The training grounds were already crowded when Roy arrived the next morning.
Students from different first-year classes stood around the large field, some stretching while others practiced their abilities.
Roy looked around.
"So this is practical combat?"
Leo stood beside him.
"Yeah."
Roy glanced at him.
"You look nervous."
"I'm not nervous."
"You've been cracking your fingers for the last five minutes."
Leo stopped.
"That's because I'm ready."
Roy laughed.
Before they could continue, the instructor walked onto the field.
The conversations immediately stopped.
"Today, we're going to find out how well you can actually fight."
He looked across the students.
"Having a strong element doesn't make you a strong fighter. If you can't control your body, understand your opponent, or manage your Nexis, you'll lose."
His eyes moved toward Roy.
"Especially those who have recently reached Awakened."
Roy sighed.
Why does everyone keep looking at me?
The instructor pointed toward the center of the field.
"First exercise. One-on-one combat."
The students immediately became excited.
Several pairs were called forward.
Roy watched quietly.
Some fights ended quickly.
Others lasted several minutes.
There were Fire users, Earth users, Wind users, Water users and several other elements.
Roy paid close attention to every match.
He wasn't just watching their abilities.
He was watching how they moved.
How they attacked.
How they reacted when their first attack failed.
Then the instructor called his name.
"Roy."
Roy stepped forward.
His opponent walked out from the other side.
A tall boy with dark hair and a serious expression.
"Name?"
"Derek."
The instructor looked between them.
"Both of you are Awakened. No weapons."
Roy nodded.
Derek raised his hands.
Earth Nexis gathered around his arms.
The instructor stepped back.
"Begin."
Derek moved first.
He rushed forward.
Roy waited.
At the last second, Derek threw a punch.
Roy leaned to the side.
The punch missed.
Roy tapped Derek's shoulder.
"Point."
Derek froze.
The instructor nodded.
"Again."
This time Derek didn't rush.
He circled Roy.
Roy did the same.
Neither attacked.
The students watching began whispering.
Derek suddenly stomped his foot.
The ground beneath Roy cracked.
Roy jumped backward.
A stone spike shot out from the ground.
Roy barely avoided it.
He used the ground to force me backward.
Roy smiled.
"Not bad."
Derek didn't respond.
He attacked again.
Roy moved around him.
Derek's punches were powerful, but they were predictable.
Roy avoided them one after another.
Then Derek changed his rhythm.
Instead of punching, he swung his arm toward the ground.
A wave of Earth Nexis spread across the field.
Roy jumped.
Derek was waiting.
He swung his other hand.
Roy blocked with his forearm.
The impact pushed him backward.
Roy landed on one knee.
Derek rushed toward him.
Roy smiled.
"Got you."
Lightning flashed around his feet.
Flash Step.
Roy disappeared.
Derek's eyes widened.
Roy appeared behind him.
He stopped his fist just before making contact.
The instructor immediately called the match.
"Enough."
Derek turned around.
Roy lowered his hand.
"Good fight."
Derek stared at him for a moment.
Then nodded.
"You're fast."
Roy smiled.
"Thanks."
As Roy walked back, Leo gave him a high five.
"That was clean."
Roy sat down.
"I need to work on my strength."
Leo raised an eyebrow.
"You just beat him."
"I won because I was faster."
"So?"
"If I meet someone faster than me, I'll have a problem."
Leo smiled.
"You really think too much."
"That's why I'm alive."
Before Leo could answer, the instructor called the next pair.
Roy watched the remaining fights.
But something caught his attention.
A student from another class was watching him.
The boy had silver hair and blue eyes.
He wasn't talking to anyone.
He simply stood there with his arms crossed.
When Roy looked at him, the boy turned away.
Roy frowned.
Who is that?
He didn't think much about it.
After the one-on-one matches ended, the instructor changed the exercise.
"Now we're doing team combat."
The students immediately became more alert.
"You'll work in groups of five. Your goal is simple. Defeat the opposing team."
Roy looked at Leo.
"Looks like we're working together."
Leo nodded.
Jenny and Jay joined them.
Jones arrived a few seconds later.
Roy looked at the four of them.
"So we're the same team?"
Leo nodded.
"Looks like it."
The instructor gave them a few minutes to prepare.
Roy looked at his teammates.
"Let's decide our roles."
Leo raised his hand.
"I'll attack from the front."
Jenny nodded.
"I can support from the back."
Jay looked at Roy.
"What about you?"
Roy thought for a moment.
"I'll move around."
Jay frowned.
"That isn't a role."
"It is for me."
Leo laughed.
"He's right. Roy is best when he's moving."
Jones looked toward the opposing team.
"Who's their strongest fighter?"
Roy followed his gaze.
The silver-haired student from earlier was there.
His opponent.
Roy narrowed his eyes.
"You know him?"
Jones shook his head.
"No."
The instructor raised his hand.
"Begin!"
Both teams moved.
Leo immediately charged forward.
Fire exploded from his hands.
The opposing team responded with a wall of Earth.
BOOM!
Leo's attack slammed into it.
Roy moved around the side.
A Wind user spotted him.
"Behind us!"
The student turned.
Roy was already there.
Lightning flashed.
He tapped the student's chest.
"Out."
The instructor raised his hand.
"First elimination!"
Roy moved again.
Another opponent came toward him.
Roy dodged.
The student swung again.
Roy stepped back.
Then he noticed something.
The student wasn't actually trying to hit him.
He was forcing him toward the center.
They're coordinating.
Roy stopped.
The opponent smiled.
Too late.
A blast of Wind came from behind.
Roy jumped.
The attack passed underneath him.
He landed beside Leo.
"Not bad," Roy said.
Leo grinned.
"They're smarter than they look."
Roy looked across the field.
The silver-haired student was directing them.
He hadn't attacked once.
He was watching everything.
"That's their captain."
Leo looked at him.
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Roy stared at the student.
The student looked back.
For some reason, Roy felt like he had seen that expression before.
Calm.
Focused.
Almost emotionless.
Then the silver-haired student finally moved.
Blue Nexis gathered around his body.
Roy's expression changed.
Lightning?
No.
Something else.
The air around the boy began to vibrate.
Roy couldn't identify the element.
The boy disappeared.
Roy barely raised his arm.
BOOM!
The impact sent him sliding backward.
Roy looked at his arm.
It was numb.
The boy stood several meters away.
For the first time, he spoke.
"You're Roy, right?"
Roy straightened.
"Yeah."
The boy nodded.
"I've been wanting to test something."
Roy smiled.
"Then come test it."
The instructor watched from the side.
His expression became slightly more serious.
The practical class had suddenly become much more interesting.