Boredom... that word circled endlessly in Teshia’s mind as he sat waiting to receive his prize. Originally, he was supposed to face Kyre in the final round, but due to the severe injuries the brave warrior sustained in the earlier bouts, which left him unconscious for a full day, Kyre was disqualified from continuing, and thus, took second place.

    Teshia won the first prize without even having to fight in the final round, but all the while, Kyre still wouldn’t reveal what the exciting prize was.

    The young man with blue hair looked around listlessly, his warrior companion beside him bubbling with excitement. Even though he knew what the prize was, his excitement was because he was eager to see his new friend's reaction upon receiving it.

    “Try to show some excitement like everyone else,” Kyre said, sighing at the traveler’s indifferent demeanor. Couldn’t he at least pretend to share in his excitement?

    The beautiful blue eyes glanced at the person sitting next to him and then looked away with the same boredom. He had patience for waiting but having to wait because the organizers wanted to build suspense to make everyone excited wore down his limits.

    “No,” came his flat, emotionless response, which left Kyre feeling utterly defeated. Having a friend like this, could he himself turn into stone?

    “It's time for the awards announcement,” said the organizer's voice, drawing the attention of both the first and second-place winners with their blue and green eyes.—one sighed in boredom, the other barely able to sit still.

    “The first prize for the champion…” Teshia remained impassive; it was Kyre who was excited on his behalf, curious to see his reaction to the prize.

    “Is a scholarship to attend Seteria School with all expenses paid and a cash prize,” the host announced, pausing for a moment, “and the second prize offers immediate enrollment at Seteria School without the need for entrance exams.”

    The announcement of the following prizes didn’t register with Teshia because he was frozen in shock upon hearing what he had won. His mind was full of curses directed at his friend beside him.

    Damn it... His life was getting too complicated. He was here temporarily, not permanently, and now what? To shove him into a school unawares?

    He wasn’t supposed to be here... Not at all. Because a devil can never live with humans. Moreover, he was nothing but trash... a disposable excess between humans and devils.

    The blood of both races that flowed in his veins was equally abhorrent. Yes... it was blood that could never blend unless the two species reconciled at last.

    "Hey!! Are you so happy that you're in shock, buddy?" Kyre asked cheerfully, seeing his friend next to him go quiet.

    Crazy warrior. This is happy? The icy blue eyes, now frostier, turned to look, and it seemed they grew colder by the moment, causing Kyre to swallow nervously. Why is it so terrifying?

    "Hey… cheer up a bit. You got into the top school in Vaden," Kyre tried to lighten the mood, teasing the icy-serious Teshia.

    In fact, he had a secret that he couldn't possibly reveal to Teshia. It was prearranged that the prize for the tournament included entry to the Seteria School. Even before the tournament began, when he was registering, Kyre had written down for both himself and Teshia that the prize they wanted was admission to the Seteria School. He'd take that secret to his grave.

    "Great... just great," Teshia sarcastically forced out, internally counting to a hundred trying to restrain himself from drawing his sword and slicing Kyre right there and then.

    "Right…? Everyone wants to study at Seteria," the clueless warrior continued.

    "What's the next step?" Teshia asked in a flat voice after a moment of internal deliberation and deciding not to return home, planning to inform his mother through a letter.

    "Just take the application form, submit it, and then go through the testing process. That's it," Kyre explained, wondering if his companion really was a traveler as he seemed unaware of even the basic process of applying to Seteria School, the number one school.

    The prize might say that they could continue their studies at Seteria School, but it only meant they were exempt from the written exam. In reality, they still had to undergo other tests.

    The blue-haired young man sighed deeply, his azure eyes looking distantly thoughtful, something that wasn't usual for him. In truth, he had decided to enroll in the school because there was something there that interested him.

    Seteria was not only the top School in Vaden… but a breeding ground for dragon warriors. What intrigued him most was the dragon riding training—something absent in the demon lands and something he had been studying on his own. Perhaps, attending the school might bring him several benefits after all.

    Screech!!

    The sound from Fok, the little dragon perched on Teshia's shoulder, snapped him out of his reverie. He glanced at the small creature and then looked away.

    That's right, no matter where I am, I still have this little one, Fok...

    The school of dragon warriors… the school that trains dragon warriors… the school everyone vies to get into… the number one school in Vaden, that’s Seteria School.

    The young traveler's eyes scanned the lush, lively campus, dragons by the hundreds were everywhere—some with owners, others not, some flying, some walking. Obviously, those with owners were never far from their dragons.

