At the Sword and Roses University in Cailleach.
The lecture hall was filled only with the steady voice of the teacher.
"When facing a Murkheart Fiend, unless a swordmaster pierces its brainstem the mont the fight begins, beheading it won't help. As long as its brain remains, it can keep attacking. You will fall under the influence of its spirit, Frenzy. Once you feel your mood turning irritable, you must stab your own thigh to stay conscious and hold on until the ranged sorcerers finish it off..."
Sitting by the window, Sonya's gaze drifted to the three brilliant stars in the sky. Warm sunlight spread across the grass, the walkway, and the benches, casting everything in a vibrant glow.
Angelica's voice cut through her reverie. "Sonya! Don't drift off in class!"
Still absorbed in the brilliance of reality, Sonya smiled faintly."It's not an important class. The wristband records notes anyway. Even if I drift off—"
Angelica shot back, frowning. "This is Introduction to Swordsmanship, the most important lesson!" Aren't you planning to enter the Abyss soday? Aren't you worried about danger? Who cares if the wristband records notes? This course teaches enemy tactics. You can never be careless about safety."
"Ahem!"
The teacher cleared his throat twice from the podium, and the two quickly straightened up, giving their full attention.
The lesson wasn't filled with empty theory. It focused on how swordmasters should respond to different enemies in varied environnts. It existed because it directly determined a swordmaster's future career. Unlike Water Sorcerers, who could transition to Healers, or chanists, who could switch to Artificers, Swordmasters had no alternative path. In peaceful tis, they would inevitably decline, or even vanish entirely.
The only reason swordsmanship thrived in the Starry Kingdom was that the world wasn't safe, and the Abyss threatened them at every turn.
The Abyss was a monster nest that appeared seemingly at random, but patterns could still be discerned. It mostly surfaced in populous cities, and the more sorcerers gathered in one area, the greater the likelihood an Abyss would appear.
As the core city of Starry Kingdom, Cailleach naturally handled the largest Abyss. No scholar had ever explained how an Abyss ford, but the threat had to be addressed. The Abyss couldn't be eradicated. The upper layers were already dangerous, and each deeper level only grew worse. In those depths, Three-Winged Sacred Realm and even Four-Winged Legendary monsters could erge.
Because the Abyss constantly changed its terrain, sorcerers couldn't establish camps inside. Worse, it periodically rioted. During those tis, even Legendary monsters could surge to the surface, forcing sorcerers to retreat entirely.
These conditions made Regular Abyss Clearing a critically important role. Aside from the few who beca nobles' or corporations' Riot-Control Consultants, most swordmasters ford teams with other sorcerers to enter the Abyss on schedule and clear monsters.
It wasn't dirty work. In fact, it could count as a promising career. Beyond the state's Purging Bonus, Abyss monsters dropped valuable loot, and teams occasionally discovered rare resource nodes. Countless noble families had built fortunes from Abyss expeditions, and unnumbered sorcerers found their wealth within its depths.
But risk always matched reward. Nearly every Abyss monster hosted spirits and could fight on par with sorcerers. Death was constant in the Abyss, and sotis entire teams were wiped out, becoming nourishnt for it.
This was why Angelica reacted so strongly. Listening one more second in the Introduction to Swordsmanship might an surviving one more danger later.
However, Sonya had just absorbed an Experience Orb. Like a child with a new toy, her mind bubbled with excitent as she confird her newfound knowledge in Light. She didn't believe she would ever need to enter the Abyss. In the past, she might have considered it, but now, with her talent and the Watcher's backing, she was confident she could rise to a Three-Winged Sacred Realm sorcerer by following the standard path. This led her to think that throwing herself into the Abyss was no longer necessary.
The Introduction to Swordsmanship ended. The next class was Swordsmanship Combat Practice, a sparring course for students studying swordsmanship. As Sonya walked toward the combat hall, she noticed students along the corridors sneaking glances at her and whispering among themselves.
She wasn't surprised. Ever since Professor Trosan bypassed all formalities to transfer her directly into the swordsmanship departnt, she had beco the center of attention and a daily topic on campus.
But today felt different. The whispers weren't just about her. They were about Felix as well.
"Look, she's the one who made Sylvia..."
"She'll probably get dumped soon too..."
"I could tell what kind of person she was the mont I saw her..."
Sonya only caught fragnts of the whispers, but it didn't take long for her to understand that news of Felix dumping Sylvia had spread. Since she had been the woman most recently seen with him, she had inevitably beco the target of gossip.
