EndGame: The Successor's Legacy-Chapter 43: Surprise meeting.

She studied him properly now.

Despite everything, he looked... fine. Too fine, almost. His clothes were barely damaged, no deep cuts, no heavy breathing.

His posture was relaxed, shoulders loose, and his breathing steady, as if he hadn’t just fought dozens of battles in a brutal survival exam.

It astonished her a little.

"...Don’t tell me," she said slowly, narrowing her eyes. "You’ve been watching."

"Only the end," Calix replied calmly. "You did well."

Anaerah’s shoulders slumped as she let out a heavy breath. Somehow, that simple praise hit harder than she expected. She hadn’t even realized how much she needed to hear it.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

After a brief pause, her gaze drifted down to his chest, on his badge as it blinked softly with a small glow.

She saw the three digits, as her eyes widened.

"H-holy—what?" she blurted out. "Y-you crossed three digits?".

"Hm?" Calix glanced down at it, then shrugged.

"Oh, yeah. I found them coming after me in groups. It was a bit hard, but... you know. Not that much."

There was a faint edge of arrogance in his voice earned, confident, the kind that came from real victories rather than empty pride.

Anaerah stared at him for a second longer, then shook her head with a small scoff.

"How very boastful," she said.

Calix chuckled lightly.

But even as she said it, Anaerah couldn’t stop the strange warmth in her chest. Three digits...that wasn’t just impressive, no defeating more than a hundred students in a two hour was crazy work.

For a moment, the forest was calm.

There were no spells, no clashes, only silence as just the soft rustle of leaves and the distant hum of mana lingered in the air.

Neither of them spoke.

Then...

Crunch

A sound came from their side. Both of them turned their heads at the same time, eyes narrowing as their attention snapped toward the source.

Branches shifted slightly, leaves trembling as someone moved through the undergrowth.

Anaerah’s hand instinctively lifted, though only weak embers flickered around her fingers. Calix stepped forward half a pace, placing himself subtly between her and the sound.

The forest seemed to hold its breath.

Another step...closer this time.

And from between the trees...

A figure began to emerge.

Calix’s eyes widened, and beneath the shade of his hood, a slightly stunned grin tore across his face.

’Well, I’ll be damned...’ He thought.

It wasn’t just one person. The protagonist himself stepped out of the woods.

Vian walked forward calmly, his golden hair catching the scattered light as if it were molten sunlight given form.

Each strand seemed to glow faintly, not with magic, but with an innate brilliance. His eyes an arresting mix of red and gold burned quietly, sharp and confident, like twin embers that had never once known doubt.

He looked impeccable, no torn clothes...no bruises, neither any signs of exhaustion. As if all the chaos of the exam had simply... avoided him.

But he wasn’t alone this time.

To his side came a boy with brown hair that fluttered lightly in the breeze, messy yet somehow intentional.

His topaz-colored eyes gleamed with mischief and curiosity, constantly moving, always observing. There was a sharp intelligence behind that playful look...one that suggested he noticed far more than he let on.

Theon Ironcrest.

Son of the royal minister.

Unlike Vian’s overwhelming presence.

Theon felt like a dagger hidden in the back, quiet unassuming at first glance, but dangerous in the right moment.

On Vian’s other side stepped a young woman. Her long amber-colored hair flowed down her back, the ends streaked with soft white strips like frost-kissed flames.

Her eyes matched the warm amber of her hair, yet carried a composed, noble sharpness within them. She stood straight, elegant, her mana quiet but dense controlled to perfection.

Lunive Hailshade.

Daughter of the fourth and last Ducal Household.

Her gaze lingered on Anaerah for a brief moment, surprise flickering across her face before being a slight smile came up in her face.

No one spoke.

Then...another sound came.

From the opposite side. Calix’s grin slowly faded turning into surprise.

Adrian stepped out of the shadows.

His black hair absorbed the light around him, falling loosely and framing his sharp, calm features. His eyes deep black with faint traces of silver were cold, steady, and utterly unreadable.

There was no arrogance in his posture, no tension either. Only focus and slight restraint. Apparently, he also wasn’t alone.

From the shadows beside him emerged a figure so striking that the forest itself seemed to pause. Her hair was white pure and flawless, flowing down her back like freshly fallen snow.

