Suddenly...
BOOM!!
"Simon Polentia!!"
[Simon Polentia of Class A has been confirmed to have entered the mansion.]
Carrying the Mud Golem's core tightly in his hand, Simon rolled across the floor while narrowly dodging Hector's incoming Dragon Breath attack.
Then, with a desperate slide, he crossed into the mansion safely.
"Phew… that was close."
"You actually managed to slip inside?" Knox asked with slight surprise.
Simon laughed awkwardly.
"Ahaha…"
"Since I only needed to break through, I made a golem, sent it to the front, secretly stole the core, then slipped away while Hector was busy beating up the fake one."
Knox nodded lightly.
"Hoh. So you used your brain."
"SIMON POLENTIAAAAA!!!"
Naturally, the one most furious about this outcome was Hector himself.
After realizing Simon had escaped into the mansion instead of properly fighting him, Hector practically looked ready to breathe fire from rage.
And then—
Before anyone noticed, Hector himself had already stepped inside the mansion.
Stomp.
Stomp.
Stomp.
Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the hall as Hector approached Simon aggressively.
Pitch-black scales had appeared across parts of his upper body, making him resemble a human who had inherited the bloodline of a dragon.
"Sigh… why is it always one thing after another…"
Knox rubbed his forehead tiredly before continuing,
"Can you guys stop shouting already?"
The unique ability of the Moore family was the power to transform into a Corpse Dragon.
Because of that, the Moore family was famously known throughout the world as the "House of Dragons."
"Are you planning to ignore me again this time!!" Hector roared furiously.
Knox blinked once before tilting his head slightly.
"Have you ever ignored him before?"
"N-No, that's not what I meant…"
"Aha. So this is what people call an inferiority complex."
Knox chuckled lightly before stepping forward until he stood directly in front of Hector.
"Hey, friend. I know you're excited, but you do remember this is a non-combat zone, right?"
"...!!"
"Also," Knox continued calmly, "you already lost."
"You may have wanted to settle things through a proper fight, but Simon's objective from the very beginning was entering the mansion."
"If you truly wanted to stop him, you should've focused entirely on blocking his path instead."
Crunch!
Hector clenched his fists so tightly that veins bulged across his arms.
Even his teeth were grinding loudly.
Yet despite his anger, he could not bring himself to attack Knox.
Unlike Simon, who was still growing, Knox was already an existence on a completely different level.
A predator.
No—
Calling him merely a predator would be an understatement.
The nickname "White Devil" was not just for show.
It was a title carved through overwhelming achievements and absolute dominance.
Even at this point in time, Hector instinctively understood something deep within his bones.
He could not win against Knox Aznable.
Not now.
If the opponent had been Serene or Lorain instead, Hector might have still charged forward recklessly.
But he was not stupid enough to completely lose his sense of judgment.
And standing before Knox right now, Hector could only grit his teeth in frustration.
Eventually, Hector clicked his tongue irritably before turning around and walking away.
Watching his departing figure, Knox simply shook his head helplessly.
Then, he walked toward Lorain, Cindy, Claudia, Merida, and Camibarez, who had been quietly observing the entire situation from the side.
Meanwhile, not too far away—
Serene and Meilyn were still busy bickering with each other endlessly.
"By the way, what about Rick?"
"We're waiting for him too."
After Knox suddenly remembered and asked about Rick, Camibarez answered quietly from the side.
Simon looked slightly surprised.
"I honestly thought he would already be here before us."
At this point, only around ten minutes remained before the Survival Island evaluation ended.
The students who had been guarding the mansion outside also gradually began entering one after another.
Not long after that, Meilyn approached the group while completely ignoring Serene beside her.
Judging from her tired expression, she already looked mentally exhausted after arguing nonstop with Serene for so long.
Then Simon looked toward her and asked,
"Meilyn, have you seen Rick anywhere? Even just briefly?"
"…Ah, I don't know."
Meilyn answered curtly before turning her head away immediately.
She looked unusually irritated.
Soon, only around five minutes remained.
Students began rushing into the mansion frantically at the last second, while the students who had stayed outside guarding until the very end also started coming back inside one after another.
At this point, the atmosphere inside the mansion gradually became filled with excitement.
The countdown until the end of the Survival Island evaluation had finally begun. Soon, the students waiting near the entrance began counting down loudly together.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the mansion doors nervously.
"5!!"
"4!!"
"3!!"
"2!!"
And just as they were about to shout the final second—
Rick casually stepped into the mansion with a completely relaxed stride.
"Hahaha! Success!"
"Rick!!"
At the same moment—
Screeeeeeeek!
A loud announcement echoed throughout the entire island.
Survival Island evaluation has concluded. All students are requested to cease combat and remain in a safe area.
Students outside the mansion will be teleported sequentially by force. Please do not leave the designated safe zones once the teleportation magic circles are activated.
"Waaah!!"
"It's finally over!"
"I'm eating actual steak tonight instead of monster meat!"
"Anyone wants to go to Rochester later?!"
The students inside the mansion immediately burst into cheers while enjoying the victorious atmosphere.
Beside them, Simon grinned and gave Rick a high-five.
"So, what exactly were you doing to arrive that late?"
Rick giggled shamelessly.
"I simply waited nearby until it was absolutely safe."
Then he shrugged casually.
"Is there really any need to take unnecessary risks?"
"That's a relief, Rick!" Camibarez said with a relieved smile.
"What part of entering with literally one second left is supposed to be safe?! Ugh, you idiot." Meilyn complained while looking exhausted.
[Survival Island evaluation has concluded.]
[All students are requested to cease combat and remain in a safe area.]
And so, the 4-day, 3-night Survival Island performance evaluation finally came to an end.
***
After the Survival Island evaluation ended, all first-year students returned to Kizen.
At first, everyone thought the aftermath of the island would linger for quite a while.
Yet once classes properly resumed, daily life quickly returned to normal, to the point that the intense days spent on Kera Island gradually began to feel like a distant dream.
From Cyclops evaluations, duel assessments, and Survival Island examinations, Kizen's curriculum always shared one common trait.
It continuously stimulated the students' desire to grow stronger while forcing them to keep moving forward.
Through countless trials, the students experienced many different emotions.
Envy toward geniuses.
Jealousy toward talented individuals.
Pressure from classmates who suddenly began growing at terrifying speeds.
And tension toward underdogs who had once been ignored, yet were now rapidly catching up.
Because of that, after every major evaluation, the atmosphere within the academy always changed noticeably.
Time passed quickly.
And before anyone realized it, the next mission evaluation period had already begun approaching once more.