**Chapter 30: The Glass Floor and the Invisible Girl**


    The training grounds of Ragandarok Academy had transformed into a surreal landscape. Lazaria''s ability had turned the entire circular arena into a vast ocean of golden hair, its shimmering strands undulating like waves. The students stood in stunned silence, their feet seemingly suspended above the hair-filled abyss. Just as they began to lose their balance, a boy with white hair and gray eyes stepped forward, his movements swift and precise. With a confident smirk, he punched the air beneath him, and a transparent, glass-like surface solidified under their feet.


    The sudden shift left the students bewildered. Some of them looked down, their eyes wide with shock.


    "Huh?"


    "Wait, are we standing on air??"


    "I feel like there''s solid ground beneath me, even though I can''t see it…"


    A few students wobbled, barely able to keep their footing as they stared into the seemingly bottomless sea of hair below. Instructor Makoto, however, remained calm. He knelt down and tapped the glass-like surface with his knuckles, as if knocking on a door, and murmured softly, "It''s rare to see such a useful ability…"


    The white-haired boy, clearly pleased with himself, grinned arrogantly as he looked around at the astonished faces of his peers. "It''s impossible for your feeble minds to comprehend what just happened. You''d all be falling into that abyss if it weren''t for me. That means you owe me, of course."


    His tone and demeanor quickly earned him a place in the "people I don''t want to talk to" category for most of the students. Despite the chaos, Makoto remained composed. He flipped through the pages of his notebook and addressed Lazaria. "Lazaria, can you turn the hair back into solid ground?"


    Lazaria shook her head, her voice calm but firm. "No, I can''t reverse my ability."


    Makoto sighed, running his fingers through his gray hair. "The maintenance team will have to handle the damage to the training grounds. They''re the elite, after all." He then turned his attention to the white-haired boy. "Well, let''s see… Asahi Leorin, the troublemaker who was almost expelled before the entrance exam even began…"


    The students'' eyes shifted to Asahi, his white hair and gray eyes giving him an almost ethereal appearance. His smug grin widened as he shoved his hands into his pockets, his teeth gleaming as he spoke. "I was just defending my personal freedom. It''s your fault for assuming I wanted a roommate. I need a room to myself—that''s my only condition. You should be proud that someone as talented as me is studying in this mediocre place. You get direct support from the King, right? That means you''re rich. Give us some grants or something."


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    Makoto ignored Asahi''s brash tone and began jotting down notes. "That explains why you targeted your roommate first during the exam. Eliminating him meant you''d get the room to yourself."


    The other students glanced at Asahi with a mix of disdain and annoyance. Fulan, however, averted his gaze, his black eyes fixed on the ground. He, too, had eliminated his roommate during the exam, and the reminder made him uneasy.


    Makoto continued, his voice steady. "Talent and a solid understanding of your ability… So far, you''re the most promising among these students. This glass-like floor can support all of us, and that''s not something you can achieve with talent alone. It''s clear you''ve spent a lot of time refining your ability. Good. I''ll give you a test that matches your experience. I want you to keep us standing on this glass floor until I''ve finished evaluating the other students. Can you handle that?"


    A bead of sweat slid down Asahi''s temple, and his confident smirk wavered for a moment. "O-of course. This is easy…"


    With that, Makoto turned his attention to a girl with dark brown hair and matching eyes. "Mizuhara Ryusuke, it''s your turn."


    The girl, who had remained silent and almost invisible throughout the entire session, stepped forward. Her presence had been so faint that some of the students were seeing her face for the first time. She was the fifth student to demonstrate her ability out of the ten in the class.


    Mizuhara walked slowly toward Makoto, her movements deliberate. The students watched intently, their feet still planted on the glass-like surface. Then, without warning, her brown hair, clothes, and body began to fade from view until she completely disappeared.


    The ability was self-explanatory: Mizuhara could turn herself invisible.


    The students gasped, their whispers filling the air.


    "I can''t see her…"


    "Where did she go?"


    "Is she still there?"


    While the others were captivated by Mizuhara''s ability, Fulan and Fayrouz exchanged a knowing glance. In this world, it was rare for two unrelated individuals to possess the same ability. This realization sparked a suspicion in both of them. Fayrouz''s deep blue eyes reflected a mix of curiosity and concern, while Fulan''s black eyes remained unreadable, though the same thought crossed his mind.


    The girl named Mizuhara had to be related to the bandits Fayrouz and Fulan had fought on their way to the Saita Kingdom. Fayrouz felt a sense of responsibility, knowing she needed to keep an eye on Mizuhara. As for Fulan, he was already well aware of his own role as the true bastard of the story. He had no room to judge Mizuhara, no matter what her motives were.


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