If yesterday taught me anything, it's that Class 1-S is going to kill me.
Not literally… hopefully.
But mentally? Emotionally? Physically? Spiritually?
Yeah. I'm doomed.
I arrived first—again—because apparently my body refuses to sleep past sunrise no matter how exhausted I am. The 1-S training grounds were empty except for the faint echo of wind brushing across the polished stone. It was strange. Quiet. Peaceful.
I didn't get peace often.
It wasn't long before footsteps started echoing behind me. Turned around, and there they were—the rest of the first-year monsters.
The "five prodigies," the ones the whole kingdom boasted about, walked in together. Liam with his smug smile. Kai with that unreadable calm. Arion lumbering forward like he was ready to chop the building in half. Aelira with her icy stare. Liraeth holding her shield like she was born with it.
Then came the top five ranking students apart from me of course.
Seraphyne walked in like the world bowed to her. Pink hair catching the sun, eyes sharp.
Varein strode casually, spear on his back, looking half-asleep.
Kazen carried his bow like it weighed nothing, eyes scanning everything like he was always analyzing.
Then Theon—massive, loud, and somehow already glaring at me.
And me… the anomaly standing in the middle.
Great.
The first-years who passed the trials but didn't make it into 1-S peeked from the walkway above like they were watching a deadly animal exhibit at a zoo.
"That's him…"
"He took the difficult mission alone…"
"How is he ranked #1?"
I tried not to look at them.
I hated attention.
Too bad I had a whole lot of it now.
A silence dropped over the courtyard as soon as Instructor Aldred entered.
Tall. Muscular. Eyes like steel. He carried a longsword strapped to his side and a presence that made you straighten whether you wanted to or not.
He definitely wasn't the type to smile.
"Class 1-S," he said, voice booming. "Congratulations on surviving the entrance exams. Today, we begin evaluations."
Great. Fantastic. Perfect. Just what I needed—more trials that might end with me unconscious.
Aldred's gaze scanned us one by one.
When his eyes stopped on me, the others went stiff like something was happening.
Nothing happened.
He just… stared.
Then moved on like I didn't matter.
Weird.
But honestly?
I preferred that over him doing something dramatic.
"Today," Aldred continued, "We test your combat fundamentals. Strength. Speed. Reaction. Pressure." His sword clanged against his thigh as he turned. "You will spar. You will struggle. And eventually, you will earn your place in this class."
Everyone looked fired up.
I just tried to stay awake.
Aldred pointed his finger at the ground.
"First match… Rain."
Of course.
"Against—"
Please not Seraphyne.
Please not Arion.
Please not—
"—Theon Ward."
Theon cracked his neck so loudly I swore a bone snapped.
"You ready, 'Number One'?" he said, walking toward the ring with a grin too wide for a sane person.
"No," I said honestly.
He barked a laugh. "Good. Would've been boring otherwise."
I sighed and stepped into the ring.
Aldred called out: "Standard spar. No killing blows. No lethal intent. Begin."
Theon swung first.
The ground shook when his greatsword came down.
He moved fast—faster than someone his size should. His blade carved the air like a falling boulder.
I sidestepped.
Barely.
The crowd above gasped.
Theon grinned wider. "Not bad."
Then he swung again. And again. Huge arcs that tore the air apart. I parried one, ducked under another, slid back from the third. His strength was insane—every clash rattled my bones.
He was serious.
Trying.
Pushing.
Me?
I wasn't.
My body wasn't warm yet. I was still shaking sleep out of my head.
Theon took a heavy step forward and swung horizontally—his fastest strike yet.
I didn't catch the blade.
Instead, I dropped my stance, angled myself sideways, let the edge skim past my chest, then stepped in.
One movement.
My sword stopped right at his neck.
Gasps filled the arena.
Theon froze.
Eyes wide.
Breathing heavy.
I wasn't even out of breath.
Instructor Aldred lifted his hand.
"Winner: Rain."
Theon stepped back, blinking like he wasn't sure what happened. Then he let out a booming laugh.
"NOT BAD! Damn, no wonder you're number one!"
I rubbed my temple. "…Sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?!" he barked. "Do that again next time!"
He slapped my back so hard I almost died.
Greatsword users were terrifying.
Whispers filled the sidelines.
"He beat Theon…"
"That didn't look hard for him…"
I really wished people would stop saying that.
Aldred continued the evaluations with the others.
Seraphyne danced around opponents with ease, daggers flashing.
Varein dominated using long, sweeping spear control.
Kazen shot arrows so fast it looked fake.
The prodigies were strong too—Liam's technique was clean, Kai's movements precise, Arion's strength overwhelming, Aelira terrifyingly quick, Liraeth unmovable with her shield.
Everyone was strong.
Class 1-S wasn't a classroom.
It was a battlefield made of prodigies and geniuses.
At one point during break, Juno peeked into the facility from the doorway—too scared to enter.
When our eyes met, he waved awkwardly like a leaf trembling in the wind.
He looked proud though.
He looked excited.
And when he saw me standing there among the strongest first-years…
He smiled.
A small smile, but real.
I felt my chest loosen a little.
Yeah.
This was the next step.
I wasn't at the top because I wanted to be envied or feared or challenged.
I was here because I refused to let the path stop.
I would walk it.
Even if it broke me.
Instructor Aldred gathered us one last time.
"You are Class 1-S," he said. "The strongest first years. But strength means nothing if you cannot grow. Tomorrow, your true training begins. Dismissed."
Everyone left in groups—some loudly, some quietly.
I walked out alone.
But for the first time since joining the academy…
I felt something buzzing under my skin.
Not aura.
Not life force.
Just purpose.
I wasn't strong enough yet.
But I would be.
This was only the beginning.