Cancel
It was now the end of all the lessons for the day as IAM walked out of a workshop with the others, looking like nothing but skin and bones, as if something had been sucked right out of him.
That something was his wallet.
IAM stared at the numbers dropping lower and lower, losing both hope and Hope Points alike after a single purchase.
He held the short sword in his hand—the very culprit behind all this pain and heartache in his soul.
"Oh, don't make that face, man," Henry said, tapping IAM on the back gently, as if he might fade to dust. "Don't worry, it's worth it. You need a weapon to protect yourself, and this was your end goal anyway, right?"
Henry was the one who had recommended the short sword, known as the Gladius.
He had explained that the Gladius was good because it was built for efficiency rather than flair. Its short length made it extremely easy to control, especially in tight spaces, allowing the wielder to strike quickly without overextending. The blade was thick and rigid, with a sharp point that made thrusting devastatingly effective while still allowing solid cutting power at close range.
Its balance sat close to the hand, reducing fatigue and making repeated, precise attacks possible. The simple, durable design also meant it held up well under harsh use. Overall, the Gladius excelled by turning speed, control, and lethality into one compact weapon.
The only bad thing about it, in IAM's opinion, was the price.
The Gladius was a low peak-tier mech, but it wasn't even upgradeable like KASSARA, meaning IAM wouldn't be using it in the long term. Still, it was decent for his current level.
He had decided to buy it because of the upcoming Council Trials—and because his Path methods required a weapon.
IAM thought about Natsuki, who also used a short sword—one with a strange black cube at the top of its hilt that she always seemed to carry with her—and he felt slightly better.
He turned to the others who had come along: Reuel, who had been laughing his head off while IAM purchased the weapon after seeing the price, and Yohan, who had been comforting him afterward.
He asked, "You guys have your own personal mechs, right? Then why don't you carry them around?"
Reuel was the first to answer. "I can't walk around with a spear all the time, can I? It'll get stuck on everything—and I might get the urge to poke you in the ass with it," he said with a serious expression.
"You are so annoying, Reuel," IAM said as he squinted at him.
Yohan spoke next. "Actually, I do carry mine around all the time. It's just inside the inner pocket of my blazer. My gauntlets aren't that big."
IAM nodded as Henry added, "When I'm with my sword, I get the urge to swing it, so I just keep it in my dorm."
"…"
IAM glanced at Yohan and said, "I guess we're the only normal ones in the friend group."
"Whaaat? No way I'm normal! Everyone gets the urge sometimes," Reuel shot back.
"The way you said that made it sound dirty," Yohan said with a wry smile.
Reuel clutched his chest. "And now you're calling me a pervert… Ugh, it hurts!!"
"You are definitely a pervert," Henry agreed.
"No way! No way!"
Henry grabbed his chin as Reuel's pestering was ignored, before he said something that made two people's blood turn cold.
"You know… why don't you and Yohan ever join us in training late? It would be useful, especially with the trials coming up."
"Whoa, whoa—ha ha ha, listen, I—um—I can't do that, 'cause you see…" Reuel instantly started looking for excuses, mumbling words that didn't make any sense.
Yohan looked at Henry with a blank expression and said, "No."
Henry didn't give in as he replied, "The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. I really think you guys should join us!"
"But… uhhh, I'm focusing on developing my path. I'm getting close to peak novice, and I'm also developing my path methods, so… yeah."
Incredible words came out of Yohan's mouth as he was on course to beat the record for the fastest progression from novice to experienced-level ascender, excluding IAM.
"As impressive as that is, you're never going to be able to see the results or what needs improvement without using it practically… so join us," IAM said, clearly wishing to spread the pain he was feeling to others.
A single tear rolled down Yohan's face as he couldn't think of a reason to refute that statement.
"I need my free time! How else am I supposed to gather information!? How am I going to socialise!? I can't!" Reuel frantically shook his head.
"If you keep focusing on that, your skills are going to get rusty, and you'll naturally fall behind… who will want to talk to you then?" IAM countered plainly.
A single tear rolled down Reuel's face as he couldn't think of a reason to refute that statement.
Henry clapped his hands once. "So it's settled. You guys are going to join us from now on… right?"
As tears streamed down the two faces, IAM seemed to remember something as he pulled out his phone and began texting someone.
Henry noticed and asked, "What's up?"
IAM paused and said, "I just remembered I need to cancel my appointment with Thomas on the weekend, with the trial taking place that day."
"Ohhh, will he be mad?" Henry asked as he dragged Yohan and Reuel across the floor after they had attempted to make a run for it—toward a parking space to get a mini car that would take them to the combat grounds.
IAM said with a small smile, "No… but I hope he doesn't misunderstand and draw his own conclusions about why I'm not coming this weekend. It should be fine as long as I explain properly."
IAM sent his message and, seconds later, received a reply that read, "I see. Good luck with the trials. We will meet next weekend for your appointment."
IAM nodded and said, "It looks like it's all good," before helping Henry as he calmly dragged Reuel into a mini car against his own will.
Reuel's screams drew the attention of a few onlookers as they passed by.
...
Thomas placed his phone down as Thor looked over and asked, "What was it?"
"It was IAM. He just cancelled our appointment this weekend to attend the Student Council Trials."
Thor's face seemed to light up like a proud father as he exclaimed, "No way! That kid is more talented than I thought! He actually got a recommendation!"
Thomas nodded calmly, his eyes shifting to the two figures tightly bound to a chair—figures IAM would have recognized immediately.
Thomas looked at them with a deep gaze, placing a hand on each of their heads. "Shall we start?"