The stale air of Arena 4 hangs heavy with the scent of sweat and ozone. Seriously, do they not air this place out? I lean against the cool stone wall, watching Liorra effortlessly dismantle some poor sap with a flurry of ice shards. She moves like liquid mercury, graceful and deadly. Makes it look too easy.
Evan's up next, and he's predictably tearing through his opponent. He's all smiles and playful jabs, but there's a precision to his movements. He's a swordsman's and he has an interesting fighting style too, it seems like he's dancing with his sword with not rigid movements. Impressive.
Professor Finhald, a gruff man with a permanent scowl, barks out instructions between matches. "Foundations, cadets! Weapon mastery is the bedrock upon which all else is built! Cultivate it, amplify it, or be swept away!" Dramatic much?
They call name after name, each duel a short burst of controlled chaos. Then, the inevitable.
"Ardentis," Finhald booms, his eyes sweeping over me with a dismissive glance. "You're up.you will go against Kalen Volkov"
Volkov. Great. The guy is built like a brick shithouse, all muscle and grim determination. He favors a massive warhammer, and from the way he's testing the weight of it, I suspect he likes to hit things. Hard.
I push off the wall, retrieving my katana from my inventory.
Evan strolled over to where Selene, Aria, Nyra, and Liorra were huddled, a smirk playing on his lips as he surveyed the arena. "Looks like it's our mystery transfer student that's next," he commented, his gaze fixing on Cael as he stepped into the ring.
Aria bounced on the balls of her feet, excitement radiating from her. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do to warrant sponsorship by the Heroic Corps! It's not everyday they throw money at a random transfer."
"Did you hear?" she continued, turning to Nyra, "apparently he got into it with Cedric yesterday, and people are saying he held his ground? What really happened?"
Nyra adjusted her glasses, her expression thoughtful. She turned to Selene, seeking confirmation. "Is that true? You were there, right? Did you see what happened?"
Selene paused, a flicker of something unreadable crossing her features. "I'm not sure," she finally said, "By the time I got there and questioned them, they were already separated."
Evan chuckled, leaning back against the railing. "Well, we're about to find out if it's true or not." He fixed his eyes on the stage, watching Cael face off against Volkov.
Cael Ardentis stepped into the arena, the gritty dust crunching under his boots. Volkov towered over him, a mountain of muscle and simmering aggression. He barely glanced at the katana in Cael's hand before letting out a booming scoff. "You won't be able to touch me with that twig."
Cael blinked, genuinely surprised by the sheer size of the man. It wasn't just height; Volkov was wide, a walking fortress of bone and sinew. He hefted the warhammer, testing its weight with a casual flex. "We'll see about that, won't we?" Cael retorted, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. It wasn't bravado—more a detached curiosity. He hadn't truly tested Void Flash against a moving target, and Volkov looked like an excellent candidate.
Instructor Finhald, looking supremely unimpressed, barked, "Begin!"
Volkov moved. And he moved fast. For someone his size, the initial rush was startling. He covered the distance between them with terrifying speed, the warhammer whistling through the air.
Cael didn't bother waiting to be tested for durability. He activated Spatial Sense, the world momentarily blurring as he mapped Volkov's trajectory, calculating the precise moment to displace himself. Then, Void Flash.
One moment he was facing the hammer's descent, the next he materialized directly in front of Volkov, close enough to smell the man's sweat and the metallic tang of exertion. Volkov's eyes widened in astonishment, his swing thrown off balance. The warhammer sailed harmlessly over Cael's head.
Before Volkov could recover, Cael activated Void Flash again, reappearing directly behind him.
The hammer swung again, a brutal arc aimed to flatten anyone in its path. Cael teleported. Missed. Again he rematerialized behind Volkov as the hammer slammed into the dirt, sending a tremor through the arena floor.
Volkov spun, a furious roar escaping his lips, swinging the hammer in a wide, sweeping motion. Cael teleported in a flicker of blue energy, and reappeared just out of reach.
The crowd gasped, a collective intake of breath that echoed across the arena. A ripple of murmurings spread through the stands. Spatial magic. It wasn't unheard of, but it was rare. And to witness such control over it, to blink in and out of existence with such precision,it was remarkable.
"He can use spatial magic?" Aria shrieked, practically vibrating with excitement. "I knew there was something different about him!"
Evan grinned, a flash of white teeth against his tanned skin. "Interesting. Very interesting." He leaned forward, his gaze unwavering.
Nyra, was already analyzing, her brow furrowed in concentration. "The fluidity of his transitions…minimal distortion, near-instantaneous relocation. He has a good, natural control over it."
Selen remained silent, her icy blue eyes fixed on Cael, an unreadable expression masking her thoughts.
Volkov, meanwhile, was not pleased. The initial shock of Cael's ability had given way to incandescent rage. He roared, a primal sound that rattled the stone walls. And then, something shifted. A red, almost purplish hue began to envelop him, radiating outwards like a heatwave.
In that instant, something shifted.
A sharp chime cut through the chaos of the arena—quiet, but unmistakable.
Then—
A translucent panel snapped into existence in front of my vision, flickering slightly as if struggling to stabilize.
⸻
[Gift Detected]
Name: Enhanced Strength
Rank: A
Source: Kalen Volkov
⸻
The text pulsed once. Then again.
Another line forced its way beneath it.
⸻
[Absolute Assimilation Activated]
Compatibility: Perfect
Would you like to copy this Gift?
