(Lyon POV)
"I know that might seem confusing, but it really is the best path for me. Despite my Shadow and Lightning abilities, my strongest aspects have always been weapon and energy manipulation."
Lyon paused for a moment before continuing.
"I would show you all what I mean, but I'm not skilled enough to practice some of those methods without putting everyone around me at unnecessary risk. Suffice it to say, though, I am fully capable of clearing out enemies standing in our way."
The others listened quietly.
"On top of that, my body is a little special. Because of my bloodline, it doesn't react well to Strategist Frequencies. Whenever I try to properly manipulate Mental Energy, my head starts throbbing before I can even begin the practice."
That part, at least, was simple enough to understand.
It was common knowledge that anyone hoping to follow the Strategist Path needed a naturally high affinity for Mental Kei Energy.
Usually shortened to Mental Energy, or M.E., it was one of the stranger mutations of Kei Energy.
Unfortunately, there was little anyone could do about natural talent in that particular field.
Most attributes could be trained.
A cultivator could strengthen elemental control, improve physical affinity, increase energy reserves, or compensate for shortcomings through specialized techniques and relentless practice.
Special mutations of Kei Energy were different.
With only a handful of extremely rare exceptions, a person's natural affinity for things like Mental Energy could not simply be increased through normal cultivation.
As far back as Lyon could remember, Uncle Mark had always seemed strangely disappointed by his abysmal affinity for it.
Lyon hadn't understood why when he was younger.
Later, he learned that the Sable family had always struggled more than most when it came to developing Mental Energy.
Apparently, several unique mutations that had appeared within previous generations of their bloodline had created the weakness as a tradeoff for stronger elemental affinity.
Lyon couldn't exactly complain.
His own affinity for Lightning Kei was ridiculous, and even his connection to Shadow Kei was far beyond what most cultivators could reasonably expect.
Still, it closed certain doors.
Despite all those disadvantages, however, his poor Mental Energy talent wasn't even the main reason Lyon felt so certain about his decision.
He simply knew the Warcrock Path suited him.
Someone could theoretically specialize in almost any cultivation path they desired.
That didn't mean every decision was intelligent.
Common sense dictated that a cultivator should maximize their strengths while minimizing weaknesses wherever possible.
For Lyon, attempting to restrict and guide his Spirit and Elemental Kei through the rigid methods favored by Strategists would only hold him back.
Rather than spend years cultivating M.E. in the desperate hope of becoming merely adequate at something others could perform naturally, Lyon intended to turn his existing affinity and versatility into a walking disaster zone for anyone unfortunate enough to stand against him.
The additional finesse of the Warcrock Path would also allow him to support the rest of the group in ways a traditional frontline cultivator normally couldn't.
Mental Energy was certainly powerful.
There was no denying that.
However, it was also a tool whose true potential only became apparent during the later stages of cultivation.
Those advantages became more absurd as a cultivator's affinity and ability to integrate Mental Energy increased.
Lyon had witnessed that difference firsthand.
Years ago, he had met one of Uncle Mark's acquaintances who specialized almost entirely in Mental Energy.
The man had been terrifying.
Not because of overwhelming physical strength or some monstrous display of destructive power.
He had once manipulated an entire virtual war as if it were nothing more than a children's board game.
Hundreds of thousands of players moved according to his instructions.
Orders shifted across multiple battlefields simultaneously.
Supply lines were adjusted.
Defensive formations changed.
Entire groups of players were redirected before the opposing side even realized an opening had appeared.
At one point, the enemy had attempted a suicidal charge designed to collapse one of the central fronts.
The man's expression hadn't changed at all.
He redirected several forces, sacrificed a minor defensive position, and converted the reckless offensive into a trap within minutes.
All while giving Lyon a lesson on Kei cultivation.
And playing chess with Uncle Mark.
Lyon had spent most of that day wondering whether the man possessed multiple brains.
Suffice it to say, the difference between a naturally gifted Mental cultivator and someone without the proper affinity was far too great for Lyon to feel comfortable committing himself to that path.
At some point, effort stopped being the deciding factor.
Sometimes reality was simply unfair.
No one could be the best at everything.
Lyon had accepted that long ago.
Until he discovered some method capable of compensating for his lack of affinity, he had no intention of seriously pursuing Mental Energy.
He finally pulled himself from his thoughts.
Only then did Lyon notice the three confused expressions staring at him.
Apparently, he had been silent for longer than expected.
Right.
He cleared his throat.
"Anyway, ignoring my terrible Mental Energy talent, I am much better suited to the Warcrock Path. I've trained in most of the common weapon styles since I was young."
