Veyhart Academy – Isolated Training Room.
"What happened to you? I thought you were dead."
"In half a day? It'd take at least a hundred guys to kill me."
Yenne let out a light laugh at his exaggeration.
He had only missed the morning classes, so Kaen didn't expect to be bothered this early, especially not by Yenne.
"Seeing you still cracking jokes, I guess you're not dying... but honestly, you look terrible."
Yenne watched him with a puzzled expression. Kaen was sprawled on the ground, lying sideways like the very definition of laziness. One elbow propped up his head while the other arm rested over his stomach, in a pose so comfortable it was almost irritating.
"Huuuaaa... don't mind me, just keep training."
Kaen let out a loud yawn, still stretched out on the floor.
Yenne wasn't sure if he was sick or just being lazy. And coming from Kaen, it was possible it was both.
She went back to training, launching a sequence of ice spells at a fixed combat dummy. Crystals formed in the air, hitting the structure with precision.
"Why don't you use one of the reactive ones?"
"Because I'm trying to improve here..."
Kaen extended a hand toward the dummy and snapped his fingers. A faint wave of pressure passed right by Yenne.
She blinked a few times in surprise. Even though she had seen that technique before, she still wasn't used to how the energy seemed to come out of nowhere and take shape instantly. It was such a strange ability...
"Sometimes, we only improve when we're cornered."
"Didn't you say you were tired?"
"Still am..."
'I'm already screwed anyway... pushing it a bit more won't kill me.'
The moment he finished thinking that, a light jolt ran through his body. It was like a pulse of mana had jumped through his muscles, giving him goosebumps for a second.
"Ngh... damn."
He muttered while bringing a hand to his neck with a slight grimace. It was like a chill had shot straight through his bones.
'Or maybe it will...'
"..."
Yenne kept casting spells at the dummy... but for someone who loved PvP like Kaen, that was incredibly boring.
'It reminds me of AFK training sessions.'
In MMORPGs, it was common to leave your character training in AFK mode, attacking static dummies while you did something else.
Your mastery would increase, you'd gain XP. But it never compared to real training.
"Let's spice things up a bit..."
He muttered while looking at the bracelet. Then he pressed a button and activated level 2 on the combat dummy.
Pip!...
The system beeped with a soft sound.
Yenne quickly turned to him, surprised.
"What? Hey! Don't do that—"
"Try it now with a level 2."
The dummy's eyes lit up red, locking onto Yenne.
"You bastard!"
Kaen stayed stretched out on the ground, head resting on his hand, watching the scene like it was a stage play.
'You son of a... does he think I'm some kind of sword trainee?'
Everyone knew mages learned differently. They trained with calm, study, control. Swordsmen, on the other hand... they learned by getting hit, messing up, and surviving.
Maybe that's what Kaen meant by being cornered.
But Kaen was a mage. Yenne didn't doubt that. She had never seen him wield a sword. He only used spells. And even so, his mana control was precise and clean.
Channeling mana with precision through the body was like drawing with fire on thin paper. One mistake and it all turned to ash. And Kaen made it look easy.
She knew he didn't come from a rich family, never had private tutors. It was just him, on the streets, with magic as his only weapon.
'Damn it...'
The dummy charged.
Yenne reacted quickly, raising a magic barrier. The impact hit hard, but she held her ground.
Then she cast a fire spell straight at the machine's chest, exploding into sparks and smoke.
The dummy only took a step back from the impact, standing still for a few seconds.
But then, as if nothing had happened, it took a step forward with a soft metallic creak, its eyes still glowing red, staring at Yenne like it hadn't taken any damage at all.
The dummy even raised one of its hands and wiped its metal arm as if brushing off dust from clothes. It was ridiculous, especially since it wasn't even wearing any. The provocation only made Yenne's mood worse.
She squinted, clearly irritated.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
It was like that pile of metal was mocking her.
"Haha... good luck with him."
Kaen just laughed at the scene.
He had activated the dummy's humanized combat system. And watching it mimic human gestures to provoke Yenne was hilarious...
====
The atmosphere was calm and luxurious.
It was one of the reserved halls at Veyhart Academy, where only nobles from influential families had free access.
The place was specifically reserved for members of Tharion's group.
It felt like an exclusive social club, with young nobles spread around in small groups: some reading grimoires in cushioned chairs, others playing magical card games with stifled laughs, and a small group focused on a finely carved chessboard at the center of an ornate table.
Among them, Tharion and another younger noble played calmly, the dry clicks of the pieces setting the rhythm of a hidden tension.
Tharion leaned back in his chair, head slightly tilted. But his eyes... were distant.
"You seem distracted, Tharion."
The boy across from him, with short blond hair and gray eyes, looked at him curiously while moving a knight on the board.
Tharion snapped his fingers and made a quick move, sliding the rook and knocking over an enemy pawn.
"It's nothing. Just thinking about the trash getting involved with what's mine."
"Hmm... are you talking about that white-haired guy?"
"... Yeah, he's just a commoner who doesn't know his place."
"I heard he clashed with Professor Aeryn in class."
The blond boy made another move, bringing the queen diagonally across the board.
Tharion glanced at him briefly, then returned his focus to the game.
"Those are just stories."
"Everything begins and ends with stories, Tharion."
Tharion gave a faint smirk of contempt. Moving his piece firmly, he placed the bishop to guard the rear of the recently advanced rook.
"Rumors spread fast. But that doesn't change the fact that he's a commoner. And commoners only shine when those at the top allow it."
The piece clicked onto the center of the dark square, reinforcing his words with disdain.
"If that's the case, why do you seem so bothered? Didn't you already talk to him?"
The blond advanced boldly, placing his queen in a threatening spot, forcing Tharion to react. It was a move that would put him at a disadvantage if he didn't respond quickly.
Tharion frowned, but didn't retreat.
"That bastard clearly wasn't taking me seriously."
The blond chuckled and moved a bishop to capture one of Tharion's support pieces, destabilizing his formation even more.
"Really? That's a problem... when you don't have control over the situation, things can get difficult."
He said it while looking at the board, but the meaning behind the words was obvious — a clear jab at Tharion's situation.
Irritated, Tharion pushed his rook forward abruptly, trying to open up space and regain control.
"Sometimes all it takes is one decisive move to turn the game around."
But his tone sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than threaten anyone.
Next, the blond moved a smaller piece to provide cover, and then made the decisive move.
With a swift motion, his queen moved diagonally and captured Tharion's queen.
Clack...
"Your queen is your strongest piece... losing her like that makes everything harder, doesn't it?"
Tharion froze for a moment, eyes locked on the board.
The blond then moved one more piece.
"Checkmate."
Tharion closed his eyes for a brief moment. The game was over.
"What can I do?"
The blond said with a calm smile, shrugging.
"I just can't lose this kind of game."