Marcus walked toward the challenge board, his eyes never leaving Knox.The room went quiet.Knox stayed still, but his body tightened as he cursed inwardly. He was not fully ready for a public ranked fight yet. Ignis stiffened on his shoulder, sensing Knox's tension through the bond.Marcus stopped in front of the board and turned to face Knox directly with an intense look.Then he laughed."Don't flatter yourself, Morales," Marcus said loudly. "I wouldn't waste an official challenge on a bottom-ranked lizard boy. Crawl higher first if you want to be worth crushing."He turned back to the board and selected a name closer to his own rank.The room relaxed slightly, and attention shifted away from Knox.Knox exhaled slowly and forced his shoulders to loosen. Marcus had only been enjoying the reaction.Before students could begin issuing challenges, Crane raised her hand."Before the challenges begin," Crane said, "activate your Academy Sigils."Knox looked down at the mana-core badge cl

Knox stepped out of Arena C and looked at the ranking board. Rank 487.He had won, but he had not climbed. For a moment, the one-month deadline pressed against his chest like a weight. So this was the academy's trap. It gave weak students a taste of height, then waited for stronger hands to drag them down. Knox had survived the first pull yes but that was all. He had not risen but stayed where he was.Knox turned down a side path between two academy buildings. He needed to get away from the watching eyes before his legs gave out. The moment he rounded the corner, his legs almost buckled. The double Echo Step against Venn had taken more from him than he admitted. His calves burned, his knees felt weak, and his breathing was heavier than it should be.Ignis stretched on his shoulder slightly, but Knox could feel through the bond that Ignis was also tired. Ignis's Burst Step had been unstable, and every use burned stamina. His small body felt heavier than usual, like deadweight pressi

As the first Tremor Mole went still inside the suppression sack, Knox felt the tremor pattern linger faintly in his palm. The system flickered.[Compatibility Detected][Progress: 1/?]Knox stared at the notification and waited. With the Swift-Horn Rabbits, Ignis had felt hunger the moment he pinned the first one. His instincts pulled him toward the essence. That hunger led to the Swift-Step Foundation and Burst Step. Knox expected the same reaction now. But Ignis only shifted his claws uncomfortably and looked away from the suppression sack. No hunger or pull.Knox frowned. If Ignis did not want the Tremor Mole, then what was the system reacting to?"Are you going to stand there all day?" Knox looked up. Serena stood near the next Moonroot bed with her arms crossed. Her expression was calm and unreadable, but her tone carried faint exasperation. "Whatever it was, you were waiting for, to happen," she continued. Her gaze flicked to the suppression sack, then back to Knox. "It did not.

Knox woke up late in the common dorm. Sunlight streamed through the window at an angle that told him it was already past morning. The other beds were empty. Most students were already outside enjoying the weekend. There were no classes today, no Professor Crane lesson, and no academy drills.Knox sat up slowly. His wrist still ached faintly, but the sharp pain from yesterday was gone. He flexed his fingers. Stiff, but functional. He checked his recovery status.[Recovery Status]Mana: 55/55Physical Strain:Lower Body Fatigue — ClearedRight Wrist Backlash — FadingMana Channels — StableRecommendation:Light activity permitted.Avoid repeated Tremor Palm activation.Knox dismissed the notification and looked at Ignis. The drake was still curled up near his pillow, breathing steadily. His legs twitched once, like he was trying to use Burst Step in his sleep. Knox did not wake him.Instead, Knox counted his silver. He pulled out the pouch from under his mattress and spread the coins on the

Knox arrived near the challenge arena for the afternoon session with Ignis on his shoulder. His body was stable after the mana pill and light training, but he was not fully fresh. The earlier tests had already dropped his mana, though it had recovered slightly to around 56/60. His wrist was wrapped, but the faint ache beneath the cloth told him it was not completely healed.He kept thinking about how fast Tobin had accepted the challenge. Tobin had a Rare-rank Hooktail Lizard, a higher rank, and more official match experience, yet he accepted instantly. That meant confidence. Knox understood this fight would not be like Venn. Venn had rushed because he was angry but Tobin had accepted because he believed he already understood how to beat Knox.The weekend challenge session had drawn students who wanted to watch fights. The crowd was not huge, but enough people pressed against the arena barriers to make the match feel public. Knox's name had started attracting attention after his defen