The sweat that rolled off Yuna's body evaporated before it could even hit the ground.
It felt like she was on fire.
The fire element within her raged, growing increasingly unruly. The searing heat agitated her nerves, and she couldn't help but mutter irritably, "When are we going to reach the exit?"
Dane, unfazed by her grumbling, replied calmly, "Almost there."
True to his word, Dane—who had prior experience navigating low-tier domains—was quick to locate the exit.
"It's here," he said, pointing ahead.
Yuna squinted and saw a faint, barely flickering vortex.
"We're supposed to jump into that?" she asked.
"Yes."
Yuna nodded, then turned to the three small animals that had followed her throughout the trial. She gently placed them on the ground. "I'm sorry. I can't take you with me. You'll have to survive on your own."
This world may be dangerous, but it was still their home. They needed to learn how to live and adapt in its harsh, unforgiving landscape.
She took out a potion and carefully split it among the three animals.
The little creatures, as if understanding her words, let out low, sorrowful sounds. They stared at her for a long moment—burning her image into memory—before turning away and scurrying toward a safer area.
"Let's go," she said shortly, not wanting to linger in this cursed, hellish realm any longer.
Dane jumped into the vortex, and Yuna followed.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself once again on familiar ground—and surrounded by familiar faces.
"Yuna!"
"Mom!"
Her classmates rushed toward her, hugging her tightly, fanning her, and massaging her arms and shoulders as if trying to soothe away the remnants of her ordeal.
"Ugh… move," she groaned, feeling suffocated. Her body was still ablaze from within; the fire element hadn't quite settled.
"All right, all right! Give our class rep some space!"
As the crowd dispersed, Yuna looked up at the large projection in the sky. It displayed Enyo and Alaric still inside the domain, working together. They had successfully retrieved the catalyst, which appeared to have been guarded by a sentient being. Thankfully, it was a low-tier domain, so the two managed to subdue it with relative ease. If one ignored the chaotic terrain and the constant threat of natural disasters, the domain wasn't overly difficult.
But… that was a big "if."
Yuna never underestimated natural disasters.
Relieved to be back in safety, she watched with interest as Enyo and the Crown Prince handled the remaining challenges inside the domain. They were full of energy and vigor—youthful and ambitious.
Unlike her, an "old bone" in spirit.
Shortly after, the two emerged from the domain. Their performance had been fluid and efficient, earning them the crowd's admiration.
The principal didn't delay and promptly announced the results of the first half of the exam. Although Yuna and Dane had been the first to emerge and gained extra points for that, the lion's share of the bonus points had gone to Alaric and Enyo for their complete retrieval of the catalyst.
Yuna didn't mind. She had no complaints. In the next round, her plan remained the same: find the exit as quickly as possible and prioritize survival above all.
She glanced up again when the principal spoke once more.
"When the class competition commences, the ranking of the class representatives will determine the number of resources, hints, and clues your class will receive for the challenge. Remember—the card class exam will take place inside a first-rank, low-tier domain."
Gasps and murmurs of excitement rippled through the student body. The tension in the air thickened instantly.
Yuna blinked in confusion.
She nudged Celeste hard with her elbow. "Explain it again."
Celeste winced from the impact but didn't protest. Instead, she leaned in close and clung to Yuna's arm, almost draping herself on her like a koala.
"Each domain tier—low, mid, and high—is further divided into three ranks: third, second, and first. First-rank domains are the hardest within each tier," she explained. "Difficulty increases with the rank, but so do the rewards. There are usually rare resources or catalysts hidden within them. The third-rank, low-tier domain we were just in had no resources—just the catalyst."
"I see…" Yuna said, then pushed Celeste off her arm. "You can get off me now."
Celeste clutched her chest in mock betrayal. "Throwing me away after you're done with me?! So heartless! Scum!"
Yuna merely shooed her off.
Then she beckoned the rest of her classmates. Like loyal attendants, they gathered around without delay.
"I won't be able to get any hints or advantages for the class exam," Yuna said plainly. "So I'm going to prioritize my safety—no matter what."
She wasn't ashamed of her cowardice or her fear of death. Not anymore.
In her previous life, maybe she would have pushed herself to prove her worth. Maybe she would've bent over backwards not to let anyone down.
But she had died once. And in this second life—a fantasy world rebirth that others might consider a dream—she had learned to let go of her obsession with pleasing others.
Yuna was proud of that.
"Class rep, don't worry! Just come out as soon as you can!"
"The inside of the domain is too dangerous. Yuna's weak—so prioritize survival!"
Their reactions were both sweet and ridiculous. Yuna couldn't help but smile at them.
Though her classmates were undeniably odd in a way she still couldn't quite place, she was content. Let them be strange—as long as they obeyed her and didn't cause her trouble, she had no complaints.
This kids..... they are manageable.
She has stipulated her classmates, requiring self-assessment and progress tracking and then asked Professor Veyne himself, her workload had decreased significantly. She no longer needed to micro-manage their training schedules either—they had begun adjusting their training to match their individual aptitudes.
Yuna could feel it. She was close to finally becoming a background character—free to relax.
Once the exam ended, she planned to refine the system further, pass on more responsibilities, and fully retreat into her much-deserved rest.
Then she saw the name of her next teammate.
Alaric Kaelar, the Crown Prince.
Yuna's smile froze. Her escape-oriented plan for the next domain suddenly felt… uncertain.
She turned to look at the young prince, who exuded confidence and pride.
'That brat… will he even agree to search for the exit?'
A sharp pulse of pain throbbed in her temples.
Ugh. Yuna could already feel the headache coming on.
If only she knew how to identify and locate the exit on her own! But how could she? Yuna was just an ordinary person—someone who had never even seen a domain before this exam, let alone navigated one.
She didn't have the instincts, training, or knowledge the others seemed to possess.
There were other students too, some from humble backgrounds—even the slums—who clearly didn't come from privilege or elite training. And yet, they didn't seem the least bit anxious. On the contrary, many of them looked thrilled, eyes sparkling with excitement as they plan to faced the domain's challenges head-on.
Watching them, Yuna felt an undeniable gap between herself and the others.
They were born into this world—raised in it, shaped by it. For them, danger was just another step toward becoming stronger. They welcomed adversity, hungered for growth, and chased after power.
But Yuna… she was different.
Unlike them, she hadn't been molded by this world's rules. Her instincts screamed to survive, not to overcome. While they charged toward danger, she sought the fastest route to escape it.
Sigh…..
She miss her grandpa.