The academy slept beneath a quiet blanket of night.
High above the campus, the S-Class Dormitory Tower stood like a silent sentinel. Blue energy barriers shimmered faintly around the structure while security drones patrolled the perimeter in slow, predictable patterns.
To the outside world, the building looked impenetrable.
But predators had already entered the hunting grounds.
03:17 AM – Alexander's Room
Alexander lay sprawled across his bed, one arm over his eyes.
After hours of relentless training against Isabella, even his enhanced body demanded rest.
The room was quiet.
Peaceful.
Then, the System exploded inside his mind.
[WARNING: HOSTILE PRESENCE DETECTED
COUNT: 6
LOCATION: S-CLASS DORMITORY PERIMETER]
Alexander's eyes snapped open.
Golden light flickered in his pupils.
He sat up instantly.
"Already?" he muttered.
The System continued.
[THREAT CLASSIFICATION: ASSASSIN OPERATIVES
FACTION PROBABILITY: DRAGON KING
NETWORK – 87%]
Alexander exhaled slowly.
"So the cleaners finally arrived. The never miss a chance to make an appearance."
Before he could move, the System issued another alert.
[ADDITIONAL LIFEFORM DETECTED
IDENTITY: ISABELLA VON KESSLER
STATUS: AWAKE]
Alexander smirked.
"Of course she is awake. How can she be possibly asleep."
Across the transparent training wall, Isabella's room lights flicked on.
She stepped into her training arena already dressed in her combat bodysuit, silver hair tied back.
Her violet eyes glowed faintly as frost formed beneath her feet.
She had sensed them too.
Through the glass wall, their eyes met.
Neither looked surprised.
Isabella crossed her arms.
"Your friends?"
Alexander rolled his shoulders.
"If they were, they wouldn't be sneaking in like thieves."
A sudden explosion shook the building.
BOOOOM!
The entire dormitory trembled.
Outside the panoramic windows, one of the security drones burst into flames and spiraled downward.
Red alarm lights began flashing across the tower.
INTRUDER ALERT
INTRUDER ALERT
Isabella sighed.
"Wonderful." She said
Alexander stood up slowly.
"I was just starting to enjoy this academy."
Another explosion tore through the lower floors.
Metal screamed. Footsteps echoed through the hallway outside their suites.
Heavy.
Measured.
Professional.
The System chimed again.
HOSTILES APPROACHING
DISTANCE: 30 METERS
Isabella cracked her knuckles.
Cold mist began swirling around her arms.
"Well, hospital boy," she said coolly, "looks like someone wants you dead at all cost."
Alexander walked toward the glass wall separating their training rooms.
"Jealous fans."
A loud BANG echoed down the hallway.
Then, the reinforced door at the end of the corridor exploded inward.
Six figures stepped through the smoke.
They wore matte-black combat armor etched with crimson dragon insignias.
Each carried plasma rifles humming with lethal energy.
Their helmets scanned the hallway.
A distorted voice spoke through a communicator.
"Target confirmed. Alexander Chase."
Another voice replied coldly.
"Eliminate all witnesses."
Isabella's eyebrow twitched.
"Oh?" They wanted to kill her too.
Alexander sighed.
"That's rude."
The assassins raised their weapons.
And opened fire.
Plasma blasts tore through the hallway wall. Just as the door to Alexander's suite exploded outward.
He stepped through the smoke at the same moment Isabella kicked open her own door.
For a brief second, the assassins hesitated.
Two targets.
Both radiating dangerous energy signatures.
The squad leader barked a command.
"Kill them!"
The hallway erupted into chaos.
Alexander moved first.
He vanished from sight.
The nearest assassin barely had time to react before Alexander appeared in front of him with a terrifying speed of light. A single punch shattered the man's chest armor and launched him through the hallway wall. The impact echoed like thunder.
Across the corridor, Isabella raised her hand.
The temperature plunged instantly.
One assassin fired his rifle.
The plasma bolt froze mid-air before reaching her.
She snapped her fingers.
The frozen projectile shattered.
Then the assassin himself froze solid from the waist down.
His scream ended when Isabella tapped his helmet. He shattered into ice fragments. The remaining assassins adapted to the current situation quickly. Energy shields activated around their armor.
"Advanced targets!" one shouted.
They split formation.
Two rushed Alexander.
Two charged Isabella.
The squad leader activated a glowing blade and sprinted forward.
Alexander ducked under a plasma shot and grabbed an assassin by the arm.
The man tried to fire point-blank.
Alexander twisted the weapon away and slammed the assassin into the floor hard enough to crack the reinforced titanium tiles.
Across the hall, Isabella danced between incoming shots.
Her movements were elegant, almost graceful.
A swirling vortex of frost spiraled around her body, deflecting energy blasts like snowflakes in a storm.
She thrust her palm forward.
A spear of compressed ice shot through an assassin's shield and pinned him to the wall accurately.
The squad leader lunged toward Alexander with his energy blade.
Alexander caught the weapon with his bare hand. The blade screeched against his reinforced skin.
The assassin's eyes widened behind his helmet.
"What the fuck?"
Alexander smiled.
"You picked the wrong dorm."
He head-butted the assassin hard enough to dent the man's helmet.
Then kicked him down the hallway.
Meanwhile Isabella froze the last rifleman inside a block of solid crystal.
Silence returned to the corridor.
Five assassins lay defeated.
The squad leader struggled weakly against the wall.
Alexander walked toward him.
But before he could speak, the assassin's armor began blinking red.
The System screamed inside Alexander's mind.
[WARNING: SELF-DESTRUCT DEVICE ACTIVATED]
Alexander's eyes widened.
"Move!"
He grabbed Isabella's arm and pulled her behind the corner just as,
BOOOOOOOM.
The explosion ripped through the hallway like a miniature missile.
Fire and debris blasted outward.
The entire dormitory shook violently.
When the smoke cleared, half the corridor was gone.
Alexander released Isabella.
She stared at the crater.
Then at him.
"You grabbed my arm."
Alexander shrugged.
"You're welcome."
She crossed her arms.
"I didn't need help."
He raised an eyebrow.
"You're alive, aren't you?"
Isabella didn't respond.
But her lips twitched slightly.
In Alexander's mind, the System chimed.
[NEW EVENT COMPLETED
FIRST COOPERATIVE COMBAT WITH RIVAL
REWARD UNLOCKED: COMBAT SYNERGY ANALYSIS]
Alexander looked toward Isabella.
"Looks like we work well together." He said with a smile.
She turned away.
"…Temporarily."
Then she glanced back at the destroyed hallway. More alarms echoed across the tower. Security forces were finally arriving.
Isabella sighed.
"Well."
She looked at Alexander.
"I suppose tomorrow's training will be… interesting."
Alexander smirked.
"Oh, I'm counting on it. You better not disappoint me."