Chapter 163: Kael’s Growth

The practical evaluation continued throughout the morning.

After Kael’s spar with Marcus, the students were moved through several different exercises designed to test their combat ability, reaction speed, endurance, and adaptability.

For most students, the evaluation was exhausting.

For Kael, it was mostly annoying.

He had already spent enough time fighting during his training with Xavier and the dungeon. After everything he had gone through during the holidays, the academy’s practical evaluation didn’t feel particularly threatening.

Still, he took it seriously.

The Inter-High Tournament was approaching, after all.

And if his memories were correct, this tournament would become one of the most important events of the semester.

Once the morning training finally reached a short break, Kael walked toward Zion, who had just finished his own sparring session against an upperclassman.

Zion sheathed his sword and stretched his shoulders.

Kael looked at him with a grin.

"So, what are your thoughts on the Inter-High Tournament?"

The moment Zion heard the question, his expression became tired.

"I’m sure you’ve been locked inside your house for a long time, so you have no idea how the tournament normally is."

Kael’s smile twitched.

"That’s a little harsh."

"I’m just stating the obvious."

Zion sat down on the edge of the training platform.

"The major problem with the Inter-High Tournament is usually the mismatch between second-year and first-year students."

Kael listened carefully.

"When second-year students clash with first-year students, it’s obviously a disadvantage for the first-years. They’re simply not strong enough to contend with most second-years."

Kael nodded solemnly.

He already knew that.

At least, he thought he did.

But that was exactly why he needed to confirm it.

His memories of the original game were becoming less reliable the more he interfered with the story.

Kael knew that most of what he remembered followed Leon’s arrival at the academy. Events that happened before Leon’s arrival were only fragments.

That meant he couldn’t simply assume everything he remembered was accurate.

He needed to constantly compare his memories with reality.

"So the first-years usually struggle because of the difference in experience and strength?" Kael asked.

"Exactly."

Zion nodded.

"But there are always exceptions."

Kael smiled.

"I figured."

Before Zion could say anything else, another voice interrupted them.

"You should be thanking me."

Kael turned around.

Sylvia Crest was approaching them with a smile on her face.

Kael stared at her.

"I’m not sure why I should be thanking you."

Sylvia’s smile widened.

"Well, I happened to quell a certain someone’s bloodlust for the time being."

Kael’s expression immediately changed.

He knew exactly who she was talking about.

Slowly, he turned his head toward another section of the training field.

Auriella was lying flat on the ground.

Completely motionless.

Her eyes were fixed blankly on the sky.

Kael stared.

Zion stared.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

They both had the exact same thought.

She’s dangerous.

Kael looked back at Sylvia.

"What did you do to her?"

"Nothing."

Sylvia smiled.

"I simply made sure she wouldn’t destroy the training grounds trying to get her rematch with you."

Kael sighed.

"That doesn’t make me feel safer."

"It shouldn’t."

Sylvia’s smile never disappeared.

Kael wasn’t sure whether she was joking.

With Sylvia, that was always difficult to tell.

She looked like a perfectly respectable Student Council President.

But Kael had slowly learned that there was something dangerous hiding behind that pleasant smile.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing.

He decided not to test it.

"So," Sylvia said, looking between Kael and Zion, "I heard the two of you talking about the upcoming Inter-High Tournament."

Both Kael and Zion nodded silently.

Neither wanted to annoy Sylvia any further.

"Well," she continued, "the tournament is hosted on an island that contains multiple dungeons."

Kael and Zion listened.

"Some of these dungeons have experienced dungeon breaks."

Neither of them reacted.

Sylvia paused.

"A dungeon break is a phenomenon where a dungeon remains active for an unusually long period of time, causing the monsters inside to eventually escape into the surrounding area."

Still no reaction.

Sylvia’s smile became slightly more curious.

"It seems like this isn’t new information to either of you."

"I guess you could say that," Kael replied.

He looked across the training grounds.

His eyes searched through the students.

He didn’t see Cairo.

He also didn’t see the other members of the Disciplinary Committee.

Kael frowned.

"Is there a reason the Disciplinary Committee isn’t here with us?"

Sylvia looked at him.

"They’re going to participate in the upcoming tournament, aren’t they?"

"You could say they’re running late."

She smiled.

"But they will participate."

Kael nodded.

"That’s good."

Sylvia’s smile became wider.

"Which is actually a bad thing for you, Kael."

Kael’s expression stiffened.

"Why?"

"Cairo is also after your head."

A terrible premonition immediately settled over him.

Before Kael could respond, he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder.

He froze.

Sylvia noticed the figure standing behind him and smiled.

"Oh, speak of the devil."

Kael slowly turned around.

Cairo stood behind him.

Unlike his usual relaxed expression, he had a stiff smile on his face.

It was the kind of smile that suggested he was holding back a considerable amount of anger.

"Kael."

"Cairo."

"How about I educate my protégé for the upcoming tournament?"

Cairo smiled.

"You seem to really need it after the stunt you pulled in the assembly hall this morning."

Kael immediately put on his most innocent expression.

"Come on, Cairo. It was a pitiful blunder on my part this morning."

He clasped his hands together.

"Could I just practice with my classmates for the time being?"

Cairo’s smile became more sinister.

"As a senior, I would be neglecting my duty to beat—"

He paused.

"Sorry. I mean, train you into a fine student for the upcoming tournament."

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

"Come on. Let’s have a friendly spar."