    The fiery eyes of the Twilight Knight roamed excitedly around, a stark contrast to its subdued master. For Fok, it was a rare treat to see so many dragons in one place, as in the demon lands, only its master raised a dragon. While there were a few wild dragons, they weren't as spectacular or as numerous as what it saw here.

    The young man walked slowly, accompanied by none other than Kyre, who had Fera perched on his shoulder. Fera, too, was excited to see its dragon friends.

    The two young men approached to submit their applications they had received from the competition. Shortly after, the lady accepting the applications directed them to gather in the forest behind the school for a dormitory assignment test. Teshia looked at Kyre, surprised there was another test, but without a word, he followed the direction the lady had given.

    The sweet-faced young man scanned the surroundings as they walked, his habitual wariness taking in the dense, sprawling forest filled with trees, and the sounds of dragons and other creatures echoing around them. Teshia tilted his head, listening and extending his senses, and discovered the presence of dragons, magical creatures, and beasts conjured by magic.

    The forest behind the school held more students than Teshia had anticipated, all gathered for the dormitory assignment test. These students must have passed the written exam, but not everyone who passed would necessarily be admitted to the school. If they failed to qualify for any of the dormitories during this test, they wouldn't become students at Seteria School.

    "Hello everyone," a young teacher's voice rang out, and his figure, alongside his bonded dragon, appeared in the air for all to see clearly.

    "The rules are simple," the young teacher said casually, clearly because he was not the one taking the test.

    "Simply draw lots to see who gets which number. Then we'll call each person one by one to choose a cave and walk into it," the teacher explained, pointing to a series of caves. Teshia raised his eyebrows slightly because he hadn't seen the caves initially, obscured as they were by a crowd of students.

    "All you have to do is find a dome. There are only five domes in the forest, and inside each, senior students will be waiting. If you don't find a dome, you can simply go home. Good luck to all of you," the teacher announced as if it was an easy task, though the reality was that the vast forest and the scarce domes would only appear to those truly worthy of studying here.

    The lottery began soon after, adding to the chaos of the scene. When Teshia finally drew his lot, he slowly turned over his ticket to see the number... twelve.

    With an icy gaze, Teshia observed each young man and woman as they were called by name and confidently chose their caves, indicating they were quite skilled to have reached this point.

    "Teshia," when the young man’s name was called, he moved forward, looking indifferently at the four caves. Fok glanced at its master briefly before fluttering its wings and darting into the second cave from the left. The young man with blue hair sighed and followed closely behind.

    "Do you like this cave, Fok?" Teshia asked his companion, whose fiery eyes were cautiously scanning the surroundings. The school really had a unique way of conducting exams.

    His blue eyes remained impassive, though a thought occurred to him that this place might be filled with creatures ready to pounce on their prey.

    But soon, Teshia was met with a surprise. As he emerged from the cave, he found himself in a vast forest. It seemed all the caves were interconnected with this forest. Then why bother choosing a cave... He soon understood when he sensed the magical power from the cave he had entered—it was a dimensional tunnel spell.

    A dimensional tunnel spell enables one to travel from one place to another by shortening the distance, but even if it shortens distances, if the destination is very far, travel time is still required.

    This differs from a teleportation spell, which can instantly transport us to a desired location no matter the distance. Unfortunately, teleportation isn't something just anyone can use; it requires someone with immense magical power, and very few possess such capability. Even a highly skilled wizard using teleportation with just two people would need several days to recover.

    Teshia looked around once more before releasing his senses. Finding no traps or dangerous creatures nearby, he turned back to his dragon.

    "Walking might take too long," he remarked coolly, noting that walking could also expose them to ground-level traps and predators.

    "Riding you would be faster," as it was his master’s request, Fok, who was perched on his shoulder, immediately screeched in agreement and flew down in front of him. It wasn't long before the small form of the Twilight Knight began to grow, returning to its large, true dragon form.

    Screech...!!

    Fok’s loud cry echoed through the forest as if making everything aware of its arrival, intimidating both dragons and lesser creatures to clear the path.

    "Let's go find the dome," the master said, then swiftly mounted Fok's back. Without wasting time, the Twilight Knight spread its wings and soared from the ground swiftly.

    The fiery red eyes, set against its black scales, looked fearsome as they scanned everything they passed. The giant black wings moved up and down, propelling the massive body forward rapidly.

    Yet, despite the speed, the young man on its back was stable and in perfect control of his own dragon, steering it in the direction he wanted, showcasing his excellent training.