[Main chapter for today, if you want another one today, make Ps get past 15]
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The next evening, Lukas arrived at Training Ground C, a larger arena used for exhibition matches and official duels. Wooden bleachers surrounded a central fighting platform, and students were already gathering to watch.
Marcus had come along, looking nervous. "You sure about this? Damien doesn't play fair. He'll try to humiliate you in front of everyone."
"I'll be fine," Lukas said, scanning the crowd.
He spotted several familiar faces. Ace was there, sitting near the front with a focused expression. Princess Seraphina sat in a reserved section with her attendants. And scattered throughout the crowd were other students he'd seen in classes.
But there were also new faces, people he recognized from the novel.
Near the back sat a girl with silver hair tied in a ponytail, her arms crossed as she watched the arena with bored eyes. Lyra Ashford, the third heroine. In the novel, she was a prodigy archer from a fallen noble family, someone who valued strength above all else and eventually joined Ace's party after he defeated her in combat.
Closer to the front was a boy with messy red hair and an easy smile, chatting animatedly with the people around him. Kieran Voss, a commoner student who would become Ace's best friend and the party's scout. He had a talent for information gathering and always seemed to know everyone's business.
And standing near the arena entrance was someone Lukas hadn't expected to see yet, a tall figure in a dark cloak, face partially hidden by a hood. Even from a distance, Lukas could sense something off about them. Cold. Calculating.
Vera Noctis. The regressed heroine mentioned in the synopsis. In the original novel, she didn't appear until much later in the story, but here she was, watching silently from the shadows.
"Alright, listen up!" Instructor Gareth's voice boomed across the arena. "Tonight's sparring session is open to all years. First-years who want to test themselves against upperclassmen, here's your chance. Rules are simple, standard sparring rules apply, first to three clean hits or surrender wins. No lethal techniques, no mana enhancement beyond basic reinforcement."
Damien stepped onto the platform, his practice sword resting casually on his shoulder. "So, Grant. Ready to show everyone what you're made of?"
Lukas climbed onto the platform. "Let's get this over with."
The crowd murmured with anticipation. A first-year challenging a second-year was rare enough to draw attention.
Instructor Gareth raised his hand. "Begin!"
Damien moved first, closing the distance with impressive speed. His blade came in with a downward slash aimed at Lukas's shoulder. Lukas parried, Intermediate Sword Mastery reading the attack pattern and adjusting his stance automatically.
Their swords clashed repeatedly, the sound echoing across the arena. Damien was good, his technique was refined, his movements efficient. But Lukas's stats were higher, and his B-rank skill compensated for the experience gap.
Damien pressed forward with a combination attack. Lukas deflected the first two strikes and countered with a quick thrust that Damien barely avoided.
"Not bad," Damien said, his expression sharpening. "Let's see how you handle this."
He activated mana reinforcement, his movements suddenly faster and stronger. Lukas did the same, channeling mana through his body with Basic Mana Control. The arena seemed to slow down as his enhanced perception kicked in.
Their exchange intensified. Blade met blade with greater force. Damien's technique was impressive, but Lukas could see the openings, small gaps in his defense that appeared for fractions of a second.
Lukas waited for the right moment. When Damien overextended on a horizontal slash, Lukas sidestepped and tapped his blade against Damien's ribs.
One hit.
Damien's expression darkened. He came at Lukas more aggressively, abandoning some of his technique for raw power. It was a mistake. Lukas read the pattern, ducked under a high swing, and struck Damien's shoulder.
Two hits.
The crowd was murmuring now. A first-year was winning against a ranked second-year.
Damien's face flushed with anger. "You're better than I expected, but this ends now."
He launched into a complex attack sequence, feints, redirects, and strikes from multiple angles. It was the kind of technique that came from years of training.
But Lukas's Intermediate Sword Mastery saw through it. He parried the feints, avoided the redirects, and when Damien committed to a final thrust, Lukas simply wasn't there anymore. He'd stepped to the side and tapped his blade against Damien's back.
Three hits.
The arena fell silent for a moment before erupting into whispers and exclamations.
Instructor Gareth nodded. "Grant wins. Clean victory."
Damien stood frozen, his expression a mixture of shock and humiliation. He'd been completely outclassed by a first-year.
Lukas stepped off the platform, ignoring the stares. He'd done what he needed to do, defended himself when challenged. Nothing more.
"That was incredible!" Marcus said, rushing over. "You made Damien look like a beginner!"
"He was skilled," Lukas said. "I just had a better matchup."
