Chapter 7 – The Unexpected Reunion

The girl stepped forward and said,

"Hey, are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

Neyvar, whose anger had slightly settled, replied quietly,

"Y-Yeah… I'm fine. Thanks."

She looked around sharply and said,

"You sure? Be careful. Those guys—whenever they see someone weaker, they just can't resist picking on them. Damn bastards."

Neyvar thought to himself,

"Weak? Me?"

The girl continued with a firm and proud tone,

"Well, since you're fine now, I have to go. But if someone bothers you again, just come to me. I'd be happy to help someone like you."

Then she walked away, leaving Neyvar standing in silence. He sighed and was about to leave when suddenly a knight approached.

"Excuse me, sir. Someone has requested to see you."

Neyvar, curious, asked,

"Who wants to see me?"

The knight replied,

"You'll find out soon enough. Please, come with me."

Neyvar followed him and they arrived at a large room. The knight knocked gently.

"Permission to enter, sir? I've brought your guest."

Then he opened the door and turned to Neyvar.

"Please, go in. This is the headmaster of the academy."

As Neyvar stepped inside, his eyes widened. The face before him was all too familiar.

"You?! You're the headmaster?"

Zeltor smiled calmly.

"Yes, I am. Well then, kid, why don't you have a seat?"

Still stunned, Neyvar sat down. The two of them exchanged a deep conversation about the academy, Zeltor's role, and his intentions.

At the end, Zeltor said,

"Now that you're officially a student here, it's time you take the Spiritual Aptitude Test. It's the start of a new academic year, and students from all races are taking it—elves, dwarves, sorcerers… It's the first step in ranking everyone."

Neyvar asked,

"The spiritual test? What's that?"

Zeltor let out a breath and explained,

"It's a test that evaluates one's current power level and categorizes them accordingly. Future heroes, kings, and legends all take their first steps from this moment."

Neyvar leaned forward.

"And how exactly do you measure power?"

Zeltor answered,

"There are only a few individuals capable of sensing power. Like Logan—the knight who brought you here. He's at Layer 4 of the Commander Tier, and he has that rare ability. Even I, a National Tier Layer 5 warrior, can't do that."

Then he turned to Logan.

"Logan, take Neyvar. The test is about to begin."

Logan nodded.

"Understood, sir."

Neyvar stood up and was about to leave, when suddenly the door swung open.

A familiar girl rushed in with excitement and ran toward Zeltor.

"Grandpa! It's been so long… I missed you!"

Neyvar stood frozen, completely stunned.

It was her—the same girl.

—End of Chapter 7—