Romantica Eru suddenly realized just how dangerous Desir Herrman really was. Azest Kingscrown was utterly confused—she surpassed Desir in every measurable aspect: mana, magic, speed, hand-to-hand combat—she was better than him at all of it. Yet, somehow, she was struggling.
Desir gave his signature smile and simply said, “You need to have a little more fun.”
Azest, as serious as a steel trap, frowned. She determined she wasn’t lacking in skill—only experience. She attacked, but Desir had seen it coming a mile away and countered effortlessly. She wasn’t exactly helpless, though; dodging all his fireballs, she closed in for a sword strike. Desir boosted his strength with a spell and blocked her attack. She pushed him back just enough to impress him, showing off her raw power.
She continued her relentless assault, putting Desir on the defensive, yet she couldn’t understand why she couldn’t beat him. He, on the other hand, wondered if she was even enjoying herself. “Have you ever faced a worthy opponent before?” he asked, recalling how she always looked bored in previous battles.
Azest had no clue what he meant by “fun,” and just insisted she would win. Desir encouraged her to give it everything she had—but she was already steps ahead of him.
Things escalated rapidly. Azest prepared her trump card: The Frozen Throne. The room was instantly covered in ice. Desir recognized it as Vision Magic—a type he could not normally inverse. Azest sat upon her icy throne, commanding Desir to prepare.
Almost immediately, shards of ice rained down, and Desir was stunned by the sheer number of magic circles Azest had created. She used them to attack—but he wasn’t afraid. “Inside the Frozen Palace of Vision Magic, you can wield magic without limit,” he mused. “It’s the advanced ability you used before I went back in time.”
Unfazed, Desir inversed every attack without hesitation. Azest created more circles, only for him to destroy them instantly. He grinned. “No matter how many you make, your magic will never touch me.”
Azest realized her sword alone, or her magic alone, wouldn’t be enough. Ingeniously, she decided to remove her Vision Magic entirely. Desir was shocked and amazed when he understood why she had done it.
Meanwhile, below, Pram Schneider defended himself against Dante, sending him flying. Romantica realized they needed to take down Dante before the spiky-haired redhead rejoined the fray—but it was too late. Dante ordered Percival Acegunits to lend a hand, and Percival mocked him, clearly enjoying the chaos.
Since Dante claimed he would handle Romantica Eru and Pram Schneider on his own, he explained it wasn’t about proving his strength—it was just that he didn’t want to waste any more of his precious life fighting “disgusting commoners.”
The two villains launched a coordinated assault, putting our heroes in a very tight spot. Pram managed to fend off Percival Acegunits’ first attack, but Dante was rapidly closing in, and Percival had already recovered his sword. Things were looking grim… until Romantica thought of Desir Herrman. Bolstered by confidence, she shouted at Pram to get down and unleashed an insanely powerful attack.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Azest Kingscrown transformed her weapon into a magic sword—an ultimate attack method normally mastered only by Magic Knights over a decade, yet she had somehow achieved it almost instantly. She launched her strike with precision, confident it was a move Desir could not inverse. Desir tried to counter with his spell, but Azest remained undeterred.
She celebrated prematurely when her final blow seemed successful, destroying Desir’s dagger—but then she realized he was using his inversing spell. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw his magic cast across the entire Clock Tower. The impossible was happening.
Suddenly, the announcement rang out: the quest had been cleared! The magical power of the previous Clock Tower was severed, its mechanisms shut down. This marked the end of the Ranking Tournament’s Final Round—the Clock Tower would never again summon demons. Desir Herrman was declared the person who cleared the quest. The crowd erupted in cheers, while instructors had mixed feelings.
Brigette was thrilled, of course, but the big boss of the Blue Moon Group refused to acknowledge that commoners had won. He even accused Brigette of cheating, insisting it was impossible for a commoner to outdo a Magic Knight and clear the Shadow World. A few other classist bigots joined in, pointing fingers at Desir’s team. Fortunately, some sensible teachers spoke up, noting there was no evidence against them—they had all witnessed the fight and knew the victory was earned fair and square.
The stern, ponytailed elder—looking like he might play hacky-sack in his free time—remained calm. He had his assistant read the names of the nine single rankers, though the names weren’t revealed to us.
