"Did he just pick light?"

    "He''s insane! No one''s ever lasted long against light as a first-year."

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    "Does he even want to stay in the academy? This is suicide!"

    "He''s going to fail spectacularly."

    The murmurs of Damon''s classmates filled the air, dripping with mockery and disbelief. He ignored them, focusing instead on the dial in front of him. The quiet hum of the mechanism confirmed his choice: light.

    Professor Kael Blackthorn stepped forward, his cold, grim expression cutting through the room''s chatter like a blade.

    "Light, is it? Truly, your overconfidence knows no bounds. Or perhaps this is your way of ensuring your failure is as spectacular as possible."

    His words drew laughter from the class, the kind that sought to humiliate rather than amuse. Damon clenched the twin glass-like daggers in his hands, their reflective surfaces catching the room''s brightness.

    ''That wasn''t even funny,'' Damon thought, shaking his head.

    ''Strength is forged in solitude, not in the approval of others.''

    Xander Ravenscroft, his opponent, chuckled darkly. The sword in Xander''s hand glinted menacingly under the lights.

    "I certainly hope you don''t die... from those beams of light. Light magic is the fastest type of magic. You will fail."

    Damon scoffed, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Someone sounds scared..."

    Xander''s eyes narrowed, his voice laced with venom.

    "I''m only scared you''ll be too dead to apologize after I win."

    Damon knew death was a very real possibility. Aether Academy wasn''t a place for the weak-hearted. Training here, both inside and beyond its walls, often came with casualties. It was an unspoken reality every student had to accept.

    "Pain and failure are the price of power," Damon said, his tone calm and resolute.

    Xander let out a low, derisive chuckle.

    "Then you will feel them both."

    He tightened his grip on his daggers.

    ''As I thought. Shadow perception allows me to predict the trajectory of light. Even if it''s fast, I can see it beforehand.''

    Two more beams fired in quick succession. Damon sidestepped both effortlessly, his movements fluid and precise. He could sense the surprised reactions of his classmates above, watching through the transparent glass.

    ''The world doesn''t define me—I define myself.''

    The beams increased in number, now firing ten at once. Damon twisted his body, ducked, and sidestepped, avoiding every one of them. His movements were a seamless dance of precision and grace.

    He narrowed his eyes as more partitions opened on the walls.

    ''Hmmm, this isn''t going to be as easy as I thought.''

    The beams surged to twenty, all aimed at him with deadly precision. Damon broke into a run, his feet carrying him swiftly around the room. The beams struck the ground behind him, each one narrowly missing its mark.

    Despite dodging everything so far, Damon knew this wasn''t sustainable. The objective wasn''t just to survive—it was to outlast Xander. He shifted some of his focus toward his opponent. Xander had conjured two shields of gravity magic, which hovered around him like protective orbs, deflecting the beams effortlessly as he moved across the room.

    Damon sneered at the sight.

    ''Well, that''s not fair. I can''t use that type of magic. Does his gravity attribute give him an advantage against light, or is he just that good?''

    His mind, now cold and analytical under the influence of [Remorseless], broke the situation down.

    ''I need to find a way to deal with him before I tire out. This is only the first wave, so I''ll hold off on using my [5x] skill and attribute points for now.''

    A beam of light streaked toward Damon from his right. He tilted his head just in time to avoid it, then sidestepped another. In one fluid motion, he stepped onto the wall and propelled himself behind Xander, positioning himself just outside the radius of the gravity shields.

    A smirk tugged at Damon''s lips.

    "That''s a nice barrier you''ve got there. Mind sharing the wealth with a lowly commoner?"

    Xander turned, his cold gaze locking onto Damon.

    "You dare..."

    Damon chuckled, his voice laced with mockery.

    "Not breaking any rules here. Why are you getting angry?"