Chapter 3 – Three-day Saint trial

The grassland was quiet. A soft wind blew over the scorched earth, carrying with it a faint scent of burned shadow. Tonight, only the moonlight bore witness to their recent battle.

Shouko sat against the grass, her arm wrapped in a makeshift bandage. Confusion still marked her face.

“Renard… what actually happened?” she asked softly.

Renard looked up at the sky, answering with calm precision.

“Shouko, among the dozens of Saints, you’re still new. You may not know this yet… about the Key Skills you gain after becoming a Saint.”

Shouko frowned. “Key Skills?”

Renard turned to her. “A Saint isn’t just a Role. We are guardians of the world, caretakers of the system that sustains reality. When someone is elevated to Saint… they automatically receive authority to access the deeper information layers that hold the world together.”

Shouko fell silent, trying to process the words.

“When we become Saints,” Renard continued, “we gain 347 additional Key Skills. One of them is… Administrator Granted.”

“Administrator Granted?” Shouko echoed, bewildered. “Isn’t that just a status?”

Renard shook his head. “Yes, it’s a ‘status’… but that status makes us part of the system. Part of the world itself. In other words, you can—directly or indirectly—control portions of this world.”

Shouko’s eyes widened as she looked at Renard, struggling to believe what she’d heard. “So… we don’t just exist in this world, we are a part of it?”

Renard offered a faint smile and said nothing more. The night wind sighed, making their conversation feel heavier.

Elsewhere, far across the land, at the Saint Academy…

Class 3-A was holding its usual session. Albert, Shinozaki, and Ren sat in the corner, appearing utterly unconcerned by the bustle around them.

Suddenly the classroom door creaked open. A woman entered, wearing a blue cloak and light armor that caught the light. Her steps were steady and authoritative; the entire room fell silent.

She stood at the front and scanned the students with sharp eyes.

“From today onward,” she announced with a firm voice, “I will be your instructor.”

Whispers rippled through the room.

The woman smiled thinly and introduced herself.

“My name is Akari. Among all the Saints, I am the strongest.”

She raised her palm. A blue light washed over the classroom.

“—Teleport.”

The light flared softly, and in an instant the whole class vanished from the room. They found themselves standing in a dark forest shrouded with thin mist. The air felt heavy; earth, wet foliage, and the iron tang of predator blood mixed in the scent.

Some students screamed. Panic and confusion broke out; others stared at Akari with fear.

“Where are we?!”

“Don’t tell me… the Imperial Forest?!”

“Why did you bring us here?!”

Akari only smiled. Her supermassive aura suddenly out and the noise died down, replaced by a bone-deep silence.

“Yes,” Akari said, voice even. “This is the Imperial Forest. But not the one in the real world—this is a dimension of my making. I want you to survive here for three days. This… is your first trial.”

Many students went pale at her words. Everyone knew the Imperial Forest ranked third among the most dangerous forests—teeming with vicious, relentless monsters.

Tension rose. Some students whispered in terror others began to shout protests.

“This is insane! We could die here!”

“Saint or not, we’re beginners!”

“Is she serious? Is she trying to kill us?!”

Among the chaos three figures stood out by their reactions.

Albert—somehow—remained fast asleep beneath a tree, completely undisturbed.

Shinozaki looked panicked, face pale, yet he bit his lip and tried to calm himself.

Ren… stood with his hands in his pockets, expression flat, as if none of this mattered.

Akari watched the three for a moment, then addressed the whole class again. “Listen carefully. The world does not care for your weaknesses. If you cannot survive, you will die. As Saints, you must become accustomed to that.”

She lowered her hand the oppressive pressure of her aura faded, allowing everyone to breathe more easily.

“From now on,” she said coldly, “your life or death is your own choice.”

The forest rumbled. From the distance, the roars of monsters echoed, growing steadily closer.

The three-day trial had just begun.

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