After finishing his examination, Klein walked out of the arena.

The moment he stepped past the mana barrier, the roar of the crowd hit him.

Applause, cheers, and excited chatter filled the air as hundreds of eyes turned toward him.

He took a slow breath, feeling the lingering adrenaline and the faint exhaustion in his muscles.

The fight against the final wave had pushed him a little, but it also felt... good.

As he made his way toward the waiting area, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a new message.

Julia: Please wait for me in the waiting hall. I will finish my evaluations and come meet you.

Klein typed a quick reply.

Klein: Okay.

He slipped the phone back into his pocket and glanced around.

The Central Evaluation Plaza was still bustling with applicants moving between different stations.

’Let me get some coffee,’ he thought. His throat felt dry after the intense fights, and a bit of caffeine might help clear his head before the next part of the process.

He walked around for a while, following the signs until he found one of the academy’s cafeterias.

Students wearing the academy’s official uniforms were scattered throughout the cafeteria.

The moment Klein stepped inside, several heads turned in his direction.

"Wait, isn’t he the one from the live feed just now?" one student whispered loudly to his friends.

"Yeah. He finished all five waves in the practical evaluation."

"No way... that was him?"

Klein walked up to the counter, wondering if they would even serve someone who wasn’t officially a student yet.

The barista, a young woman in a neat uniform, looked up at him and blinked in surprise.

"Uh... welcome."

Klein gave her a small, polite smile "Just a black coffee, please."

The barista hesitated, and her smile turned slightly awkward.

She glanced at him again, then spoke in a gentle tone "Sorry... you’re at the wrong place. This cafeteria is exclusively for enrolled students of Grayhaven Academy."

She gestured politely toward the entrance.

"I think you’re an applicant, right? There’s a temporary cafeteria set up right outside the waiting area for people taking the entrance examination today. It’s much closer."

She bowed her head slightly, looking genuinely apologetic.

"Also, we don’t accept normal money here. You need Grayhaven Credits to purchase anything on campus. I’m really sorry for the inconvenience."

Klein shook his head with a reassuring smile "No, it’s okay. It’s my fault for not recognizing the cafeteria outside the waiting room. Thank you for letting me know."

The barista looked relieved that he wasn’t upset "Good luck with your examination. I hope you get accepted and I get to serve you coffee here."

As he turned to leave, a woman stepped forward "Let me pay for him. Give him a coffee."

Hm?

Klein turned his head and saw a girl stepping forward from a nearby table.

She had short, neatly cut black hair that framed her face just above her shoulders and sharp yellow eyes.

A big smile lit up her expression as she approached the counter.

She placed her student ID card on the desk without hesitation. The barista glanced at Klein for confirmation.

Klein nodded his head and turned to the girl with a faint smile "Thank you."

The girl grinned wider, "Don’t mind it. As fellow spear users, this much is nothing."

She then turned back to the barista with a casual wave of her hand.

"Give both of us a coffee."

The barista nodded quickly, taking the student ID card and processing the payment for two coffees.

"Please wait at your table. It will be brought to you shortly," she said politely, glancing once more at Klein with visible curiosity.

The girl took her card back and gestured for Klein to follow her.

They moved away from the counter and found a relatively quiet corner table near one of the large windows overlooking the training fields.

"Thanks again," he said.

The girl waved her hand dismissively, sitting down across from him.

"It’s nothing. I saw your performance in the practical evaluation earlier. That spear work was impressive."

"I figured the least I could do was buy you a coffee."

She extended her hand across the table with a grin.

"By the way, I’m Liora Blythe. First-year student here at Grayhaven. Spear specialization."

Klein shook her hand firmly "Klein Faress. Nice to meet you, Liora."

A short while later, the barista personally brought over two steaming cups of black coffee, placing them on the table with a respectful nod toward both of them.

Liora thanked her casually before taking a sip from her cup.

"Did you take prior training before this?"

Klein took a slow sip of his coffee and replied vaguely "i did some military training in the past."

Liora tilted her head slightly "Wow. You must have some crazy talent in using spears if you can do all of that with just some military training."

"If you get accepted... well, after that performance, you definitely will. If you join the combat division and get trained under spear specialists here, you can get even stronger in spear."

"The academy has some of the best instructors in the region for weapon mastery."

A faint, wry smile touched Klein’s lips as he listened ’Spear specialist... I doubt there is any better spearman than me in this world.’

Still, he kept his expression neutral and asked curiously, "Spear specialists... are they really that good with spears?"

Liora nodded enthusiastically and leaned forward, clearly passionate about the topic.

"Yes. Some of the trainers here have already unlocked [Spear Intent]. And I heard the top trainer already achieved [Spear Body Unity]. Isn’t that crazy?"

She shook her head in awe, "It’s rare to see people use spears these days. Most people choose swords when they get a warrior class."

"Swords are more versatile, easier to learn, and have way more techniques available."

"Spears are considered old-fashioned by a lot of people. But the ones who master it... they become monsters on the battlefield."

Klein listened attentively, nodding along. He found her enthusiasm refreshing. It reminded him of how passionate some warriors had been in his past life.

"Spear Intent and Spear Body Unity..." he murmured. "I’ve heard of similar concepts before. They sound powerful."

She grinned at him "You should definitely consider the Combat Division if you get in. With your talent and that level of skill already, you could become one of the best in no time. I’d love to spar with you sometime."

Klein gave her a small, genuine smile "I’ll think about it."

They continued chatting for a while longer.

Liora shared more about life at Grayhaven, the rivalries between divisions, the intense training schedule, and the occasional political games between noble students.

Klein listened carefully, absorbing every piece of information.

Eventually, Liora finished her coffee and stood up, stretching her arms.

"Well, I should get back to my own training. It was nice meeting you, Klein. Good luck. I am sure we will meet again."

She gave him a final smile as she left the cafeteria.

Klein remained seated for a few moments longer, staring at his half-empty cup.

A thoughtful smile appeared on his lips ’At least there are some decent people here,’

As he was about to take another sip of his coffee, the world around him suddenly froze.

The time flow stopped.

A soft breath escaped Klein’s lips as he slowly lowered the cup.

In front of his chair, a beautiful yet terrifying woman materialized out of thin air.

"...Azara."