That evening, Dan returned to his dormitory exhausted but determined. He'd spent hours practicing Fungal Growth, learning to deploy the threads faster, establishing the network more efficiently.
He still needed five minutes minimum, but that was better than the initial ten.
Tae was waiting with news. "The match schedule changed."
"What?"
"Instructor Kwan moved your fight to tomorrow morning. First match of the day." Tae's expression was grim. "Someone with influence must have requested it."
"Jae."
"Probably. They want you sleep-deprived and under-prepared." Tae sat on his bed, his Common Plant coiling anxiously around his arm. "Dan, you don't have to do this. You could forfeit. Take the loss. Your ranking would drop, but—"
"No." Dan's voice was firm. "The Headmaster invested in me. My father believed in me. I'm not running."
"Even if it means getting destroyed in front of the entire Academy?"
"Especially then." Dan summoned his spore cloud. "Because if I run now, every match after this will be the same. People will know they can intimidate me into quitting. I'll never escape that reputation."
Tae was silent for a long moment. Then he nodded slowly. "Alright. Then let's make sure you're ready."
They spent the rest of the evening strategizing. Tae shared everything he'd learned about Shadow Cats from the bestiary and from asking older students. Dan practiced his techniques until his soul ached and his spore's glow dimmed from exhaustion.
By the time they finally slept, Dan had a plan.
It wasn't perfect. It had a dozen ways it could fail.
But it was something.
***
Dawn arrived too quickly.
Dan stood in the Arena Three preparation room, his heart hammering against his ribs. Through the stone walls, he could hear the crowd gathering—far larger than usual for a Low Resonance match.
Word had spread. Everyone wanted to see the "mushroom boy" get put in his place.
The door opened, and Instructor Kwan entered. His expression was unreadable.
"Dan of Woodhelm. Are you prepared?"
"Yes, sir."
"Your opponent has significant advantages in speed, stealth, and combat experience. Do you understand this?"
"Yes, sir."
"And you're choosing to fight anyway?"
Dan met his eyes. "Yes, sir."
Instructor Kwan studied him for a long moment. Then, surprisingly, he nodded with something like approval. "Good. Courage counts for something, even when it's foolish courage."
He moved toward the door, then paused. "One piece of advice, student. Shadow Cats are ambush predators. They rely on striking from surprise. If you can survive the first thirty seconds without panicking, you have a chance."
"Thank you, sir."
The instructor left, and Dan was alone.
He summoned his spore cloud, which materialized with steady luminescence. The mushrooms in his hair glowed softly, no longer hidden.
"This is it," Dan whispered. "Everything we've prepared for."
The spore pulsed in response.
A bell rang—the signal to enter the arena.
Dan took a deep breath, steadied his nerves, and walked through the archway into the light.
***
The arena was packed.
Not just Low and Elite Resonance students, but High Resonance observers in the upper tiers. Even a few instructors had gathered to watch.
And there, in the highest observation box, sat Headmaster Yuna with her Moonwolf, her sharp eyes fixed on the arena floor.
Across from Dan, Serin Blackwood emerged from the opposite entrance.
She was tall, lean, with sharp features and cold eyes. Her **Shadow Cat** padded beside her—a sleek feline creature with midnight-black fur that seemed to absorb light. Its eyes glowed faintly amber, and its movements were liquid grace.
Bronze-rank, level 2.
In the stands, Dan spotted Jae Stonefist sitting with his arms crossed, that predatory smile on his face.
Beside him sat Kael, still nursing his wounded pride.
And further up, in a section reserved for High Resonance students, Riu watched with her Celestial Wyvern coiled behind her. Her golden eyes met Dan's briefly, and she gave the slightest nod.
Execute the plan.
Instructor Kwan stepped to the arena's center. "This is an official ranking match. Victory is determined by surrender, incapacitation, or instructor intervention. Lethal force is prohibited."
He looked between Dan and Serin. "Combatants, take your positions."
Dan moved to his starting mark, his spore cloud drifting beside him.
Serin smirked. "I'll try to make this quick, mushroom boy. Jae asked me to send a message."
"I'm sure he did," Dan replied calmly.
Serin's smirk faltered slightly. She'd expected fear, hesitation. Not calm acceptance.
Instructor Kwan raised his hand.
"BEGIN!"
The Shadow Cat vanished.
