The crowd held their breath.
In a blink, Landon was gone from his starting position.
His foot scraped loudly as he reappeared in front of Yanin, sword already cutting down in a sharp arc.
The clash rang out across the arena, steel against steel. Yanin's spear braced against the force, her boots grinding against the stone floor as she was pushed a step back.
Landon didn't give her room to breathe. He pressed in, sword flashing in quick, rough strikes. His swings were powerful but jerky, the timing staggered like his body was trying to catch up with his intentions.
The edge of his blade caught the tip of her sleeve, slicing clean through it, but missing the skin beneath.
His heel dug into the ground, and his next step was unnaturally fast, just for a split second.
His shoulder twisted, bringing the sword down again, faster this time.
Yanin's grip adjusted, her arms tensing as she took the hit along the shaft of her spear. Her legs braced, skidding half a step across the arena floor before she regained her ground.
A small pulse of something shimmered faintly at her ankles, a flicker, gone before it could fully form.
The two didn't speak. The sounds of their footwork, the scrape of shoes, the sharp clatter of weapons, those filled the arena.
Landon's next swing was wide, too wide. His breathing hitched, but he pushed through, forcing his feet to slam forward with another sudden, heavy step.
Yanin twisted her body to the side, letting his blade whistle just past her ribs, so close the breeze of it tugged at her loose hair.
Her counter came low and fast, a quick thrust at his side.
Landon caught it with the flat of his blade, but the force rattled his wrist, pushing him back three steps.
The brief gap between them snapped shut in an instant. His next step was sharper than the last, his entire body jolting forward.
He's getting impatient.
The sound of his shoes slamming against the floor echoed too loudly. He lunged, another burst of speed, another step that was too quick for his current body to handle.
Yanin's foot slid back, smooth, just enough to reset her distance. Her spear remained steady in her hands.
His sword came again, high, fast, desperate. She shifted her weight, dodging by a breath, and this time, she didn't counter. She waited.
Another step. Another wild swing.
Her hands twitched. Her feet pressed into the floor.
For just a heartbeat, her body moved with that same fleeting pulse, quick, heavy, unnatural.
Her spear sliced out, low and brutal.
It caught Landon's ribs cleanly. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs, his feet lifting off the ground as he was sent flying backwards, crashing into the arena's shimmering mana barrier.
The audience exhaled as if they'd been holding their breath the entire time.
Landon groaned, clutching his ribs, his sword slipping from his fingers.
He forced himself up, his legs trembling. A crooked grin spread across his face. "Tch... you saw through that, huh?"
Yanin didn't answer. She lowered her spear and turned away, her breathing steady, her gaze cold.
The referee raised his hand. "Winner: Yanin Roven."
The barrier flickered and fell.
The crowd erupted, students clapping, some cheering, some too stunned to move.
Axel simply watched, his eyes following the two figures as they left the arena. His fingers tapped rhythmically against his knee.
There was something off about Yanin in this fight…She beat Landon without using her skill unlike his past life and in the book.
As a more experienced student, this fight didn't amaze him. As freshmen, they were far more powerful and had more control over their movements and mana than the others. However, Landon's movements were rushed and heavy-handed. He overlooked many crucial hit points and overexerted his mana capacity. On the other hand, Yanin's movements were few, letting her opponent do most of the work while defending and eyeing any weak points.
Axel couldn't talk too much though; he wasn't even close to their level as he stands now.
Today was just an introduction, tomorrow is when classes start. Axel already submitted what classes he was taking.
He stretched his sore muscles and went back to his dorm. Starting from tomorrow, the training rooms would be packed. He would need to wake up earlier to get the most out of it.
…
September 2, 20XX
9:20 AM
With his regular walking speed, he would be exactly 10 minutes late to his first class. Just like in the novel.
He dusted off his jacket before heading out.
He pushed open the door, all eyes were on him before swiftly averting to whatever. The professor wasn't here yet. Because he was late, all the seats were already filled, besides one. The seat next to Rank 1, Yanin Roven.
In the novel, Axel was a poor orphan, just like himself. He grew up with basically no technology, only buying a cheap phone for necessity after getting into Atherion. He only knew Yanin from the opening fight unlike Kai who was one of her biggest fans.
In his past life, he was eager to talk with her, only to get ruthlessly shut down and shoved away. This time, he'll act like she doesn't exist. He calmly walked up to front, placing his bag down and taking a seat.
"This seat is taken." The crimson-eyed beauty spoke. Her words conveyed with elegance but also with a hint of annoyance.
"Yeah, by me" Axel nonchalantly replied, already taking out his notebook and pencil.
Yanin was dumbfounded.
"No, I'm saving it for someone else." She added.
Axel knew she was lying. Yanin hated socializing and usually no one was confident enough to talk with her.
"Aren't you a bit too old to be having imaginary friends?" Axel turned on his phone.
9:32 AM
"The professor will come in soon; there are no other seats left. I won't bother you."
Yanin opened and closed her mouth repeatedly before sighing with defeat.
"Fine. But don't get any weird ideas. I could crush you if I wanted to." She glared.
Although nonchalant on the outside, he was confused inside.
She was being…childish. Not cruel nor arrogant, just annoying. Was this what "Lowered Romance Difficulty" meant?