The morning after the Silver Storm, Indra woke earlier than usual. His body still carried that strange sensation from the night before—like silent but living currents of energy moving within him.
When he rose, he noticed his breathing was deeper, and every motion felt… lighter. Not brute strength, but a sharper harmony between muscle and mind, as if he'd become more attuned to his own body.
In the bathroom, he stared at his reflection. His eyes seemed a touch brighter, and when he channeled a bit of Qi into his hand, something new happened: the energy moved with less resistance. Before, it was like forcing water through a straw; now, it flowed like wind through an open window.
"What did that storm do to me?" he murmured.
---
At breakfast, Sophie leaned against the counter, studying him.
"You're different today." she said. "Your movements are… less stiff."
"Must be that residual energy." he shrugged, though he knew it was more than that.
"Hm. Just don't start relying on it too much. Changes this fast can throw your control off balance."
Indra only nodded, but deep down, part of him was itching to put this new "state" to the test.
---
Later that day, during his free period, Indra headed to the Academy's Outer Arena—a vast, open space ringed by spectator stands, its stone floor reinforced with runes to withstand heavy impacts.
A group of students was already training. Among them stood Marcus Halberd, heir to a minor clan, the same opponent Indra had faced—and lost to—just the day before.
"Well, well, the rookie's back." Marcus said, twirling his longsword. "Here to watch, or ready to lose again?"
"Why not?" Indra replied, drawing his jian.
The duel started fast. Marcus attacked first, swinging in a wide horizontal arc. Indra stepped back, feeling the blade cut the air inches from his face. He countered with a straight thrust, but Marcus parried with ease.
This time, however, something felt different. Indra could read the rhythm of the strikes better, noticing small openings. He blocked two consecutive blows and pivoted into a side slash that forced Marcus to retreat.
"Tch… you've actually improved." Marcus admitted, tightening his grip.
The fight lasted a few more minutes. Indra still lost, but not from lack of control—rather from lacking the stamina and strength to keep pace with a Graduate. Even so, he left the arena smiling.
---
The next day, Indra attended Professor Owen's Combat Theory class. The room was wide, with magical diagrams projected in the air and miniature battles floating over the desks.
"Combat isn't about raw strength or speed." Owen lectured, as a miniature warrior lazily deflected a strike. "It's about control. The opponent who makes you burn more energy than he spends defending… is already winning."
Indra paid closer attention than ever. Much of what Owen said connected to what he'd felt in the arena. If he could reduce the energy spent on each move, he could last longer in a fight—and maybe even turn the tide at the end.
---
During another period, he visited Professor Carl's lab. Carl was meticulous, a man who taught the practical application of Qi and magic.
"Energy control starts with breathing, Indra." Carl said, watching him try to light a training rune. "Most novices force their Qi, but it should flow naturally. Think of it as a stream—if you block it, you build pressure. If you force it, you lose balance."
Indra closed his eyes and followed the advice. To his surprise, guiding the flow was easier since the Silver Storm. The rune flared with a steady glow.
"Hm. Good. Keep this up and you'll wield Qi like it's part of your own body." Carl remarked, jotting notes into his grimoire.
---
The days passed quickly, and soon, Professor Aurelia's Practical Field Class was near. The Academy's atmosphere shifted—students trained harder, polished weapons, and filled the halls with speculation about what creatures awaited beyond.
Indra spent his nights drilling fundamentals, practicing jian forms, and running mental duels. Sophie joined him a few times, correcting his stance and pointing out flaws with her usual bluntness.
"You're still wasting Qi on some attacks." she said one night. "And if you lock yourself into a pattern, you'll be an easy target."
"I know." he panted. "But I'm better than last week."
"You are." she admitted with a faint smile. "Just don't let it go to your head."
The night before the class, Indra sat in his dorm, polishing his jian and mentally listing what to bring. The weight of responsibility was real—but so was the fire of anticipation.
He wanted to see how far this strange energy, and his recent training, could take him.
---
The sky was overcast when Aurelia's class boarded the enchanted carriages bound for their training site. The air inside buzzed with anxiety and excitement. Indra sat beside Sophie, spinning his jian between his fingers to mask his restlessness.
After about forty minutes, the carriages stopped before a colossal black wooden gate etched with containment sigils. Beyond it rose the Vallencourt Forest—a living maze of twisted trees, low fog, and shifting shadows.
In the clearing stood Professor Aurelia, clad in her usual combat attire. Behind her, several assistant instructors watched silently.
"Quiet down and listen." Aurelia began, her voice carrying authority. "This year's practical exercise is simple in theory, but difficult in execution. You will have seventy-two hours to survive inside the Vallencourt Forest."
She raised her hand, and a magical panel appeared, showing creatures of various shapes and colors.
"Your goal is to collect cores from the creatures you defeat. Lesser beasts are worth one point. Imps, five points. Dormant Beasts, ten points.
Your evaluation will be based on total points after the seventy-two hours."
The panel shifted to display a massive Gothic clock tower in the forest's center.
"When the time's up, you must report to the Clock Tower. Fail to arrive on time, and you'll be disqualified—regardless of score."
"Yes, you can work in teams, but scoring is individual. Rely too much on others, and you'll end up dead."
Some students chuckled, but tension hung heavy in the air.
Aurelia projected a 3D map of the forest, dividing it into sectors.
"You'll be teleported individually or in random pairs. Your location will not be revealed to others." She paused. "Remember—this isn't a controlled spar in the Outer Arena. The creatures here don't hold back."
Indra's heart was pounding. He knew he was at a disadvantage.
Mid-tier clan heirs averaged between 550 and 650 on the power scale, while minor clans ranged from 300 to 500. Even with his unusually high strength for a newly Awakened, Indra's 449 put him at the peak of the minor clans, but still far from the elite monsters.
And then there were the Nine Great Clans… Aurora Bianchi with 842, Kade Rockefeller with 875… and Ye Chen, an unbelievable 999.
As the briefing ended, murmurs spread among the heirs—some discussing alliances to rack up points faster, others, like Ye Chen, remaining silent and watchful.
In the midst of it, Indra felt a shiver down his spine. He turned to see Aurora Bianchi watching him, her golden eyes shining like an inner fire. There was no hostility—but there was something there… interest? Ambition? He couldn't tell. He only knew he didn't want to get involved.
A distant roar echoed from deep within the forest, as if the land itself was warning them. Some students exchanged uneasy looks.
Aurelia closed the panel and folded her arms.
The gates creaked open, releasing a gust of cold, damp wind. The scent of wet earth and ancient foliage filled the air.
Runes on the ground began glowing beneath the students' feet.
When Indra's turn came, he took a deep breath, feeling the familiar weight of his jian, and stepped forward. The fog swallowed his vision within meters. The air smelled of wet soil… and something else—metallic, almost like blood.
Behind him, Aurelia's voice rang out before fading away:
"Let the games begin."
The world twisted—and in the blink of an eye, Indra was no longer in the clearing. He stood in the depths of Vallencourt Forest, surrounded by trees so tall they blocked most of the sky… and the distant sound of footsteps that were most certainly not human.