After that, the lively atmosphere within the Academy began to subside slightly.
Because, for several days in a row, the Night Party had not seen any battles.
During these nights, apart from Rozen, Charl, Loki, Frey, and August Veyron who still showed up, all the other Glove Holders invoked their right not to participate and didn't appear at all.
Many people could already guess the reason for this situation.
Including the general spectators.
"Because there's no point even if they go on stage."
"Just look at who's showing up in the arena right now."
"Other than Surround Roar, the rest are all at the level of the Thirteen. Even Surround Roar has gained several more Automaton Dolls, definitely becoming even stronger. How could ranked fifty or so Glove Holders possibly fight them?"
"Exactly."
The audience had figured it out and weren't surprised at all by the Glove Holders' absence.
With the presence of Rozen and the others, the Glove Holders had no chance of winning. Even if they took the stage, it would only be to deliver themselves for defeat, so of course they didn't want to participate.
Surely, many Glove Holders held that sentiment. And with the higher-ranked Glove Holders refusing to appear, those who followed closely behind in the rankings seemed to vanish into thin air as well, leading to not a single match being held for days.
Veyron, however, continued to glare at Rozen, the hostility in his eyes growing stronger by the day. His expression grew more impatient and irritable, clearly wanting to strike at Rozen, yet restrained by the presence of Charl, Loki, and Frey.
As for Rozen, Charl, Loki, and Frey, they naturally never clashed with each other, causing the battle arena to feel like a casual hangout spot each night. Aside from Veyron's side, there was no sense of tension at all—only the sounds of conversation and laughter from Rozen's group. Anyone unaware might have thought they were just there for fun.
That said, once the standby period ended, everyone would decisively retreat without lingering or acting together.
Well, Charl and Frey did seem to be spending time together.
Perhaps due to their growing familiarity or the bond formed over these past nights, their relationship had improved significantly. Recently, Charl and Frey were often seen entering and leaving together, even during the day—training, studying, and eating as a trio with Henri. The three girls had practically become close friends, showing strong camaraderie.
Because of this, Loki appeared somewhat abandoned by Frey, but he seemed to prefer being alone and continued to act independently.
Rozen, through his Wise Eye, had a clear grasp of Loki's movements. By using his vision, he could tell that Loki spent his time outside the Night Party either training in the forest or visiting the Department of Automaton Technology. He was frequenting the department quite often.
Noticing this, Rozen knew that Loki was definitely trying to resolve the performance issues of his Automaton Doll.
After all, the Department of Automaton Technology specialized in the creation of Automaton Dolls. Loki's frequent visits suggested he was trying to upgrade his automaton, or perhaps even planning to replace it.
However, Loki didn't ask Rozen for help—not just to avoid owing him a favor again, but likely because he wanted to overcome his own challenges through his own effort.
"What a blockhead."
That was Rozen's evaluation, though he said nothing more.
Because of all these circumstances, things had been peaceful these days, and nothing much had happened.
Of course, that didn't mean there were no anomalies at all.
Within the Academy, there was one abnormal area that had gone unnoticed.
Rozen, however, had noticed it, but said nothing, letting it be.
Because, compared to that anomaly, the one happening to himself was far more concerning.
This phenomenon had occurred before.
In the past, Rozen had discovered that his life force was inexplicably draining away, flowing toward somewhere he never expected.
And now, it was happening again.
Rozen's life force was steadily draining in real-time, at a rate that would cause serious health issues for an ordinary person.
If it were the old Rozen, this kind of life force loss would have quickly returned him to his former frail state—weak, fragile like a balloon that bursts at a touch.
Fortunately, with the infusion of Foreign Mana, Rozen's very being was constantly evolving. As his mana continued to grow at an incredible pace, his life force also became increasingly vigorous. At this point, his life force rivaled even the Greater Source, making this degree of loss insignificant.
If it were the current Rozen, even without being a vampire, he could summon Beast Vassals by consuming massive amounts of life force without his lifespan being affected.
Because Rozen's life force was immense—barely inferior to that of vampires with infinite vitality—and his recovery speed was astonishing, he could use the power of Beast Vassals as a human without any special prerequisites.
That said, losing life force for no reason remained a serious issue.
Still, Rozen said nothing. While sensing where his life force was going, he pretended to know nothing and carried on with his life as usual.
Now, Rozen no longer needed to train hard like before. All the magical knowledge in his mind had already been fully mastered. His powers and realms had reached completion, and even his mana operated and regenerated on its own, requiring no further cultivation. Unless he had a sudden flash of inspiration to develop a new spell or improve his existing power, Rozen could simply eat, sleep, and live leisurely while still growing stronger.
Then, once the evolution of the Foreign Mana concluded, Rozen could condense it and undergo a transformation—ushering in yet another major power boost.
Rozen was waiting for that day while enjoying the peaceful and quiet school life.
Until, one week later, during the Night Party, something astonishing happened.
On his way to the battle arena, Rozen heard the news.
"All members of the Thirteen have appeared on the stage!"
This news stirred the long-silent Academy and left many students stunned.
Immediately, many people began heading toward the arena, eager to witness what was going on.
Rozen, with Irori, Yaya, and Komurasaki in tow, also raised an eyebrow.
As the three girls expressed their surprise, Rozen smiled.
"Looks like something interesting is about to happen."