How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game

Chapter 592: Continental Festival 16

The competition raged on.

Student teams rose and fell one after another as the hours passed.

The battlefield was filled with bursts of magic and explosions of light. Crystal after crystal shattered under the chaos.

With so many academy students scattered across the field, gathering points wasn’t exactly difficult—at least not for those who already held the upper hand.

Especially the foreign students.

Each of their teams was built from top-ranked members, people handpicked from powerful families and elite institutions across nations.

Their coordination was sharp, their confidence unshakable.

[Orange Team] + [1000 Points]

A glowing announcement hovered in the air above them as their enemy crystal shattered.

”Haha, honestly,” one of the Orange Team members said, wiping sweat from his brow, ”I was expecting more from the academy students. Are they just for show now?”

”Tsk. What a disappointment,” another scoffed, kicking at the dirt where their opponents had fallen. ”They talk big, but they crumble fast.”

”I thought this place was supposed to be crawling with geniuses,” a third said with a smirk. ”All I see are pretenders.”

”Now that you mention it,” the first one added, ”aren’t we pretty much stronger than them? I mean, look at our record.”

”Hahaha! Those ’prodigy’ rumors must’ve been blown way out of proportion.”

Their laughter echoed across the clearing. None of them seemed to notice—or care—how their arrogance sounded.

They didn’t see the flaw in their reasoning either.

The academy’s system had intentionally mixed up the student teams, randomizing members without considering rank, skill, or compatibility.

Many of the stronger ones had been separated, forced into weaker groups to test their adaptability.

But that simple fact went completely over the heads of most foreign students.

To them, this was proof of their superiority.

Sure, every student who’d made it into the academy was already the best of their own region—but that didn’t mean much when compared to the true monsters that hid within the academy’s top ranks.

The difference between them wasn’t just skill.

It was an entirely different world.

But that sort of comparison only applied to the lower-ranked students within the academy...

The real monsters hadn’t even started moving yet.

[FROST EXPLOSION]

The voice rang out like a chime in the wind—calm, yet cold enough to freeze the air itself.

FOOOOSHHH!!

A streak of blue light shot across the battlefield like a falling comet. The moment it touched the ground, the world turned white.

BOOOOOM!

A massive blast of frost erupted outward, engulfing everything in a wave of biting cold. Shards of glittering ice scattered through the air, each one sharp enough to cut through steel.

”AGHHHH!!!”

”W-What is this!?”

”I-I can’t move! HELP!”

”Shit! My mana’s freezing—!”

”L-Laurel, wake up! Wake up!!”

Panic and screams filled the frozen clearing. The confident laughter from moments before vanished—replaced by chaos.

The once-boastful Orange Team was now a mess of frostbitten bodies and broken pride.

Standing among the devastation was Regierd Lofi, a fourth-year and ranked first within Luna Academy. His entire body was covered in frost, his lips trembling as white mist escaped his mouth.

Around him, the team he led—supposedly composed of the top ten from his academy—lay sprawled out, their bodies breaking apart into particles of light as they were forcefully teleported back to the infirmary.

Regierd couldn’t move.

Couldn’t even think straight.

His vision was foggy, his mind blank. The unbearable cold gnawed at his bones, freezing not just his body but even the flow of mana inside him.

He tried to resist, to ignite his flames—his pride as a flame mage burned deep—but nothing came out.

The fire in his veins had turned to ice.

”W...What kind of magic is this...” he managed to choke out, his voice trembling as frost climbed up his throat.

Even as his consciousness began to fade, he could only think of one thing—

Who the hell could cast something like this?

”I was intending to wipe everyone out in one go,” a soft voice spoke, calm and almost bored, followed by a gentle clap clap clap. ”But I suppose you really are still the top within your academy. Impressive.”

The sound echoed through the frozen field, the only warmth in a world turned to ice.

Regierd turned his head, his body trembling, frost cracking across his skin as he forced his neck to move. His eyes widened the moment he saw her.

”...Princess Snow?” he muttered weakly, disbelief and dread mixing in his tone.

