CHAPTER 9

Wow! Did you hear that?!

There's a fight going on!!

With who?... Wait—isn't that Marcus Iron from the second year? How is he fighting a first-year student?!

This is insane!!

About two hundred students gathered in the main training yard to watch the match between me and Marcus Iron. This was more than I expected—it seemed like the news had spread fast through the academy.

"This is exciting!" Elyana whispered, standing with Draken in the front row.

"But I'm worried. Marcus is a second-year student, and he has more experience."

"Don't worry," Draken said confidently. 

"Lian is stronger than he looks—he's been training constantly, and he's smart."

Marcus!

Win the fight quickly!!

He's just a first-year student!! 

This is embarrassing!!

Marcus stood on the opposite side of the arena, surrounded by a group of second-years cheering for him. Some of them even mocked him for challenging a first-year student.

He was tall and muscular, with short black hair and sharp brown eyes. 

He carried a heavy war hammer surrounded by a metallic glow—a powerful metal spirit.

"You're not too late to apologize and back out," he said loudly enough for the audience to hear. 

"I'll be generous with a first-year student."

"Thank you for the kind offer," I replied in the same loud tone. 

"But I'd rather teach you a lesson in manners!"

Hahaha! Look at this first-year student—he's confident!

Beat him quickly, Marcus!

The older students laughed mockingly, while the first-years looked nervous. Even some professors had come to watch the match.

Professor Stormhammer stepped forward to act as the referee.

"This is a friendly match, not a personal feud," he said calmly and clearly. 

"The fight ends when one opponent surrenders or is unable to continue. No lethal techniques are allowed."

He looked at both of us.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready!" Marcus said, lifting his heavy hammer. His metal spirit began covering his body with a thin steel armor.

"Ready!" I said, placing my hand on the hilt of my sword. Ember flew above my head, glowing with excited golden flame.

"Begin!"

Marcus attacked immediately with a powerful, direct strike.

"Metal Technique: Iron Storm Hammer!"

His hammer glowed with strong metallic energy and shot toward me at an amazing speed.

If it had hit me, it would have ended the match instantly.

But I had learned from my fights with Draken.

Instead of trying to block the attack directly, I dodged it with quick movement.

"Ember, Chain Fireballs!"

Ember launched a series of small fireballs at Marcus. He easily blocked them with his metal armor, but that gave me time to prepare my real attack.

"Shadowind Technique: Dancing Flame Blade!"

This time I didn't make up the technique—it was a real one I had learned from my father's book in the past two weeks. My sword ignited with intense golden flame, and I started moving in fast circular patterns around Marcus.

"What?!" he exclaimed in surprise. 

"This is a Tier Three technique! How does a first-year student know this?!"

I didn't answer. I was focused on the attack.

The goal wasn't to hurt him badly, but to gradually wear down his defenses.

Marcus tried to keep up with my movements, but his heavy hammer made him slow. Every time he attacked, I dodged and counterattacked from a different angle.

"Stand still and fight like a man!" he shouted in frustration.

"War isn't just about bravery—it's also about intelligence," I said, continuing my movement.

After several minutes, Marcus started panting. His metal armor was draining his spiritual energy quickly, especially while trying to keep up with my speed.

It was time to end the match.

"Ember, Radiant Fusion Technique!"

This was a new technique we had developed together during our training.

Ember transformed into a beam of concentrated fire and temporarily merged with my sword, turning it into a blade of pure flame.

The crowd gasped in unison from the surprise. Even the professors looked shocked.

"What the—?!"

"Spirit Fusion?!" Professor Stormhammer said in disbelief. 

"That's impossible for a beginner!"

I attacked with lightning speed, and my flame sword cut through Marcus's metal armor as if it were butter.

I stopped the blade at his throat, and the heat made sweat pour down his face.

"Surrender," I said calmly.

Marcus looked at me in shock, admiration, and fear. Then he slowly nodded.

"I surrender!"

The crowd exploded into applause and cheers.

This is the first time a first-year student has ever defeated a second-year! 

This is amazing!!

The first-years were celebrating, while the older students looked stunned.

"The winner: Lian Shadowind!" Professor Stormhammer announced.

