A few days after the Ironvale incident. Orin, Aria, Eryk, Leon, and Selena finally emerged from the high mana zone, making their way towards the entrance of the Dimensional Rift. The air was thick with lingering mana, and their footsteps crunched softly against the ground as they walked.
Leon, stretching his arms after days of rigorous training, turned to Orin with a curious expression. "By the way, Orin, where's Ronan? Haven't seen him in the past seven days."
Orin smirked slightly. "He's probably completing the trial for the Keen Eye skill."
Eryk scoffed, his voice laced with frustration. "And this is exactly why I don't like the Keen Eye perception skill. It's just too much of a hassle."
Orin's smirk widened into a teasing grin. "Well, it's not really made for us anyway."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Orin shrugged nonchalantly. "I mean, we all know the Keen Eye skill is powerful in the beginning, but levelling it up is a nightmare. After a certain point, you're forced to come to this Dimensional Rift just to complete its trials. Even Mr. Alden is still struggling to finish the last trial."
Eryk shook his head. "Exactly. Why go through all that when we can just learn another perception skill with nearly the same power and way less hassle?"
Leon nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but Ronan must have his reasons for sticking with it."
Orin crossed his arms and thought for a moment before answering. "Most likely, it's our mindset that's different. We see Keen Eye as a pain to level up, so we avoid it. Ronan, on the other hand, probably sees it as the perfect skill for him because it consumes almost half the mana compared to other perception skills. He's always looking at efficiency."
They were just minutes away from the meeting spot when a voice called out from behind them. "Good morning, everyone."
Turning around, they saw Mr. Alden and Mr. Alaric approaching. The five students immediately greeted them in unison. "Good morning, sir."
A few more minutes passed, and they finally arrived at the meeting point. Under the shade of a large tree sat Ronan, carefully applying holy water to a wound on his right arm. As the liquid touched his skin, black smoke sizzled out, and his face twisted slightly in pain. He took a deep breath, enduring the stinging sensation, before wrapping a fresh bandage around it.
Mr. Alaric stepped forward, his sharp eyes taking in Ronan's condition. "How's your wound, Ronan?"
Ronan looked up, rolling down his sleeve as he greeted them. "Good morning, sir. My wound is almost healed."
Mr Alaric gave a nod of approval. "That's good."
As they began walking towards the exit of the Rift, Mr. Alden turned to Ronan with a knowing look. "Were you able to complete the trial to upgrade the Keen Eye skill?"
Ronan gave a small nod. "Yes, I completed four of them."
Mr. Alaric chuckled. "Not bad. Alden took five days to complete it, and you took seven."
Ronan smirked but said nothing. With that, they exited the Rift and made their way back to their dormitories.
Later that Afternoon
Sitting on his bed, Ronan mused to himself. "Ms. Amara, Kairos, Tavin, and Elenor should have completed their training and come out of the Rift by now." Just as he was about to relax, a sudden voice rang out from the magical crystal embedded in the wall.
"Ronan, you have been challenged to a ranking battle by Amelia Viridion."
Ronan's eyes narrowed as he processed the name. "Who the hell is that?"
The crystal projected an image alongside the challenger's elemental affinity and Tier. The moment he saw the girl's face, realisation struck. "Isn't she the one from that day? The one who, along with her group, pressured Garrick into leaving Kael's team?" A devilish grin spread across his face. "Perfect timing."
The news of the challenge spread like wildfire throughout the academy. Groups of students gathered, whispering excitedly about the upcoming battle. The tension was palpable.
Orin, who was casually walking through the halls, caught wind of the challenge from another student. His expression darkened immediately. Without a second thought, he sprinted towards Mr. Alaric's office and knocked urgently on the door.
"Come in," Mr. Alaric's deep voice called.
Orin entered quickly, his face filled with concern. Mr. Alaric immediately took note. "What happened?"
Taking a deep breath, Orin spoke hurriedly. "Uncle, we need to stop this ranking battle between Ronan and Amelia."
Mr. Alaric frowned. "Why?"
Orin clenched his fists. "Before we went into the Rift, Ronan and Garrick had a conflict with Amelia and her group. They were trying to force Garrick to leave Kael's team. Ronan stepped in, but things escalated, and during the fight, one of them managed to land a hit on Ronan's injured arm. It started bleeding badly."
Orin's jaw tightened. "Two teachers were present: Professor Liam Viridion and Professor James Flamecrest. They didn't intervene. Instead, they scolded both Ronan and Garrick, saying that if they had a conflict, they should settle it through an official ranking battle. Before leaving, they tossed Ronan a healing potion, but that was it."
Mr Alaric asked, "Didn't Ronan report it?"
Orin shook his head. "No, Ronan didn't tell me anything about it. I heard it from Garrick. Ronan has no chance of winning this match. I think Amelia and her group want to humiliate him."
Mr Alaric asked, "Why do you think Ronan will lose? He's a highly capable fighter."
Orin nodded. "That's true, but he never wasted time learning unnecessary skills. Every single skill he has is meant to kill."
Mr. Alaric paused, deep in thought, as if recalling something. "You're right. Every one of Ronan's skills is lethal." He straightened up. "Let's go to the arena."
Mr. Alaric and Orin exited the office, their footsteps echoing through the corridors as they made their way toward the ranking battle arena. The atmosphere outside buzzed with anticipation. Word had spread quickly about the duel, drawing a large crowd of students eager to witness the battle firsthand. As they walked, Orin cast a glance at Mr. Alaric. "Do you think we'll make it in time?"
Mr. Alaric's eyes were sharp, scanning the crowd ahead. "We'll see. But I doubt we can stop it now."