CHAPTER 41: FIRST CLASS (7)

Chapter 41: First Class (7)

Cadets were still murmuring, some sneaking glances at Leon’s stiff back as he returned to his seat, others stealing side-eyes at Eric, who looked annoyingly calm despite his victory.

But then—

Alastor’s gaze snapped toward me.

"Michael... step forward."

My body tensed instinctively. His tone wasn’t just an order; it was a challenge, a call dragged from the throat of a lion testing if another beast dared answer.

The hall went quiet. Too quiet.

Every eye turned toward me.

Some were filled with curiosity. Others—resentment. And a few, barely concealed hunger, as if waiting to see the Rank 1 crumble under pressure.

I rose from my seat in the third row, the scrape of the chair legs sounding deafening in the silence. My steps echoed against the arena’s stone floor.

’Tch... and here I thought I’d get to spectate a little longer.’

I exhaled slowly. My heartbeat was steady, but my mind was sharp, running through countless combat scenarios. This wasn’t just a spar. This was my first public fight in Class A—the stage where reputations were forged or shattered.

Alastor’s grin widened as he watched me approach. His eyes weren’t just observing—they were dissecting, measuring me down to the bone.

"Good," he rumbled. "The cub who barked at the ceremony finally bares his teeth."

I stepped onto the cracked stone circle. The heat from Leon’s earlier flames still radiated faintly from the floor, but it only sharpened my focus.

Alastor turned, his voice booming:

"And his opponent... Aiden Stormfang."

---

Aiden’s Entrance

Aiden stood immediately, his dual short swords strapped at his hips clinking as he rose. His confident smirk was already in place, lightning practically crackling in his gaze.

"Heh. Finally." He rolled his shoulders, then strode down with the casual arrogance of someone who lived for this exact moment. "Guess I get the honor of knocking down our shiny new Rank 1."

The cadets roared with whispers.

"Aiden? Oh, this is gonna be wild."

"He’s reckless but crazy strong."

"Can Michael really handle him? This isn’t a magic duel—it’s pure combat."

"Rank 1 or not, Aiden’s an absolute beast with blades..."

Ren leaned back, smirking from his seat. "Well, this’ll be fun to watch."

Eric only narrowed his eyes slightly, analyzing me like he had Leon.

Leon, still burning from his win, crossed his arms and muttered , "Don’t lose pathetically. If Rank 1 falls here, then your speech at the ceremony was nothing but hot air."

...Lovely encouragement.

Aiden hopped onto the stage with a flourish, both short swords drawn. Sparks of static danced faintly along the steel as he twirled them once, ending in a reversed grip.

He pointed one blade toward me, grin wide and sharp.

"Try not to hold back, Michael. I don’t want excuses when you’re lying on the floor."

I raised an eyebrow, resting my hand on the hilt of my practice sword.

"...You talk a lot for someone about to lose."

The words slipped out naturally, earning me a chorus of gasps and a few muffled laughs from the cadets. Aiden’s grin twitched wider, almost feral.

Alastor’s booming laugh cut across the hall.

"HAH! Now this is what I wanted! Two cubs, one stage, no fear in their eyes!"

He extended a hand, fingers spread like a judge about to slam the gavel.

"Match two... BEGIN!"

DONG!

The arena flared with runes once more, humming with mana.

Lightning crackled faintly around Aiden as he crouched low, dual blades ready. His muscles coiled, his body practically vibrating with explosive energy.

Across from him, I drew my training sword in a single smooth motion, the weight familiar in my hands.

The tension sharpened. Every cadet leaned forward, breaths held, eyes fixed.

This wasn’t just a spar.

It was the clash everyone had been waiting for.

----

"BEGIN!"

⚡BOOM!

Aiden exploded forward like a lightning bolt unleashed.

His twin short swords carved silver arcs through the air, the floor beneath his boots cracking as his mana-infused muscles propelled him in a blur. The cadets gasped—he was already at my throat before some could even blink.

Clang!

Steel screamed as his right blade struck my guard. The sheer force sent a shock down my arm, the weight of his momentum rattling my bones.

But his left sword came immediately after—diagonal slash aimed at my ribs.

’Fast—too fast for most E-ranks.’

I pivoted my foot with a subtle Tai Chi step, redirecting the strike across the curve of my blade. Instead of clashing head-on, I guided his momentum, letting the attack slip past harmlessly.

Aiden’s eyes flashed with excitement. "Hah! You can keep up!"

His knee snapped upward—a brutal Kalaripayattu-style knee strike straight for my gut.

Thud!

I dropped my elbow sharply, blocking the blow with a crunch of bone against bone, my body twisting with practiced fluidity. My free hand lashed out, palm strike aimed at his chin.

He tilted his head just in time, the strike grazing his jaw. His grin widened.

"Not bad—"

⚡ZAP!

Sparks erupted from his blades as he channeled lightning mana into them, the crackle of energy filling the arena. With a roar, he unleashed a whirlwind of slashes, each one faster, heavier, charged with mana infusion.

