real strength," Desmond cut in. "He's already at the Dragon Stage. I'm certain of it. You can even ask Clover."
Hanzuo placed a hand on Desmond's shoulder. "What do you want us to do about that? Besides, it's impossible that he's hiding his true level."
"We should expel Valestron immediately."
Hanzuo shook his head. "If we do that, we're admitting to ourselves that we're afraid of a child like him. And I absolutely refuse to accept that, especially as the head of this school. Desmond, listen to me. Stop worrying too much."
Hanzuo smiled, turned away, and continued walking. "I already have a plan for this."
__
One afternoon before the long-awaited Guilds Event, the entire class was inside the gymnasium once more—including the young Emrys.
"For our final duel, Emrys Valestron, stand up," their instructor called. "And for your opponent… Princess Elise."
Not only the entire class was shocked—Emrys was too. He immediately faced the teacher, mouth slightly open.
"M-Mr. Shin… why a girl?"
He meant to whisper, but the princess still heard him.
Elise shot him a sharp glare. "Why? Are you that sure you'll win just because your opponent is a girl?"
"My apologies, Your Highness." Emrys scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"Begin!"
At the signal of their instructor, Elise charged at the boy without hesitation.
She wanted to gain the advantage as quickly as possible.
She threw a straight punch aimed at Emrys' face, but with a slight tilt of his head, the punch barely missed.
With her other fist, Elise swung horizontally toward his temple, but Emrys dodged with a low duck, leaping two meters to his left.
He wanted to create distance, but the princess didn't allow it.
She followed him with swift movements and released a frontal kick, but Emrys deflected her leg sideways using his knee.
She tried another straight punch, but Emrys slapped her fist downward with his palm. Then, with a swift jab of his index finger to her neck—so fast the princess didn't notice—he struck cleanly.
Emrys moved back again, but Elise kept pursuing him. She attacked relentlessly, while Emrys focused only on evasion.
No one could count how many times his index finger tapped her neck—completely unnoticed by everyone watching.
Eventually, Emrys grew bored. He dropped his own guard, giving Elise the perfect chance to punch him in the face.
He was sent flying out of the arena, landing on the ground with his nose bleeding and eyes shut.
The entire audience erupted in applause, praising the princess, while Emrys let out a small sigh. He sat up and wiped his nose with the back of his hand.
Their training ended there. Emrys stayed behind in the gym afterward, leaning against the wall while meditating.
A few minutes later, he felt a presence appear right in front of him.
He opened his eyes and looked upward. "What do you need, Mr. Desmond?"
The instructor stood with his hands in his pockets, expression unreadable as he observed the boy. He wanted to gauge Emrys' true level with his own strength, yet gained nothing.
"I'm here to deliver a message from the headmaster," he said.
Emrys stood up and waited for him to continue.
"The headmaster and the High Elders have approved your request. Starting tomorrow, you will join the Guilds Event. Remember—you will have no allies or friends in this competition. You will face everything alone. And as part of the institution's approval for allowing you to participate… you must reach at least the top five. To do that, you cannot afford to lose even once. Because if you fail to reach one of those five seats when the time comes… say goodbye to this institution."
"You'll expel me if I don't reach the top five, is that it?"
Desmond turned away and began walking.
"That is… if you're still alive by the time you lose in the middle of the competition."