Days passed one after another, and more than two months had already gone by. During this time, David had learned to control the power of his eyes much better and had grown more confident in his swordsmanship. Yet, despite all this, his control over energy had only improved slightly.
And that infuriated him.
Sitting in the cafeteria, David wondered: how would the students for the exchange be chosen? And what kind of people were these Chinese students?
While he was lost in thought, a boy came up, sat down beside him, and said in a casual tone:
"Yo, man."
Startled, David quickly turned his head toward Noy. A thought flashed through his mind: I didn't even hear his steps… what the hell? Regaining his composure, he replied,
"Hey, Noy. How are you?"
"All good, man. Congratulations—you beat Sai, right? Sorry I couldn't be there at the duel, I had some stuff to take care of…" he muttered, staring at the table with a gloomy look in his eyes.
Seeing him like that, David quickly tried to cheer him up.
"It's fine, it's fine."
At those words, Noy seemed to relax a little.
David then asked, "By the way, where were you?"
"Oh, just training, man."
"I see… training. Maybe we could spar a little—"
Before he could finish, a voice rang out through the academy's loudspeakers:
"All students ranked first through fourth, report to the lower training grounds."
David stood up. Looking at Noy, he said,
"Sorry, guess we'll have to spar some other time."
But when he turned to leave, Noy also stood and walked beside him. David glanced at him in surprise.
"And where are you going?"
Noy looked him straight in the eyes.
"Man, didn't I ever tell you my real name?"
David froze.
"No…"
"My name is Yamigage Kusa, from the Yamigage clan."
David's memory clicked. The one who had taken third place—Yamigage Kusa.
"So you're the one in third place… Yamigage?"
A faint smile crossed Noy's face.
"Just keep calling me Noy, like before."
"Alright," David replied with a small smile.
The two headed to the lower training grounds together. Taking the elevator down, the doors slid open, and they stepped inside. Waiting for them were Vincent, Ryan, Emma, Leo, and Sai.
When Sai noticed David, he waved in greeting. A shadow of irritation flickered across David's face, but he reminded himself of his own words: We should be normal friends.
As they lined up, Vincent looked at the five students and spoke.
"For over a month, we've been selecting those who will participate in the exchange with the Chinese academy. What I want to tell you is this—you'll undergo special training. Your goal in the exam is to win and prove that my students are better than that bastard's."
Sai tilted his head. "Teacher, what bastard?"
Ryan smirked and cut in.
"Ha, Vincent just holds a grudge against someone from the Chinese academy. Back in the day, they fought side by side for years, and now that guy went back to China and became an instructor there. Meanwhile, Vincent also ended up teaching."
"Shut up, Ryan! You always piss me off. Out of my way, don't interfere!"
"Sure, sure," Ryan backed off with a shrug.
Vincent turned back to the group. "Anyway, you get the idea. Tomorrow, we go on a hunt. But today is training. And your opponent—will be me."
The students' eyes widened in shock.
Noy sighed. "What a pain… I feel like crying."
Sai groaned. "Damn it!"
Leo's eyes burned with excitement at the thought of fighting Vincent. Emma remained unreadable. David, though, was fully prepared for the challenge.
Vincent glanced at them, a grin curling across his lips.
"Good. Then, Emma and David—pick up your blades. We're sparring."
Emma immediately chose a sword perfectly suited to her height and build—since she was 167 cm tall, the blade measured about 90 cm.
David, too, found a blade that felt just right in his hand.
When both were ready, all five students gathered before Vincent. He explained the rules.
"Today's training is simple: land five clean hits on me within an hour. Fail, and forget about food or sleep—I'll be your nightmare."
A maniacal grin spread across his face, the look of a predator savoring the hunt.
Noy hunched his shoulders. "Seriously, I wanna cry…"
The group fell into their stances, bracing themselves.
Vincent's thoughts lingered on each of them: Sai of the Sakuragave clan, Leo of the Ragnars, Kusa of the Yamigage, Emma of the Divine Sword clan… and David, born in the slums. Show me what you've got, children.
"Well then," Vincent said, eyes gleaming. "Shall we begin?"