The next day, sun shone all over the cantonment, with the usual clashing of wooden swords echoing around the fields.
"Zach... oh, thank god!" Richard rushed over, breathing heavily.
"You sure look busted up." Zach grinned.
"Richard let out an annoyed groan and pointed towards the bronze residential building. "I didn't see you come in... did you return yesterday?" Richard asked.
Zach noticed how Richard seemed to keep his playful attitude even when battered up; when Zach had first started the trial, he didn't even seem to pay Richard any heed.
"Yeah, I did." Zach answered indifferently.
"Wait!? Is it just me?, or are you taller now?" Richard shaded his eyes to look at Zach's face.
"Wait, that's definitely not the face I remember." Richard squinted.
The classes went on as Zach and Richard walked around the huge building; Richard was rambling nonstop about how the second kingdom was hosting the Grand Sun Tournament, where geniuses participate to see who is the most powerful.
Nations also use it to test just how far their young generation has come.
"They say they're just seeing the youth's progress, but honestly?, They just want to show off." Richard let out a breath.
"What's wrong with showing off?" Zach raised a brow.
"I mean, we can do so much more if they're not constantly trying to prove that we're better than ourselves." Zach pondered.
"Yeah... I guess."
"Hey, rookie!" Zach clearly ignored the voice behind him, casually walking forward.
Richard tensed as he heard that voice.
"Zach... Mitch is onto us." He hissed.
"It's fine." Zach began hearing angry footsteps in the grass; he turned around to see a group of trainees walking towards them.
Zach sighed, glancing at Richard. "Let me guess... gambling?"
It wasn't long before the duo was surrounded.
Mitch, a cocky kid with a receding hairline, walked forward. "Hey... Zach." He grinned before strolling over to Richard's side.
"Heyyy... Richard." This one was emphasized, almost threatening.
"What do you want, Mitch?" Zach asked with a casual tone.
Richard looked at the duo for a bit. "Well... as you can see, your fellow here owes me money." He patted Richard on the head, gripping firmly; Zach could hear a cracking sound.
Richard paused, head low, as blood flowed down his cranium.
Zach stood quiet, assessing the situation; in his past chances, Mitch had always tried to harass them.
The bully was also a loan shark, demanding way more than Richard owed him.
"I told you I'll get your 70 silver pieces by today, man." His voice was shaky.
Mitch was a silver-ranked knight who was supposed to live in the inner sanctuaries of the academy but occasionally came here to torment the weaker ones.
"70 silver pieces?... Tch, you've got some nerve, boy..." Mitch's face twisted into a grin, gripping Richard's cranium even tighter.
"It's one gold piece now." He muttered, and Richard's expression crumbled.
"A gold piece, I c... can't get that much money." He stammered.
"Then you shouldn't have borrowed." Clap* Zach's hand wrapped around Richard's wrist; bones crushing.
Richard's face shifted from annoyance to shock... then utter horror.
Slowly, Mitch lost his grip.
"You... little..." Mitch swung his fist at Zach as his goons closed in.
Zach was never the one to talk, only act.
He swung his hand, throwing Mitch into his group of cadets, who were sent tumbling down.
"Get lost!" He spoke coldly. "I'm in a bad mood."
Mitch gritted his teeth at Zach, staggering up.
"You... you lowlife dare lay your filthy hands on me... he he... you're dead now."
The sounds of swords being unsheathed echoed as Mitch and his goons dashed at Zach.
Zach pushed the stunned Richard out of the way, dodging the attacks with relative ease; in fact, Zach felt like he didn't even need to use his eyes to fight this battle.
He swung his fist, hitting a goon straight into the stomach, and delivered a weak kick to the one behind him.
The sound of bone cracking echoed as the duo staggered; Mitch took the opening, jumping in with a sweeping attack aimed at Zach's legs.
His fighting style was grounded and wide as he bent low, but he was just too slow.
The previous owner of this body was just too slow to even see it.
But now... Zach dodged, grabbing him by the head and slamming him into the grass field.
Most cadets just ignored everyone and continued training, but this time, more cadets looked at the spectacle in awe.
Mitch struggled to stand up; his face was swollen and covered in bruises.
If the guy was born from a knight family, perhaps he could make a perfect gold-ranked knight.
But Zach could feel the months of training in every swing he makes, "heavy, precise, and purposeful."
But he wanted to use his strength to oppress the weak, and Zach wasn't having it.
The goons lay on the ground; some of their limbs were twisted and bent at unnatural angles, looking like a mangled corpse.
Richard, who was a few distances away, was stunned, looking at his friend who was a terrified weakling just a few weeks ago.
He blinked in bewilderment.
"So this is what it feels like to have an overpowered teammate." He smirked.
_Bam_ Richard staggered, blood dripping from his nose.
"Please... I... can't... arckk."
Zach grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air, all while maintaining a composed look, almost as if this was part of the everyday job.
Richard's lungs were squeezed; his breath came in ragged gasps; Zach waited till his face had turned purple before releasing him.
Richard held his throat, gasping for air.
"Next time you try to harass me, make sure you know who you're dealing with." Zach spoke coldly.
The group of goons had already stood up; Zach made sure not to break too much, but he still went overboard by accident.
"Now get out..." The next second, the group scrambled away in terror, leaving Zach and Richard alone on the field.
Zach turned towards Richard.
"Do you know where I can get an ink pen and a paper" Zach asked.
Richard, a bit confused why Zach would ask such a question out of the blue replied "umm.. yeah?, what of it?."
"I need it" he said.
"You need it huh..." Richard looked a him for a moment, in the past the only reason why Zachaeus would ask for a pen, was to write a love letter.
"Oh.... who's the lady this time, " Richard grinned.
Zach just shook his head, "Not lady... ladies.." he corrected.
Zach just thought of a way to gather all the platinum knights in one place, and the plan looked good, at least in his head.