Morning sunlight poured over the elegant towers of Celestial Academy.
Students filled the central courtyard as usual, but today the atmosphere felt different.
Groups of students whispered excitedly.
Rumors had spread throughout the entire academy.
Everyone was talking about the same thing.
"The dungeon boss."
"And the one who helped kill it…"
"Lucien Aurelius."
Several students glanced toward the academy gardens.
Lucien walked calmly along the stone path, completely ignoring the attention around him.
Inside his mind, the system interface quietly appeared.
Reputation Update
Academy Recognition Increased
New Status: Rising Elite
Story Divergence: 33%
Lucien smiled faintly.
"Fame is a double-edged sword."
The more attention he attracted—
The more enemies he would gain.
And as expected…
One had already arrived.
A group of noble students stood near the academy fountain.
At their center stood a tall young man with golden hair and sharp features.
His expression was cold.
Cassian Valmont.
He was the heir of the Valmont Duke Family, one of the most powerful noble houses in the empire.
In the original story—
Cassian was a rival of Adrian Solhart.
But now—
His attention had shifted.
Cassian watched Lucien approach.
"So that's him."
One of Cassian's companions nodded.
"He defeated the dungeon boss with Adrian's team."
Cassian's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Aurelius blood…"
The Aurelius clan was famous across the empire.
Their influence was enormous.
But the Valmont family had always competed with them.
And Cassian had no intention of letting another noble heir overshadow him.
Lucien stopped near the fountain.
Their eyes met.
The courtyard slowly became silent as students noticed the tension.
Cassian stepped forward.
"So…"
"You're Lucien Aurelius."
Lucien nodded politely.
"And you must be Cassian Valmont."
Cassian's lips curled slightly.
"At least you recognize me."
Lucien shrugged.
"It would be difficult not to."
Several students nearby nervously stepped back.
Two major noble heirs confronting each other rarely ended peacefully.
Cassian crossed his arms.
"I heard about your dungeon performance."
Lucien smiled faintly.
"Rumors tend to exaggerate."
Cassian's gaze sharpened.
"I prefer to judge strength personally."
He pointed toward the academy dueling arena visible across the courtyard.
"Fight me."
A murmur spread through the students.
"A duel?!"
"Already?"
Lucien tilted his head slightly.
"A challenge?"
Cassian nodded.
"Unless the Aurelius heir prefers hiding behind rumors."
Lucien chuckled softly.
"You nobles really enjoy dramatic entrances."
Cassian's eyes flashed.
"So you accept?"
Lucien looked toward the arena.
The stone dueling platform stood in the center of a circular training ground.
Students were already gathering around it.
Lucien turned back to Cassian.
"Why not."
The crowd exploded with excitement.
"A noble duel!"
"This will be amazing!"
Word spread quickly through the academy.
Within minutes, dozens of students surrounded the arena.
Adrian Solhart arrived soon after.
Seraphina Draven stood beside him, smiling with interest.
"Well…"
"This escalated quickly."
Adrian frowned.
"Cassian Valmont is extremely strong."
Seraphina shrugged.
"Lucien doesn't seem worried."
Inside the arena—
Lucien and Cassian stood facing each other.
Instructor Garrick walked onto the platform.
"I assume both of you understand the rules."
Cassian nodded.
"First to surrender or become unable to fight."
Lucien simply said,
"Understood."
Garrick stepped back.
"Begin."
Cassian moved instantly.
His speed was impressive.
In a single motion, he drew his sword and rushed forward.
CLANG!
Lucien blocked the strike smoothly.
The sound of steel echoed across the arena.
Cassian attacked again.
His swordsmanship was fast and precise.
Clearly trained by elite instructors.
Lucien stepped back lightly.
"You're not bad."
Cassian frowned.
"You're mocking me."
He launched a flurry of attacks.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Lucien blocked every strike with minimal movement.
The spectators watched in stunned silence.
Seraphina crossed her arms.
"He's barely trying."
Adrian nodded slowly.
Lucien's movements were calm.
Efficient.
Almost effortless.
Cassian stepped back slightly.
His expression grew colder.
"You're fast."
Lucien smiled.
"Thank you."
Cassian raised his sword again.
This time—
Golden energy began gathering around the blade.
Adrian's eyes widened.
"Mana reinforcement already?"
Cassian charged again.
This attack was much stronger.
Lucien activated his ability.
"Shadow Domain."
Darkness spread across the arena.
Gasps spread through the crowd.
"What is that?"
Cassian swung his sword through the shadows.
But Lucien vanished.
He appeared behind Cassian.
CLANG!
Their blades collided again.
Cassian jumped backward quickly.
His expression finally showed seriousness.
"So that's your trick."
Lucien tilted his head.
"Just one of them."
The battle intensified.
Cassian's attacks grew more aggressive.
Golden energy flashed with every strike.
But Lucien continued dodging effortlessly within the shadow field.
Then—
Lucien suddenly stopped attacking.
Cassian charged again.
But just before the sword reached him—
Lucien stepped sideways.
Cassian's attack missed completely.
Lucien lightly tapped Cassian's sword aside.
Then placed his blade gently against Cassian's throat.
The entire arena froze.
Silence.
Cassian's eyes widened slightly.
Lucien smiled calmly.
"Checkmate."
Several seconds passed.
Then Instructor Garrick raised his hand.
"The duel is over."
The crowd erupted.
"That was incredible!"
"Lucien won!"
Cassian slowly lowered his sword.
His expression remained tense.
But he wasn't foolish enough to deny defeat.
He sheathed his blade.
"…You're stronger than I expected."
Lucien nodded politely.
"You'll improve."
Cassian glanced at him once more before leaving the arena.
The rivalry had begun.
As Lucien stepped down from the platform—
A new figure appeared near the entrance of the training grounds.
A young woman surrounded by several royal guards.
Her long silver hair shimmered in the sunlight.
Students quickly stepped aside.
"The princess…"
Lucien noticed her immediately.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Princess Aria Valerion.
One of the future heroines of the original story.
And Adrian Solhart's destined love interest.
Aria watched Lucien with curious eyes.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Interesting."
Because the boy who had just defeated Cassian Valmont…
Was not supposed to be the center of the story.
But somehow—
He had already begun changing it.