The West Training Grounds were a world apart from the rest of the academy. The air here wasn't filled with the crackle of mana but with the stench of sweat, steel, and testosterone. The clang of colliding weapons was a constant rhythm.
Ethan spotted him immediately. Instructor Reno.
He was shirtless, his torso like a sculpture of rock-hard muscle. In his hands was a greatsword taller than he was, which he brought down again and again on an iron training dummy. Each swing tore through the air with a terrifying whistle—not magic, but pure, honed physical strength.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan walked up and bowed respectfully. "Instructor Reno, I want to learn the sword from you!"
Reno stopped, his hawk-like eyes glancing at him. His voice was flat. "Why?"
"Because... because I want to be stronger!"
"Stronger?" Reno scoffed, embedding the greatsword in the ground with a dull thud. "I heard you got beaten like a stray dog in class. What, your magic fails you once, so you come running to pick up a sword like it's a new toy?"
The words stung like a physical blow. Ethan gritted his teeth. "I'm not treating it like a toy! I'm serious! I know my magic has a fatal flaw, and I need another way to fight! Please, give me a chance!"
Reno studied him in silence for a long, unnerving moment. "A chance?" he said slowly. "Fine. I'll give you a chance."
He pointed to a heavy, single-handed training sword on a nearby rack. "Pick that up. Hold it at chest height in a standard guard, tip pointing up. The moment you can't hold it anymore, get lost. If you can last long enough to impress me, I'll consider it."
It sounded simple enough. A flicker of hope ignited in Ethan. He hurried over and, with some effort, managed to lift the heavy iron sword, mimicking the stance he'd seen others use.
He quickly realized his mistake. The sword was far heavier than he'd imagined. After just ten minutes, his arm began to tremble uncontrollably. Sweat poured from his brow, stinging his eyes. After twenty, his arms felt like they were filled with lead. Every breath was a struggle, and the tip of the sword began to waver.
The other students training nearby started to notice.
"Look, another poor fool trying to get tutored by the 'Raging Lion'."
"Instructor Reno's tests are no joke. The last guy who tried this was bedridden for two weeks."
"That kid's so scrawny. He won't last half an hour."
Ethan heard their whispers, his jaw clenching so hard his teeth ached. He thought of Viktor's mocking face, the sound of the class's laughter, the humiliation of lying paralyzed on the floor.
*I can't give up! I will not fall here!*
With a guttural roar, he summoned every ounce of his strength to fight against the crushing weight. His vision began to blur. His arms were long past numb. His body screamed at him to quit, but a single, stubborn thread of willpower held him together.
He didn't know how much time had passed before the world finally went black.
...
When Ethan awoke, he was on a hard plank bed. This wasn't the infirmary. The room was stark and simple, smelling of rubbing alcohol and strong herbs.
"You're awake?"
The gravelly voice came from the side. Ethan turned his head. Instructor Reno was sitting at a table, polishing his massive greatsword.
"Did... did I pass?" Ethan struggled to sit up, but his entire body screamed in protest.
"Stay down. You've torn your muscles. You won't be walking for a few days," Reno said without turning. "You lasted two hours before passing out from exhaustion. You're the second person to ever do that in one of my tests."
Ethan's heart leaped. "What about the first?"
"He died."
"..."
Reno finally stopped polishing his sword and turned around. His sharp eyes held a complex emotion. "Kid, I have to ask. Why would you push yourself to such a dangerous limit?"
Ethan was silent for a moment before answering honestly. "Because I never want to feel that helplessness again—the feeling of being trampled on and being powerless to do anything about it."
"Good," Reno nodded. "From this day forward, you are my student. My only student."
He took a long swig from a bottle of strong liquor before continuing, his voice softening slightly. "You must wonder why a sword instructor would take an interest in a magic student like you. You've probably heard them call me the 'Raging Lion.' But before I came here, I had another title: Captain of the Royal Knights, the King's personal protector."
Ethan's eyes widened. He couldn't imagine this gruff, seemingly forgotten man had held such a prestigious position. "Then... why are you...?"
"Why am I here? Because I got in someone's way," Reno said with a self-deprecating laugh. "The politics of the royal court are more venomous than you can imagine. The First and Second Princesses are in a constant, clandestine war for the throne. I serve only the King, and I refuse to take sides. My neutrality, to them, is a crime."
A cold hatred flashed in Reno's eyes. "Especially the Second Princess, Serena. Her ambition is matched only by her cruelty. Three years ago, she orchestrated an 'accident' during a mission I was leading. The Crown Prince was injured, and though they could never prove her involvement, the King, to quell the political fallout, had to strip me of my rank and exile me here."
*Serena! It was her!*
Ethan thought of the arrogant, silver-haired princess from the exam.
"The other reason I'm giving you this chance," Reno continued, his voice growing distant as he looked at Ethan, yet seemingly through him, "is because I once had a son. He was about your age, but his health was always frail. He passed away a few years ago. He could never wield a sword, but his spirit... his spirit was just like yours. Stubborn. Defiant."
"Your eyes," Reno's voice was now tinged with a deep, hidden grief. "That look of defiance in your eyes is exactly the same as his."
Ethan was stunned into silence, never imagining the tragic past hidden beneath the instructor's harsh exterior.
"I could never pass my skills on to my own son. It is the greatest regret of my life," Reno said, standing up. He walked to Ethan's bedside, his towering frame casting a long shadow, but his gaze was deadly serious. "So, I will teach you everything I know. I will train you in the harshest, most brutal way imaginable until you become the strongest warrior this kingdom has ever seen. I want you to make every single person who has ever looked down on us pay for their arrogance."
"Are you willing?"
Looking into Reno's eyes, which held the sternness of a master and the grief of a father, and feeling the immense weight of his trust, Ethan didn't hesitate. He forced his battered body to sit up and bowed his head with all the respect he could muster.
"Master!"