Arc 1: Part 26

Saturday, in the training room. Class Three students were tense about the upcoming spars.

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"Two weeks or so has passed," Halbus started in front of them. " From the reports I have received, you guys have been training really hard, and I'm honestly impressed."

This made the students smile.

"However!" Halbus' tone rose, and his expression became solemn. "I need to see how much you guys are capable of. If you guys manage to impress me, then I will treat you to lunch tomorrow!"

That managed to make the excitement rise up from inside the students. It even made one of them raise their hand.

"Sir! Will we have lunch outside of the academy?"

"Yes!" Halbus gave a nod. "We're going to Suroff for lunch!"

Most of the students cheered. They had been stuck inside the academy and could only eat meals from the cafeteria. While the food was delicious, they still wanted to go outside of the academy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

"However! This accumulated result, if I discover that some of you fall short, this commitment will be revoked."

The students turned serious. They had to show what they had achieved in the two weeks in order to get free lunch and leave the academy.

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"Now, for the first spar." Halbus swept through his students with his eyes. Friena and Ninia stepped forward. Hearing this, Friena grinned and confidently stepped while Ninia just had her usual bland expression.

After both of them stood inside the arena, Halbus spoke, "Remember, this is a spar. While I want you guys to do your best, please don't go overboard. Also, it's not a question of winning or losing; it's about you convincing me that you guys are excellent. I'll put a stop to the spar if it gets too far. Now, both of you, get ready."

On his command, both Friena and Ninia took their stances. Friena wielded her steel sword while Ninia armed herself with gauntlets.

"Begin!"

Both dashed at each other. Friena had herself shrouded in a fire while Ninia empowered herself with magic. Friena summoned five firebolts above her and sent them toward Ninia.

Ninia effortlessly avoided them, but that wasn't the end of Friena's attack. With the boost of her fire, she was hovering while moving toward Ninia and swung her sword. Once again, Ninia dodged but not without retaliating. A punch came to Friena's stomach. With Friena's current speed, it was difficult for her to avoid Ninia's strike, and at this rate, she'd have to take the hit.

However, a big smile was then plastered on her face. Dodging was never an option; she didn't have any intention of avoiding it from the start. Ninia noticed this and then saw a spark of fire appear on Friena's tummy.

Ninia's face turned perplexed, and at the same time, the spark condensed into a beam and shot out. Ninia had to pull her fist in order to block the beam.

"Damn," Kyle murmured while standing on the sideline. He was amazed by what he saw. He didn't anticipate Friena to create such a spell. As expected, Friena had a great imagination but she was too volatile. One mistake might have serious consequences.

Back to the fight, Friena fought aggressively and used everything she got. As for Ninia, she attempted to retaliate, but Friena always kept her pulling back to protect herself. Friena did prevent Ninia from scoring a hit, but it also cost too much of her energy.

"Stop," Halbus said, and both of them stopped fighting. "Both of you did a good job. However, Friena …." Halbus sighed. "Why are you wasting your energy like that?"

"Well, I'm just showcasing what I am planning for the future," she said with a smirk. "Had it not been for Ninia, I think I would have scored some hits."

That was true, and almost everyone agreed on that. Ninia's mobility was rapid and less wasteful, despite the fact that she couldn't attack properly. Keeping her one step ahead of Friena at all times.

"Alright …. Both of you go back," Halbus said while sighing. He wanted to see just how much of the information about Ninia was true according to the report he got. Strange energy flowed inside her, fast, powerful, and domineering. But thus far, all he could see was her movement, and there was no trace of the strange energy.

"Next! Ozi versus Bianca!"

The spars continued. Whether they won or lost, each student demonstrated their abilities. Once the spars ended, Halbus finally got a grasp of what his students were capable of, and there was an update needed on his report regarding his students too. He didn't know how strong they were before, but through this spar, he could say they wouldn't be the weakest Class.

Halbus smiled and applauded them. "You guys have done well …. As I promised, tomorrow we will have lunch."

"Yes!" they cheered happily, relieved to have met the expectations and received free lunch.

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*****

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After the spars, Kyle was thinking about Joshua and Friena. He called himself a fool for not considering that Friena might be able to help Joshua in creating his own spells. After all, Friena did create her own spells despite how crude they were.

However, it is possible that it will not work because Friena relied on instinct rather than a well-thought-out mind. But still, it was better than nothing.

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"Friena, help to train Joshua," Kyle said to her.

"Huh? Why? Isn't the deadline also approaching?" Friena questioned. To be honest, she didn't care about Joshua or the elaborate strategy that had been devised.

"I need you to show him about your fire control. He needs inspiration."

"Hmm …." Friena wondered for a while before making a smile. "Okay, but in exchange! You have to treat me to food tomorrow!"

"Huh? But we will have lunch tomorrow."

"After that! We will walk around the city and get more food!"

Kyle forgot one thing, Friena was a big eater. She could eat more than thrice the portion of an average person. It made him wonder just what kind of magic applied in her stomach.

"Hm …. Okay, I'll treat you," Kyle sighed with a nod. He had to prepare a lot of money later. He knew that she wouldn't be satisfied easily, and they probably had to visit more than five food stalls or restaurants.

"Great! All right, let's go!"

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Author: Aida Hanabi

Proofreader: Lola

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