As they walked away from the arena, Lukas felt someone watching him. He glanced back to see the cloaked figure, Vera Noctis, staring directly at him. Their eyes met for a brief moment before she turned and disappeared into the crowd.
That was concerning. The regressed heroine shouldn't even be aware of his existence yet.
"Lukas Grant, right?"
He turned to find the red-haired boy approaching with that easy smile. Kieran Voss.
"That's me," Lukas said.
"Kieran Voss. That was a great match. You've got some serious skill." He extended his hand.
Lukas shook it. "Thanks."
"I've been hearing a lot about you lately. Beat Aldric twice, placed sixteenth in the entrance exam, now you've defeated a ranked second-year. You're making quite the impression."
"Not intentionally," Lukas said.
Kieran laughed. "I believe it. You don't seem like the type to seek attention. But hey, if you ever need information about anything, students, professors, whatever, I'm your guy. I know pretty much everything that happens in this academy."
"I'll keep that in mind."
As Kieran walked away, Lukas noticed Ace watching the interaction from a distance. The protagonist's expression was unreadable.
"You're attracting interesting people," Marcus observed.
"Apparently," Lukas muttered.
They were about to leave when a cold voice cut through the air.
"Not bad for a first-year."
Lukas turned to see the silver-haired girl, Lyra Ashford, approaching. Her purple eyes assessed him with the same detached interest someone might show a new weapon.
"But you relied too much on reading your opponent's patterns," she continued. "Against someone truly unpredictable, that style would fail."
"Good thing most people are predictable," Lukas replied.
Lyra's lips curved into something that might have been a smile. "True. Still, I'd like to test that theory sometime. I prefer ranged combat, but I'm curious how you'd handle an opponent who doesn't engage in close quarters."
Before Lukas could respond, she walked away.
Marcus whistled low. "That's Lyra Ashford. She's famous for never losing an archery competition. And I think she just challenged you."
"Great," Lukas said dryly.
The crowd was dispersing now, students heading back to their dorms or the dining hall. Lukas was about to leave when he noticed someone standing near the arena exit.
It was a girl he didn't recognize, short black hair, glasses, and an expression of intense concentration as she scribbled notes in a small book. She looked up, noticed Lukas staring, and quickly snapped the book shut.
"Sorry!" she said, sounding flustered. "I didn't mean to stare. I'm just documenting interesting matches for my research."
"Research?" Lukas asked.
"I'm Elena Cross, first-year. I'm studying combat patterns and techniques to develop new magical applications. Your match with Damien was fascinating, your reaction time and pattern recognition were remarkable."
Another person showing interest in him. Lukas was starting to understand why extras stayed in the background, being noticed meant constant interruptions.
"Glad it was useful," he said politely.
Elena adjusted her glasses. "Would you mind if I observed some of your future matches? I promise I won't be intrusive."
"Sure, I guess."
She beamed. "Thank you! This will be invaluable for my research."
As she hurried away, Marcus chuckled. "You're collecting quite the group of admirers."
"I'm just trying to survive academy life," Lukas said.
They finally left the training grounds, but Lukas couldn't shake the feeling that things were spiraling beyond his control. He'd attracted the attention of multiple main characters in just a few days, heroines, side characters, even the regressed heroine who shouldn't exist yet.
Back in his room, he checked the system notification that had appeared.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
[Timeline Divergence: 23%]
[Major characters showing significant interest in Host]
[Warning: Plot structure heavily destabilized]
[New characters appearing ahead of schedule]
Lukas sat on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He wasn't trying to steal the protagonist's spotlight. He was just defending himself when challenged and living his life normally.
But apparently, that was enough to break everything.
[You have been idle for 1 hour]
[+1 to all stats]
[Current Stats: Strength 43, Agility 43, Mana 43, Endurance 43]
At least his stats were still growing. Whatever happened next, he'd be strong enough to handle it.
Probably.
---
In another part of the academy, Vera Noctis sat alone in her room, her hands trembling slightly.
She'd lived through this timeline a hundred times. She knew every major event, every character, every twist and turn of the story. She'd regressed so many times trying to prevent the catastrophe that would destroy the world in five years.
But Lukas Grant wasn't supposed to exist.
In every previous timeline, he'd been a nameless background character who never even enrolled in the academy. And now he was here, strong, skilled, and drawing attention from everyone who mattered.
Something had changed. Something fundamental.
And Vera had no idea what it meant for the future.
She pulled out a journal filled with notes from previous regressions and began writing a new entry.
Timeline 101: Major divergence detected. Unknown variable, Lukas Grant. Monitoring required.
This timeline was already different from any she'd experienced.
And that terrified her.