Night settled over the academy like a velvet curtain. From the outside, the S-Class Dormitory Tower glowed softly against the dark skyline, its defensive energy barrier humming quietly as drones patrolled the perimeter.
Inside the top floor, however…
Peace did not exist.
21:43 – Alexander's Training Arena
Alexander stood barefoot on the polished training floor, rolling his shoulders as the System projected holographic targets across the room.
Floating steel spheres appeared in the air.
Thirty of them.
Each reinforced with impact-absorption alloy. Alexander cracked his knuckles.
"Let's see what the System calibrated for tonight."
The System chimed.
TRAINING MODE ACTIVATED
OBJECTIVE: SPEED AND STRIKE CONTROL
TARGETS: 30
TIME LIMIT: 10 SECONDS
Alexander smirked.
"Ten seconds?"
Golden light flickered faintly behind his eyes.
"Easy."
He vanished.
BOOM.
A thunderclap shook the room as Alexander moved faster than the air could react.
Fists flashed like lightning straight from the heavens.
Steel spheres detonated across the room in rapid succession one after the other.
One.
Five.
Ten.
Twenty.
Fragments rained across the arena floor like shrapnel.
Three seconds later, the final target exploded into dust.
The System chimed again.
COMPLETION TIME: 3.2 SECONDS
Alexander stretched casually.
"Not bad."
Then he heard it.
A loud CRACK from the other side of the transparent wall. He turned his head.
Isabella stood in her training arena.
She hadn't changed out of her combat suit. Her silver ponytail swayed slightly as frost gathered around her feet.
She had clearly watched the entire demonstration.
Her violet eyes narrowed.
"Oh… so that's how you train."
Alexander leaned casually against the glass wall.
"You're welcome to take notes."
Her eyebrow twitched.
Without saying a word, Isabella tapped a command on her wrist. Her arena lights dimmed. A new training simulation appeared.
Instead of thirty steel spheres…
One hundred appeared.
Alexander blinked.
"Oh?"
The spheres began moving rapidly in unpredictable patterns.
The AI announced:
TARGETS: 100
TIME LIMIT: 10 SECONDS
Alexander folded his arms.
"Overcompensating already?"
Isabella ignored him. She closed her eyes. The air temperature in her arena dropped instantly.
Frost spread across the floor like creeping vines.
Her fingers rose slowly.
"Begin."
She didn't move.
The spheres shot toward her from all directions. At the exact moment they entered her range.
Isabella snapped her fingers.
CRRRACK.
A shockwave of absolute cold erupted outward. The entire arena of the training room froze.
Midair. Every sphere became trapped in crystal ice.
Then, she clenched her fist.
The frozen spheres shattered simultaneously into glittering dust.
The timer stopped.
COMPLETION TIME: 2.8 SECONDS
Alexander blinked.
Then laughed.
"Okay. That was actually impressive."
Isabella brushed imaginary dust off her shoulder.
"I told you."
She turned toward the glass wall.
"I don't share the top spot."
Alexander grinned.
"Oh, it's like that now?"
He tapped a command on his System interface.
The training room shifted.Gravity suddenly increased.The floor cracked slightly under the pressure.
Isabella noticed immediately.
"Oh?" She was caught unprepared
Alexander's arena generated a combat drone squadron.
Twenty heavily armored drones rose from the floor, each equipped with laser cannons and stun blades.
The System announced:
MULTI-TARGET COMBAT SIMULATION
DIFFICULTY: ELITE MILITARY GRADE
Alexander cracked his neck.
"Let's make it interesting." He said.
The drones attacked at once. Laser fire filled the arena.
Alexander moved like a golden blur. He ducked under a beam.
Grabbed one drone mid-air.
Slammed it into another.
Explosions lit the room.
One drone swung a blade toward his neck. Alexander caught it bare-handed.
Crushed the weapon.
Then kicked the drone through three others like bowling pins.
The entire battle lasted six seconds.
The last drone exploded against the far wall.
Alexander exhaled slowly.
Across the glass wall…
Isabella had already started another simulation.
Alexander froze.
"You started before I finished?"
Her voice came through the intercom.
"You're slow."
This time the arena changed drastically.
A massive ice golem materialized behind her.
Ten meters tall.
Alexander laughed.
"Oh, come on."
Isabella cracked her knuckles.
The golem swung a fist the size of a car.
She leaped upward, running along the creature's arm like it was a staircase.
With one elegant spin, she struck the golem's forehead.
The entire monster froze solid.
Then exploded into snow.
Alexander stared. Then smiled slowly.
"Oh, you're asking for it now."
02:17 AM
Both training rooms looked like war zones. Alexander's arena floor was cracked from shockwaves.
Isabella's room looked like a frozen glacier. Neither of them had stopped.
Alexander launched another drone swarm. Isabella froze a simulated dragon. Alexander shattered reinforced steel pillars. Isabella created a blizzard vortex.
Each one refusing to stop first.
04:03 AM
Both of them stood across the glass wall.
Breathing lightly. Neither willing to admit exhaustion.
Alexander wiped sweat from his forehead.
Isabella crossed her arms.
"Still awake?"
Alexander smirked.
"Waiting for you to quit."
Her eye twitched.
"You first."
The System chimed again.
WARNING: SLEEP DEPRIVATION DETECTED
ADVISORY: BOTH INDIVIDUALS ARE
BEHAVING CHILDISHLY
Alexander sighed.
Across the wall, Isabella suddenly yawned.
She instantly froze in embarrassment.
Alexander burst out laughing.
"Did the Frost Queen just..."
"Shut up."
She turned away quickly.
"Training ends here."
"Of course it does," Alexander teased.
She walked toward her door.
Then stopped.
Without turning around, she said quietly:
"…Your speed is annoying."
Alexander blinked.
"Your ice tricks are worse."
She glanced back over her shoulder.
"…Tomorrow."
Alexander grinned.
"Tomorrow."
She disappeared into her room.
Alexander collapsed onto the training floor. Inside his mind, the System chimed again.
[MISSION UPDATE
SURVIVE LIVING NEXT TO THE FROST QUEEN
PROGRESS: 12%]
Alexander sighed.
"…This academy is going to kill me."