"I definitely heard him say he’d beat me in his former statement."

Kael muttered under his breath.

He sighed with the defeated expression of someone who had already accepted his fate.

High above the training grounds, the Principal stood beside the Vice Principal.

The two watched the students preparing for the upcoming tournament.

The Vice Principal looked down at the training field before turning toward the Principal.

"Do you think we’ll actually win this time?"

The Principal remained silent for a moment.

His eyes moved across the students.

They eventually settled on Kael and Cairo.

A smile slowly appeared on his face.

"Do you know why our academy hasn’t been able to win the tournament since Xavier’s graduation?"

The Vice Principal looked back toward the students.

"Obviously."

She folded her arms.

"The nobles and other races began sending the failures or weaker members of their families to this academy instead of their direct heirs."

Her expression became more serious.

"The students sent here often have another primary mission. They’re here to gather information about other races, rival noble houses, and the academy itself rather than compete."

She paused.

"And the war that happened ten years ago certainly didn’t help the situation."

The Principal nodded.

"But this year?"

The Vice Principal looked back toward the training grounds.

"I think we have a real chance."

The Principal smiled.

"I suppose you’ve seen it too."

The Vice Principal’s gaze moved through the crowd.

Eventually, it settled on one particular student.

Kael Draven.

"This Kael Draven that your daughter seems interested in..."

She looked toward the Principal.

"What exactly do you think is so special about him?"

The Principal’s smile remained.

"I think you’ve also seen his potential."

His eyes remained focused on Kael.

"I think the first-years are our wild cards."

Kael stood in the training arena with a tired expression.

His blade rested in his hand.

Across from him, Cairo drew his twin blades.

He looked relieved.

Far too relieved.

"You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to beat—"

Cairo paused.

"—I mean, train you."

Kael’s expression darkened.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Cairo slowly approached.

Then disappeared from Kael’s line of sight.

Kael’s instincts reacted immediately.

He raised his blade.

Clang!

Cairo’s downward strike collided with his weapon.

The force of the impact shook Kael’s entire body.

The floor beneath his feet cracked.

A web of fractures spread outward from where he stood as a massive shockwave erupted from their clash.

Several students nearby turned toward them.

Cairo’s eyes widened slightly.

He had expected Kael to block.

He hadn’t expected him to withstand the attack so easily.

Then his surprise turned into a grin.

He jumped backward, creating distance between them.

"I see."

Cairo spun one of his blades in his hand.

"It seems you weren’t lazing around during the holiday like usual."

Kael’s blade was still raised.

"You should be asking whether I had a holiday in the first place."

Cairo laughed.

"If you’ve been training throughout the holiday, then that’s a good thing."

His grin widened.

"It means you’re finally strong enough to be a proper punching bag."

Kael’s pitch-black eyes widened.

"Wait."

He pointed his blade toward Cairo.

"I thought this was a sparring session."

"Come on, Kael."

Cairo’s grin became downright devilish.

"Don’t tell me you’re that naive now that you seem strong enough."

He lowered his stance.

"I’m going all out."

Cairo dashed forward.

Kael immediately activated Vanishing Step.

His body flickered away from his position.

Cairo’s blades cut through empty air.

Kael reappeared several meters away.

Cairo smiled.

"I’m still curious how you learned that technique."

Kael didn’t answer.

Instead, he charged.

Their blades collided again.

Clang!

Kael’s silver blade had turned completely pitch black.

His eyes had also become pitch black.

He was replicating the effect of Auriella’s Eyes of Mercy, using his mana to imitate the appearance and functions he had copied from her.

His movements changed constantly.

He shifted between different fighting styles he had learned from previous opponents, adapting them to match Cairo’s twin-blade style.

On the sidelines, Zion and Auriella stood beside each other.

Both watched the battle.

Zion looked confused when he saw Kael’s eyes.

Auriella, however, looked shocked.

"How did he achieve it?"

Zion turned toward her.

"What exactly did he achieve?"

Auriella didn’t take her eyes off Kael.

"I don’t know exactly how he’s doing it."

She clenched her fists.

"But he’s using his mana to replicate the effect of my Eyes of Mercy while incorporating different fighting styles from his previous opponents to match Cairo."

Her eyes narrowed.

"And it doesn’t seem like he’s going all out yet."

Zion watched Kael carefully.

"I understand what you mean."

His expression became serious.

"He hasn’t even begun using Mana Emphasization."

Auriella nodded.

"But the same can be said about Cairo."

Zion smiled faintly.

"I see."

He looked back toward the battle.

"We haven’t seen our top-ranked upperclassmen fight yet."

He folded his arms.

"Who knows? This could be a humbling experience for Kael."

Zion’s smile widened.

"He’s yet to lose an actual match in the academy."

Inside the arena, Kael and Cairo separated once again.

Both stood opposite each other.

Cairo’s expression became more serious.

"I should show my protégé something new to learn."

He changed his stance.

His twin blades shifted into position.

"First Form."

Mana surged around his body.

"Demon Slaying Technique..."

His eyes sharpened.

"Rupturing Blade."

Kael’s expression became serious.

He lowered his blade.

The familiar stance of the Celestial Star Art formed naturally.

His mana gathered around his weapon.

"First Form."

His eyes remained pitch black.

"Celestial Star Art..."

Kael’s blade pointed directly toward Cairo.

"Guiding Light."

The two vanished at the same time.

And the next clash shook the entire training field.