She looks like a goddess straight from heaven, Austin thought, unable to stop himself from taking her in.

  Her posture was graceful. Her expression was gentle. Even her small smile seemed to brighten the space around her.

  And yes—she definitely still had curves. The academy dress hugged her figure in a way that was tasteful, elegant, and somehow even more alluring because it wasn't trying too hard. It suggested rather than showed.

  Austin swallowed once, forcing his eyes back to her face.

  This was unexpected.

  And it was probably about to get interesting.

  "What have you been up to since the last time we saw each other?" Lira asked, her polite smile returning.

  Austin let out a breathy laugh, unable to resist. "The last time being me punching your teammate into a concussion?" he joked. "How's that big guy doing, by the way?"

  Lira's lips parted in a soft laugh—quiet, controlled, but real. "Logan has made a full recovery since our last encounter. Aside from his pride, which was something Selvara could gladly do nothing about."

  "Good to know," Austin said, laughing along with her. "As for me… yeah, I've just been diving into the dungeon, like you'd expect." He shrugged, trying to sound casual about it. "I cleared four floors. I'm heading into the fifth today."

  Lira stared at him for a second.

  Her eyes widened—genuinely, openly.

  "That is… that is amazing, Austin," she said, and the surprise in her voice didn't sound forced. It sounded like she was honestly impressed.

  For a brief moment, Austin basked in it. The praise felt good coming from her—someone who lived in this world, who understood what those floors meant.

  But almost as quickly, her expression dimmed. A faint frown tugged at her lips, subtle but undeniable.

  Austin tilted his head.

  Did I say something wrong?

  "What's got you down?" he asked gently.

  "Nothing serious," Lira assured him, but her voice softened with a hint of frustration she couldn't fully hide. "Only… the reminder of how our dungeon dives have not been as fruitful. Inadequate is what I would say."

  Austin blinked, caught off guard. Then a short laugh escaped him—not mocking, just surprised.

  "Inadequate? No way." He shook his head. "I'm pretty sure your team would be the last group anyone would call inadequate. At least from what I saw when we crossed paths. I can't imagine you guys not succeeding."

  "Well, it is true," Lira said, and this time her tone carried more steel—more tension beneath the politeness. "And I have been stressing myself trying to figure out what to do about it."

  Austin's amusement faded. His curiosity sharpened.

  "What exactly is your team struggling with?" he asked, leaning forward slightly. Part of him immediately started running through possibilities—spiders, wolves, hawks. Floor mechanics. Aggro ranges. If it was something he'd already fought, maybe he could help.

  Lira let out a quiet sigh and folded her hands neatly on the table, fingers interlacing as if she needed something steady to hold onto while she spoke.

  "I am not sure how much you know about the academy's nature," Lira began, her voice measured and polite, "and the high standard demanded of all students."

  Even in a bustling plaza, with voices and footsteps weaving around them, she spoke like she was standing in a quiet lecture hall—careful with her words, controlled with her tone. But Austin could see the tension behind it. The way her fingers pressed together on the table. The faint tightness at the corners of her mouth.

  "In order to uphold those standards," she continued, "the academy encourages a competitive structure. The nations are divided into their own teams. The nation with the most progress—both academically and in the dungeon—becomes the model that every other team is expected to match."

  Austin nodded slowly, the explanation sliding neatly into place with everything he'd already heard through Selene's late-night message rants. Elite school pressure mixed with national rivalry. A classroom turned into an arena. Growth measured like a scoreboard.

  The academy wasn't just training future leaders.

  It was ranking them.

  "Makes sense," Austin said aloud, though his tone carried a faint edge of disbelief. "Sounds like… the Olympics, but with homework and monsters."

  Lira's lips twitched in a small, humorless almost-smile, like she appreciated the comparison but didn't find it funny.

  "I, similar to how you view my team," she continued, "believed we would easily become that standard."

  Austin's eyebrows lifted slightly. He could hear the confidence she'd once had in that statement—the assumption that her nation's heirs, her party, her training, her name… would naturally put her at the top.

  Then her gaze dipped, and when she looked back up, the frustration was clearer.

  "But," Lira said, the word weighted like a stone, "there is another nation that has far surpassed us."

  "Far surpassed, huh," Austin murmured, leaning forward without meaning to. His mind immediately jumped to a certain group Selene had mentioned more than once—the one she talked about with the same tone people used for annoying, talented rivals.

  The purple-clad nation.

  If they were ahead of Lira's team, that made sense. Lira and Selene shared classes. They both saw who performed well. They both saw who the instructors praised.

  Austin squinted, searching his memory. Selene had ranted about so many names and factions—half of them sounding like fantasy book titles.

  "Are you talking about the…" he began, rubbing his forehead as if he could physically summon the name. "What was their name again…"

  Then it clicked.

  "The Galehorn Republic," he said, honestly proud he remembered. "Right?"

  Lira exhaled, and the sound was sharper than a sigh—more like she was pushing down annoyance before it could escape.

  "I wish it was," she said.

  Austin blinked.

  If it wasn't Galehorn, that only left—

  His eyes widened slightly.

  "No way," he whispered, half to himself.