Later, Desir explained that his original plan had been simple: last long enough for the other contestants to eliminate each other. Finishing in the top nine would have been sufficient to secure single ranker status. However, Azest had figured out his strategy and froze everyone, completely upending his plan.
Instead of eliminating them, unfortunately for Azest Kingscrown, her team was so focused on fighting everyone else that they completely missed what the real plan was. Desir Herrman’s team had arrived at the Clock Tower slightly ahead of everyone else, and he began analyzing the ancient structure. It was a tough task, and he almost ran out of time—but he just barely managed to finish during his one-on-one against Azest. Had all the Alpha students swarmed him, he wouldn’t have had a chance.
Azest realized just how brilliant Desir truly is. He wasn’t even entirely focused on their one-on-one battle; he was always looking at the bigger picture, just like during the entrance exam. She had been playing right into his hands all along and had to admit he had defeated her in every conceivable way. Desir, of course, remained humble, noting that if her sword had been just a fraction of a second faster, she might have won.
Pram Schneider interjected, pointing out that if Azest had done that, they would have had to fight her in Desir’s place—but by then, her team had already been taken down. Desir praised his team for a job well done, while Romantica Eru tried—unsuccessfully—to pretend she didn’t enjoy having her head petted. Their bond was clearly very strong.
Depressingly for her, Azest had to leave to see Professor Ferman, the instructor in charge of the Blue Moon Group. Before she left, she swallowed her pride and asked Desir if she could join his training group. Romantica yelled at him not to let her—but Desir casually told Azest to meet them at the training area in the mornings and after school. Romantica was furious, of course, but Azest grumbled and left.
Next, Desir’s team went to see Brigette, eagerly awaiting confirmation of their single ranker status. To their surprise, she brought out a massive cake—from a bakery so popular that people line up half a day just to nibble crumbs from the floor! The cakes are so coveted that reservations are booked three years in advance.
Romantica assumed this was a sign of bad news—but Brigette revealed it was just a joke. She congratulated the three of them on officially becoming single rankers, making them the first commoners ever promoted to the Alpha class. They celebrated by shoving enormous amounts of cake into their mouths. Desir thanked Brigette for her help, but she reminded him that they had done all the hard work themselves.
As they indulged, Brigette recalled a memory from long ago: a little week-old Desir Herrman had asked her to teach him magic. She nurtured him over several years, and he grew into the masterful Mage he was today.
Some time later, Desir’s friends were ready to enjoy some well-earned fun, taking a break from the stresses of school life.
As they prepare to enter the Alpha Class, this is their last chance to enjoy some free time before getting swamped with responsibilities. Deser is the most responsible one in the group, so he hesitates, but his friends eventually convince him to hang out at the mall.
The so-called fun starts with Deser wandering aimlessly while Romantica tries on different outfits. Tesser thinks she looks “okay,” which is about as exciting as a wet sock. Romantica is disappointed and decides to give him another shout before moving on to try something else.
Deser starts complimenting, “You look amazing! That really suits you!” — exactly the kind of praise Romantica wanted… until she realizes he’s actually talking about Pram, the little brat who stole the show. Now it’s Deser’s turn to pick something, but Pram insists on full focus and begins helping him choose a tie. Pram can’t decide, so Deser signals to Romantica for backup, but she only shrugs — apparently, nothing can stop Pram once he’s in this mode.
After what feels like an eternity of bending over and indecision, the ordeal ends. Romantica can’t believe Pram spent more time shopping than she did, but seeing how happy he is, she shrugs and they move on to the next area.
Suddenly, Aess appears, announcing she likes a change of pace now and then. Things get awkward, so Deser invites her to tag along. Aess misinterprets the invitation as a rematch for the ranking tournament. Deser protests, but she laughs, revealing it was just a joke — though judging by her deadpan face, it’s impossible to tell.
The group joins the others at an arcade. Pram focuses intensely on a claw machine and actually wins a prize! Romantica celebrates, but their joy is short-lived when Deser brings Aess along. Strangely, Aess swaps places with Pram, letting him sit next to his favorite person, Deser, which solves most problems… except Romantica can’t believe she was “betrayed.”
