The Selection Begins

 A surge of magical energy suddenly swept through the air.

Pale golden particles gathered midair, forming a concentrated flow until the figure of a person gradually materialized before the crowd.

“My name is Anna—Branches.”

“I will be your chief examiner for this round of the selection.”

Golden, short hair shimmered in the breeze.

Her platinum eyes, even under the bright daylight, remained pure and radiant.

Sui Ming realized he couldn’t sense any magic from her.

Or rather…

He wasn’t qualified to.

“Oh?”

“Looks like Rhine Academy is taking things seriously this time.”

“They actually sent an [Immortal]—now this is getting interesting.”

“Wait—what did you just say?” Sui Ming was startled.

“If I remember correctly, didn’t you tell me that [Immortal] was the top rank?”

“You remembered right.”

“But for Rhine Academy—you know, the kind of behemoth where a single wiggle can make the entire Tanggrelia Continent quake a little—having a few [Immortals] isn’t that surprising, right?”

It was only now that Sui Ming finally grasped just how massive this academy truly was.

In the outside world, a [Mortal Dust] Soul Invoker could act with near-impunity.

Those at the [Gold Vein] level could roam the continent freely.

As for [True Manifestation] and [Immortal]…

They were pillars of major powers—far too valuable to be wandering around casually.

“I trust all of you already did some homework about Rhine Academy before coming here.”

“So I won’t waste time going over the basics.”

“This selection’s mechanism is as follows.”

Anna pulled out what looked like a plain, ordinary mirror from her storage.

[Illusory Domain—Reversed Reality]

“The entire city of Mingxi will be your battlefield.”

“Each of you should have received a small card before arriving, yes?”

“That’s your point card.”

“Gray is the lowest tier—worth one point.”

“Green is second-lowest—five points.”

“Gold ranks just below the top—twenty points.”

“And cerulean blue is the highest—worth fifty points.”

Sui Ming looked down at his card.

“Thank the heavens—it’s not cerulean… but gold!? Are you kidding me!”

“I just want to be a salted fish and coast through life. Is that so hard!?”

He could already sense the hostility radiating from those around him.

If not for the rules holding them back, he wasn’t sure how many people would’ve already rushed him.

“Uncle Heikale! You’ve screwed me over!”

“Point cards can be earned by defeating others and taking theirs.”

“In addition, there are loot chests within the mirrored realm you can also claim.”

“Wow… a live-action battle royale?”

Sui Ming wasn’t fazed.

In fact, he was in his element.

Whoever came up with the idea of putting a 21st-century top-tier assassin into a real-world ‘battle royale’… was either a genius or suicidal.

Infiltration, assassination, intelligence gathering…

That was his bread and butter.

“Of course… considering the match duration would be too long otherwise, you’ll be competing in teams of two.”

“Now then, please find your partner.”

“I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m so doomed…”

“If this unfolds like those cliché scenes in web novels, then that woman is absolutely going to approach me.”

“And next thing you know, it’ll be some classic betrayal drama where she stabs me in the back.”

“She might even shout something dramatic like, ‘Give me back my Yang Gu!’”

Already envisioning his gruesome, dismembered fate, Sui Ming quickly scanned the surroundings for a partner.

In a quiet, slightly secluded corner, he spotted a target.

A timid-looking boy wearing glasses was anxiously glancing around, clearly also in search of a teammate.

Suddenly, a mysterious hand clapped down on the boy’s shoulder, causing him to yelp and jump back in fright.

He turned around.

“Hey, bro—wanna team up?”

“Uhh… uh… o-okay!”

For some reason, Ral felt a foreboding aura swirling around him.

But then he looked up at the silver-haired youth’s sunny, beaming smile…

And that suspicion vanished.

How could someone this radiant possibly be one of those shady types?

No way.

Right?

“What’s your name, bro?”

“I… I’m Ral—Heracle. I’m… I’m an alchemist…”

“Heracle? If I remember right, isn’t that the marquis house known for worshipping brute strength?”

During their earlier carriage ride, Crow had briefed Sui Ming on the key players in Mingxi City, just so he wouldn’t be caught totally clueless.

The Heracle family was one of those powers—more like a gang of brawlers than a noble household.

It was essentially a clan of street fighters.

“I-I’m not really good at that stuff… so…”

“Alright, alright—don’t worry.”

“I’ll protect you.”

“You’re safe with me.”

“O-okay… th-thank you…”

And just like that, thanks to his mysteriously compelling charisma, Sui Ming successfully recruited a wild teammate.

Not far away, however, some commotion stirred.

“Your Highness, your gaze shines like the moon hanging high in the heavens.”

“May this humble soul be allowed to join your team?”

A blond-haired boy knelt on one knee.

With a white-gloved hand, he reached out reverently toward the blue-haired girl.

Lect—Fenrir.

The legitimate heir of the Fenrir Ducal House.

He also bore the Soul Invocation power inherited from the legendary beast Fenrir.

His destiny? To slay the gods.

The special nature of his Soul Invocation status made the Fenrir family one of the most respected in all of Mingxi City.

Even the current acting queen—Bai Yunqing—had to tread carefully in dealings with the Fenrir Duke.

The current head of the family was none other than one of Tanggrelia’s top [Immortal] powerhouses: Filu—Fenrir.

“Wait… are they actually planning to slay the gods?”

Sui Ming asked the raven perched on his shoulder.

“Pfft—what a joke.”

“With that kind of invocation level, he wants to challenge the gods?”

“To be honest, he wouldn’t even be enough to get stuck between a divine tooth.”

“And he dares speak of slaying them? Laughable.”

“If it were me, I’d slap him across the face—twice.”

“Even if the real Fenrir stood before me, he’d be nothing more than a puppy.”

“Alright, alright, you’re the best. Undefeated across the land. Yes, yes—whatever you say.”

Sui Ming was long used to the raven’s blustering nonsense.

Instead, he casually pulled a bag of popcorn out of his ring and got ready to enjoy the show.

Faced with the blond youth’s fiery gaze, a flicker of disgust passed through the blue-haired girl’s eyes.

She’d always despised these bootlicking types.

But when she considered the duke behind the boy…

Bai Luoxia sighed and replied,

“Sorry, but I don’t intend to form a team.”

“Oh? If that’s the case, I won’t insist.”

To Sui Ming’s surprise, the boy didn’t erupt into angry theatrics or spiral into some villainous outburst.

No ‘conspiring with foreign invaders’ plot twists.

He simply left.

Crunch—

The sound of popcorn being chewed filled the air.