One day after the opening ceremony.
Alex:
(This place is deadly boring. So naturally, I decided to find something to kill time—and I think I've finally found it.)
On an still-empty training field, Alex was practicing with a heavy wooden staff, bare-chested under the rising sun.
Alex:
(I'd almost forgotten I was supposed to train with the sword that old dwarf gave me. This is a bit overkill—the staff weighs three times as much as the blade—but it'll do wonders for building strength.)
He gripped the weapon with both hands and launched into a series of circular motions, slicing through the air with sharp whistles. After several minutes of intense effort, he stopped to catch his breath.
(I knew this academy didn't mess around, but seeing this many weapons freely available on the field… they really don't do things halfway.)
Suddenly, a mocking voice rang out from a veranda overlooking the training ground. It was Sophia.
"Wow! Looks like the kid's training hard!"
Annoyed, Alex turned toward her. She was leaning against the railing, a smug smile on her lips.
"Huh? The viper-tongue herself? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, just watching you flail around," Sophia replied. "Though I doubt it'll be of any use, given your chronic level of uselessness."
Alex grimaced.
"Hilarious."
"You should get dressed," she added as she walked away. "Everyone's about to wake up, and it's indecent to expose yourself like that—even if you think you've got muscles."
She vanished with a light laugh. Alex sighed, a bead of sweat running down his temple.
(She's really a pain… but she's right. I'm done anyway. Better head back.)
He was about to put on his shirt when an imperious voice stopped him cold.
"Hey, you! Where do you think you're going?"
Alex froze without turning around.
(That tone… definitely a student. A new one, no doubt. They're already starting to piss me off.)
"Sorry," he muttered. "I don't have time."
"Don't ignore me! Turn around when someone talks to you! You're a student, right? Classes haven't started yet, so don't give me lame excuses."
Alex let out a long sigh and turned around.
"First of all, I'm not a student. I'm a guard. And second—you're annoying."
The boy facing him wasn't very tall, but he radiated overwhelming confidence. His brown hair was perfectly styled, and his gaze carried an unmistakable aura of superiority.
Alex stared at him in silence for a moment.
(Uh… can someone explain this to me? What's with that sudden main-character energy?)
The boy picked up a wooden sword with almost theatrical elegance.
"You've figured it out. I saw you training. I challenge you."
Alex raised his hands in surrender.
"Listen, kid… that's impossible. If you want to play around, the field's free, but I don't fight inexperienced amateurs."
He shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking away. Behind him, the student was boiling with rage.
(Is he mocking me?! He'll regret this!)
The boy leapt forward, covering the distance in a powerful jump and bringing his wooden sword down with all his strength.
(I'll make you pay for this disrespect!)
But to his utter shock, Alex didn't even turn around—he simply stepped aside. The attack cut through empty air.
Flow Statistics:
• Boy: −50
• Alex: +50
The boy landed, frozen for a second, then launched into a flurry of rapid strikes. Alex, hands still in his pockets, calmly dodged every blow with minimal torso movements, stepping backward at an unhurried pace.
Alex: (He's actually pretty good, though.)
Flow Statistics:
• Boy: −100
• Alex: +100
The young noble's frustration skyrocketed. He screamed and intensified his assault, but Alex remained untouchable. Suddenly, the boy attempted a spinning attack. Alex ducked, the blade passed over his head—and in the same motion, he swept his opponent's legs with a precise kick. The boy crashed heavily into the dust.
Alex looked down at him with a faint smile. That was when he noticed the crowd that had gathered around them.
Flow Statistics:
• Alex: +10,000
• Boy: −10,000
"Oooooh! Look, he wrecked him!" "That's humiliating! He got destroyed in two seconds!"
Among the spectators, excitement surged. Another boy stepped forward, sword in hand.
"I wanna try too!" "Yeah, me too!" "I wanna see what he's really made of!"
Even a girl grabbed a staff and shouted:
"I'm in!"
In an instant, mob mentality took over. More than fifty students, armed with wooden weapons and mana, rushed toward Alex.
(This is bad…) Alex thought, cold sweat forming. (This is going to turn into a bloodbath.)
