Chapter 160: The Two Who Watched

The academy had been unusually noisy since the announcement about the upcoming Inter-High Tournament.

Everywhere Zion went, students were talking about the same thing.

The tournament.

Who would be selected.

Which students were strong enough to represent the Academy.

Which first-years had the potential to make the top fifty.

And, of course, who stood at the very top although those rankings have been sorted out multiple duels is set to occur during this period.

Zion Crawford sat alone on one of the benches overlooking the academy’s training courtyard, his sword resting beside him.

He had been there for almost twenty minutes.

Just thinking.

The tournament was still some time away, but the academy had already started preparing students for it. Tomorrow, the practical training would officially begin, and only the strongest first-years were being watched closely.

Zion was one of them.

Auriella Voss was another.

And there was one more person neither of them could ignore.

Kael Draven.

Zion leaned back against the bench.

"That guy really is something."

"You’re talking about Kael?"

Zion glanced to the side.

Auriella stood several steps away.

Her arms were folded across her chest, and her usual cold expression remained unchanged.

Zion nodded.

"Who else?"

Auriella walked over and sat on the opposite side of the bench.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

The courtyard below was filled with students practicing various forms of magic and martial arts. Some were sparring. Others were running through obstacle courses.

The academy had already begun changing its atmosphere.

Everyone knew what was coming.

The Inter-High Tournament wasn’t just another school competition.

It was the biggest opportunity most students would ever receive during their academy years.

The top fifty first-years and top fifty second-years would represent the Academy.

Guilds would be watching.

Noble families would be watching.

Even people outside the academy would be paying attention.

And the students knew that.

Auriella stared at the training grounds.

"He’s strange."

Zion raised an eyebrow.

"Kael?"

"Yes."

"That’s putting it mildly."

Auriella ignored the comment.

"I’ve been watching the rankings."

"So have I."

"Then you know what I’m talking about."

Zion sighed.

Of course he knew.

Everyone did.

Kael’s rise through the academy rankings had become one of the most talked-about subjects among the students.

When Kael had first entered the academy, he had been practically invisible.

The 1,000th-ranked student.

One of the lowest-ranked students in the entire academy.

Nobody expected anything from him.

He wasn’t considered a genius.

But some how he changed.

Rapidly.

At first, people thought it was luck.

Then they thought it was a temporary improvement his skill of copying technique at a glance.

Then they started calling it a fluke.

But after one ranking increase followed another, nobody could call it luck anymore.

Kael kept climbing.

And climbing.

Until one day, the rankings changed again.

Rank One.

Zion shook his head.

"Going from one thousandth to first isn’t normal."

"No," Auriella replied. "It isn’t."

She looked at him.

"How long has it been?"

"Since what?"

"Since he started climbing."

Zion thought for a moment.

"Probably after they assigned our badges to us."

Auriella frowned slightly.

Zion picked up a small pebble from beside the bench and tossed it into the courtyard.

"The guy went from being practically known as a rich failure to becoming the strongest-ranked student in the academy in an absurdly short period of time. I don’t think anyone can properly explain it."

Auriella was silent.

She had seen plenty of talented people.

She had grown up around them.

People with incredible mana reserves.

People born with powerful bloodlines.

People who had been training since childhood.

She understood talent.

She understood hard work.

And she understood monsters.

But Kael’s growth was different.

It wasn’t simply that he was strong.

It was the speed at which he had improved.

"Do you think he’s hiding something?" she asked.

Zion gave her a sideways glance.

"Everyone’s hiding something."

"That’s not what I meant."

"I know."

Zion smiled faintly.

"I’ve wondered about it too."

Auriella turned her attention back toward the courtyard.

"There are limits to how quickly someone can improve."

"Normally."

"Even with excellent training, there should be a gradual increase."

"Normally."

Auriella narrowed her eyes.

"You keep saying that."

"Because we’re talking about Kael I really have no idea how to respond to your observations because I’ve already made them myself."

That earned the smallest reaction from her.

Not a smile.

Just a slight change in expression.

Zion continued.

"Think about it. If someone is ranked one thousandth, then suddenly starts beating people ranked above him, there should be a reason."

"Exactly."

