2026-10-13 23:11:25The day after the ranking test, Erix woke up to a message on his academy tablet.
Point adjustment notice
Reason: Review of previous job performance
-15 points
His seventy points had become fifty-five overnight.
He stared at the screen. No further explanation. No name of who ordered the review.
Shota read the message over his shoulder and frowned. “That’s not normal. Point reviews need a senior instructor’s approval.”
Kael sat up on his bed, lip still slightly swollen. “Ren’s family has connections. Small training company, but they donate equipment every year. Enough to ask for favors.”
Erix felt the heat in his chest pulse once. “So he can just take points whenever he wants?”
“Not whenever,” Lira said from the doorway. She had arrived early, notebook under her arm. “But he can make small things happen if he pushes the right people. Fifteen points is carefully chosen. Enough to hurt. Not enough to look obvious.”
Erix closed the tablet. “Then I need to earn them back before he takes more.”
They went to the storage building as usual. Training felt heavier that day. Erix pushed harder than before. Every time the hunger rose, he used it. Every time the heat in his chest spread, he forced his body to keep moving.
Halfway through a set of climbing drills, the heat suddenly flooded his arms. For three full seconds his body felt light and strong. He reached the top of the wall faster than he ever had.
Then the strength vanished. His arms trembled and he almost fell.
Lira caught his wrist and helped him down. “What was that?”
Erix shook his head, breathing hard. “I don’t know. It comes and goes.”
Shota looked worried. “If it happens during a real fight, it could save you. Or it could leave you weak at the wrong moment.”
They trained until the evening bell. No one spoke much on the walk back.
---
That night Erix went alone to the dining hall to buy food with his remaining points. The line was long. He kept his head down.
Someone bumped him hard from behind. His tray almost fell.
Ren stood there with two new students Erix had not seen before. Both wore C-rank badges.
“E-rank now,” Ren said loud enough for people nearby to hear. “Look at him. Still eating the cheapest rice. Some people rise and still look the same.”
A few students laughed.
Erix picked up his tray and moved forward without answering.
Ren stepped in front of him. “I heard your points dropped today. Shame. Maybe the academy decided an E-rank should not get lucky jobs so easily.”
Erix met his eyes. “You took them.”
Ren smiled. “Prove it.”
The two C-rank students shifted closer. The dining hall noise covered their words.
“Stay in your place,” Ren said softly. “Next time it won’t be fifteen points. And next time your friends might not be around to help.”
He walked away with his new backup.
Erix sat alone at a corner table. The rice tasted like nothing. His hands stayed steady, but the heat in his chest burned hotter than it had all day.
---
Later, in room 214, he told the others what happened.
Kael leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “He’s gathering more people. C-ranks this time. He’s not playing small anymore.”
Shota sat on the edge of his bed. “We need a better plan than just training and reacting.”
Lira opened her notebook and turned to a new page. “There’s a student exchange practice in two days. Mixed teams of four. First-years against second-years in controlled matches. Points and small rank boosts for winners. If we enter together, we can watch each other’s backs.”
Erix looked at her. “You want us to join?”
“It’s better than waiting for Ren to pick the time and place,” she said. “And if your strange strength appears again, better it happens in an official match than in a dark path.”
Silence filled the room for a moment.
Erix nodded slowly. “Then we join.”
He lay awake long after the others slept. The fifty-five points on his card felt fragile. The heat in his chest refused to settle. Somewhere outside, Ren was already planning the next move with stronger students behind him.
Erix stared at the ceiling and made a quiet decision.
He would not wait to be hunted again.
This time he would step forward first.
