The objective was crystal clear to the princess of the Montanev kingdom: steal a badge from any teacher and then find Alen as quickly as possible.
She worried that another girl in their class might run into Alen first and take advantage of the chance to get close to him. To Franchesca, it was only natural for people to gather around him—she hated that thought.
And yet… imagining Alen standing beside anyone who wasn't her felt strange. Of course, it was jealousy, but there was something else brewing inside her, something she wasn't ready to name.
She had landed in the northern part of the island. Close by stood an elevated rock formation.
Naturally, Franchesca realized an examiner would be stationed there to patrol. But what if that examiner was Alen?
Well, all the better. She'd learn where he was, and if it wasn't him, she could just steal the badge and spend the rest of the day searching for him.
So, without hesitation, she set off toward the rocks.
---
Now, how could a noble like Theodore Der Botcam survive on an island with scarce resources?
The answer was obvious: by using his intellect.
He was weak—there was no denying that. He couldn't fight his own battles and would definitely need Cecil to watch over him. But Theo understood how tests with so many moving parts could spiral into chaos if handled poorly.
He had fallen in the northern area of the island, in a dense forest of withered trees and scattered bushes with just enough fruit to sustain someone.
Of course, Theo knew these berries were safe. He had read extensively about the flora and fauna surrounding Aurum Academy, and these islands were mentioned in detail. Sometimes, hours of reading did pay off.
"Here, I read that these are safe to eat," came the soft voice of a girl, offering him blueberries.
"That's… exactly what I was thinking—"
...
"Ack!"
"Ah!"
Theo screamed first, startled by the sudden voice at his side. The girl yelped in response, equally shocked by his outburst.
"Gosh!" Theo stumbled backward, landing on the ground. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"You're the one who yelled first!" the girl shot back.
"What do you want, Elizabeth?" Theo muttered, exasperated.
He, unlike his friends, actually recognized every single student in their class. This girl was Elizabeth Bato, ranked fourth in S class—just above Alen and just below Cecil.
A demi-human. Her short, dark hair had bangs long enough to cover her eyes, paired with glasses that only deepened the mystery. Perched on her head were strange animal ears, and on her back, two medium-sized bat wings lay folded. They didn't look strong enough for full flight, but given her short stature, maybe she could manage.
"I want to strike a deal, Prince Der Botcam," she said with a creepy smile.
"And what kind of deal is that?" Theo asked, trying to compose himself.
"I want to join your friend group."
"...Huh? Why?"
"Out of the five students in the top five, four of you are friends. The last one—me—is excluded. Do you know how lonely that feels? Being treated like I'm invisible?"
Theo nodded slightly. She wasn't wrong. She'd always been the barrier separating the friend group in the rankings.
"I get that, but why us specifically?"
"Well, mostly because I want to get close to Alen. Bu—"
"No! Impossible!" Theo waved his hands frantically. "You can't get close to Alen if Princess Von Themys is around!"
"I don't want to get close to him in that way, gross!" Elizabeth shook her head violently, hair and glasses bouncing.
"Still… Von Themys is really protective of him…"
"I've seen Alen spend time with that sinner—Thican, I think?—and he's close to Tarian too, since they share dungeon classes. I don't think Von Themys can stop me."
Theo pursed his lips. She wasn't wrong, and he hated that.
"My real goal is simple," Elizabeth continued. "Alen always attracts problems and interesting situations. I want to be part of them!"
Theo sighed. "I'll… see what I can do."
"Also," she added, "wasn't he the one who trained Atro Siuco? Before Alen helped him, Atro couldn't even stand against Ximuss. But afterward, even though he lost, he still put up a fight."
Theo frowned. "...I guess."
Elizabeth flashed him a thumbs-up. "Pleasure doing busine—"
"I didn't agree to anything yet!" Theo snapped.
"Huh? Why not?"
"You told me what you wanted, but not what I'd get in return."
"Oh… that." She tapped her chin with her finger, as if only now realizing it.
Theo groaned. "You didn't even think about that? That's the most basic part of a deal!"