Yet he didn't retreat.
He anticipated every movement, blocked a punch, snatched a sword from an attacker, and used it to counter strikes coming from all directions. His blows were precise, surgical. One student tried to break his guard with a mana-reinforced staff, shattering Alex's wooden sword. Alex blocked the next strike with his forearm. His eyes darkened—and he began dismantling the crowd bare-handed.
Ella, who had just finished getting ready with Marie, was alerted by the uproar. She rushed to the training field and froze in horror.
Alex stood at the center of a field of human wreckage, drenched in sweat, surrounded by elite students lying on the ground amid shattered training equipment.
Ella smacked her forehead.
(Damn it… what did he do this time?)
A few minutes later, Ella and Alex were sitting on a bench outside the headmistress's office. Alex looked perfectly calm.
(They weren't bad, honestly. Definitely an elite academy. But there's one person who's about to have a breakdown…)
Beside him, Ella had her head in her hands, trembling with stress.
"Ella?" Alex asked gently. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"
She looked up, murderous rage in her eyes.
"Are you serious? Are you really asking me what's wrong, or is this some awful joke?"
Alex shrugged.
"I swear I'm not messing with you. You just look… tense."
Marie, standing nearby, spoke up calmly.
"You appear to be a genuine problem-generating machine, Mister Andréas. It is troublesome, as you are inconveniencing my mistress."
"And you are… who, exactly?" Alex replied.
The office door opened.
"Guard Alex Andréas may enter!"
Ella took a deep breath and stood up.
"Alright. Let's go before I pass out."
"You know, you don't have to come with me. I can handle this," Alex offered.
"I didn't ask for your opinion. We're going."
Navy Princile's office was spacious, filled with books, ancient armor, and collectible weapons. But what struck Alex most was the headmistress herself.
(I didn't get a good look at her yesterday. Short hair, a face marked by a few wrinkles, turquoise eyes… she gives off a really unsettling aura.)
"Have a seat," Navy said neutrally.
Alex sat down, meeting her gaze. A strange current passed between them.
(Odd… I don't feel any hostility. Just curiosity.)
"Miss Ella," Navy began, "this boy is a problem. He sent our students to the infirmary and destroyed the training grounds meant for future knights."
Ella lowered her head.
"I know, ma'am… I came to apologize as his guardian."
(Guardian? Since when?) Alex thought.
Navy looked at Alex.
"Sir, you must admit your behavior is unacceptable."
"I know," he replied with sudden maturity, surprising Ella. "And I will accept the consequences."
Navy leaned against her desk, letting silence hang.
"Very well. Fortunately for you, there will be no consequences."
"What?!" Ella exclaimed.
The headmistress smiled faintly.
"We questioned the 'victims.' All of them admitted they attacked voluntarily. In your case, this was self-defense against fifty individuals. Impressive. That said, refrain from loitering on the knights' training grounds in the future. You are dismissed."
Ella was stunned.
(Since when is the headmistress this lenient?)
They stood, bowed, and left. Once the door closed, Ella said coldly:
"I'm not getting involved in your messes anymore."
"See? I told you I had it under control."
"You give me migraines, Alex. Marie, come on—we're leaving!"
Alex watched them walk away.
(She's really strange.)
He resumed walking, hands in his pockets.
Meanwhile, the news spread like wildfire.
Colin—the boy whose flow had been shattered—walked through the corridors with his head down.
"Did you hear? He got annihilated." "The guy who reeked of charisma at the ceremony? Got his flow stolen by a mere guard."
A young girl approached and placed a hand on his shoulder. Colin turned around, startled.
"Davina Lorens?"
The orange-haired girl stared at him with midnight-blue eyes.
"Colin Sidartia… you're the one who got crushed, right?"
"Y-Yes…" he stammered.
"Tell me. What does that guard look like?"
"Tall, hair tied back, pretty handsome… and deep azure eyes."
Davina smiled coldly.
"So it really is him. Too many coincidences. I need to meet him."
END OF THE CHAPTER
NEXT CHAPTER: Royal Academy – Act I: The Real Problem