"Do it"
[Copy Complete]
Enhanced Strength – Acquired
"He's activating his Gift," Evan noted, his voice losing its playful tone. "Enhanced Strength"
Standard for Volkov's lineage"
Volkov moved. Not just moved—exploded into motion. The change in speed was jarring, inhuman. Cael barely had time to register the the system notification before Volkov's warhammer was whistling towards his head again, a blur of metal and fury.
Thanks to Cael's spatial sense he was able teleport, calculating the distance and timing with practice ease. He materialized a hair's breadth away from the descending hammer, the wind from its passage ruffling his hair. It was a tighter escape than before, dangerously close. He reappeared on the other side of arena
He reappeared behind Volkov, taking advantage of the momentary disorientation.
Now.
Cael activated the Eye of Power, channeling a small fraction of its potential. Odin's voice echoed in his mind. "Eye of Power activated – ten percent."
"Why not add a little bit more for good measure"
[Activating skill: Enhanced Strength]
[Strength: D- → A]
A surge of energy coursed through Cael's arm, a tingling warmth that focused into a single point. He didn't bother with finesse; didn't bother with a complicated technique. Just a simple, direct punch, aimed at Volkov's side.
The impact was…catastrophic.
It wasn't the technique that mattered, but the sheer force amplified by the Eye of Power. The sound was sickening – a dull thud followed by a cracking whimper. Volkov's body, a fortress of muscle and bone, launched across the arena, propelled by the force of the blow.
He didn't just stumble. He didn't just fall.
He flew.
Sailing through the air like a ragdoll, Volkov crashed into the stone wall surrounding the arena, impacting with a resounding boom that shook the entire structure. Dust rained down from the ceiling, and cracks spiderwebbed across the stone where Volkov's body had collided with it.
Silence descended. A stunned, absolute silence.
Instructor Finhald was the first to break the spell, his face a mask of disbelief. He hadn't expected a D-Rank cadet, especially a transfer, to display that level of raw power."What… was that?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "Was that his gift ?"
Evan wore a sheepish grin. He leaned toward Lyra, whispering, "Seriously, who is this guy?" His eyes darted between Cael and the incapacitated Volkov with barely concealed intrigue.
Nyra, the analytical one, was visibly shaken. She hadn't anticipated Cael possessing that kind of physical strength, let alone the ability to channel it with such devastating precision. Her meticulous worldview was crumbling at the edges. Aria, predictably, was buzzing with excitement. "Oh. My. Gods! Did you see that?! That wall is totally wrecked!"
Selene, normally composed and unreadable, had momentarily lost her composure. Her eyes widened for a fleeting second before regaining their composure. Then, she fixed Cael with an intense, scrutinizing stare.
Selene's gaze remained locked on Cael and now, she saw the surprise mirrored on his own face. He stared at his hand, flexing the fingers as if unsure if they still belonged to him.
Cael stared at his hand, flexing the fingers as if unsure if they still belonged to him. What was that? Ten percent. He'd been trying to hold back, consciously limiting the Eye of Power's output, and that was the result? A slow grin spread across his face. Okay, that was…interesting.
He glanced around, taking in the stunned faces. Instructor Finhald was slowly emerging from his daze. The man's gaze swept over Cael, lingering for an uncomfortable moment before snapping back to the motionless form of Volkov.
"Umm," Cael said, raising a hand tentatively. "Instructor? I think you should call the duel."
Finhald blinked, as if remembering his duties. "Right. Right." He cleared his throat. "Ardentis wins! Volkov" He barked orders at nearby assistants, summoning medics to haul the groaning Volkov away.
Cael didn't waste a second. The stunned silence of the arena was a suffocating blanket, and he needed air, needed space to process what had just happened. He slipped away from the lingering crowd, disappearing into the echoing hallway outside, leaving the murmurs and confusion behind. As he reached the relative quiet, he sighed, sucking in a breath of cool, filtered air. "Gotta be more careful," he muttered to himself. He hadn't even thought about the implications of using the Eye of Power, hadn't considered the reaction.
His thoughts were interrupted by a voice, laced with amusement. "So you're just gonna disappear after putting on a show like that, huh?"
Cael turned, recognizing the dark-haired youth leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Evan Kael. He recalled the name being called in class. Evan sauntered forward, a confident swagger in his stride.
"I'm Evan Kael," he announced with a grin, extending a hand. "Resident ladies' man."
Cael shook his hand, noting the firm grip. "Cael Ardentis."
Evan's smile widened. "That was kinda cool what you did back there. That's some serious strength. Didn't even look like you were trying." He paused, studying Cael with shrewd, assessing eyes. "and your spatial magic how are you able to teleport so precisely?"
Cael shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Just got lucky, I guess."
Evan's grin widened, a flash of white teeth. "Well, for a guy that looks so weak, you sure are full of surprises." He scanned Cael's attire, his gaze lingering on the simple metal band on Cael's finger. "You don't even seem to be wearing any magical artifacts. Even that ring looks plain."
Cael glanced down at the ring, a smirk playing at his lips.
"Well," Evan continued, holding up his hands in a gesture of camaraderie, "if you ever need any help, let me know. I'm pretty famous around here." He gave a final, jaunty wave before turning and heading back towards the arena.
Cael watched him go, a flicker of confusion crossing his features. Weird. He thought to himself. And do I really look that weak?
A cool, detached voice echoed in his mind. "Affirmative.
"Shut up"
****
To be continued…