Zesher's attention sharpened.
"My elemental abilities also make it easier for me to react quickly whenever the flow of a battle suddenly changes."
Lyon gestured vaguely between the group.
"The way I see it, my role will be to observe the battlefield and move wherever I'm most useful at that moment."
His gaze shifted toward Zesher.
"I can fight directly on the frontlines beside you when necessary, then pull back and provide support if another part of the formation starts collapsing."
Zesher nodded slowly.
Lyon continued.
"If you're being overwhelmed, I reinforce you. If Derrick creates an opening, I help exploit it. If Alicia needs space to prepare something larger, then I make sure she gets that space."
The more Lyon explained it, the clearer the role became.
He wouldn't be the strongest attacker.
He wouldn't be the dedicated defender.
He wouldn't be the strategist controlling everything from a distance.
Instead, he would become the piece capable of moving wherever the team needed him most.
There was only one problem.
Derrick frowned.
"What battles are you even talking about?"
Lyon looked toward him.
"As far as I know, we won't be allowed to leave campus until break."
Derrick leaned farther into his seat.
"And we aren't exactly planning on visiting any stadiums to compete against professional teams."
Alicia and Zesher nodded in agreement.
"Obviously, we'll be fighting the other students."
Three pairs of eyes focused on Lyon.
He stared back.
"It should be obvious by now that this entire first month is going to be a trial by fire."
Understanding slowly appeared on their faces.
Lyon ignored their expressions and continued.
"I am almost certain that at some point, the teachers are going to test more than our individual combat abilities."
He pointed around the room.
"They specifically forced us into teams."
That fact alone said enough.
"If all they cared about was individual growth, there would be no reason to make us live together, share assignments, help each other improve, and punish the entire group whenever one person fails."
Alicia's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Lyon continued driving the point home.
"At some point, they're going to test whether we can actually function as a unit."
He smiled faintly.
"And everyone else already expects us to be the strongest group."
Zesher frowned.
"That means they'll prepare specifically for us."
"Exactly."
Lyon nodded.
"Every team that thinks they have even the slightest chance of taking first place will spend more time figuring out how to deal with us than anyone else."
Alicia finally interjected.
"Isn't that assuming the primary purpose of this month is to improve our teamwork rather than simply our personal abilities?"
Lyon turned toward her.
"From what I've seen so far, almost everything we've done has focused on individual cultivation."
"That is true."
Lyon didn't argue the point.
"But you have to remember where we are."
Alicia remained silent.
"This is Heaven Class."
Lyon leaned back.
"And we're not even official members yet."
His expression became more serious.
"Everything we've experienced so far has had another purpose behind it. The rankings exposed our strengths and weaknesses. The cultivation assessments revealed what methods we use. The teachers then grouped us in a way that directly attacks our personalities and habits."
Zesher slowly nodded.
Derrick's expression shifted as well.
"So yes," Lyon continued, "we've mostly been improving individually."
His smile returned.
"But I can say with complete certainty that we're going to have some form of group battle before the end of this week."
Zesher and Derrick exchanged looks.
Neither disagreed.
Alicia remained thoughtful for several more seconds before eventually nodding.
"In that case, who will act as our strategist?"
Zesher had finally reached the greatest weakness in their current lineup.
"A strategist is considered a critical component of any established team."
He glanced toward Lyon.
"And none of us are following that path."
"For now, I'll handle it."
Zesher's brows rose slightly.
Lyon tapped his chest.
"Early-stage Mental cultivators aren't capable of anything completely beyond ordinary human thought yet."
That would change later.
Eventually, specialized Strategists could process absurd quantities of information simultaneously, maintain communication across vast distances, control complicated formations, and respond to battlefield developments faster than normal cultivators could even recognize them.
None of them had reached that level.
Not even close.
"At our current stage, I can compensate through observation and planning."
Derrick nodded slowly.
"So you're temporarily filling two positions."
"Basically."
"And later?"
"We find someone better."
Lyon answered without hesitation.
"I have no intention of crippling the team because of my pride."
That earned a small smile from Zesher.
"Alright, then."
He tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"I think this could work. What should our next step be?"
Alicia answered first.
"We should focus on our personal training tonight."
Everyone looked toward her.
"We have already experienced enough today."
Her matter-of-fact tone made Derrick smile.
"We can begin practicing together tomorrow after everyone has rested."
It was a reasonable suggestion.
Lyon immediately disagreed.
"Actually, I think we'd benefit more from fighting each other tonight."
Silence.
Lyon continued.
"One-on-one matches first."
Derrick blinked.
"And after that, a battle royal."
The silence grew heavier.
