The door to Kaelen's room slid shut behind him with a low hydraulic sigh. The moment he stepped inside, the weariness hit him in a heavy wave. His muscles ached lightly. His shirt clung to him, soaked through with the hours of training Sera had wrung out of him. Not hesitating, he walked straight into the bathroom, peeled off his clothes, and let the shower come down.
Steam filled the space quickly. The heat felt like it seeped into the knots in his shoulders, unwinding them just enough for him to feel relief hit his sour muscles. He lowered his head under the stream, eyes closed, letting the water run down his face, down his spine.
For a moment, the world went quiet.
"Status," he called out.
Then the blue screen holo-interface flickered softly into existence in the corner of his vision. He went straight to the mission windows.
[Main Quest: Foundation Under Pressure. Break through the latent level in a week.]
[Time Remaining: 3 days, 2 hour, 48minutes]
[Side Quest: Victory to the beholder. Accept and win the fight]
He exhaled, water rushing past his lips. His pendant was still has he stood motionless. Since he was occupied with the fight coming up with Jax, he had totally forgotten about the main quest. He was so occupied, he almost missed his daily quest. He only managed to complete it on his way back. The countdown felt like a hand squeezing the back of his neck. The pressure was returning.
He couldn't afford to waste a single hour.
After drying off and throwing on a simple set of sleep clothes, he settled cross-legged on his bed. He rolled his shoulders back and took a slow breath. His arms still ached lightly, but vitality was working.
He placed his palms on his knees, closed his eyes, and sank inward.
...
He visualized the three core points he learned from Professor Nyra's calss:
Latent. Bond. Channel.
Each point pulsed beneath the surface of his consciousness. His latent point was bright, but the bond and channel were dim. He pictured the faint threads of aether connecting them. Thin, narrow aether veins that he had to persuasively open.
He inhaled, steady and deep.
Aether follows intent.
Intent begins with structure.
His mind painted the pathways. Lines of pale-blue light flowing from his latent point at the lower abdomen, up toward the bond point near his sternum, then splitting out toward the thin channels branching toward his limbs and back to the abdomen.
The aether resisted. The aether vein was thin.
He visualized pressure widening them, not with force, but with consistency. Like pushing warm water through tight pipes until they accepted more flow.
[Aether Manipulation: Lv.2]
He let the aether seep through.
He felt a light pain, since it felt like a soft burn. A slow heat curling along the inside of his ribs, his back, his arms. His breath synced to the rhythm of the flow... inhaling to condense, exhaling to expand.
Little by little, the aether moved smoother. The narrow pathways loosened. A subtle warmth blossomed through him, not intense, but steady. Like a lamp being turned up from a faint flicker to a full glow.
His heartbeat steadied.
He visualized every pulse stretching the aether veins wider, strengthening the pathways that would eventually carry energy with ease instead of strain.
Minutes blurred.
Then an hour.
Then two hours.
His body sunk deeper into the meditative calm.
Over three hours he finally opened his eyes. He let a small smile touch his lip, it wasn't a joyfully smile, he was comforting himself. He doesn't trust he can break through in three days, the penalty still stood high.
He lay back only for a moment to rest his spine, then shifted and let sleep take him.
---
He woke up before the first morning ray came seeping through his window. His body moved quicker. For once, he didn't lay staring at the ceiling debating life choices. He sat up the moment consciousness returned, his feet was hitting the floor with purpose instead of sluggishness. He had decided he wasn't going sulk to some quest, he will complete.
He dressed without hesitation. He still had time before meeting Sera, and he was going make it fruitful.
He went for his daily quest and got it done quick.
[Daily Quest Complete]
Reward: +30XP | +1 Stat Point.
By the time he returned, it was fully bright.
He took a quick shower and slipped into a casual outfit.
Dark joggers, well-fitted and flexible.
A simple charcoal T-shirt that hugged his frame comfortably.
A lightweight black jacket with silver lining at the seams.
His boots were soft-soled, good for movement.
Nothing fancy. But clean, neat and functional.
He looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't look tougher. But he had resolve. He isn't going to run.
He stepped out into the dorm hall.
...
Morning light spilled through the long windows, catching on the sleek metal rails and polished tiles. Students filtered through the corridors in clusters—some half-awake, others already wide alert. As Kaelen walked, eyes followed him.