I sheathed my sword and helped Marcus stand up. Ember returned to her normal form and landed on my shoulder, clearly proud.

"That was a great match," I said to Marcus. 

"You have impressive strength."

He looked at me with a complex expression. 

"You… you're not an ordinary first-year student, are you?"

"None of us are really ordinary," I replied with a smile. 

"We're all here because we're special in one way or another."

Marcus thought for a moment, then extended his hand.

Marcus imagined the rumors that would follow him if word spread of him losing to a first-year student.

Alright. Rumors are the foundation of strength, and they spread influence. Just imagining this makes me sweat!

A draw? No apologies from either side, but mutual respect?

I shook his hand. 

"A draw."

The crowd cheered even louder. Even the second-years who came to support Marcus looked impressed.

"Lian!"

Elyana ran to me and hugged me.

"That was amazing! How did you do that last technique?"

"Training with Ember," I said honestly. 

"We understand each other well."

More than well," said a deep voice behind me.

I turned to see Professor Stormhammer approaching, his expression filled with intense interest.

"What you did wasn't just an advanced technique. 

That was true spirit fusion. Something we only teach fourth-year students—if they're lucky."

"Is that a problem?" I asked nervously.

"A problem? On the contrary!" the professor laughed. 

"That's incredible! Boy, I think you need more advanced training than the regular classes."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'll ask Professor Firestone to place you in the advanced student program," he said enthusiastically. 

"Personal training, access to advanced materials, and most importantly—real challenges."

This sounded exciting, but also suspicious.

Of course, I hadn't forgotten my friends.

"And my friends?"

The professor looked at Elyana and Draken, who stood beside me.

"Well, Miss Elyana showed advanced healing skills in class today." 

"And Mr. Draken… well, he fights like a seasoned warrior despite his age."

He smiled.

"I think we can arrange something for all of you. A small team of advanced students."

"A team?" Elyana said excitedly. 

"We'll be an official team? Really?!"

"Exactly," the professor nodded. 

"The academy encourages teamwork. Some of the greatest warriors in history worked in small teams."

"…!"

This was an exciting development. In the game, there were no official teams until the advanced years.

"When do we start?" Draken asked.

"Next week," the professor said. 

"I'll give you time to settle into the regular classes first. But starting next Monday, you'll meet with me for three extra hours every day."

"Three extra hours?" Elyana said with concern.

"Don't worry," the professor smiled. 

"It'll be more fun than regular work. We'll be going on real missions outside the academy."

Real missions? This was getting better and better.

After the crowd dispersed and everyone returned to their usual activities, the three of us sat under a large tree in the academy garden.

"I feel like my first day at the academy was more exciting than a whole year of my old life," Elyana said with happy exhaustion.

"And this is just the beginning," Draken said. 

"Professor Stormhammer said we'll be going on real missions. That means real adventures!"

I nodded, but part of me was thinking about something else.

Our rapid progress was drawing attention from professors and other students. That was good, but it also meant we would become targets for people who might not like seeing new students rise so quickly.

As if reading my thoughts, I noticed someone watching us from a distance. A third-year student with red hair and sharp green eyes stood in the shadows of a nearby building. When our eyes met, he gave me a smile that was definitely not friendly.

"Guys, don't look obvious, but someone is watching us."

They carefully looked in the direction I pointed, but the mysterious student had already disappeared.

"Interesting," Draken said. 

"Looks like your match has drawn attention from other people too."

"Is that a bad thing?" Elyana asked.

"Not necessarily," I said. 

"But we need to be careful. Fast success brings friends, but also enemies."

Ember flew from my shoulder and circled around us, as if saying "Don't worry, I'm here to protect you." Even Luna glowed with comforting light.

"No matter what happens, we're together," Elyana said firmly.

"Together," Draken agreed.

"Together," I said, feeling the warmth of true friendship.

As we sat under the tree watching the sunset behind the academy towers, I realized that today was only the beginning of a long and exciting journey.

We had new friends, potential enemies, and endless opportunities for growth and learning. And most importantly, we had each other.

No matter what challenges awaited us, we would face them together.

And deep in my heart, I knew the real adventure had just begun.