Chapter 186
COMPETITION (5)
IAM could feel a bad feeling brewing deep in his chest — the kind that started small, like a pebble dropped in water, but slowly spread until it rippled through his entire body. And after a moment of reflection, he managed to narrow it down to exactly three reasons why.
The first reason was the most obvious: He had still not found a way to deal with the problem of hiding the fact that he had already advanced to the experienced level.
The situation was growing more precarious with each passing minute, and he could feel the noose tightening.
Not only was his advancement speed something he didn't understand himself, but revealing it now would drag all kinds of attention onto him—attention he wasn't ready for, didn't want, and absolutely didn't need.
His name hadn't been called yet, and while on the surface that might seem like a blessing— more time to think, more time to come up with something, anything — in reality, it only made things worse.
Because the matches were no longer casual.
They were now critical mode.
The score between the two classes had slowly climbed until the tension between them became thick like mud. They were neck and neck. Every fight had become crucial.
Which meant that the later his name was called, the more eyes would be watching.
If he was the last one left—if it came down to him in the final, deciding bout—it would be impossible to avoid the spotlight. It didn't matter what plan he chose then. Whether he lost quickly, refused to fight, or won with ease—every outcome would be magnified tenfold.
IAM already saw the worst-case scenario unfolding in his head.
The two classes would end up tied — an exact draw — and the final, deciding match would come down to him.
His name would be called, and just like that, all the pressure would shift directly onto his shoulders.
It was the kind of situation that left no room for mistakes.
IAM didn't want to raise a flag and to tempt fate — but as the matches kept going and his name still hadn't been called, he was starting to feel like it wasn't a matter of if anymore...
It was a matter of when.
The second reason had to do with something that happened on his very first day at the academy.
If you remembered, IAM and Yohan had found themselves in a tense and emotional situation—brought on by the fact that Yohan had been drunk.
It had been more than just intoxication, though. Yohan had been grieving. His older brother had died in the Hold—one of the many victims of that horrifying event—and It was one that festered deep inside him, filled with rage, sadness, guilt, and helplessness… and in that unstable moment, all of it had been aimed directly at IAM.
The only survivor of the Hold.
In the middle of Yohan's breakdown, he had blurted it out — revealing IAM's connection to the Hold in front of everyone in the vicinity.
It was something IAM had desperately hoped to keep secret for as long as he possibly could. But at that moment, it was already too late. There was no rewinding time, and it wasn't like he could go around silencing people. These were his dormmates.
Even then, IAM had known this day would come. He had felt it like a ticking clock in the back of his head.
And now the ticking was louder than ever.
When the government finally made their official statement on the Hold and casually mentioned that there had been one known survivor—though not naming names—IAM knew that was it. The confirmation people needed to start connecting dots.
The moment they read that report, those who'd heard Yohan's outburst had started to talk. Some were whispering out of curiosity. Some out of excitement. Some maybe out of boredom.
Whether intentionally or not, the whispers had started to spread. And IAM could feel it.
He could feel the glances and the hushed conversations. The sideways stares from students in his own class.
No one had come forward to confront him about it yet—he hadn't confirmed anything, and no one could say for sure—but IAM knew the rumors were spreading.
Because rumors were like kindling. And all it took was a single spark for everything to catch fire.
IAM knew that eventually, this quiet tension would turn into something that would put even more eyes on him than he ever wanted.
Now let's look at it this way—
From the outside, IAM was that student no one remembered seeing at the Academy Trials. And for good reason—he wasn't there. He just appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, already enrolled, already placed in a class. That alone was strange.
But lately, something even stranger had started to spread: That he might be the sole survivor of the Hold.
That was all it took for people to start watching him more closely.
By this point, you're already paying more attention to him than most. Then one day, during a regular lesson, he and a few of his friends arrive late.
Vanessa, the instructor, sends them off to an office. No one really understands why. And when they came back, IAM and the rest had refused to say anything. That only made it worse. Now there wasn't just curiosity around him—there was mystery.
What was he hiding? What had happened in there?
Then came today's lesson. A joint class. A competition.
And for the first time… the whole class would get to see him fight.
Now, this was the moment everyone had been waiting for—the chance to see him in action, to finally judge for themselves if there was really something extraordinary about him. Naturally, all eyes were fixed on his fight.
It was set to be the final fight, the one that would decide everything, and during it, he revealed he had reached the level of Experienced. That alone would have caused a stir, but when the academy stepped in with their records, it became even more explosive—they confirmed that, based on their data, he had advanced from Novice to Experienced faster than anyone in history, by a wide margin.
It became an instant sensation. Everyone saw him as the future, a prodigy who had risen from a tragic past to prove himself a true genius. The academy couldn't contain the news, and when it reached the public, the uproar was immediate and massive.
Even the Circle of the Accursed might have begun reconsidering, wondering if they should return to finish what they had started.
But as time went on, the truth settled in. He wasn't a super genius after all—just an ordinary ascender. From the heights of glory, he plummeted, crashing back down into the ordinary world, his brief rise a fleeting illusion.
Just thinking about it made IAM shiver. This could not happen. He had to avoid this possible future at all costs. And yet, as the matches dragged on, each victory and defeat bringing the score closer and closer, he felt the rising weight of inevitability pressing down on him. He was about to sink to his knees and pray.
And then it happened. His name was called.
The worst possible scenario had unfolded: he was the last match. The scoreboard read 14–14. This was it—the final battle, the one that would decide everything. A draw would mean disappointment, a loss would hand the other class the victory, and a win… well, a win would bring forward the chaos he had been dreading.
The arena had erupted into a symphony of cheers, shouts, and clattering excitement. The crowd was a tidal wave of energy, pushing outward in every direction. Yohan, Reuel, and Henry watched from the sidelines, their expressions tightening with concern as IAM began his slow walk toward the center of the stage.
"Is that him?" someone whispered nearby.
"I think so… but he doesn't look like it," another voice replied, tinged with disbelief.
"Why isn't he circulating mana?"
"There's no way, right?"
"He better win this…"
IAM ignored the whispers, the murmurs, and even Hobbie's assessing gaze. The instructor had immediately noticed he wasn't using his Avien, but IAM's focus wasn't on that.
Instead, he was thinking about his third reason—the one that had been gnawing at him the entire afternoon, the one that made this fight feel even worse than before.
He stepped onto the stage, letting the crowd's energy wash over him without touching him. And then he looked up, locking eyes with his opponent.
Natsuki.