Unranked students whispered not too subtly.
"Isn't that."
"He's dead."
"I don't know who is more stupid between you two, James," a first year student said to his friend, not even trying to lower his voice.
"He accepted a challenge from a sentinel ranked, i won't do something so stupid," the boy replied.
Kaelen sighed,"I can really hear your conversation, you know." He thought to himself.
When he got out onto academy grounds, it wasn't different.
Novice-ranked students had a different reaction. Some gave him looks of pity, others smirked mockingly.
"Brave or stupid? What are you voting?"
"I'm voting stupid."
"Stupid."
"Stupid."
"Common~, let's give him little credit. I choose stupid though." They all laughed.
"Sentinel against an unranked? Trash match."
Adept-ranked students didn't snicker. They assessed him. Cool, quiet, predatory gazes sliding over him as if cataloging threat level, stamina, and potential weakness.
One murmured to a friend, "He doesn't really look experienced. Shoulders too tense. He's going to break early."
Another said, "It's a pity. Jax will crush him. But I want to see how long he holds."
Vanguard and higher paid him almost no attention, but the rare glance they did give him felt like an appraising look a hunter gives a rabbit crossing the wrong field.
The weight of hierarchy was present in every step he took across the campus.
He paid no mind to all, not allowing the pressure and stares to crush him. But it didn't help him much. It reminded him exactly where he stood.
At the bottom.
But not unmoving.
...
The training room wing was quieter. Students avoided the isolated spaces unless they were serious about their craft.
Sera stood in front of the training room door already waiting, arms folded, her posture straight. She wore training gear, sleek fitted black attire, the material hugging her curves with defined precision. The fabric had faint glimmering thread-lines, reinforcement channels woven in for movement and minor impact absorption. Her boots were light but thick-soled, built for grip.
A towel hung lazily over her shoulder, and her silver cropped hair that was always clean-cut—caught the thin morning light. Her pale-brown skin further defined her beauty.
She was really beautiful. Kaelen hadn't paid that much attention to her but he had to accept the truth.
Her eyes slid over him the moment he approached.
A soft exhale escaped her nose.
"That outfit." She raised a brow. "Uniform would've looked less tragic."
He blinked. "It's comfortable."
"Yes," she said, her expression unreadable, "you look very… comfortable. Perfect for lounging. Less ideal for training."
He opened his mouth to respond, but she simply walked past him and keyed open the training room.
Her noticing his outfit told him enough. She had at the very least assessed him.
He followed her inside.
...
The training room lit up with the same cold, glow as yesterday. Sera stepped to the center.
"We're increasing difficulty."
Kaelen braced.
She lifted a small silver token. With a flick of her wrist, a platform rose from the floor. A crystal sat within the frame, glowing faint violet.
A D-level Common Crystal.
The construct in front of him shimmered and took form: a humanoid figure made of hard transparent plates. Its joints clicked as it activated, its posture was straight and blank.
"This is a D-tier practice dummy. It's low-tier, as you may know." Sera said, stepping beside him. "But if you let it touch you, it will bruise."
The dummy twitched, head snapping toward Kaelen with sharp precision.
Kaelen inhaled.
Sera's voice stayed calm.
"This unit reacts to motion and proximity. Its movements are basic but mechanically perfect. That's why you're using it." She paused,"Your goal is simple. You're not to defeat it, but counter its attacks. Do not use any of your abilities Kaelen."
"It should be easy..." Kaelen said with a sharp smile.
Sera tilted her head,"...If you think so."
The dummy lunged.
Kaelen jerked back, barely avoiding the strike. Its arm cut through the air with a sharp whistle.
Its movements were jerky, but the angles were precise—each strike calculated to meet joints, ribs and infiltrate openings.
Kaelen ducked another swipe.
"Feet," Sera said, tapping his ankle quickly. "Your pivot is late."
He tried correcting it, but the dummy lunged again, forcing him into clumsy retreat.
Sera's corrections came fast and merciless:
"Shorten your stance."
"Don't lean back; shift sideways."
"If your strike extends past shoulder line, you lose balance."
"Stop wasting breath."
"Again."
He moved. The dummy moved faster.