Don't drag into this.
All she wanted was to stay low and focus on improving herself. She had no intention of wasting energy on pointless drama.
Yet won possessed a frightening intuition, especially when it ca to predicting trouble. As soon as Sonya entered the combat hall, she noticed several unfamiliar students gathered inside. The only person she recognized was Sylvia.
Sylvia's eyes were red and wet with tears. She wore plain attire and looked utterly pitiful. Even Sonya, who had always prided herself on her beauty, had to admit that in this mont, Sylvia's quiet elegance, fragile deanor, and tear-stained face made her presence impossible to match.
"Angelica, I'm skipping this class."
Angelica understood imdiately. "Okay."
Just as Sonya turned to leave, a thunderous shout echoed through the hall, shaking the dust from the ceiling. "Felix! Get over here!"
A tall, black-haired swordsmanship student roared, "How dare you toy with my sister's feelings!? Are you too scared to face !?"
All eyes instantly turned toward Felix and Sonya. Felix strode into the combat hall with calm, asured steps, as if he had faced this countless tis before. After a mont's hesitation, Sonya gave up any thought of fleeing. She couldn't sneak away like a coward. Leaving now would signal weakness, and running would be no different from surrender. In both the countryside and the city, weakness always led to bullying. Rural mice and urban mice were equally short-sighted in this regard.
Felix nodded casually. "Lorian. Sylvia. Good morning. Shall we have lunch together later?"
Showing no respect to the young master of the Vlozrada Family, the black-haired student bristled, "No thanks. Looking at your face right now makes sick. Draw your sword. Show the strength of the Vlozrada."
Murmurs spread among the surrounding students. Even Angelica whispered under her breath, "It's Senior Lorian!"
Sonya quickly learned from Angelica that Lorian was a well-known third-year swordsmanship prodigy. Professor Trosan might not have chosen him as a personal apprentice, but he still managed to beco a research apprentice under a Gold-Winged swordmaster and reached One-Winged Silver Rank a year ago. He was also a mber of the university's tournant team.
Coming from a mid-rank noble family, Lorian was poised to at least reach Two-Winged Gold in the future. With such a bright path ahead, he had no reason to show respect to a Vlozrada heir. Soone who relied entirely on his own abilities naturally carried himself with confidence.
Lorian and Sylvia weren't true siblings. Their fathers were brothers, and since they were classmates, they had grown close. It was only natural for Lorian to defend her.
But Felix didn't respond to him. Instead, he turned to Sylvia. "Senior, is this what you want?"
Outsiders might have thought he was backing down, but Sonya knew he was genuinely confused. Having changed girlfriends four tis in a month, Felix never invested real feelings into relationships. He assud won approached him knowing this, which was likely why his playboy lifestyle had never caused trouble until now.
Sonya noticed the way Sylvia looked at Felix, and in that instant, everything beca clear to her. What had begun as a casual romance had turned into sothing far more serious—Sylvia had genuinely fallen for him.
Her developing true feelings were the only explanation for why she had lost all rationality, severed her last chance with Felix, and thrown herself into sothing so pointless. Emotions were notoriously hard to grasp. It could make even the most calculating hunter fall into her own trap.
Won always believed they could be a man's last, while n assud they were a woman's first. Those who fell too deeply often clung to impossible fantasies.
Sylvia stayed silent, so Felix turned to Lorian. "Senior Lorian, so... you want to beat up?"
Lorian sneered. "This is the combat hall. Let's have a real match. The infirmary is right next door. I'll even hold back so the Vlozrada Family doesn't lose one of its promising heirs. Or... are you too scared to show up?"
Felix grinned. "Great. Wonderful. Why would I be scared? A first-year sparring a third-year, a newly qualified swordmaster facing a senior who's been a sorcerer for over a year... I don't see anything to fear."
Every word he spoke highlighted Lorian's attempt to bully the weak. Felix might be a noble, but he wasn't foolish and would never fall for such childish provocation. The surrounding students shared his sentint. Any fight with such a gap in strength was clearly bullying. Yet Lorian's expression remained unchanged as he turned his gaze from Felix to Sonya.
Sonya imdiately had a bad feeling about it.
"Felix, I heard you recently picked up a lovely junior. You summoned spirits together during combat, so your relationship must be... quite close, and your private bond... very deep." Lorian deliberately emphasized each word, mocking them.
