CHAPTER 228: TRAINING WITH GENIUSES [1]

My body was already sore, my mind was already fried, and now I was being lectured by two people who looked like they were born with perfect technique.

Leona narrowed her eyes and took a stance next to me. "C’mon, Rin. You’re the one who went into dungeon yesterday. Now keep up, hero boy."

I groaned, adjusting my grip on the training dagger as sweat dripped down my temple.

"Can’t I just go back to being a side character...?" I muttered under my breath.

But deep down, I already knew.

That ship had long sailed.

...And here I was, hoping for a moment of rest—but clearly, ’rest’ wasn’t in my dictionary anymore. Only rest in peace, maybe.

They said this would be a light exercise.

But clearly, these so-called ’genius’ cadets didn’t understand the meaning of light. Or they had their own twisted version of it.

"Rin, I’m going to swing again. This time, don’t block—try to deflect."

And there it was again.

These maniacs thought that just because they could pull off something, the rest of us should be able to do it too. So here I was, being trained like a sponge trying to become a shield.

I exhaled slowly, raising my dagger again.

"Did I do something to upset you guys? If so, just say it. I’ll apologize properly, on my knees if needed."

"Haha! Stop messing around just because you’re tired," Leona laughed.

"C’mon, let’s go one more round. Ranking match is right around the corner," Ryen added, grinning.

Oh right.

The ranking match.

I had completely forgotten about it. Probably because in the original story, it was barely even mentioned—overshadowed by all the chaos and near-death scenarios.

But this time was different. The academy was... relatively normal. Which meant all those scheduled events? They were actually happening.

The ranking match was one of the more important ones—a mid-semester event where all cadets were ranked based on one-on-one sparring matches.

The classic "who’s stronger than who" tournament.

And judging from the enthusiasm in these guys’ eyes, they were already fired up for it.

"Train with us, Rin. You might just rank higher than you expect," Ryen said with a smirk, clapping me on the shoulder.

"Yeah, just don’t die before then," Leona joked.

I gave a weak laugh.

Ha... ha...

At this rate, forget ranking—I’d be lucky to walk back to the dorm without crawling.

Still, something inside me refused to give up. Maybe it was pride. Maybe it was survival instinct.

Or maybe... I was slowly getting used to this chaos.

God help me.

I forced my legs to move, shifting into stance again.

Leona lunged in first. Her wooden blade whistled through the air with terrifying precision. I stepped back—not out of reflex, but out of sheer desperation—and barely managed to redirect the blow with the flat of my dagger.

It rattled up my arm.

"Good," Ryen called out. "But don’t retreat too far. You need to control the center if you want to stand a chance."

I wanted to scream, ’Why do I need to control anything? I’m not trying to be champion!’

But I gritted my teeth and moved forward, just as Leona spun and swept low. I jumped. Barely. My ankle twisted slightly when I landed, but at least I wasn’t face-first on the floor.

Not yet.

"Nice," Leona said. She was smiling. Smiling. Like we were out on a picnic.

"You’re improving faster than I expected," Ryen added, nodding thoughtfully. "You’re adapting."

Adaptation. Right.

What a nice word for ’desperately trying not to die during practice.’

But... okay. Fine. I had to admit it. There was something weirdly satisfying about not getting completely destroyed on the third day of hell week. Progress, maybe?

Or brain damage.

Whichever came first.

I reset my stance, breathing hard. My arms were sore, my legs felt like logs, and sweat was dripping into my eyes, but—

"I’m ready."

Leona raised a brow. "Really?"

"No. But I’m not quitting, either."

She smirked and lunged again.

This time, I met her halfway.

----

We took a short water break, though it felt more like a "let’s see if Rin collapses" intermission.

Leona sat down on the grass, stretching her arms with a satisfied sigh. "Y’know, you’re not bad, Rin. A few weeks ago, you wouldn’t have lasted five minutes with me."

"Gee, thanks. That’s the nicest way anyone’s ever told me I sucked less," I said, collapsing beside her.

Ryen chuckled, handing me a water bottle. "For real, though. You’ve come a long way. I still remember that time you held a sword like it was a baby bird."

"That wasn’t my fault. No one told me which way the blade was supposed to face," I muttered, sipping gratefully.

Truth was, I had been improving.

Bit by bit.

Bleeding, bruising, flailing—but improving.

The quiet satisfaction of not falling flat on my face every time we trained was... oddly addictive. Or maybe that was just blood loss talking.

"Hey, Rin," Ryen started, glancing over. "You ready for your first ranking match?"

I paused, lowering my water bottle.

"...Is there a way to not be ready but still show up?"

They laughed.

"Nope," Leona said, grinning. "You’ll be fine. Just don’t fight me in the first round. I’ll ruin you."

"Comforting," I replied dryly.

We sat there in silence for a moment, listening to the sound of distant sparring and the occasional instructor’s shout. The academy’s training grounds were alive with energy—everyone preparing, pushing, grinding.

And in the middle of it, somehow, I was one of them.

"Anyway," Leona said, glancing at the horizon, "I heard your sister is still lurking around campus."

"Yeah..." I sighed. "She’s taken up the role of Big Sister Slash Inspector Slash Goddess of Doom."

"She’s really strong, huh?" Ryen asked.

"Strong enough to kill a wyvern in heels and not break stride," I muttered. "She means well. I think."

"She looked like she was ready to kidnap you," Leona teased, smirking.

I gave a nervous laugh.

"...Yeah. She might actually do that."

And not because she missed me.

But because she worried.

And I hated how part of me wanted to listen. To just walk away from all this.

But I couldn’t.

Not now.

Not when everything had just started to change.

Not when I was finally becoming someone who could stand on his own two feet—even if those feet were currently trembling like a newborn deer’s.

"You’ll do fine," Ryen said again, suddenly serious. "Whatever happens at the ranking match, you’re not the same guy from before. That guy’s gone."

I blinked at him.

He just smiled and stood.

Leona followed.

"Now let’s get ready for another round."

"You know what? You guys are monsters."

I groaned, rolling my neck as I forced myself to my feet again.