The night before the big day, several instructors gathered in a brightly lit faculty office. Lanterns flickered on the long table, casting shadows across their faces. The meeting was short, but the mood was serious. The vice head instructor leaned forward, hands clasped. “We’ve decided to give the students a real chance tomorrow. Let them prove their badges mean something. If they’ve earned their rank, they keep it. If not… someone stronger takes it.” A murmur of agreement went around the room. One of the younger teachers nodded. “Tomorrow’s advancement day. I want to see who climbs to a higher badge—and if any of these kids can actually surprise us.” Kenshi, the combat instructor with the sharp eyes, smiled faintly. “There are some who’ve shown real promise. Especially a certain redhead in my class. Lucian. He was one of the first to master mana channelling properly. Picked it up fast and was able to use it in training.” The elemental affinity teacher Vian raised an ey

The dust cloud hung thick in the air, swirling like smoke after an explosion. For several long seconds, the entire martial hall stayed frozen in shock at the scale of the devastating attack displayed by the two students. every student, every instructor, every breath held. Inside the haze, both of the fighters had fallen the force from their attacks had blown them away. Lucian managed to stand with a hunched posture, his chest heaving as he tried catching breath. Blood dripped steadily from the cuts on his arms and ribs, staining the sand dark. His body was screaming in pain and fatigue from pushing it to the limit, but he forced himself to stay upright. Across from him, Damien was in no better shape. His longsword was nowhere to be seen; the impact of the collision had knocked it from his grasp. He held his ears that were bleeding and ringing. His vision had become hazy as his head was foggy, and he saw droplets of blood drip to the floor from his nose. Lucian's sonic blast had dis

The chain whistled again, a jagged streak of purple light that sliced through the falling rain. Lucian threw himself into a roll, the weighted end of the weapon shattering the ceramic tiles where his head had been a microsecond before. She’s too fast, Lucian thought, his heart hammering against his ribs. Every time I try to close the gap, that sickle comes around like a boomerang. I’m playing her game, and she’s a pro at it. He ducked behind a massive holographic billboard advertising "Neon-Cola." The humming blue light flickered as the sickle blade bit into the metal frame, sparks showering Lucian’s shoulder. If I don’t change something now, I’m just waiting to get carved up. "System," he whispered, his eyes darting to the corner of his HUD. "Allocate stat points to agility now." Available Points: 3 +2 to Agility (Current: 18 - 20) +1 to Strength (Current: 22 - 23) [ALERT: AGILITY HAS REACHED A MILESTONE (20). UNLOCKING PASSIVE: 'REFLEX ACCELERATION'] A sudden, cold jolt