Lyon barely managed to suppress a laugh at their expressions.
"There are plenty of recovery drinks available, and all our rooms are connected to personal training facilities with healing stations."
Derrick stared.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why should we beat each other senseless before dinner?"
Lyon grinned.
"I never said senseless."
"That doesn't answer the question."
Lyon laughed.
Derrick continued.
"I understand training together. I even understand sparring enough to learn each other's normal fighting styles."
He frowned.
"But I still don't see how going all-out against one another immediately is supposed to help us become a better team."
"Well, obviously you've never heard the saying, 'Warriors talk with their fists, and only your enemy knows you best.'"
Nobody laughed.
Lyon looked around.
"Nothing?"
Alicia sighed.
Zesher's mouth twitched.
Derrick looked offended.
"Fine."
Lyon was about to explain when Alicia unexpectedly spoke first.
"I agree with him."
Derrick's head snapped toward her.
The expression on his face made it look as though a lifelong pacifist had just punched him in the stomach.
Alicia ignored him.
"He is right."
She folded her arms.
"What we need most right now is a deeper understanding of one another."
Her eyes moved between the others.
"The fastest way to obtain that is through serious combat."
Derrick's resignation became increasingly visible.
Alicia continued.
"We need to understand each other's abilities, tendencies, habits, strengths, and flaws."
She looked toward Zesher.
"We need to know how he reacts when his defense is breached."
Then Derrick.
"How you behave when you're unable to disappear from someone's awareness."
Her gaze moved toward Lyon.
"And how he responds when his plans fail."
Finally, she gestured toward herself.
"You also need to know how I fight when an opponent reaches close range."
Lyon smiled.
Exactly.
Training together would teach them how each person wanted to fight.
Fighting each other would reveal how they actually fought when pressured.
Those were rarely the same thing.
"Great."
Lyon stood.
"Then let's make sure we do it properly."
His expression became more serious.
"When we fight, don't intentionally hold back information just because you don't want the others learning how you operate."
Derrick opened his mouth.
Lyon raised a hand.
"Obviously, I'm not saying everyone has to reveal every life-saving trump card they possess."
That would be idiotic.
"But don't hide normal techniques or abilities we'll eventually depend on during a real fight."
The others nodded.
Lyon suddenly remembered something.
"Oh."
They waited.
"I should probably mention that I don't have any contracted Kei Beasts yet."
Silence returned.
Derrick stared at him.
Alicia's calm expression finally cracked.
Even Zesher looked openly disbelieving.
Lyon smiled awkwardly.
"So you don't have to worry about me secretly hiding one."
Nobody responded.
Lyon found their reactions surprisingly entertaining.
Despite the rough beginning, he was starting to enjoy talking with these strange teenagers.
His upbringing hadn't exactly provided many opportunities to make friends his own age.
Most of the children he had grown up around either belonged to families closely connected to his own or treated him differently because of the Sable name.
That tended to make ordinary relationships difficult.
Here, things felt strangely different.
Not comfortable.
Definitely not trustworthy.
Lyon still didn't fully trust any of them.
But he was beginning to like them.
That alone surprised him.
It helped that every member of the group was competent enough to quickly understand new plans and adapt when circumstances changed.
None of them were useless.
None needed to be constantly protected.
And, perhaps most importantly, none of them seemed boring.
Lyon found himself unexpectedly looking forward to their matches.
More than that, he suddenly wanted to see how far this strange team could actually go.
They had been thrown together because the teachers apparently believed their personalities would make cooperation difficult.
Fine.
Then Lyon wanted to prove them wrong.
Not merely by surviving Hell Month.
He wanted to turn this mismatched collection of suspicious, secretive, overly talented lunatics into the greatest team to ever pass through Aserx Royal Academy.
The thought appeared so naturally that Lyon almost laughed.
Well... that's another goal added to the list.
He stood and began heading toward his room.
"Come on."
The others looked toward him.
"No point wasting time if we want to finish these fights before dinner."
Derrick groaned.
Zesher stood with considerably more enthusiasm.
Alicia merely sighed before following.
Lyon opened the door leading toward his room, then glanced back at them.
"One rule, though."
Three faces turned toward him.
"You can destroy whatever you want in the training room."
He pointed toward his bedroom.
"But if any of you leave blood or sweat in my actual room when we're finished, we're going to have a problem."
For several seconds, no one responded.
Then Zesher laughed.
Derrick shook his head.
Even Alicia's lips twitched slightly.
Lyon smiled and stepped through the doorway.
Their first real team training session was about to begin.
And if his instincts were correct...
They were going to learn considerably more about each other before dinner.