Noah sat on his bed, the dim light from the bedside lamp casting long shadows across the dorm room. The day's events churned in his mind like a storm, refusing to settle. He leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling.
Facing potential war cri accusations wasn't sothing that happened to just anyone. It wasn't over. He knew that. Commander Albright wouldn't have authorized his arrest on a whim. That kind of decision ca from sowhere—soone. The thought gnawed at him. Whoever had provided that "reliable source" wasn't done.
'They're still watching ,' he thought. 'Albright wouldn't risk looking like a fool again unless he was certain. Today went my way, but this... it's far from over.'
The dorm was quiet save for the occasional creak of the floorboards. Noah's mind was busy replaying everything when the door opened with a faint creak. Kelvin stepped in, dragging his feet like he'd walked through hell itself.
Noah straightened, raising a brow. Kelvin didn't say a word. No usual snark, no wild theories, no witty remarks. Just silence.
Kelvin limped past him, moving directly toward his bed. His movents were slow, deliberate, as though every step sent a jolt of pain through his body.
"Hey," Noah called out, his curiosity piqued. "You okay?"
Kelvin didn't even glance his way. He threw himself onto the bed with a groan, pulling the blanket over his head like he wanted the world to disappear.
Noah frowned. This was out of character. Earlier on, Kelvin had been typing away on his tablet, as energetic and sharp as ever. And then, after clicking off a few screens, he'd left without a word.
Now he was back, limping and looking like he'd gone twelve rounds with soone twice his size.
'What the hell happened to him?' Noah wondered. 'This guy looked ready to hack into the academy's mainfra earlier, and now he looks like he ate too many sausages and lost a fight.'
Noah wanted to ask more, but sothing in Kelvin's deanor told him to let it go—at least for now. Whatever had happened, Kelvin clearly wasn't in the mood to talk.
Noah leaned back on his bed, his thoughts shifting uneasily between Kelvin's strange behavior and the larger storm looming over him.
'One more thing to figure out,' he mused, running a hand through his hair. 'This day just doesn't end, does it?'
The morning dawned like any other in the academy. Noah buttoned his crisp black blazer and straightened his red pants, the signature uniform of the academy's year-one students. Today, however, wasn't the usual horoom routine. Martial arts with Master Anng was first on the agenda.
Noah had missed delving deeper into the craft. Their last session had been cut short due to their off-world trip to Cannadah—a mission that still lingered in the minds of those who survived the Harbinger attack. But today felt different. It felt like the chance to move forward, to focus on sothing new.
He stepped out of his dorm, the communal housing for all first years—whether 1A, 1B, or 1C. Unlike the luxurious single dorms for the top twenty-five in year three, the first years were packed together, a constant reminder of their place at the bottom of the hierarchy.
Walking down the hall, he passed a few familiar faces, though the hallway felt emptier than it should have been. The Harbinger attack had a way of thinning the population in more ways than one.
Kelvin was already gone, probably off to core crafting. That was his thing—tinkering with energy sources and coming up with inventions that could theoretically make life easier. Noah shook his head. Kelvin had his quirks, but one thing was for sure: he was consistent.
A few minutes later, Noah was nearing the general studies area, where martial arts classes were held. He could already hear the faint chatter of other students heading in the sa direction.
Just as he rounded the corner, he nearly bumped into Lila. The blonde, busty classmate and occasional teammate greeted him with a wide smile, her blue eyes lighting up in surprise.
"Noah! I didn't expect to see you this early," she said, her voice cheerful. "I heard about what happened yesterday. Are you okay?"
Her concern was genuine, but Noah wasn't in the mood to unpack the chaos of the day before. "I'm fine," he replied curtly, sidestepping the question.
"You sure?" Lila pressed. "Because, honestly, it sounded—"
"I said I'm fine," he cut her off, though his tone wasn't harsh. Just definitive.
Lila seed to hesitate, her smile faltering for a mont before she bounced back. "Well, I'm glad to hear that! We should catch up later. There's sothing I wanted to talk to you about."
Noah felt a ntal alarm go off at her words. She always seed to find reasons to talk to him, and while he couldn't deny she was attractive, her persistence grated on him. She had the wrong idea about him—saw him as sothing he wasn't.
She still thought of him as the hero who had saved them during the expedition against the Category 3 beasts. But she didn't understand. Those weren't heroics; they were personal. Self-serving. He wasn't the knight in shining armor she seed to think he was.
"Yeah, sure," he replied dismissively, forcing a tight-lipped smile.
Lila waved and walked off, her cheery deanor unshaken. Noah shook his head and refocused. If Kelvin were here, he'd be teasing him relentlessly about the "girl talk."
As Noah approached the martial arts classroom, another familiar face intercepted him.
It was Raven, the kid who had once been his rival until their duel flipped the dynamic. After Noah had defeated him, Raven had practically begged to beco his underling. Now, their relationship was sowhere between acquaintances and... well, sothing more one-sided.
