"You're going to fight him again after battling a dragon?"

"Then we'll stay here too."

"Rudy! What kind of trouble are you getting into now!"

Everyone chided me in their own way.

I sent them all away.

Fighting alongside them would be helpful, but it was meaningless.

The reason I wanted to fight Evan was not to steal his points.

I looked at Priscilla, who was sitting beside me.

"Priscilla, can you do it?"

"As long as that elephant fights properly."

Priscilla pointed to Behemoth, who was rolling around in the distance.

"Pwoooh."

Behemoth seemed pleased with the mud he had created, rolling around in it.

"Priscilla, go play for a bit. You like walks."

"Is that okay?"

"Why not, Evan won't be coming now."

Even if he did, Priscilla could quickly return, so it wasn't a big issue.

"Just don't use your powers too much. I'm tired too."

"Got it. I'll just walk around nearby."

Priscilla walked away with a pleasant smile.

I looked up at the sky.

The sunset was slowly setting.

With all the trees gone, the red sunset was clearly visible.

I was mentally exhausted from using Priscilla's abilities to fight the dragon.

Freezing the dragon's entire body, it seemed Priscilla also used her abilities significantly for the first time in a while.

I try not to use Priscilla's abilities when I fight.

I knew all too well the fate of those who had used Priscilla before.

It was well documented in books, and Cromwell had warned me several times.

But Priscilla wasn't a bad entity.

She was just like a dog... no, more like a puppy.

She liked walks and readily helped with anything I asked.

The previous contractors simply didn't use Priscilla properly.

If asked whether I know how to use Priscilla well, I would shake my head.

I wasn't sure to what extent I could use Priscilla, and it was difficult to gauge her limits.

Mental exhaustion wasn't something you could calculate numerically.

It had to be sensed intuitively.

Priscilla seemed unaware of these limits as well.

"To use Priscilla better... I need to understand this too."

She was so obedient and her abilities so useful that I called upon her in almost every fight.

Priscilla had now become a significant part of my strength.

I needed to learn how to use not just my abilities but all of Priscilla's as well.

I should learn about spirits, but the only person around me who handled spirits was Rie.

The problem was that I couldn't learn from Rie.

Priscilla and ordinary spirits were practically different entities.

I pondered deeply and then remembered someone.

Serina.

Didn't Rie say she received teachings from Serina not long ago?

I heard she was staying near the academy.

Serina's mother was definitely a former contractor of Priscilla.

Then, could Serina know something about Priscilla?

But...

Serina wasn't the one who contracted, it was her mother, so I wondered how much help she would be.

Still, once this assessment is over, I should ask her.

There's no one else to ask about Priscilla but Serina...

Though I was making various plans on my own, there was something else I needed to do first.

Dealing with Evan.

It wasn't something I needed to do right away.

I was just resting and waiting for Evan.

Evan was sitting in one spot, meditating.

He was healing his body by absorbing energy from the surrounding trees through nature magic.

Then, a loud explosion was heard from the top of the mountain.

The sound was followed by half of the mountain burning.

Fortunately, the opposite side of the mountain burned, so Evan was not greatly affected.

However, it was highly irritating.

Such a commotion at the mountain's summit meant someone fought a dragon.

Only one person could fight that.

'Rudy Astria.'

Always someone who takes actions that astonish everyone.

Among the students, he was likely the only one who would think to catch a dragon.

His abilities, too, were capable, and he was the only person bold enough to make such a choice.

Did Rudy Astria catch the dragon?

He didn't know.

He had to see it with his own eyes.

As these thoughts filled his mind, something boiled inside Evan.

Some might call it jealousy, others inferiority complex.

Regardless, the result was the same.

Evan picked up his sword.

'Tomorrow, I go to the top of the mountain.'

If Rudy Astria was defeated by the dragon, he would catch it.

If victorious, he would find and overcome Rudy Astria.

He wasn't sure what it meant, but he had to do it.

He wanted to be the top student.

Yeniel told him to wield the sword with conviction, but changing his mind suddenly was impossible.

To stand above Rudy Astria.

That was Evan's goal, his ideology, the only purpose in his life.

Rudy had done nothing wrong.

He wasn't a bad person.

Evan knew this.

He even knew that he was the strange one.

Yet, Evan took up the sword.

He had no choice but to direct it at Rudy Astria.

As Yeniel said, Evan's sword has no meaning if it's not aimed at Rudy Astria.

Without aiming for the top, he would lose his way.

He wasn't driven by a greater cause or conviction.

Even if it was disgraceful, even if he was pointed at, there was only one thing to do.

He could only hope.

If he became the top student and defeated Rudy Astria, then he might find another goal.

See the next place.

And become an ideal person like Rudy Astria.

Evan's goal was Rudy Astria.

Both as a target to be surpassed and as an ideal to aspire to.

Rudy Astria was enviable.

A person respected by everyone around him.

Someone with the courage to risk danger for others.

A person with such skills and character.

That's why.

"I will surpass Rudy Astria."

It was all about striving to exceed Rudy Astria.

If he could surpass him, a different perspective might be revealed.

But, if even after defeating Rudy Astria, or if he fails and still can't find his path,

Then there would be no reason to stay at the academy anymore.

He would have to leave and find a new goal.

As Yeniel said, a lost sword only cuts down the innocent.

The next day, Evan headed to the mountain's summit.

The trees along the path to the summit were all burned down, and the ground was charred black.

There were also signs of intense fighting, with the ground deeply gouged in places.

'What happened to the dragon?'

Evan looked towards the summit.

With all the trees burned down along the path, the view was clear.

However, there was no sign of the dragon.

If yesterday's fight resulted in a victory over the dragon, its corpse should have been visible.

'Did they lose?'

The thought didn't last long.

In the distance, he saw a person sitting on a small rock, accompanied by a small elephant and a silver-furred wolf.

"It's been a while since we've faced each other like this, Evan,"

said the blond man, smiling in greeting.

"It's our first time having a conversation like this. Rudy Astria,"

Evan said to Rudy.

The two had never talked before.

The only interaction they had was during the last joint assessment when they collided.

"Did you earn many points?"

"Not as much as you, who caught a dragon, but I earned enough."

Seeing Rudy sitting there unharmed amidst the destruction, it was clear he had caught the dragon.

Rudy's expression changed from a smile.

"You didn't just bully kids and steal their easy points, did you?"

"What concern is that of yours?"

"Why harass other students with your abilities? You could have caught an enormous number of magical beasts."

"I dealt with whoever was in front of me."

Their conversation wasn't awkward, though they had never spoken before.

It felt like talking to a long-time friend.

Rudy stood up.

"I respect you, Evan, and think there are things to learn from you."

He knew the extent of Evan's efforts to become stronger and claim the top position.

Rudy himself had reduced his sleep and exerted bone-grinding, blood-spilling effort for good grades.

Evan was no different.

Evan's abilities were unique, but not a talent.

Uniqueness doesn't mean talent.

It was more of a curse.

Instead of following a path laid by others, he had to forge his own.

While carving his own path, Evan also balanced regular studies.

This wasn't a matter of talent.

It meant investing his time, foregoing rest and comfort, and enduring.

"But now, I think you're straying a bit off course."

Evan said nothing in response.

Rudy clenched his fist, channeling mana.

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