2026-05-20 05:26:55Knox 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 pressing down on Knox's shoulder. Knox realized they won, but only barely. He stopped beside a stone wall and leaned against it. His hands shook slightly as he pulled up the system notification from the fight. [Official Challenge Victory Recorded] [Opponent Defeated: Venn Rusk — Common Rank Level 3] [Defensive Challenge Won] Rewards Granted: Dragon Points +5 Agility +1 Echo Step Proficiency +5% Burst Step Proficiency +3% Combat Adaptation Recorded Knox dismissed the notification and checked his current status. Dragon Points: 13 Academy Rank: 487 Mana: 11/55 Knox stared at the mana count. Eleven out of fifty-five. His mana pool was not just some abstract number on a screen. It was the reserve his body drew from every time he reinforced himself, activated Echo Step, or sent commands through the bond Ignis’s Burst Step had its own cost too. The movement burned Ignis’s stamina first, but every unstable burst still tugged through the bond and scraped against Knox’s mana. Now that reserve was almost empty. That explained the shaking in his legs, the heaviness in his chest and the slight delay he felt whenever he reached for Ignis through the bond. Mana would recover with rest, food, and proper breathing, but recovery was slow without pills, cores, or access to a cultivation room. Knox looked at Ignis beside him. Ignis tried to act proud after the victory, but his legs trembled slightly on his shoulder. "Your legs feel heavy?" Knox asked. A little, Ignis admitted through the bond. Burst Step makes my body feel strange. Knox pushed off the wall and started walking again. His legs still ached, but he could move. The gap was obvious now. Venn had not even been rich by noble standards, yet he had pulled out a storage band and a training spear like they were ordinary tools. Knox had no proper weapon. No storage band. No recovery medicine. No mana pills. No beast feed. No cultivation room access. No sponsor. And above all, no offensive technique. The academy was not fair. Students with family backing recovered faster, trained longer, and bought better equipment. Knox could win once through tactics, but if he kept fighting with no resources, he would eventually hit a wall. The fifty silver from the Swift-Horn Rabbit mission helped, but it was not enough as real growth cost money. Knox thought about his current situation. Challenges raised rank, but challenges were dangerous when his mana was low. Missions did not raise rank, but missions gave the things he needed to survive challenges. Silver. Mana cores. Herbs. Beast materials. Recovery items. Growth opportunities. This was where Knox decided he could not only chase rank. He needed to build foundation first. He needed missions. Knox arrived at the mission board near the training complex. The board glowed faintly with mana-etched text. Several students stood nearby, checking available missions. Knox scanned the listings. Iron Ant Nest Inspection Reward: 80 silver Risk: Medium Note: Team recommended Training Yard Cleanup Reward: 20 silver Risk: Low Swift-Horn Rabbit Follow-up Reward: 35 silver Risk: Low Warmstone Greenhouse Pest Removal Objective: Remove Tremor Moles from damaged Moonroot section Reward: 50 silver coins, 3 low-grade mana core fragments, bonus pay for limited damage Risk: Low to Medium Knox first looked at the Iron Ant mission because it paid more. But he rejected it. Team recommended meant he'd need to split the reward. The Tremor Mole mission caught his eye next. Warmstone Greenhouse Pest Removal Objective: Remove Tremor Moles from damaged Moonroot section Reward: 50 silver coins, 3 low-grade mana core fragments, bonus pay for limited damage Risk: Low to Medium The system flickered. [Compatibility Detected] No reward preview. No explanation but it got Knox's attention. The system had reacted once before during the Swift-Horn Rabbit mission, and that led to Burst Step and Echo Step. So he could not ignore it. Knox reached out and accepted the mission. The board display updated. [Mission Accepted] Warmstone Greenhouse Pest Removal Objective: Remove Tremor Moles from damaged Moonroot section. Minimum Success: 3 captured or driven out. Full Completion: 5 removed with limited Moonroot damage. Reward: 50 silver coins 3 low-grade mana core fragments Bonus pay if Moonroot damage is minimized Knox did not know what the compatibility meant. He only knew the system had reacted. The mission looked like dirty pest work. But the system had reacted. Knox adjusted Ignis on his shoulder and turned away from the board. If there was something buried inside this mission, he would dig it out.
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Chapter 20: The Hooktail Challenge
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
Chapter 19: Tobin Marr
Ignis crouched low, his claws scraping lightly against the ground. A faint shimmer of mana gathered around his legs before he shot forward two meters. The movement was fast, but the landing was still rough. Ignis stumbled once before steadying himself.[Burst Step Activated]Range: 2 metersControl: UnstableStability: ImprovingPrimary Cost: Ignis StaminaBond Mana Drain: 3Knox Mana: 54/60 → 51/60Knox felt the small tug through the bond and clicked his tongue. Ignis’s Burst Step did not use Knox’s mana the same way Echo Step did, but because the trait was still unstable, every forced activation pulled a little mana through their bond. That meant Ignis could not spam Burst Step freely either. If Ignis pushed too hard, Knox would feel the cost too.After that, Knox walked to one of the wooden training posts and placed his palm lightly against it. He did not try to activate Tremor Palm fully as that would be mana waste and stupid. Tremor Palm was different from Echo Step.Echo Step pu
Chapter 18: Names Above Him
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
Chapter 17: The Wrong Kind Of Attention
Knox woke up alone in the common dorm with his wrist still aching from Tremor Palm. His palm felt numb, his fingers were slow to close, and his legs were still sore from the recent fights and mission. He checked his condition.[Recovery Status]Mana: 34/55Physical Strain: Lower Body Fatigue — MildRight Wrist Backlash — ActiveMana Channels — Slightly IrritatedRecommendation: Avoid repeated skill activation.Ignis was still sleeping close to him, his legs twitching once like he was trying to use Burst Step in his sleep. Knox did not wake him. He understood they were both tired and that challenging anyone today would be stupid. He decided today was for rest, food, and recovery.Ignis woke up minutes later, hungry. Knox pulled out a beast feed pellet from his pouch and handed it to him. Ignis sniffed it suspiciously and made a disgusted face through the bond.“The rabbit tasted better,” Ignis complained.Knox was annoyed because the feed cost him silver. “Then make your own money and
Chapter 16: When The Pulse Answers
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.
Chapter 15: Beneath the Warmstone Greenhouse
Knox arrived at the Warmstone Greenhouse with Ignis perched on his shoulder.The building sat on the eastern edge of the academy grounds, half-buried into a slope to keep the temperature stable. Heat rolled out from the entrance, thick and damp. Inside, rows of herb beds stretched beneath curved glass panels that caught the afternoon sun.Moonroot beds lined the center section. The plants had pale silver-white roots that glowed faintly under the soil. Thin mana lines ran beneath them, feeding the roots with steady energy.Knox wiped sweat from his neck as he walked deeper into the greenhouse. The mission still looked like dirty pest work, but the system had reacted differently.When he accepted it, only one message appeared.[Compatibility Detected]Nothing else.No explanation or reward preview.Knox did not know what the compatibility meant, but he could not ignore it.A middle-aged man in work robes approached. His sleeves were rolled up, and soil stained his hands. He looked Knox
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