And as I thought…
She was already walking toward the center of the arena, hood up, her twin blades—Whisper and Echo—glinting faintly at her sides.
She moved lightly, each step almost soundless on the sand. Her amber eyes peeked from beneath her hood, sharp and focused.
Thalia stood across from her—calm, poised, sunlight catching in her golden hair. Her sword gleamed faintly, and the runes along its blade pulsed in rhythm with her mana.
If Liora was shadow, Thalia was light.
Just to be clear I am not saying Liora is a villian.
Professor Thane raised a hand. "Begin."
Liora moved first.
Her footwork was a blur—darting left, sliding low, blades flashing for an opening before anyone could blink. The air itself seemed to bend around her movements.
Her agility was incredible—she slipped through Thalia's guard twice in the opening seconds. But the Hero's reflexes were sharper than most could follow; her sword intercepted each strike cleanly, steel ringing against steel.
The clash sounded like music—swift and relentless.
Thalia stepped back once, her expression composed but serious now. "You're quick," she said quietly.
Liora grinned under her hood. "And you're talkative."
She lunged again—both blades crossing, feinting high before twisting low toward Thalia's side. For a moment, it looked like she might land a hit—until Thalia's free hand snapped up, magic gathering in an instant.
A wave of light burst outward, forcing Liora back.
She slid several meters, flipping to land on her feet, her cloak flaring behind her. The ground where she'd stood moments ago shimmered, scorched faintly from the spell.
Liora clicked her tongue. "Tch… flashy."
Thalia didn't reply—she was already moving. Her sword glowed again, runes burning brighter, and her next swing carried both physical and magical weight.
When it hit Liora's guard, the shockwave rippled through the arena.
Even with practice weapons, the sheer force was staggering. Liora managed to block, but she was pushed back hard, her boots digging into the sand.
For the next minute, it was one-sided. Liora darted, evaded, countered—but every attempt to strike met Thalia's defense already waiting. The difference in power and reach was clear.
Finally, Thalia raised her sword high—and a faint golden aura surrounded her.
"Light Blade—!"
The swing was blinding. Liora barely crossed her blades to block, but the impact threw her backward. Her short swords flew from her hands as she tumbled across the ground.
The audience went silent.
When the dust cleared, Thalia stood firm, her sword lowered. Liora lay on the ground, panting, eyes wide but still burning with defiance.
Professor Thane stepped forward. "Winner—Thalia Trystan."
Applause followed, but it wasn't loud—more subdued, almost respectful.
Thalia extended a hand, helping Liora up. "You fought well," she said softly.
Liora smirked, taking it. "Yeah, yeah. Next time, I'll trip you first."
Even Thalia laughed a little.
And as they walked off, I couldn't help but think—
the gap between them was clear, but so was the fire in Liora's eyes.
She'd lost the battle, but not her spirit.
Maybe it's the effect of being near the protagonist?
---
After the combat lecture, we all returned for our last class of the day.
I was really bored sitting there. I felt sleepy until I suddenly heard,
"Elric."
I looked to the side. It was a student—not part of the main cast—who had called me. Well, there was no space left near the main cast except the one the Hero had taken, so I'd chosen a different seat.
I turned toward the boy, who was quite handsome.
"Yes?" I asked.
He smiled. "Feeling sleepy?"
I gave an awkward smile. "Well, you could say so… actually, yes."
He grinned. "Everyone does after combat lectures."
He was right—it wasn't just me.
"And you are?" I asked.
He introduced himself. "Lucas Rivers. Your fight with Roderick was impressive."
I smiled wryly. "Losing is impressive?"
He smirked. "No one wins all the time."
I looked at him seriously. "Well, it's not like you're wrong."
Lucas asked, "You were so fast. Any advice for me?"
I smiled and said,
"Professors are faster than me… but if I had to say something—speed isn't just about moving your limbs faster. It comes from precise control of your body, efficient muscle use, and anticipating your opponent's actions.
Train reflexes through drills that force quick decision-making. Strengthen your legs and core—they're the engines of movement.
Practice short bursts of maximum effort, then recover and repeat; repetition builds explosive speed.
But don't neglect technique—an efficient motion is faster than a wild, heavy one.
Lastly, focus your mind. Awareness and reaction often decide who truly moves fastest."
His eyes widened. "It's kind of like I'm reading a textbook."
I replied, "Textbooks aren't made to torture students. Try reading one."
Maybe they are made to torture but right book is very valuable.
Just then, the bell rang.
The professor left, and soon, the students did too.
I returned to my room—not joining anyone else.
Now, let me make one thing clear. I didn't come here to watch others.
I'm not a stalker.
I came here to train, just like every other student.
And I will train hard—
as strong as I can get through effort alone, I will.
It's not that Nature Force is unreliable, but come on—this is a world of magic. It's like buying a smartphone and using it as a paperweight.