Not slowly, not gradually. One instant it was visible, the next it had melted into the shadows cast by the arena's pillars and stands.
The crowd gasped.
Dan didn't panic. He'd expected this.
Immediately, he deployed his spore cloud, willing it to spread across the arena floor. Fungal threads burrowed into the stone, faster than he'd managed in practice—adrenaline sharpening his focus.
"Running won't help you!" Serin called, directing her cat from a distance.
Dan didn't respond. He kept moving, staying in the open where sunlight was strongest, avoiding the shadow-heavy areas near the pillars.
Thirty seconds passed.
The Shadow Cat struck from behind, materializing from a shadow Dan hadn't noticed. Its claws raked across his back, the paralytic toxin burning into his skin.
Dan stumbled but didn't fall. Pain lanced through him, but he forced himself to keep moving.
The cat vanished again before he could counter.
Sixty seconds.
Another strike, this time from his left. The cat's claws caught his arm, drawing blood.
The crowd murmured. This was going exactly as expected—the weak Low Resonance student being toyed with by a superior opponent.
Jae Stonefist smiled.
But Dan's fungal network was nearly complete. Mushroom clusters sprouted across the arena floor, their bioluminescent glow creating pools of light that pushed back the shadows.
Ninety seconds.
The Shadow Cat struck again—but this time, the moment its paw touched a mushroom cluster, Dan felt it through the fungal threads.
He spun, his hand shooting out with a technique he'd practiced in secret.
Spore Dispersal—Concentrated Burst.
Instead of spreading his spore cloud wide, Dan focused it into a tight cone directly toward where he'd sensed the cat.
The gray cloud exploded forward, and the Shadow Cat emerged from the shadows coughing, its stealth broken as spores clogged its sensitive nose and throat.
Dan didn't waste the opportunity.
He charged forward—not at the cat, but at Serin herself.
The same tactic that had defeated Kael.
His fist connected with her stomach. Serin gasped, her concentration breaking, and with it, her control over the Shadow Cat wavered.
The cat tried to retreat into shadow, but Dan's mushroom network had illuminated too much of the arena. Everywhere it turned, glowing fungi pushed back the darkness.
"Now!" Dan shouted to his spore.
The fungal threads pulsed, and the mushroom clusters released a cloud of spores simultaneously—not toxic, but thick enough to create a choking haze that filled the arena.
The Shadow Cat couldn't see. Couldn't breathe properly. Couldn't find shadows to hide in.
It was exposed.
Vulnerable.
Dan pressed his advantage, staying close to Serin, preventing her from directing her beast effectively. Each time she tried to reestablish control, he struck—not with killing force, but with enough impact to break her focus.
The Shadow Cat, confused and disoriented, tried to attack Dan directly.
But Dan's spore cloud wrapped around him protectively, the same way it had against Kael's flames. The cat's claws struck the cloud, and the paralytic toxin was absorbed harmlessly by the spores.
The crowd erupted in shocked whispers.
"He's winning—"
"Against a Bronze-rank—"
"How is that possible?!"
Jae Stonefist's smile had vanished.
Serin stumbled back, blood trickling from her nose where Dan's last strike had connected. Her Shadow Cat wheezed beside her, still trying to clear the spores from its lungs.
"Yield," Dan said quietly.
"Never!" Serin snarled, directing her cat for one final attack.
The cat charged, claws extended, moving with desperate speed.
Dan stood his ground.
At the last second, his spore cloud condensed into a solid barrier, and the Shadow Cat slammed into it with full force.
The impact stunned the creature, and it collapsed at Dan's feet, unconscious.
Silence.
Then Instructor Kwan's voice rang out.
"Match over. Dan of Woodhelm wins."
The arena exploded with noise.
Dan stood there, breathing hard, his clothes torn and bloody, his spore cloud glowing triumphantly around him.
He'd done it.
Against impossible odds, against a Bronze-rank beast, against a third-year's tactical planning—he'd won.
In the observation box, Headmaster Yuna smiled.
In the stands, Riu's golden eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
And in his seat, Jae Stonefist's face twisted with fury.
But Dan barely noticed any of it.
He'd proven something today.
Not just to the Academy, but to himself.
A 1.3 Resonance Grade didn't define him.
A weak beast didn't limit him.
He was Dan of Woodhelm.
And he was just getting started.
---
To be continued...