"As your senior, I won't fight you alone. I'll give you a chance to team up against . Since I'm avenging Sylvia, targeting only you won't suffice. Have your little junior step forward as well! I'll take on both of you myself!"
He never said it outright, but the ssage was clear. Today, I'm going to crush you two, the cheating pair!
Sonya's mood plumted. She wanted to throw the Watcher's head through a wall. How have I, a perfectly innocent bystander, gotten dragged into this ss?
Now, all eyes were on her and Felix.
She scanned the crowd, but instead of stepping forward, she stayed by Angelica's side with a confused expression. "Sorry, Senior Lorian. I don't understand. Felix and I may have studied under Professor Trosan together, but we barely interact privately. This is your personal feud with him. I have no reason to get involved."
Fight alongside Felix just because Lorian's words were unpleasant? Sonya was no longer a child; her choices weren't dictated solely by likes and dislikes. Right now, her priority was to stay low and grow quietly. Befriending Felix wasn't her goal, and stepping in would only confirm the rumors that they were a shaless pair. Distancing herself from this ss was the smartest choice.
Lorian eventually stopped looking at her and scoffed. "Seems your charm isn't very useful, Felix."
"You misunderstand," Felix replied nonchalantly. He loosened his sword bag and drew a wooden practice sword. Tension instantly filled the room.
Just as Sonya thought she could slip away quietly, a firm hand clamped down on her shoulder. "This isn't right. Forcing a fight with such a disparity is no different from bullying. As a mber of the Disciplinary Committee, I can't allow this."
A sharp, energetic orange-haired swordswoman held her shoulder like a vise and pushed her forward. Sonya turned and noticed a badge on her chest. It had the words, "Sword and Roses Disciplinary Committee, Leone Vikt."
"It's Senior Leona!"
"What's she doing on campus?"
"It's the Orange Dancer!"
Leona dragged Sonya to the center of the hall. Sonya struggled, but couldn't break free.
She flashed a bright, confident smile at Sonya. "Felix, Sonya, you two need to cooperate more. If Professor Trosan hears that the two of you can't even work together, he'll be very disappointed.
"Lorian may be bullying juniors, but you two are Professor Trosan's apprentices. Bullying you is the sa as shaming the Hidden Hand Sword Saint. How could you stand for that? Felix isn't just representing himself. He also represents one of Professor Trosan's only two students. Sonya, you understand that, don't you?"
Sonya nodded stiffly, then shook her head slightly. "But this is their personal issue—"
"When Lorian declared he would challenge both of you, you were obligated to accept for the sake of the Hidden Hand Sword Saint's honor. And it's two against one. With such a huge advantage, refusing would make you look cowardly.
"As swordmasters, you should charge forward bravely and let your blades speak for themselves. Whoever defeats their enemy earns the right to be called right!"
"Sonya, what do you think?"
The mont Leona invoked Professor Trosan's na, Sonya realized there was no escaping this fight. She couldn't gamble on whether Professor Trosan actually cared. Right now, he was Sonya's greatest backing, and she couldn't risk anything that might sour his opinion. With hundreds of students watching, word of her retreating and embarrassing Professor Trosan would spread across the university within ten minutes.
Sonya hated the feeling of being manipulated, cornered, and forced into a fight she never wanted. Frustration and humiliation churned inside her, causing her shoulders to tremble slightly.
Nevertheless, reason quickly overpowered her emotions. She had co from the countryside alone to reach Cailleach. She wasn't about to lose control now. Just as she forced down her anger, a familiar voice whispered beside her. "Need my help? I can make all that irritation disappear."
"Yes!"
The Watcher passed by her and vanished into the air. "You said it yourself. I'll go now. Don't. Bla. ."
A mont later, Sonya turned to face the orange-haired swordswoman.
"Sonya, what is your decision?"
Sonya shook her head firmly. "I refuse! I won't involve myself in their personal grudge. I won't fight alongside Felix. I won't face Senior Lorian!"
Leona raised a brow. "If that's the case—"
"But!" Sonya t her gaze and interrupted with a clear, resolute tone. "As Professor Trosan's apprentice, I will not tolerate you repeatedly using her na to provoke . I won't allow you to stir up the crowd to question her teaching. And I won't let you use our victory or defeat to slander her character!"
"I never—"
"No need to explain. As you said, whoever wins gets to decide what's right. So..." Sonya loosened her sword bag, drew her wooden blade, and pointed it straight at the orange-haired swordswoman. "Leone Vikt, I challenge you."
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