Deser suggests playing air hockey, but Pram gets upset when he ends up on the opposite team. Romantica, already angry, shoots a dirty look at Aess. The game begins, and things get intense. Deser reminds Romantica that they’re facing the Academy’s top swordsman and Magic Knight, warning her not to underestimate the opponent. Romantica, ever defiant, insists she’s ready — though she clearly has no idea just how serious this is. Meanwhile, Pram declares he’s going to finish the game in a flash.
Pram can’t stand being on the opposite team and insists on pairing up with Deser for the next match. The game begins, and Pram starts things off. Deser must rely on his lightning-fast reaction time to return the puck, while Aess refuses to let anything slip past her. Then it’s Romantica’s turn — she smashes the puck past both defenders, who can hardly believe their eyes.
She reveals that challenging her at air hockey was a huge mistake: she specializes in Wind Magic, and she’s ready to school them. Deser protests, calling it unfair, but Aess doesn’t care. Panic sets in as Aess uses her ice magic to redirect the puck, scoring a point. Romantica, fueled by frustration and determination, powers up even further, and the intense match continues.
Deser gets momentarily distracted thinking about the future, but Romantica snaps him back to reality as the puck comes flying at him. He instantly inverses Aess’s ice magic and launches the puck back, scoring impressively. Aess, satisfied to finally see him take the game seriously, declares the real fun has begun. Afterwards, she thanks the group for a refreshing change of pace and leaves.
Romantica hopes she never has to see Aess again — but the guys drop the bad news: Aess will be training with them, and they’ll all be in the Alpha Class after the school break.
At their first glimpse of the Alpha Class classroom, Pram shows off his new tablet with Deser as the wallpaper, making things awkward, as usual. Romantica is excited for the new school year, and Deser takes them to morning practice.
They start with stretching, move on to sword fighting, and Romantica is a bit miffed when Aess keeps up with Pram. During ball-target practice, Aess fails to land one, so Romantica steps up, impressively completing all the targets. Deser brings out more balls, but she handles them effortlessly. Eventually, practice ends, and Aess compliments Deser on his training style, noting how he adapts to each student’s strengths.
Romantica, exhausted from “playing with Deser’s balls,” begs him to go easier during morning practices. Unfortunately, Deser reminds them there’s no time to slack — the next battle will be real, and mistakes could be deadly. The team trusts Deser to get them ready, and they’re all excited for the challenges ahead.
In Class A, the teacher explains that the battle between humanity and the Shadow World is far from over. The recurring disaster continues to ravage their world — in fact, their continent is now only half its original size. On the bright side, the success rate for clearing Shadow Worlds is a staggering 99.9%, thanks to the power of Magic Gems. These gems appear whenever a Shadow World is cleared and contain massive amounts of mana. They can’t be used as-is, but a process invented years ago allows their power to be harnessed, which in turn fueled incredible technological advancements.
The instructor quizzes the students on who invented this process, calling on Romantica, who is dozing off. Luckily, Deser whispers the answer just in time, saving her from embarrassment. Class ends, and Deser heads to introduce his team to Professor Prelude, who is amazed at the sight of the single-rankers — even sleepyhead Romantica impresses her.
Prelude is surprised when Deser asks for a favor. She assumes it’s party support — the kind the Academy and Magical Tower provide — but the deadline has passed. Instead, Deser hands her a request form: he wants his team assigned to guard a branch of the Magical Tower. Prelude is skeptical and initially declines, curious why they would want such an assignment.
Deser reveals that a magical stone called the Tear of Ajournal is stored at the Helli branch. He also warns her that in 10 hours, a group called the Outers will attempt to steal it. Prelude nearly has a heart attack — this is top-secret information, and Deser was just in the Beta Class days ago. She can’t fathom how he knows so much, but he insists there’s no time to explain and that they must act immediately.
Ten hours later, at the Magical Tower headquarters, an old face from the future appears: the know-it-all mage Master Zod. He is informed by a panicked subordinate that the Helli branch is under attack. Curious, Master Zod goes to see who is guarding it — only to find a student he’s never met before.
