The arena lights still shone brightly over the duel stage.
Now, standing face to face in the center were Alex and Reva.
Neither of them spoke, and the silence made the watching students nervous.
The previous match served as a reminder of how intense the upcoming battle would be.
The students watching held their breath.
Their heartbeats pounded faster than usual.
Even just watching made one of the students begin to sweat.
Reva raised her hand.
"Professor, are we allowed to use weapons?"
Her question made the watching students swallow nervously.
Professor Tanya shifted her gaze toward Alex.
"What do you think? Do you agree to using weapons?"
Alex shrugged.
"I don't mind."
Alex's gaze moved toward Reva.
"What weapon will you use?"
"Daggers," Reva answered shortly.
Alex smiled slightly, this time his eyes smiling as well.
"Can I borrow one of your daggers? I don't have one."
Reva's expression turned disgusted.
"Tch. You don't even own a dagger, yet you dare ask the Princess out on a date?" Reva mocked.
Alex picked at his ear.
"I didn't ask her on a date. I'm just tired of eating alone, so I wanted to eat with someone. If you want, you can join too."
Reva's expression shifted from disgusted to even more disgusted.
"You will never eat with the Princess. I will defeat you!" Reva declared confidently.
Alex nodded while making a mocking expression.
Reva, losing control after being provoked by Alex's teasing, finally shouted,
"Besides, the Princess already has someone she likes! That's Julian Overmas, the representative of Class 1A. He's from a prestigious family."
"Sir Julian also likes the Princess. They suit each other like a prince and princess."
Shouts erupted from the other students.
"Ooooo, the Princess and Julian!"
"The Princess is so lucky!"
"What do you mean? Julian is clearly the lucky one!"
An argument broke out among them.
Meanwhile, Katarina stood silently at the edge of the arena.
She closed her eyes and held her head.
But her ears turned red.
Mira looked toward Katarina.
"Rina isn't denying it, so they must really be together!" Mira shouted, followed by whistles from the other students.
Professor Tanya's cold voice cut through the noise.
"That's enough small talk. Reva, give one of your daggers to Alex. This time, we will have a dagger duel."
Reva pulled out two daggers from her smart bracelet.
Two black daggers—her signature weapons.
She threw one toward Alex.
Alex looked at Reva, one eyebrow raised.
"Do you want to bet on becoming my servant too?"
Reva shook her head.
"No. I'm going to pierce your body right now."
Alex mocked her words.
"Oooo I'm sooo scared, sooo scared," he said while making embarrassing gestures.
Reva's eyebrow twitched, her face turning red with anger.
Cheers and insults echoed from the students.
"Damn, that's disgusting."
"What if we all gang up on him?"
"That's a good idea."
Alex simply laughed at his classmates' reactions.
Professor Tanya slowly raised her hand.
The cheers faded, replaced by silence.
Reva focused her gaze on Alex.
Alex simply stood there casually.
"Begin!" Professor Tanya declared.
Reva took a ready stance.
She had already seen Alex fight and realized he was no ordinary bookworm.
Reva swallowed.
'How did he hide his combat ability until now?'
But Reva was no ordinary student either. She had been trained by her father since childhood to become Princess Katarina's shadow.
She had watched countless battles and understood Alex's tendencies.
Her thoughts raced.
'Those extraordinary reflexes are the problem. His reflexes are like he can see the future. He moves before attacks are even launched. He must be waiting to counterattack.'
Reva's body tensed, but in her eyes Alex only appeared to be yawning, standing upright without any defensive posture.
Suddenly, Alex lowered his stance.
Without warning, he charged forward.
Reva's eyes widened.
'Did he change his fighting style?'
Alex rushed in, but his steps looked strange. Reva, who had watched fighters since childhood, noticed it immediately.
Her gaze focused on his right foot—its movement looked slightly off.
Reva swallowed.
'Is his right leg really injured? Was he serious when he rolled around earlier?'