  Lira's expression darkened, her polite mask slipping just enough to show what she really felt.

  "Yes," she said, voice dropping with irritation. "The Elandros Federation." Her eyes sharpened. "Led by the intolerable Selene Elandros."

  Austin nearly choked on his own breath.

  He coughed, covering his mouth with his fist, trying to look like he wasn't suddenly fighting for oxygen. In his head, Selene's smug grin practically flashed like a neon sign.

  Selene? Top of the academy?

  Lira continued before he could recover.

  "She has managed not only to surpass my nation," Lira said, "but the nations from previous years as well. And I can't figure out what we are doing wrong."

  She huffed and crossed her arms, the movement crisp and defensive—and yes, it also pushed up her chest in a way that Austin's eyes noticed for exactly one millisecond too long before he forcibly snapped his gaze back to her face.

  He cleared his throat like it would erase the crime.

  "Selene?" Austin repeated, still stunned. "Really?"

  "Yes, really," Lira replied, and now her frustration had teeth. "She has been impressing all the teachers and even the headmaster." Her lips pressed into a thin line. "And on top of that, she always finds time to smugly rub it in."

  Austin sat there, mind racing.

  He knew Selene was strong. She'd proven that in the dungeon a hundred times over. But surpassing every nation? Even the older years? While barely showing up to class half the time? And while skipping her team sessions to train with him?

  How is she pulling that off?

  "Just to be clear," Austin said slowly, as if he needed to confirm they were talking about the same person and not some secret twin, "you mean the blonde heir. Blue eyes. Total baddie who flirts like it's a competitive sport, like your girl Ariana. That Selene?"

  Lira let out a small laugh and rolled her eyes. "Yes, that Selene." Then, as if she couldn't help herself, she added, "Although Ariana is nowhere near that level of coquette when it comes to being bold."

  Austin made a mental note: Selene's flirting is officially its own category.

  Lira paused, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. The gesture looked casual, but Austin could tell it was how she kept herself composed when annoyed.

  "But I will say," Lira continued, eyes narrowing slightly as she thought back, "Selene has not been as much of a tease lately. Not like she was at the beginning." She clicked her tongue softly. "She still has not stopped being the most insensitive person I have ever had the displeasure of being around, though."

  Her nose crinkled in visible disgust.

  "Dang," Austin said, half-amused, half-concerned. "So what exactly has Selene and her team been doing to surpass you?"

  Lira's posture stiffened again. The frustration returned full force, like the topic itself fueled it.

  "The past few days have been physical tests," she explained, "to demonstrate our growth in the dungeon as well as our cohesiveness as a team." She took a breath and held it for a moment, like she was trying not to sound bitter. "My party cleared the third floor with a solid performance."

  Austin nodded. Third floor—spiders. That wasn't nothing.

  "But Selene's team…" Lira exhaled through her nose, irritation sharp as a blade. "They cleared the fourth floor with ease. As if it were nothing."

  Austin's eyebrows climbed.

  Fourth floor wolves.

  He'd been living on that floor for days.

  With the right tactics—and with Selene's strength—it was easier than it looked. But for a full academy team to clear it "with ease" in a public test…

  "Is that so?" Austin murmured, keeping his expression neutral even as his thoughts began connecting.

  "Yes," Lira said, voice tightening. "And she has been boasting nonstop. Saying she will be able to clear the fifth floor in only a few days." She shuddered as if the words physically offended her. "Ugh. The nerve of her."

  Austin tried to sound reassuring. "A one-floor difference shouldn't be that bad to catch up to," he said. "Especially since I'm sure everyone on your team is over-leveled for those floors."

  Lira shook her head. "While that is true, raw strength is not what the academy focuses on." Her tone turned more instructive now, like she was laying out the rules of an unfair game. "They evaluate how efficiently and how quickly each team can clear a floor. They also measure how many monsters we defeat during each dive. The more resources that we collect go to the academy, and they use it to gauge our overall effectiveness."

  "That's interesting," Austin said, and he meant it. Then something else clicked—something he'd seen with his own eyes. "Because I saw your academy leaving rabbicorn pelts all over the place on the first floor."

  Lira hesitated. "Well… yes," she admitted. "The academy does not like the poisonous nature of the pelts. They find them to be only of use for commoners."

  Austin's eyebrows shot up. "Damn. That's kinda harsh."

  "I am aware," Lira said, and for a moment her expression softened into something closer to regret than irritation. "That is one of the issues I have been working on." Then her gaze hardened again as the topic returned to her main frustration. "However, this dungeon testing and Selene…" She sighed. "She has been on my mind as of late."

  The annoyance sharpened again.

  "They even call her a prodigy now."

  She practically spat the last word, like it tasted bitter.

  "A prodigy?" Lira groaned, rubbing her temple. "Selene?" Her eyes narrowed, voice lowering. "Even her own party seemed surprised at their results."

  Austin leaned back slightly, a slow realization forming—one that made his stomach twist with both pride and worry.

  Hmm… I think I know what's happening here.

  Selene wasn't just strong.

  She was smart.