Clang! Clang! Clang-clang-clang!

Steel rang like furious bells as I parried, redirected, deflected. My sword danced in arcs that weren’t just strikes—they were flow. Each block absorbed his ferocity, each step repositioned me by inches, keeping balance in chaos.

The cadets leaned forward, eyes wide.

"He’s keeping up with Aiden’s storm?!"

"Those movements... he’s not just swinging. That’s form."

"It looks almost... like a martial artist using a sword."

---

Aiden snarled, his lightning aura sparking hotter. He spun low, one blade sweeping at my legs, the other arcing high in a fake overhead slash.

Shhhing!

I bent backward, "iron bridge" motion saving my head from his top strike. His lower blade cut close, slicing my uniform pants, but I shifted my weight onto one hand and twisted my legs, kicking upward.

WHAM!

Aiden blocked with his crossed swords, skidding back two steps, boots dragging across the stone. He licked his lip, exhilarated.

"Damn—you fight like some old monk with a blade."

I rose smoothly, sword leveled. "Funny. You fight like a thunderstorm with no direction."

"Perfect then," he grinned savagely. "Let’s see if your calm can hold against a storm!"

⚡💥

He surged again, but this time with Storm Fang Blitz—his dual blades multiplying into a flurry, each strike faster than the last. Sparks trailed every movement, the arena flashing with arcs of blue-white lightning.

Clang! Spark! BOOM!

I deflected the first. Redirected the second. Let the third whistle past. But the fourth carved across my shoulder, jolting me with static pain.

My teeth clenched. ’Tch. He’s pushing harder.’

Another slash. I barely caught it. His grin widened, his speed increasing, his blades becoming a storm.

The cadets were on their feet now.

"This is insane!"

"Aiden’s on fire!"

"No—look! Michael’s not breaking!"

---

Michael’s Turn

My Quantum Analysis Mind ticked like clockwork. Every slash, every twitch of his shoulders, every shift in his footwork—I mapped it, calculated it, predicted where the next strike would come.

And then... I saw it.

The opening.

DONG.

I shifted into a low stance, sword sheathed at my hip like a coiled serpent.

Aiden came screaming forward, lightning flaring across both blades.

I exhaled—long and calm.

Mana surged. My blade flickered.

And then—

Shiiing!

One step. A fluid arc. My sword slashed upward in a swift, precise cut. Not just swordsmanship but redirect, sharp explosiveness married into one flowing strike.

CRACK!

His right blade was knocked skyward. The shockwave forced his left slash wide open.

I stepped in, blade already rotating downward.

BAM!

The flat of my sword slammed into his chest. The impact blasted him back across the stage, sparks sputtering as his lightning faltered. He crashed onto his back, coughing air from his lungs.

The class roared in shock.

"Holy crap!"

"He—he stopped Aiden’s storm mid-combo!"

"What kind of swordsmanship was that?!".

---

But Aiden wasn’t done.

"Hah... Hahahaha!" His laugh was wild as he dragged himself to his feet, eyes gleaming like a predator finally finding prey worth killing.

"Finally—someone who won’t break after a few swings."

He raised his blades again. Lightning gathered thicker, hotter, wrapping his arms in crackling light. The very air smelled of ozone.

"I’m not done yet, Michael! Not even close!"

Alastor’s eyes narrowed, his grin wolfish as he muttered under his breath:

"...This cub. Both of them... they’re already fighting beyond E-rank."

---

⚡ Lightning and 🔥 Fire

Aiden’s mana erupted. Lightning sparks crawled across his arms while his short swords ignited with flames that twisted and merged with the crackling arcs.

The temperature in the training hall shot up instantly. Sweat prickled across the cadets’ brows, and the sharp tang of ozone filled the air.

"Is he... using two affinities at once?"

"That’s reckless!"

"He’ll burn his mana core out—!"

But Aiden didn’t care. His grin was feral, eyes blazing with battle fever.

"MICHAEL!" he roared, lightning and fire flaring in harmony. "Try stopping this!"

He vanished—

—and reappeared in front of me, twin blades crashing down like twin thunderbolts wrapped in fire.

BOOOOM!

The ground beneath us fractured, a shockwave rolling out across the arena. Cadets in the front rows staggered from the force, shielding their faces.

I skidded backward, arms straining as my sword caught both blades. Heat scorched my skin, sparks seared my uniform, and my boots dragged deep lines into the stone floor.

’Shit—his raw output doubled. No, tripled.’

Aiden pressed harder, laughing like a maniac. "What happened to your calm, huh?! Where’s that monk act now?!"

Flames surged along his blades. Lightning crawled into my sword guard, jolting pain through my bones. His strength was like a storm breaking through my defenses.

’If I keep this up... I’ll be crushed.’

My teeth clenched. My mana burned inside me like a caged beast.

’Tch. Guess I can’t keep it hidden forever.’