Lucas decided to take a gamble. He suddenly dropped his defensive stance and charged straight at Garrett, roaring at the top of his lungs.
It was a completely reckless move that went against every principle of swordsmanship but honestly: sometimes the most unpredictable approach was the most effective.
Garrett who was caught off guard by the random tackle tried to sidestep it but but stretched his leg too far.
It got caught in uneven sand and he was then slammed to the ground by Lucas.
Both of the boys swords went flying, and for a moment the two boys just wrestled on the ground.
Lucas's superior position gave him a momentary advantage despite his weaker stats, and he managed to pin Garrett's sword arm.
"I yield! I yield!" Garrett shouted in fear.
Professor Hendricks stared at the scene with raised eyebrows. The entire arena had gone silent.
"Well," he said finally. "That was... different. Estellan wins by submission."
Lucas nodded and stood up. He was breathing heavily as he had exhausted all his strength to pull of his little gamble.
The [Intimidating Presence ] Skill had worn off by now and the strain it had put on his body left him dazed and confused.
"How on earth did you do that?" Garrett asked as they both retrieved their practice weapons. "You fought completely differently than before."
"I've been practicing in secret," Lucas said.
As the class kept going with other matches, Lucas noticed several students looking at him with fresh interest.
The way he had won was sloppy and somewhat weird, but it was still a win against someone way more skilled than him.
The [Intimidating Presence] skill is more useful than I expected, he thought. I'll need to be careful about when and how I use it, though. It's way too draining on my current mana pool. I need to form the dragon core fast.
After Combat Class ended, Lucas made his way back to his dormitory room to rest before detention. He was exhausted from the fight and the stress of nearly being exposed.
When he opened his door, he found a small wrapped up candy sitting on his desk. It was the voice modulation candy he'd purchased from the system shop.
He unwrapped it and examined the small, crystalline sweet.
[Item Description]
[Voice Modulation Candy]
[Consuming this item will alter your vocal cords for approximately two hours, making your voice completely unrecognizable.]
It will be perfect for my villian debut tonight, he thought, carefully wrapping it back up and storing it with his other villain equipment.
But first, he had to survive detention with Ms. Ocsol, then his work shift at the merchant's shop to earn money for the Leklass fruits.
Only after he did those could he start his secret identity plan.
One thing at a time, Lucas reminded himself as he lay down on his bed for a brief rest.
It's all about getting stronger, finding people who'll help me, and doing whatever it takes to get ready for the war that's coming. Everything else is just noise.
---
At exactly 4 PM, Lucas stood outside Ms. Ocsol's classroom door.
He knocked twice and heard her voice call from within: "Enter."
The classroom felt different in the late afternoon because the place that was usually packed with loud students felt weird and empty without them.
Liminal space is what they call it. Like the Backrooms.
Ms. Ocsol sat behind her desk, seemingly grading some papers.
"Sit," she said without looking up, gesturing toward a chair that had been placed directly in front of her desk.
Lucas sat down but he realized that the way the seat was positioned made him seem like a defendant in court.
Ms. Ocsol continued marking papers for several more minutes and only the sound of her quill was in the room.
Finally, she put down her pen and looked at him
"Do you know why you're really here, Estellan?" she asked.
"Because I missed yesterday's detention?" Lucas said.
"Yes, that's why you're here right now. But the real question is why you keep showing disregard for everything this school stands for." She leaned back in her chair.
"I've been teaching here for twelve years, Lucas. I've seen every kind of student - the crazy smart ones, the kids who bust their asses, the rich brats who think mommy and daddy's money will fix everything."
Lucas kept his mouth shut since she obviously wasn't done.
"But you? You're strange. Your test scores when you got in were decent - nothing amazing, but good enough. Your family has a solid reputation. But your grades are total garbage, and your attitude..." She shook her head.
"It's like you're trying to throw away everything that's been handed to you on a silver platter."
"I understand what you are saying, Professor," Lucas said. "I guess I haven't been the best student for the past couple of months but-"
"No buts. Simply understanding isn't enough, Mr. Estellan. What I want to know is why. So what's going on that made you stop caring about school?" she said.
"Is everything okay at home? Are you dealing with some personal problems that's affecting your focus?"
The question caught Lucas off guard. He didn't expect Ms Ocsol to be worried about him.
He obviously couldn't tell her the truth - that he was a transmigrated soul from another world who was trying to survive an upcoming apocalyptic war while managing a villainous system.
But he also didn't want to tell a lie to someone who was just worried about him.
"It's... I dunno, complicated," he said. "I've just been thinking about what I actually want to do with my life, you know?"
Ms. Ocsol nodded. "I see. That's pretty normal for someone your age. After all, Growing up isn't really a good process, especially when you've got the pressure of being from a noble family like the Estellan's."
" Exactly," Lucas said. "I have absolutely no idea about what I'm supposed to do next, if you understand."
"Look, I get that identity crisis's are normal , but it's not an excuse to just coast along doing nothing. You're seventeen. You're old enough to own your choices and deal with whatever happens next."