"I know! I'll defend you during this test. I heard you're pretty weak. You can trust me!" She flexed her bicep—thin and unimpressive—trying to look reliable.
Theo buried his face in his hands. "You don't even take physical classes!"
"But I am above you in manifestation," she said proudly, puffing out her chest.
He groaned again. He already felt older just from dealing with her.
"Fine. Defend me, and I'll introduce you to our group," he finally relented. Truthfully, he didn't have the strength to survive alone. Even a nuisance was better than nothing.
"You won't regret it, Prince!"
Theo wanted to cry.
---
In this test, students naturally split into categories.
The first category: those who wait. They know the examiners follow predetermined patrols, so ambushes are possible. If another student stole a badge first, they could swoop in and steal it from the exhausted victor, conserving their own strength. Most students chose this strategy—including Theo and Elizabeth. If Alen had taken this test, this would have been his choice too.
The second category: those who go all out from the start. A blitz attack, grabbing the badge right away, then hiding before anyone could retaliate. Risky, but effective for the strongest—or the most arrogant.
This approach was chosen by Franchesca Von Themys, Cecil Treyaro, Lyon Alva, and Ximuss Yolte.
As fate would have it, those three boys landed on the same spot in the eastern part of the island.
Of course, with their fiery personalities, they clashed immediately.
Ximuss, with his mohawk and bow, cast [Sparky Step] for enhanced mobility, keeping his distance while raining arrows. Meanwhile, Lyon's axe met Cecil's curved blade, their weapons sparking as they fought at close quarters—both dodging Ximuss's shots in the process.
Their battle grew so intense that, for a moment, they completely forgot the examiners were their true targets.
Unknowingly, they drifted westward across the island—ironically, moving further and further away from Alen's patrol route in the southeast.
"You won't defeat me, Prince Alva!" Cecil shouted with enthusiasm, thrilled to be fighting the moment he landed.
"As if I'd let you walk away undefeated in my sight!" the lion demi-human roared. Unlike Cecil, Lyon didn't fight for fun—he fought to prove himself.
Their weapons clashed again and again, only breaking rhythm to deflect an arrow fired by Ximuss.
"Don't forget about me! I'll climb to the top of S class!" Ximuss declared as he bounded from tree to tree.
"You wish, wannabe knight!" Lyon shot back, retreating behind a withered trunk.
"This feels just like our old three-way duel, doesn't it, Prince Lyon? Only this time, someone's standing in for Alen," Cecil said knowingly, anticipating the lion prince's moves.
"I'm just an Alen replacement to you?!" Ximuss barked, drawing his bowstring taut.
But—
"[Fireball]!"
Lyon cast the spell in time, hurling the blazing sphere straight at the blue-haired archer.
"!!!"
Ximuss barely managed to leap aside, dodging by a hair. The opportunity to release his arrow was lost.
"This really does remind me of that duel," Cecil said as he broke cover and charged the axe-wielding prince.
"There won't be a repeat of that duel!" Lyon growled, meeting Cecil head-on. "This time, I'll be the winner!"
In the world of Dragon's Roar, Lyon Alva was infamous for his unique passive skill—a power that only activated under strict conditions.
[King of Nature].
When in natural environments like plains, forests, or jungles, it boosted his physical attributes by over ten points. In game terms, it was comparable to the artifact Bluemar's Hope. But here, in reality, those "ten points" translated into raw, overwhelming strength—the kind that let him split an entire tree with a single swing.
And now, facing Cecil, that strength came into play.
Their clash ended instantly—Lyon's axe overwhelming Cecil's curved blade and sending shockwaves through the swordsman's body. Before he was hurled back, Cecil felt his arms and core tremble from the sheer impact.
But Lyon's victory was short-lived. He was forced to dodge again as another arrow whistled past him.
"So annoying!" the lion prince roared. "If you don't want to be a bother, you'd better start impressing me, mohawk!"
"Impress you. No, I'll defeat all four of you today" Ximuss expressed, tensing his bow once more to shoot.
From the distance, Cecil stood up and, with a big smile I'm his face, he was ready to enjoy this fight. "Let's have an amazing battle!"