Seeing an opportunity, Reva finally decided to move as well.
She approached Alex, abandoning all her previous plans.
As they closed the distance—
Alex smiled faintly.
Suddenly, he lowered his posture.
His right hand holding the dagger bent, preparing to stab.
Reva, having lost her defensive posture earlier, became awkward.
Alex's right hand shot forward, aiming for the right side of Reva's abdomen.
Slash.
Blood stained the black dagger Alex held.
Reva grimaced.
But she immediately tried to counterattack.
Because after stabbing, Alex's position was lower than hers.
Reva stepped forward with her left foot, shifting her footing from parallel stance and rotating her body slightly clockwise.
Then she slashed downward, aiming for Alex's neck.
Alex's soul-core reflex centered in his spine responded instantly.
His left hand touched the ground, using force to push himself sideways away from Reva's downward slash.
Alex fell onto the arena floor and immediately rolled away.
His strange movements eased the tension felt by the watching students.
Professor Tanya, now more focused than before because this fight carried greater risk, widened her eyes.
'That's survival instinct. Even though his movements look strange, he avoided an attack that most students here couldn't evade.'
Reva froze momentarily seeing Alex's unusual movement.
But she quickly regained her senses and charged at Alex, who had not yet stood up.
'This is my chance!' Reva thought.
Alex reacted, but needing time to regain a defensive position, he resorted to cunning once again.
He raised his right hand holding the dagger and threw it.
The dagger shot toward Reva.
Reva was forced to stop her advance to deflect the incoming blade.
Alex immediately stood up, following the dagger he had thrown.
Cling.
Reva successfully deflected the airborne dagger.
But what came next was far more terrifying than the flying weapon.
Alex rushed toward her. Pressing his right foot against the ground as support, he raised his left leg as if preparing to kick.
Startled, Reva braced herself as best as she could.
Her body tensed.
But her tense body received a false warning—the attack didn't come when she expected it.
That brief moment created a significant opening.
Because Alex used his right foot—the supposed pivot—to jump.
He spun clockwise.
Switching his support to his left leg, he used his right leg to kick Reva.
A groan escaped Reva along with the sound of impact.
"Argh…"
Buk
Reva, whose body had relaxed after believing the attack wouldn't come, felt even greater pain.
She was thrown backward.
At the edge of the arena, Katarina watched the battle.
Her eyes widened, her expression unlike usual—this time showing genuine shock.
But her expression soon recovered.
She looked at Reva being thrown away.
'Reva… she is a competent friend and protector. In my previous life, she died before she could grow. She had talent, but lacked combat experience. That's why she died.'
Katarina clenched her fist.
'But by fighting Alex, she will grow and understand her talent further.'
Katarina shifted her gaze toward Alex.
'Alex… he also died in the previous life. That matched his weak combat image. But now… why is he so different? Why has he become like this? Is this a sign? Can I cooperate with him?' Katarina thought.
In the spectator stands, unnoticed by
anyone—
The headmaster chuckled while watching Alex and Reva's fight.
"Doesn't he always do something unexpected? Just when you think you've figured him out, he does something beyond reason," the headmaster commented.
Anna nodded.
"His instincts are extremely sharp. He's like a monster with adaptive ability, and those reflexes are far above average."
The headmaster smiled.
"I'm glad I watched this, hahaha."
Under the spotlight—
On the duel stage, Reva lay on the ground.
Pain spread throughout her entire body, not just where she had been kicked.
The sensation made her blood boil.
'He's too hard to catch… too slippery.'
Reva stared at Alex more intensely.
'How can that bookworm move like a veteran?'
She tried to stand.
Alex's dagger had slipped from his grasp, but Alex made no attempt to retrieve it.
"What are you staring at? Come at me again," Alex said.
Reva gritted her teeth.
"Aren't you going to pick up your dagger?"
Alex shook his head.
"No. I do like using daggers. But I like using my bare hands against someone holding a dagger even more," Alex said jokingly.
