The Academy library became Noa's war room.For three days, he lived among dusty tomes and observation crystals, consuming every scrap of information about Kael Ashvern and his B-rank Shadow Assassin. Tournament records from previous years, training footage captured by eager students hoping to learn from their betters, even gossip from the dining hall about Kael's habits and personality.Raze brought him food. Lyss brought him spare clothes when he forgot to go home. Seris brought him tactical manuals that weren't technically available to first-year students.Everyone expected him to lose. The question was how badly."Found something," Raze said on day two, dragging over a crystal recording. "Kael's semifinals match from last year. Watch the timestamp at four minutes."Noa activated the crystal. Holographic footage filled the air: Kael facing a C-rank Earth Golem summoner. The Shadow Assassin moved like living darkness, impossibly fast, striking from angles that should have been imposs