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Chapter 12
The observation started the very next morning.A senior instructor named Voss appeared at Erix’s first class. He was a tall man with grey hair and a calm face that never smiled. He did not speak to Erix. He only sat at the back of the room and wrote notes on a small tablet whenever Erix moved.The same thing happened in the second class. And the third.By lunchtime every student knew Erix was being watched. Whispers followed him through the hallways. Some students stepped away when he passed. Others stared like he might explode.Ren made sure to walk by with his C-rank friends and say, loud enough for people to hear, “Careful. The unstable one is here.”Erix kept his eyes forward and did not answer.In the storage building that afternoon the mood was heavier than usual.“They’re not just watching your power,” Lira said. She had checked the academy rules. “Observation status means they can call you for sudden tests. They can limit your jobs. They can even freeze your points if they dec
Chapter 11
The demonstration field was packed.Every first-year stood in rows. Second-years filled the higher seats. Instructors and three student council members sat at a long table facing the main circle. The morning sun was bright and sharp.Erix stood with the other selected first-years. His name had been called third. Ren stood two places away, calm and smiling. Kael was further down the line, face unreadable.The first two matches were short and clean. A D-rank girl lasted almost a minute against a council member before stepping out. A C-rank boy was finished in twenty seconds.Then the instructor called, “Erix Vale. Enter the circle.”Whispers moved through the crowd. Everyone knew the F-rank who had climbed to E. Everyone had heard something about a strange burst of strength.Erix stepped into the marked circle. His opponent was a second-year student council member named Daren — tall, lean, and ranked B+. His eyes were polite but cold.“Begin,” the instructor said.Daren moved first. He
Chapter 10
The new training started the next morning before the sun was fully up.Erix stood in the storage building with Shota, Kael, and Lira. No climbing drills. No footwork circles. Today the goal was simple and brutal.Make the strange power appear. Then hold it for one extra second.Lira timed everything with her tablet. Shota and Kael took turns pushing Erix in short, hard spars. Every time he got tired enough, the heat in his chest tried to rise. Every time it rose, he had to keep fighting instead of letting it fade.The first hour was failure after failure.The power came in short bursts — two seconds, three seconds — then vanished and left him weaker than before. Once he dropped to his knees and could not stand for almost a minute.“Again,” he said through gritted teeth.They kept going.By the third hour something changed. The heat rose during a spar with Kael. Erix felt the usual flood of strength in his arms. This time he did not swing wildly. He focused on the feeling itself, lik
Chapter 9
Two days later the student exchange practice began.The training field was divided into four large circles. First-year teams of four would face second-year teams in short matches. The rules were simple: stay on your feet, stay inside the circle, and protect your teammates. Winners received points and a small chance at rank movement. Losers received nothing.Erix stood with Shota, Kael, and Lira at the edge of Circle Three. Their opponents were already waiting — four second-year students, all C-rank or higher. They looked confident and a little bored.Ren watched from the sidelines with his new C-rank friends. He did not enter the matches himself. He only watched.The whistle blew.The second-years attacked at once.Shota met the first one head-on. Kael moved to the side and blocked another. Lira stayed close to Erix, eyes sharp.A tall second-year with short brown hair came straight for Erix. He was faster than anyone Erix had faced before. The first punch scraped Erix’s shoulder. The
Chapter 8
The day after the ranking test, Erix woke up to a message on his academy tablet.Point adjustment notice Reason: Review of previous job performance -15 pointsHis seventy points had become fifty-five overnight.He stared at the screen. No further explanation. No name of who ordered the review.Shota read the message over his shoulder and frowned. “That’s not normal. Point reviews need a senior instructor’s approval.”Kael sat up on his bed, lip still slightly swollen. “Ren’s family has connections. Small training company, but they donate equipment every year. Enough to ask for favors.”Erix felt the heat in his chest pulse once. “So he can just take points whenever he wants?”“Not whenever,” Lira said from the doorway. She had arrived early, notebook under her arm. “But he can make small things happen if he pushes the right people. Fifteen points is carefully chosen. Enough to hurt. Not enough to look obvious.”Erix closed the tablet. “Then I need to earn them back before he takes
Chapter 7
Three days after the night watch, the academy announced a surprise ranking test for all first-years.The notice went up on every board:Compulsory Ranking Test – Tomorrow Morning All first-year students must take part. Results will update official ranks and weekly points. Failure to appear = automatic rank drop and point loss.The training field filled with nervous talk. High ranks looked excited. Low ranks looked sick.Erix sat with Shota, Kael, and Lira under their usual tree after classes.“This is bad timing,” Kael said. “Your ribs are still healing.”“I don’t have a choice,” Erix answered. “If I skip it, I lose everything I just earned.”Lira flipped through her notebook. “The test is usually three parts. Strength, speed, and a short spar. They match you against someone close to your current rank. But sometimes they mix it up on purpose.”Shota’s face was serious. “Ren will try to get matched with you. Or he’ll pay someone to hurt you during the spar.”Erix looked down at his
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