…Well, not the most accurate comparison, but you get the point.
So, I'll practice hard like a normal academy student.
I'll live like one.
And when I truly need it—I can always rely on Nature Force.
Thinking that, I went to the training grounds.
I drew my sword and started striking the dummy as hard as I could.
This method isn't something others can do—if they keep swinging at full power, they'll injure their muscles. But I didn't care.
Each strike was harder than the last. Even when the pain became too much, I didn't stop.
Once, the skin of my palm tore open—but healed instantly. The only sign it had even happened was the blood left behind.
But then the skin was again damaged. My palm was full of blood after some time.
I continued like that for four hours straight.
When I finally stopped and turned around, all the main cast members were staring at me wide-eyed.
Alaric said, "I knew you were holding back."
Well, that's how it must've looked. No one can attack with full strength for four straight hours—let alone beyond their normal limits.
So, obviously, they assumed that.
I hid my bloodied hand. I mean, wouldn't it be strange if they noticed blood but no wound?
I said simply, "Believe whatever you want."
Roderick called out, "Hey, don't ever hold back when fighting me in the future."
I replied, "I'm not going to war. I push myself as much as I can without injuring myself or my opponents."
Althaea said, "It's alright, isn't it his right to decide how he fights?"
Then I left them.
After that, I started running—this time at my maximum speed.
You know that short burst of speed you can maintain only for a moment?
I sustained it.
I could feel my leg muscles straining, but they never tore—because they healed in real time.
Unlike healing potions, my Nature Force doesn't halt growth. It doesn't cause stagnation.
After running for an hour, it was time to train my magic.
Practicing magic isn't simple.
First, you prepare the theoretical groundwork—with notebooks, which I already had ready.
Then you apply it using mana. But it's not as easy as just doing it. You must perform the spell according to what you've studied.
You don't always need to cast the full spell—you can simulate it in fragments by running mana through your body as described. But to increase proficiency, you must eventually perform the complete spell.
The more proficiency you gain, the stronger the spell becomes.
But to make your spells stronger, you need stronger mana.
And to strengthen mana, you must learn to move it more flexibly.
That's why mages don't rely on just one spell.
Of course, one may specialize in a single spell—but they still know hundreds.
Finally done with training for the day, I went back to my room and took a bath.
Then I went to the cafeteria.
I grabbed my meal and sat at one of the benches. After a while, someone sat across from me. I had already sensed their presence, but I looked up anyway.
It was Lucas.
He asked, "Enjoying dinner?"
I wasn't, honestly. As a rich kid before and then a lord, I'd eaten better food before.
But I said, "Yes."
He raised a brow. "Then why are you eating so slowly?"
I replied, "Just feeling tired. Maybe I trained a bit too much today."
He nodded. "Yeah, I saw you."
We chatted about small things. Even after I finished eating, I waited for him to finish.
When he was done, I returned to my room.
Like that, a few days passed at the academy.
Though Adrian had been here before, it was still new for me—so I did my best.
Then, Professor Kael announced,
"You've already gone on one mission as students. Now it's time for another."
He looked around once and waited for everyone to settle before continuing.
"However, this time, you'll go to different cities according to your class. That means Class A will go to a different city than the others, and no two classes will share the same destination."
Seraphine raised her hand. "Professor, will the whole class do the same mission?"
She asked because that would make coordination difficult.
The professor shook his head. "No. More information will be given later. My job was only to inform you. Now, if you need to prepare anything, do it soon—we leave next week."
Everyone was excited.
For me, though, this would be my first mission.
I planned not to use Nature Force—just my own strength.
Finally, the day of departure came.
Professor Kael said,
"Everyone, I'll now explain the mission. First, choose a partner—form pairs of two."
I was sitting beside Lucas, so we paired up.
Soon, everyone was done.
The professor asked, "Everyone ready? No one left out? If there's anyone, speak up."
No one said anything.
He nodded, then marked everyone's partners.
Professor Kael smirked.
"In the last mission, we guided you—made groups for you, even chose easy assignments. But now, if you paired with your friend or just the person sitting next to you, it's on you. You failed to consider whether your partner complements your weaknesses then it's your problem."
I froze.
What was Lucas?
I turned to him—and he looked pale.
He said weakly, "Umm… I'm also a swordsman."
This idiot… even if I didn't know, he should've!
Sigh.
Professor Kael continued,
"You're lucky this is a controlled environment. Imagine a soldier heading straight to war—where the price of failure is his life. However This time, you'll have to own up to your choices."
Yeah, he said all this in novel too, but since the main cast had paired wisely back then, I hadn't paid much attention.
He went on,
"This time, you'll pay with your grades. Last time was just a practice mission. This time, your performance will count toward your final marks. So, prepare yourselves."