These moments were some of the few times I could actually practice my swordsmanship against a real opponent, so I refrained from using advanced footwork or Torrent Step.
After a couple more spars, where Ruby surprisingly defeated me once due to a sudden side-step, which shifted the trajectory of her knives' lines, I glanced around the coliseum.
It had been about two hours, and most of the students had collapsed on the ground, panting with sweat dripping down their foreheads.
Only five other students, and I, barely hanging on due to my incredible stamina training as a result of the painting, remained.
Leo and Hearin were engaged in a fight, Carissa shot arrows from a distance at Magnus, and Serena stood still with her crossbow, not a single drop of sweat on her face.
"Attention students, training is finished! I hope all of you continue practicing in preparation for your practical. For those with high ranks, you must maintain them, and those with lower, you must grow."
As Lily walked away, I prepared to head back exhaustedly when a sudden voice called out to me from behind.
"t-thanks for the sparring!"
Turning around and briskly nodding my head to Ruby, I ruffled my hair and gazed down at the ground.
What...am I supposed to do with her?
Returning to my dorm room, I, as usual, grabbed my smartphone and attempted to power it on for ten minutes before heading into the painting and bathing in the water, feeling my aching muscles instantly recover.
Our first Exam Day was coming up this Friday, so the training hall was filled with ambitious students trying to do well and improve their rank.
There...was just one problem for me.
Originally, Zyn's massacre had taken place on Friday, right after the written portion of the exam.
As a result, the practical exam had been postponed to another day.
So, what would happen on Friday?
Sighing, I climbed atop a lilypad and began speeding through the dozens of books around me.
If I wanted to stay in Four-Axis, I had to improve my rank by the end of the first year.
There was only one sure-fire way to do that besides training.
Studying book...after book...after book.
Of course, I did have an advantage for this exam only.
Since this was the first written exam Leo had taken, I had gone into detail when describing its questions and format.
And thankfully, I could recall almost all of the harder questions. All I had to do from there was search them up and memorize the answers!
So, as long as I could ace the easy multiple-choice portion of the exam, I would be fine.
Feeling my stomach groan after a few hours, I changed into some dry clothes and strolled toward the cafeteria, which was thankfully open 24 hours a day.
Passing by the training hall, I peeked inside and immediatly scanned the second floor, but all the AI dummy rooms were, once again, packed.
Alright...that settles it, I need to buy one.
For reasons of maintaining the plotline, allowing me to know the exact future, I had refrained from simply stealing every overpowered item.
But, now, it was a necessity.
---Stats---
[User: Athen Dee]
[Rank: G+]
---> [Strength: G+]
---> [Stamina: F+]
---> [Speed: G+]
---> [Perception: F-]
---> [Vitality: G-]
---> [Magic Power: G]
---> [Luck: E / S]
---> [Intelligence: E]
---> [Perseverance: C-]
Gift: [Swordsmanship] / [Novice] [Level 2] [EXP 76%]
Innate Ability: [Calm Tide]
Innate Ability Description: [Your eyes possess a serene vision that can read the rhythm of all motion. You can read and predict the trajectory, speed, and endpoint of any object in motion. The calmer your mind, the clearer and more precise your foresight becomes.]
Gifted Ability: [N/A]
Martial Arts:
---> ***** [Dance of Ten Thousand Stream] (1/5)
Rooted in ancient Taoist philosophy, this art transforms combat into a flowing dance, where every step evades danger and turns defense into seamless counterattack. With movements as fluid and unpredictable as water, the user seems untouchable.
-----------
My swordmanship progress had halted, no matter how much I trained inside the pond, and I could only practice my dancing for so long before being overwhelmed.
As for my stats...I chose to wait instead of stealing a potential pill, which would increase my potential but stunt my later growth.
If this world were based on the first draft of my novel, then the item I needed should appear relatively soon.
Additionally, I had my eyes on some items, like a sword artifact, but I was either too weak to acquire them or they would appear in the future.
...
...
...
It was the night before the practical.
Opening the doors of the training hall and embracing a gust of cold air, Haerin sighed and walked through the academy's empty streets.
"...it's a ghost town."
Just like on Christmas Eve, every student was most likely crammed up in their dorm room, trying their best to sleep to allow their body to recover before the practical.
But, she couldn't.
Recalling her phone call with her father just the day before, Haerin gripped her backpack and walked into the first-year building.
"If you don't rank, at the very least, in the top 100 in academics on this exam, you won't receive any allowance...for the month!"
For someone like Haerin, ranked 5 out of two thousand students, something like this should be easy...yet, unbeknownst to everyone, studying was not her strong suit.
Somehow, through thousands of gold coins and hours of lessons, she had managed to rank decently in the entrance exam, but now, she was all alone without any tutors to help her.
However, going out with money for a month was impossible for the spoiled Haerin, even worse than the idea of studying.
Walking through the empty hallways of the building, faintly lit up by the glow of a torch every few feet, Haerin looked down at her smartwatch.
It's already 10!? I swear I only spent five minutes in there...that damned Leo!
This is his fault; if he hadn't beaten me, I wouldn't be training!