"Noah!" Raven called, practically jogging up to him, his green eyes wide with an odd mix of excitent and relief. "Man, I've been looking for you since Cannadah. When the attack happened, I thought you might've... well, I didn't know if you made it!"
Noah gave him a blank stare. "I survived."
Raven chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, obviously. Still, I was worried, you know? You were... uh, kind of hard to find."
'Sure you were,' Noah thought, though he kept his expression neutral.
Raven shifted gears quickly, his tone becoming more serious. "Anyway, that thing you asked to do? It's done."
A small, satisfied smile crossed Noah's face. He clapped Raven on the back. "Good. We'll talk after class."
Raven grinned like a puppy that had just been praised. "Got it, Boss!!"
Noah cringed slightly but ignored it. Sothing felt odd about being addressed as "Boss".
They both entered the dojo together, their footsteps echoing softly against the polished wooden floor. Inside, a pair of older, respectable gentlen—assistants to Master Anng—greeted them with bows and ushered them to the changing area.
As was tradition, the locker room was quiet except for the occasional creak of lockers and the rustle of clothes. Noah began changing into his martial arts uniform, pulling off his blazer and folding it neatly on the bench. Raven, however, lingered nearby, hovering like an overenthusiastic shadow.
"Hey, Noah," Raven said, his voice filled with curiosity as he eyed Noah's fra. "Have you been hitting the gym or sothing? You're looking... bulked up."
Noah glanced at him briefly, then returned to unbuttoning his shirt. He had an answer for that, though it wasn't one Raven would hear. Ever since his evolution, his body had undergone subtle but significant changes. His muscles were more defined, his chest broader, and even his height had increased slightly. The added stats from his system had reshaped him physically, but there was no ti to admire the transformation.
Strength was a journey, not a destination. And right now, his goal was to reach Lucas Grey's level. The number-one student hadn't needed a system, a hidden dragon, or any cheats to handle the Harbingers. His natural lightning-born abilities alone were enough to make him a freak of nature. Noah clenched his jaw briefly, dismissing the thought.
Instead, he turned to Raven and lied casually. "I benched a few, here and there."
Raven's eyes lit up. "Damn. No wonder. You're making feel like I've been slacking off."
Noah didn't comnt, but he noticed the faint discoloration of bruises along Raven's arms and neck. His body looked sore, as if he'd been through a grinder. Noah raised an eyebrow. "What's with the bruises? Did you get patched up at the dical bay?"
Raven shook his head, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. "Nah. They're just minor injuries. Other people needed the beds more than I did. It didn't seem right to take up space when I could just walk it off."
Noah blinked, caught off guard. Raven's response was... unexpected. Who would've thought the once pompous class 1A student had this kind of humility? Maybe getting knocked around had humbled him after all.
"Huh," Noah said simply, pulling on the white kimono that marked their start levels.
The two of them finished changing, securing their green belts around their waists. Master Anng's system of progression was clear—green belts signified beginners. From here, they'd move forward, skill by skill, rank by rank.
Raven adjusted his belt and glanced at Noah, his excitent bubbling over again. "Alright, let's see what Master Anng's got for us today. You ready?"
Noah nodded, his focus already shifting to the training ahead. There was a long road between him and where he needed to be, and every class, every spar, was a step closer to that goal.
"Let's go," he said, and the two walked out of the locker room, ready for the challenge.
Inside the circular dojo, Master Anng stood waiting at the center, his white belt tied neatly around his waist and his long, graying beard catching the faint morning light as he stroked it absentmindedly. The students filed in quietly, forming lines around the circle as the atmosphere shifted into one of respect and anticipation.
When everyone was assembled, Master Anng clasped his hands behind his back and surveyed them, his sharp eyes glinting. He began with a calm yet commanding voice, one that demanded attention.
"As I said last ti..." He paused, letting the silence settle. "We do not learn martial arts to pick fights. Nor do we learn it to impress girls who will say, 'Oh beefcake, you're so strong, I want you.'" He puckered his lips mockingly and made a loud kissing sound. "Muah!"
The class chuckled, so stifling laughter behind their hands, while others shifted awkwardly under his gaze.
"Do you understand what I am saying?" Master Anng continued, his tone growing serious. "We must master the art of peace in addition to the art of war. Victory is achieved through strategy, and strategy is born from peace. However..." He leaned slightly forward, his eyes narrowing. "If sobody evil threatens you—or any other innocent person—with unethical force, it becos your duty to defend. Do you hear ?"
The room filled with murmurs of agreent as students nodded earnestly.
Master Anng straightened, stroking his beard once more. "Good. Now, as I ntioned before, in your first year, we focus on the body. The mind and soul will co later, when your foundation is solid."
He paused, pacing slowly across the dojo floor. "For today's lesson, I need soone to tell : where does the most power co from in our bodies?"
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