"But nobody knows what that reason is."

Auriella remained quiet.

There had been rumors.

Plenty of them.

Some students claimed Kael had discovered a powerful artifact.

Others believed he had been secretly trained by some legendary master.

There were even rumors that he had awakened some rare ability.

None of those rumors had ever been confirmed.

Especially during his disappearance.

Zion scratched the back of his head.

"Honestly, I don’t care how he got strong."

Auriella looked at him.

"You don’t?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because if I fight him, the reason won’t matter."

Zion looked toward the training grounds.

"I’ll either win or lose."

Auriella considered that.

"Simple."

"Very."

She was quiet again.

Then she said,

"I want to fight him."

Zion laughed.

"I figured."

Auriella’s expression remained serious.

"Don’t misunderstand me."

"I didn’t."

" At this point a fight between the both of us could be considered my personal vendetta."

"....."

Zion nodded not bothering to reply.

That made sense.

Auriella had always been competitive.

But unlike many students, she wasn’t obsessed with titles.

She wanted to know where she stood.

And someone who had risen from the bottom of the rankings to the very top was impossible for her to ignore.

Zion rested his elbows on his knees.

"The upcoming tournament is going to be interesting."

"It will."

"The Academy hasn’t exactly had the best record."

Auriella nodded.

The academy had historically struggled during the Inter-High Tournament.

Despite having thousands of talented students, the Academy had only managed to win the tournament once since its creation.

That fact wasn’t exactly a secret.

Students talked about it constantly.

Some wanted to break the record.

Others simply wanted to make it farther than previous teams.

But this year felt different.

The first-years were unusually strong.

And the academy had begun monitoring several students much earlier than usual.

Zion looked at Auriella.

"With you, me the others in class A..."

He paused.

"And Kael."

Auriella’s expression changed immediately.

Zion noticed.

He smirked.

"Still planning to challenge him?"

"Yes."

"Even after Sylvia postponed it?"

"Especially after Sylvia postponed it."

Zion chuckled.

"I figured you’d say that."

Auriella looked annoyed.

"I’ve been waiting for that fight."

"Kael’s been away for months."

"I know."

"He just came back."

"I know."

"And tomorrow we’re supposed to begin practical training."

"I know."

Zion sighed.

"Then maybe wait until after the evaluation."

Auriella didn’t answer.

Zion knew that silence.

"You haven’t changed your mind."

"No."

"Thought so."

Auriella looked toward the academy’s main building.

"Kael is strong."

Zion nodded.

"Very."

Zion’s expression became thoughtful.

"Yeah."

The two remained silent for a while.

Neither of them knew what Kael was capable of at this moment.

That was the problem.

Auriella had fought him before but that fight couldn’t exactly be called a fair fight considering everything that transpired.

They knew that Kael possessed abilities that were difficult to explain, but they had some idea of what they were dealing with but with his return from his supposed abduction.

"Let’s find out?." Auriella spoke

"Find out what?" Zion replied confused.

"What happened to him in the past three months."

She paused.

"And whether he just cooked up a story to avoid a rematch then."

Zion laughed.

"You’re really serious."

"Of course."

"Well, good luck."

Auriella started walking away.

After a few steps, she stopped.

"Zion."

"Hm?"

"You’ll challenge him too, won’t you?"

Zion looked at the sword beside him.

Then toward the training grounds.

A small smile appeared on his face.

"Eventually."

Auriella nodded.

"Good."

She continued walking.

Zion watched her leave before leaning back against the bench again.

His gaze drifted toward the academy’s ranking board in the distance.

At the very top was a single name.

Kael Draven— Rank 1.

Below it were hundreds of other students.

Zion stared at the board.

"From one thousandth to first..."

He shook his head.

"Just what kind of monster heba you become after the past three months?"

And with the tournament approaching, the rankings would no longer be just numbers.

They would determine who stood on the academy’s stage.

Who would represent the Academy.

And who would be left behind.

Zion picked up his sword and stood.

"Tomorrow’s going to be interesting."

He looked toward the main training arena.

"And I have a feeling we’re going to see just how much everyone has changed."

Far away, the ranking board flickered.

"Let’s see how long you can stay on that throne."