  And she'd been with him in the dungeon. She'd watched him find the rabbicorn lineup trick. She'd seen him discover the hawk safe zone. She'd listened to him talk through patterns, ranges, and timings. She'd teased him about "observation magic," but she'd also been paying attention.

  If she took those strategies back to her full academy team…

  And combined them with their already high stats…

  Of course they'd clear floors efficiently. Of course they'd rack up monster kills and resources. Of course they'd look like a miracle squad.

  Yeah… that would definitely do it.

  Austin forced his face into something neutral and mildly surprised, even though inside his brain was sprinting.

  "Well," he said aloud, careful, "that's news to me. I never thought Selene was surpassing everyone in the academy like that."

  Lira's eyes narrowed.

  Not in anger. Not yet.

  In suspicion.

  "Austin," she said slowly, and her voice turned quiet in a way that made Austin's spine tighten, "how do you know Selene?"

  Austin's mouth went dry.

  "You not only described her accurately," Lira continued, watching him with the calm focus of someone who had been trained to read people. "You speak of her as if you have known her for some time."

  Austin felt sweat gather at his hairline, and it had nothing to do with the sun.

  "Well… uh… you see…" he stuttered, fingers curling against the edge of the table.

  He could practically hear the trap closing.

  Lira had just spent ten minutes venting about how much she disliked Selene. Anything he said now—anything that suggested closeness—was going to land like a bomb.

  And the worst part?

  He couldn't even blame her for asking.

  How do I spin this…? he thought desperately, mind racing for a half-truth that wouldn't blow up in his face.

  Austin opened his mouth—ready to fumble out some half-truth, ready to scramble for a safe explanation—

  But he didn't get the chance.

  "There is my handsome master," a familiar voice chimed from behind him, sweet as honey and twice as dangerous.

  Austin's spine went rigid.

  He turned.

  Selene stood there like she'd been staged for dramatic effect.

  Long blond hair, immaculate even in the outdoor breeze. Blue eyes bright with mischief. That devastating, confident smile that always looked like she already knew the ending to the story—and it ended with her winning. Her posture radiated command, like the plaza was her court and everyone in it was simply lucky to exist in her line of sight.

  She looked less like a student arriving for training and more like a goddess descending onto a battlefield she'd already claimed.

  Well… this is about to get interesting, Austin thought, his brain trying—and failing—to decide whether this was a blessing or an incoming disaster.

  Selene's gaze flicked to him, then past him, and Austin could almost see the calculation in her eyes when she registered who else was sitting at his table.

  Then she brightened, as if she'd just discovered a delightful new toy.

  "Sorry to interrupt, honey," Selene said sweetly, voice syrupy enough to make Austin's teeth hurt. "But I got bored waiting for you when you didn't answer my messages." She tilted her head, blond hair sliding over her shoulder. "So I decided to use the faction locator to find you."

  Austin's heart skipped. He hadn't even considered she could do that.

  Before he could respond, Selene glided forward and slid into the seat beside him with effortless grace. Not across. Not at an angle.

  Beside.

  Close enough that her thigh brushed his, close enough that Austin could feel the warmth of her body through his clothes. And then, as if she were placing a flag on conquered territory, she wrapped both arms around his arm.

  Possessively.

  Very possessively.

  Her grip wasn't tight enough to hurt, but it was firm enough to send a clear message to anyone watching: Mine.

  Austin felt Lira's attention sharpen like a blade.

  Selene didn't look away from Lira as she settled in. If anything, she leaned in just a bit more, tightening her hold around Austin's arm like she was enjoying the tension she was creating.

  "Why hello, Lady Renn," Selene purred, voice dripping with condescension so thick it could've been poured. "Did I interrupt your private lunch with my master?"

  Lira's jaw tightened so subtly most people would've missed it.

  Austin didn't.

  Lira looked at Selene's arms wrapped around him, then lifted her eyes slowly.

  "Your… master?" Lira repeated, each word edged with disbelief.

  "Yes, my master," Selene said brightly, as if discussing the weather. Then she added, casually cruel, "Also… would your father approve of this use of your time? Shouldn't you be studying tactics?"

  Austin felt the atmosphere shift.

  It was immediate—like someone had dropped the temperature fifteen degrees in the space between the two girls. The air itself seemed to tense. Even the background noise of the plaza felt quieter, like nearby conversations had instinctively lowered.

  Lira held Selene's gaze.

  Her expression didn't change much—Lira was too controlled for that. But the pressure in her eyes sharpened. Something crackled in the space between them, invisible but undeniable.

  This is like a scene out of an anime, Austin thought, suddenly aware of every person around them who was slowly noticing the tension. Sparks flying. Lightning. Two powerful beauties radiating enough intensity to make a table feel like a battlefield.

  He wasn't sure whether to smile, panic, or duck under the table and pretend he'd never met either of them.

  "You know nothing of my father's desires," Lira replied sharply, voice steady but laced with steel. "Especially since yours is still disappointed in your dismissal of your own family faction."

  Selene's smile twitched—barely. But Austin felt the hit land.

  Lira's gaze flicked down, once, to Selene clinging to Austin's arm, then returned to Selene's eyes.

  "Also," Lira added, the words calm but cutting, "Austin would never settle for a tease like you."