The students swallowed nervously.
The fight between Alex and Reva felt even more tense because weapons were involved.
The stakes were higher—one moment of carelessness could be fatal.
Beside Katarina, Mira bit her nails and shouted at Reva.
"Just attack already, Reva! Pierce that arrogant guy!"
Everyone turned toward her. They all agreed Mira simply didn't want to lose another bet.
Alex glanced at Mira, then back at Reva.
"You heard her. Come attack me. Hurry—my right leg is starting to hurt more."
Alex then looked toward Professor Tanya.
"It's fine if I fight barehanded, right?"
"That's your choice. You'll bear the consequences," Professor Tanya replied.
Hearing that, Reva inhaled deeply.
"Fyuuh…"
She looked up at the arena ceiling.
Then lowered her gaze toward Alex. Her breathing grew rough, her heartbeat accelerated, and her grip on the dagger tightened.
She lowered her posture and dashed forward.
Alex smiled.
Ready to welcome her.
'How about we set another trap, Krystal?'
'That won't work. She's already seen it, so she won't fall for it.'
'Hehehe… we need to see it directly to evaluate her.'
'She has talent, but little experience—especially while needing to protect the human princess.'
'She needs to grow.'
Reva closed the distance—the same range Aril had reached when he encountered Alex's trap.
Alex smiled and repeated the same action as before.
He stepped his right foot backward, opening a gap in his defense.
Reva's eyes widened.
She saw it—the opening.
But she had seen this moment before.
Aril had stopped midway and still got beaten.
Her breathing grew heavier.
'At least with a knife, I can inflict a wound as a starting point.'
Gripping her dagger tighter, Reva thrust toward Alex.
Alex felt excitement rising.
'Aha.'
His smile widened.
'Finally, I can use this technique again. This is my favorite technique, Krystal!'
Reva's stab approached Alex's body.
Alex raised his left hand—not a fist, but an open palm.
His movement was smooth and fast. With perfect timing, accumulated experience, and countless past failures—
His palm touched the flat surface of the blade.
Alex pushed it downward with flowing force.
When he felt the push was enough—
He added stronger force, driving it with his shoulder.
The blade changed direction, deviating from Reva's intended target.
In an instant, the situation reversed. Now Reva had an opening.
Still processing what had happened, she froze.
Alex seized the moment.
He raised his right arm, fist clenched, ready to strike.
As it neared Reva's face, he changed his attack—from a punch into an elbow strike.
Buk
The elbow landed directly on Reva's face, especially her nose.
Blood flowed from her nose, her vision blurred, then turned black.
Buk
Reva collapsed.
Silence returned.
Alex knelt beside Reva and raised his hand.
"My leg—my leg really hurts. I think it's cracked," his voice broke the silence.
The students began murmuring.
"Is he joking?"
"His foot really looks injured."
"He's such an attention seeker."
"Medic!!" Professor Tanya shouted.
Reva, unconscious, was carried to the treatment center, following Aril.
Alex remained in pain, but no one paid attention to him.
In the spectator stands—
The headmaster and Anna stood after witnessing the final moment.
"HAHAHAHA!" The headmaster's satisfied laughter echoed loudly.
All eyes turned toward the source—including Alex, still kneeling.
Alex narrowed his eyes.
Carried away by excitement, the headmaster removed his robe, now wearing only a black shirt and black trousers.
Fwoosh.
A gust of wind swept across the students near the arena.
But Alex felt a cold presence beside him.
He turned.
Standing there, towering beside him, was the headmaster.
Alex's eyes widened.
He looked back toward the stands—only a woman remained there.
Alex's emotions surged. His heart pounded violently, his blood boiling.
'He's strong. Even my first soul core couldn't react until he was already beside me.'
Krystal confirmed it.
'Yes… he's strong.'
Goosebumps spread across Alex's body.
An old man's voice spoke.
"You are remarkable. I've never seen a first-year student move like that. I look forward to your growth."
