CHAPTER 26: TRAINING PARTNER

The next day in the classroom, Amon sat down beside Marcus.

"Yo! Marcus, good morning," he greeted casually, giving him a cheerful smile.

Marcus only clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Amon, as always, ignored it. He had already gotten used to Marcus’s attitude, so instead of wasting energy, he turned his attention to the lecture.

At the front, Instructor Aria spoke to the class with her usual playful tone.

"Next week at Thursday,there will be a practice dungeon exploration. You should all prepare yourselves, since you’ll be facing real monsters. For some of you, it might be your first time. Use this week wisely to train."

The students immediately started whispering to each other, the atmosphere filling with excitement and nervousness.

"The dungeon chosen is a low-level one," Aria continued, "with only Rank 0 and Rank 1 monsters. However, a Rank 2 monster will serve as the boss. You’ll be given further instructions on the day of the practical."

Amon’s lips curled into a grin. Finally... my first dungeon exploration.

Of course, he knew this wasn’t like those dungeons filled with treasures and secrets. This dungeon belonged to the academy, fully controlled and regulated. There would be no hidden artifacts, no miraculous treasures waiting inside. It was purely for training. Academy already had conquerored it and taken out all the treasures. Still, Amon couldn’t stop himself from feeling excited.

As the lecture went on, Amon’s thoughts drifted to what kind of monsters he might encounter. He clenched his fist tightly under the desk, silently vowing to do well.

---

Later that day, in the cafeteria, Amon was seated at a table with Seraphina and Eliana. As usual, the three of them were chatting while eating.

It still surprised Amon that no one had tried to directly bully him yet. Of course, he often heard murmurs, mocking comments, or cold whispers about how he didn’t belong in Class A, or how shameless it was of him to spend time with Eliana and Seraphina. But Amon didn’t care. If anything, he wore his shamelessness like armor.

He glanced at Seraphina and smiled.

"Seraphina, thank you for carrying me to the infirmary yesterday. I really appreciate it," he said sincerely.

Seraphina gave a simple nod.

"It’s alright. You’re my friend. Besides, even if it were someone else, I still would’ve helped if no one else stepped forward."

Amon froze for a moment at her words. ’So she helped me because no one else would? Or... because I’m her friend?’ He shook his head quickly.Trying to console himself.

’No, no, she clearly said I’m her friend. That’s enough.’

He cleared his throat, a bit nervous now.

"Seraphina... I have a request."

Eliana, who had been eating silently, raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a mischievous smile.

"Oh? What request could this be? What do you want from Seraphina, hmm?"

Amon ignored her teasing tone.

"Seraphina, please... help me with training. Teach me more about swordsmanship. No, I mean, teach me proper swordsmanship."

His tone was earnest, almost pleading.

Both Eliana and Seraphina looked at him in surprise. For a moment, silence hung between them.

Finally, Seraphina opened her lips.

"I can’t teach you swordsmanship. The style I use belongs to my family. It’s our family’s swordsmanship, and I’m not allowed to pass it on to outsiders."

Eliana nodded softly, her expression calm.

"I understand. Family techniques aren’t something you can just teach to others."

Amon sighed, visibly dejected. But after a moment, his mischievous side sparked. He leaned a little closer to Seraphina and smirked.

"Then... what if I marry you? Can I learn it then?"

The effect was immediate. Seraphina flinched, her cheeks turning bright red.

"Yo–you... what the hell are you saying?!" she stuttered, her voice louder than usual.

No one had ever said anything like this to her before. She felt flustered because of it. The audacity of this guy was too much.

Amon burst into laughter at her reaction, and Eliana joined in.

"Haha! You look so damn cute when you blush, Seraphina," Amon teased, still chuckling.

Eliana, clearly enjoying the scene, added more fuel to the fire.

"Look at her! She’s blushing like a tomato. Amon, you’re surprisingly good with words when it comes to girls."

"Shut up, both of you!" Seraphina snapped, her voice flustered. Her usual cold and calm demeanor had completely cracked.

After a few seconds, she sighed and regained her composure, though the faint redness still lingered on her cheeks.

"...Though I can’t teach you my family’s style, I can still help you train. I can spar with you, point out your mistakes, and guide you with your footwork and movements."

Amon’s eyes lit up instantly.

"Really?! That’s more than enough!"

"Then after lectures end, meet me at the training grounds," she said simply.

Amon nodded happily, while Eliana leaned back with another mischievous smile.

"Hmmm... you two training together? I can already see where this is going."

"ELIANA!" Seraphina’s cold glare returned, though the little blush on her face betrayed her.

Amon simply continued eating, amused by the banter. Not like it matters... ’I’m just a commoner. Someone like me doesn’t stand a chance with Seraphina anyway. Still... it’s nice being around them like this.’

Surrounded by two beautiful princesses.

After a short silence, Amon asked curiously, "By the way, have you ever fought against a Rank 2 monster before?"

"Yes," Eliana replied casually. "They’re strong for Awakened like us. But with a group of three or four, it’s not too difficult to defeat one."

She gave a small smile before continuing.

"Of course, I mean a group of strong Awakened—like me and Seraphina. If it were a group of students at your level, Amon..."

She let out a small laugh. "Well, let’s just say you’d stand no chance."

Amon clenched his jaw, glaring at her playfully.

’I’ll remember this, Eliana. Just you wait.’

"Hmph. Just you see. Next week, I’ll be the one to defeat the dungeon’s final boss," he declared proudly.

Seraphina gave him a deadpan stare, while Eliana burst into laughter again.

"Yes, yes, of course you will," Eliana said between laughs.

Amon knew it was all empty bravado, but still, he couldn’t help himself. Sometimes his mouth moved faster than his common sense.

---

Later that afternoon, after lectures ended, Amon and Seraphina stood together at the training grounds.

"Let’s spar," Seraphina said calmly, picking up a wooden practice sword.

Amon grabbed a wooden longsword of his own, gripping it tightly. His determination burned in his eyes as they both stepped into the sparring arena.

"Okay. Let’s start."

Without hesitation, Amon charged first, sword raised high for a vertical slash. Seraphina met it effortlessly, blocking the attack with ease.

The sound of wooden swords clashing echoed through the room.

Strike after strike, Amon tried his best to keep up. But no matter what he did, Seraphina’s movements were sharper, faster, and more precise. Within moments, her sword was already at his weak points, or sometimes Amon’s sword had flown from his hands, clattering to the floor.

Again and again, they sparred. Again and again, the result was the same—utter defeat for Amon.

Still, Seraphina didn’t mock him. Instead, she patiently pointed out his flaws, giving advice on his movements, his stance, and his footwork.

She corrected him when he rushed, guided him when his balance was off, and pushed him to keep trying.

Sweat dripped down Amon’s forehead, but his eyes burned with determination.

I’ll get stronger. No matter how many times I fall, I’ll keep getting back up.

And so, under Seraphina’s guidance, the training continued. Step by step, strike by strike, Amon kept pushing himself forward.

For some reason, it felt like the training was slowly becoming more demanding, more brutal—but that only made him want it more.

’Fuck! My weak body’