Long, elegant ears peeked through her hair, twitching slightly as she took in the scene. Her skin was pale, almost luminous, and her crimson eyes were deep and vivid, like pools of blood beneath moonlight.

Ancient.

Regal.

She tilted her head slightly, studying everyone with quiet curiosity.

Elowen SilverWillow.

The royal princess of the Elves.

Silence swallowed the clearing.

Main cast members stood facing one another heroes, rivals, nobles, royalty gathered in one place far earlier than fate had intended.

And the same thought echoed unspoken in every mind.

What the actual fuck...?

"...Ah, hello?"

Vian’s voice finally cut through the heavy silence as he lifted one hand and gave an easy, almost casual wave.

His smile was bright, relaxed so normal that it felt out of place in a clearing filled with so much tension.

For a moment, no one answered.

Anaerah blinked once, then twice, clearly still processing the absurd gathering of people in front of her.

"...Why are all of you here?" she asked, her tone flat.

Theon let out a short laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey, don’t look at us like that. We just followed the noise. Didn’t expect a reunion, this early though."

Lunive’s amber eyes shifted between Anaerah and Calix, lingering briefly on the three-digit badge before she spoke. "Interesting," she said calmly.

Adrian remained silent, his gaze fixed on Vian. There was no hostility in his eyes—just a quiet, simmering awareness, like two blades recognizing each other across a battlefield.

Elowen tilted her head slightly, crimson eyes gleaming with interest. "How curious," she murmured, her voice soft yet carrying an unnatural weight. "So many powerful presence in one place."

Then, Vian also noticed it then. Even though, they all tried to but everyone was curious about the stranger standing in front of Elizabeth.

"...Uh," Vian said slowly, looking between them. "Are we all thinking the same thing?"

Calix remained quiet. His hands now in his pockets, his hood low. As if none of this concerned him.

If only they knew how fast his mind was working...

Anaerah glanced at him sideways. "...You’re not even going to say anything?"

Calix shrugged lightly. "No reason to."

That only made the curiosity worse.

Theon grinned. "Oh, dude you look pretty calm for someone standing in front of royalty, nobles, and these two walking disasters."

"I have seen worse." Calix replied simply prompting a laugh from Theon.

Vian also laughed softly, but his eyes were sharp now. "You’re not from any of our circles," he said. "Yet you’re here. And you crossed three digits."

"Oh, just lucky." Calix replied.

Just then, all of their badges blinked brightly. For an instant, the glow vanished completely, leaving the clearing dim and colorless like the time itself had paused.

Then a voice rang out across the forest.

[The First Phase of the Entrance Exam is completed.]

The air seemed to tighten.

[Students whose badges glow in gold have passed the first phase and will proceed to the ranking battle.]

A brief pause followed.

[Reach the pillar of light at the center of the forest, for it to start.]

[The first ten students to arrive will receive extra credits.]

[Good luck.]

The moment the announcement ended, the atmosphere changed.

Mana stirred violently across the forest. The calm shattered, replaced by raw intent, urgency, and hunger.

Theon let out a low whistle. "Well... that escalated quickly."

One by one, their badges flared with bright gold.

Anaerah’s badge glowed.

Theon’s glowed.

Lunive’s glowed.

Everyone’s glowed.

Calix’s quietly, steadily glowed gold as well.

Yet three of them weren’t looking at their badges.

They were looking at each other.

Similar recognises Similar.

Vian’s red-gold eyes sharpened, his easy smile charged with focus. Adrian’s black colored gaze remained cold and steady, unreadable.

Calix stood between them, hood shadowing his face, posture loose but his presence was unmistakable.

No words were exchanged. None were needed.

"Oh, the tension," Lunive remarked lightly, though her eyes flicked between the three with clear interest.

Then...

The ground trembled.

From deep within the forest, a pillar of blinding light erupted skyward, piercing through the canopy like a spear aimed at the heavens.

The signal.

In the very next moment, chaos unfolded.

Candidates across the forest exploded into motion. Spells ignited. Blades flashed. The quiet woodland turned into a battlefield once more as everyone rushed toward the same destination.

Vian stepped forward, flames flickering faintly at his feet.

Adrian turned silently, shadows gathering around him.

Calix exhaled slowly.

"...Guess break time’s over."