The vibration in his voice made Alex freeze.
The headmaster walked toward the center of the arena.
Anna had already arrived, standing beside Professor Tanya and nudging her shoulder.
"Your class is very interesting, Professor Tanya. Looks like you'll be busier this year."
Professor Tanya sighed and nodded.
"Yes, they're all troublesome kids."
Anna giggled.
"How about we hang out after work?"
Their conversation continued—
Until a voice interrupted.
"Ahem."
Hearing it, Tanya and Anna immediately stood straight.
The headmaster looked at Professor Tanya.
"May I speak for a moment, Professor?"
Professor Tanya nodded.
"Of course, Headmaster."
The headmaster looked at all Class 1C students present.
His gaze made everyone nervous.
Though old and retired from the front lines, his presence was undeniable.
Because he was Tony Adams, the Black Sword.
A name carrying immense weight—one of the few SS-ranked humans.
He had also been a close companion of the former queen, Katarina's grandmother.
Even the current human king respected him.
"Class 1C gave a good performance, even if only that one stood out."
He pointed at Alex.
"But I'm sure all of you learned something today just by watching."
He pointed at himself.
"We humans must adapt to any situation. Don't rely on a single source of strength. Talents and mana are powerful, but our enemies adapt too. They will find every way possible to kill us."
His gaze swept across the students.
"So strengthen every aspect you can. Don't depend on only one power."
He smiled.
"That's all for now, hahaha."
His laughter thundered again before he turned to Alex.
"How about sparring with me someday? Of course, physical combat only."
Everyone swallowed nervously hearing the invitation.
Alex shook his head.
"No… I don't want to die young."
His answer made the headmaster laugh again.
After that, he left with Anna.
Watching his back, Alex felt his fighting spirit ignite again.
He had found another goal.
At the very least, he wanted to stand on the same stage as the headmaster.
Alex tried to stand. He looked around, searching—then found his target.
Mira, who had lost the bet, was trying to escape.
"Hey! Where are you going?! You owe me!"
Alex shouted.
He tried to chase her, but his first step betrayed him.
Pain shot through his right leg.
He fell and could only struggle helplessly.
In the end, Alex—who had sent Aril and Reva to the treatment center—had to join them there himself.
Outside the Class 1 duel arena, the sun still shone brightly. A breeze fluttered the headmaster's white robe and made Anna's hair sway.
The headmaster and Anna walked away from the arena.
"Wasn't it excessive to evaluate Alex that highly? His mana level is only E+ right now," Anna asked.
The headmaster stroked his chin.
"Didn't you watch him? With abilities like that, I'm certain he'll reach great heights."
"What he showed wasn't just high-level techniques, but a trained mentality and a calm head during combat."
The headmaster stopped in front of the arena building and looked at the daytime sky.
A breath escaped his lips.
"Besides, the S-ranks have already received the report, haven't they?"
Anna swallowed and nodded, understanding what he meant.
"The atmosphere is tense right now. From the outside it looks peaceful, but those of us who know the truth understand that this peace could vanish at any moment."
The headmaster rubbed his furrowed forehead.
"In the north, the dwarves discovered traces of something massive. That creature scratched the magical barrier of the Silent Mountains, searching for even the smallest crack."
He looked at Anna.
"And at the same time, the artifact—the Bone of Malakar—has appeared, targeted by Dark Side."
"You know the connection between the two, right?" he asked.
Anna nodded.
"Of course."
The headmaster sighed.
"We need every bit of help we can get."
"We can only adapt and survive whatever attack may come. Even the dragons have issued warnings."
He lowered his gaze, scratching his head.
"And on top of that, spies are hiding among us. Ahh… everything is troublesome," he complained.
The headmaster looked at the sky again.
"I just want to retire peacefully and watch the younger generation grow."
Another breath escaped him, heavier than before.
"Unfortunately, that won't happen until I die."
"Let's continue the preparations," the headmaster said.
And they returned to their duties.