Infinite point system

The Dual Path

Chapter 11: The Dual Path**

The eastern training yard was bathed in the pale light of dawn as Ethan endured Professor Dain's relentless assault. His muscles burned, his breath came in ragged gasps, and his hands trembled around the wooden practice sword.

**CLACK!**

Another brutal strike reverberated through Ethan's arms, nearly knocking the weapon from his grip.

"Again!" Dain barked, his scarred face unreadable. "A mage who picks up a blade should at least learn how to hold it properly."

Ethan gritted his teeth, adjusting his stance. The System's warnings pulsed in his vision:

**[Muscle Fatigue: 78%]**

**[Bone Stress: 45%]**

**[Vessel Stability: 61%]**

He couldn't afford to stop.

---

### **The Impossible Breakthrough**

Dain lunged again, his wooden sword a blur. Ethan barely managed to deflect it, but the force sent him stumbling back. His arms felt like lead, his legs shook—

And then, something **shifted**.

A surge of energy, different from magic, erupted from deep within his body. His muscles tightened, his stance steadied, and for the first time, he **moved** without hesitation.

His counterstrike was clean. Precise.

**THWACK!**

The wooden blade struck Dain's ribs with enough force to make the hardened combat instructor **grunt**.

Silence.

Dain took a slow step back, his eyes widening.

"You—"

Ethan's body hummed with newfound strength. The System's message flared brightly:

**[KNIGHT BREAKTHROUGH ACHIEVED]**

**[New Level: Squire Level 1]**

**[Physical Reinforcement: +20%]**

**[Vessel Stability: 66% (+5%)]**

Dain stared at him, his usual gruff demeanor shattered.

"What." His voice was barely above a whisper. "You're a ** you brokekthrough**."

Ethan exhaled, rolling his shoulders. The exhaustion was still there, but his body felt… different. Stronger.

Dain's expression darkened. "Do you have any idea how rare it is to cultivate **both** paths?"

Ethan met his gaze. "I do now."

The professor's grip tightened on his practice sword.

---

After the grueling session, Ethan limped to the library, his body aching but his mind sharp. The System guided him to a basic knight manual—*"Iron Body Scripture"*—but as he pulled it from the shelf, a slip of parchment fell out.

A single line was written in elegant script:

*"The body remembers what the mind forgets."*

Ethan frowned. He hadn't sensed anyone watching him.

Who left this?

---

At supper, whispers followed him. Lirien Veyne sat at the far end of the dining hall, her silver eyes locked onto him. When their gazes met, she smirked and raised her goblet in a silent toast.

Dorian, his nose still swollen from their last encounter, looked ready to charge at him—but Lirien's hand on his wrist kept him in place.

Ethan ate in silence, ignoring them.

---

The dining hall buzzed with the usual evening chatter when Professor Kaelthorne appeared at Ethan's table. The silver-haired mage didn't sit—he simply stood there, his violet eyes boring into Ethan with unsettling intensity.

"Gale. The Headmaster wants to see you."

Silence rippled outward from their table. Students stopped mid-bite, their whispers dying instantly.

Ethan set down his fork. "Now?"

Kaelthorne's expression didn't change. "Immediately."

---

### **The Walk to Judgment**

The corridors of Moonlight Academy felt longer than usual. Torches flickered in their sconces, casting shifting shadows across the stone walls as Ethan followed Kaelthorne toward the central spire.

*"System. Analysis."*

**[Probability of Disciplinary Action: 78%]**

**[Primary Concern: Unauthorized Spell Usage During Duel]**

**[Recommended Approach: Caution]**

Ethan exhaled through his nose. He had known this was coming.

The grand oak doors of the Headmaster's office loomed ahead, carved with scenes of ancient magical battles. Kaelthorne knocked once, then stepped aside.

"Enter."

The voice from within was calm. Cold.

Ethan pushed the door open.

---

### **The Headmaster's Office**

Headmaster Aldric sat behind a massive obsidian desk, his fingers steepled. The room smelled of aged parchment and the faint ozone tang of powerful wards. Moonlight streamed through stained-glass windows, painting the floor in fractured colors.

"You broke the rules, Apprentice Gale."

No greeting. No pretense.

Ethan met his gaze. "Which ones?"

Aldric's eyes narrowed. A log crackled in the fireplace.

"Do not play coy. You were explicitly instructed not to cast spells without supervision." The Headmaster leaned forward. "Yet you used **Gravity's Grasp** in a public duel."

Ethan didn't flinch. "You told me not to cast spells unsupervised. That duel was witnessed by two professors and half the student body."

A muscle twitched in Aldric's jaw. "Semantics."

"Practicality," Ethan countered. "If I'm not allowed to use magic, how exactly am I supposed to defend myself?"

The temperature in the room dropped.

---

### **The Silence That Followed**

The Headmaster studied him for a long moment. Then, slowly, he reached into his desk and withdrew a familiar book—**"The Alchemist's Crucible."**

This is an Alchemist book he took from the library to study.

Ethan's fingers twitched. He hadn't realized it was missing from his room two days ago

"Interesting reading material," Aldric mused, flipping through the pages. "For someone who claims to need magic for survival, you're branching out."

Ethan said nothing.

The book snapped shut. "You will submit to a mana restriction seal for one month."

"No."

The word hung between them, heavier than any spell.

Aldric's voice turned dangerous. "Excuse me?"

Ethan kept his tone level. "If you seal my magic, you leave me defenseless. That violates academy protection statutes—Section Twelve, Subsection Three, if I recall correctly."

A beat of silence.

Then—

The Headmaster laughed. It wasn't a pleasant sound.

"Clever boy." He set the book aside. "Very well. No seal. But if I hear of **one more** unauthorized spell..." His smile vanished. "You'll wish I'd expelled you instead."

Ethan nodded once. "Understood."