It punched. He dodged. Barely.
A grazing touch hit his shoulder. It stung through the fabric.
Kaelen hissed.
"Good," Sera said. "Pain teaches accuracy."
He shot her a look. She ignored it.
...
When the dummy powered down, she moved to stand in front of him.
"Reset."
He adjusted his stance.
"Too wide," she said, tapping his calf with her foot.
He corrected.
"Too tense," she said, pressing two fingers at his shoulder.
He exhaled.
"Keep breathing. Not panting. Be structured."
She stepped back, eyes sharp.
"Every movement costs something. Precision is control. Waste is weakness."
She demonstrated a clean shift-step. Her center barely moved; her weight transferred smoothly.
Then she told him, "Your turn."
He tried to replicate it. His foot slid too far. His shoulder rotated wrong. She swatted his forearm.
"That's wasted movement. Tighten it."
He repeated. Better.
But still sloppy.
She stepped into his strike and lightly pushed him. He lost balance instantly.
"Waste kills you."
The drills went on. His shirt clung to him again. Sweat dripped off his chin. His legs shook beneath him. But he kept moving.
And slowly… he started anticipating her corrections.
When she stepped to his left, he shifted weight before she spoke.
When she scanned his hips, he tightened stance instinctively.
When she demonstrated breathing patterns, he mirrored them without thinking.
He wasn't talented.
But he adapted fast.
Her eyes flickered with a brief, unreadable acknowledgement.
...
Sera moved to the center again.
"We end with one sequence."
She demonstrated in one fluid motion:
Shift-step.
Pivot.
Counter-strike.
Fast. Clean. Controlled.
Kaelen tried.
He tripped on the pivot.
He tried again.
His shoulder lagged.
Again.
His counter was too slow.
Again.
Sera watched with calm detachment as failure piled on failure. His lungs burned. His legs felt like they'd been carved hollow.
He tried again—
And this time something clicked.
He didn't think.
He moved.
Shift-step.
Pivot.
Counter.
It wasn't perfect. It wasn't elegant.
But he had managed to get it.
Sera's eyes widened by a fraction.
Only a fraction.
But that was enough.
She crossed her arms. "You're moving from liability to barely inadequate."
Coming from her, it felt like a medal.
There was silence for a moment.
Sera finally broke the silence. "Are you aware your chances of winning are 5%-95%?"
"5% worths it," Kaelen joked.
"You're still at the Bond point of the Latent Level. Jax is at the Guardian advance level. That's three levels above you."
"He started cultivating earlier than i did," Kaelen replied.
"It's not just about the aether level, it's about experience. He is a year three and one at the sentinel rank for a reason. You do know how RP works right?"
"Yeah, i do Sera," Kaelen replied, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Your RP get resest to 0 every time you ascend a level." She said
"It does?" Kaelen was surprised, Daniel didn't tell him that. If she was right, for Jax to get to that level, he really had lots of experience.
Sera crossed her arm,"If you did break through to the Initiate Basic level, your chances will rise. But you can't break through that in 7 days..." She sighed.
"What if i could?" Kaelen stared her in the eye.
"It's practically impossible,"
"But i did get to the bond stage in a 2 days..."
"It was pure luck, Kaelen."
"I will do it."
"If you say so," Sera replied with a dismissive gesture.
She walked toward the door ready to leave and paused.
"Don't exert too much."
With that she left.
...
Kaelen stepped out a few minutes later, sweat drying on his skin, shirt clinging to him. They had spent all the day training.
A student leaned on the far wall of the training building entrance.
Emerald badge.
Sentinel rank.
The student wasn't Jax. Taller. Dark hair. Narrow eyes. Someone who clearly didn't mind being seen.
He looked Kaelen up and down. Slow. Silent.
Assessing.
Measuring.
Judging whether Kaelen was prey worth biting or ignoring.
His emerald badge caught the evening light, flashing sharp green.
Kaelen's breath hitched—but only once. He held the stare for a steady second.
The boy clicked his tongue faintly, pushing off the wall, and walked away without a word.
Not a threat.
Not a reminder.
...
By the time Kaelen reached his dorm again, exhaustion weighed on him like a second body. His limbs ached. His back pulsed. His head felt light.
He will achieve his goal he said.