The young woman before him nodded lightly, her silver-white hair shimmering under the pale sky, her icy blue eyes staring at him without a trace of emotion. Even her faint smile seemed cold, detached, and regal.

Snow—the Frost Princess.

The realization struck him like a spear through the chest. The moment he recognized her, all strength left his body. Of course... this was hopeless.

How could they have been so foolish? So complacent?

They’d believed themselves strong—top of their nation’s youth, the pride of Luna Academy.

Yet before this girl, all of that seemed like a child’s fantasy.

This was Snow, Crown Princess of the Germonia Empire, the Student Council President of the Academy, and the youngest candidate ever recognized as a future Archmage.

A magical genius whose mere presence turned the air cold.

A prodigy said to have frozen a wyvern mid-flight at the age of ten.

A monster in human form.

Regierd’s frozen lips trembled as his thoughts raced.

The gap was too wide—impossibly wide. He had trained his whole life, clawed his way to the top of Luna Academy, but now that effort meant nothing.

One mid-tier ice spell. That was all it took.

Not even the top-ranking royal mages or mercenaries of his homeland could create destruction like this with a single chant.

His pride cracked just like the frost under him.

And as the last traces of mana left his body, he could only stare up at her—the faint shimmer of her magic painting the air blue—and think bitterly to himself.

When people like her... and maybe even stronger than her... exist in this academy... why did we ever think we stood a chance?

”Haha...” Regierd let out a shaky laugh as his frozen body twitched on the ground, his breath fogging up in the air. ”So all of those scrubs were just meant to hype us up, huh? We didn’t even have a chance to begin with...”

”Fufu, I wouldn’t exactly say that, Regierd,” came the soft, melodic reply.

His dull eyes flicked toward her again, surprise flickering for a moment. ”You... know me, Princess?”

Snow smiled faintly, the kind of smile that looked too perfect to be human. ”Of course. As a member of the student council, it’s part of my duty to remember and recognize our esteemed guests.”

”I see...” Regierd coughed lightly, bits of frost falling from his lips. ”It’s an honor, Princess.”

”Likewise,” she said, lowering her gaze slightly, her voice smooth and steady. ”It’s not every day I get to meet such a promising prospect. How about this, Regierd? Once you graduate, why not join Germonia as one of our royal mages? With your talent, I can guarantee you a comfortable position... and plenty of opportunities.”

For a second, Regierd just stared. He hadn’t expected that—not from her, not from someone who could erase him with a single spell.

He felt a sting of pride at being recognized, but the feeling faded just as quickly. The distance between them wasn’t just power—it was worlds apart.

Still, even so, he laughed. A small, tired, almost resigned laugh. ”Haha... that’s truly the greatest honor, Princess. But I’m loyal to my country. So I’ll have to decline.”

Snow blinked slowly, her smile not fading but losing its warmth—if it had any to begin with. ”I see...”

Her tone was light, but something in her eyes shifted.

She raised her hand gracefully, a white wand appearing with a flick of her wrist.

The temperature dropped instantly.

”Then I’ll consider this a respectful farewell,” she said calmly.

[ ICE SPEAR]

A sharp flash of blue light cut through the frozen air.

A single frozen lance pierced through Regierd’s face, shattering the frost that clung to him before crashing into his team’s crystal.

The entire field erupted in a shimmer of golden light as his team dissolved—teleported back to the infirmary in an instant.

Snow exhaled softly, lowering her wand.

The cold wind brushed through her hair as she turned away without another glance.

As the members of the Orange Team began to crumble into golden light, fading from the battlefield one by one, Snow lifted her gaze toward the sky.

A new update flashed across the projection above them.

[ Rank: 3 — Team: Crystal ]

Her expression didn’t change, but her eyes narrowed slightly.

”Still third...” she murmured to herself. ”Even after all that.”

The score had barely shifted despite wiping out another top-ranked foreign team.

It was clear now — with the limited time left, overtaking the top spot was practically impossible if they kept targeting outsiders.

The foreign teams simply didn’t give enough points anymore.