When he woke up the next day, he could still feel a bit of tiredness, but when he looked out, he saw the sun was already shining bright up in the sky. It was already evening! "Fuck…"
Ash immediately prepared himself, eating his breakfast on the way.
When he arrived, everyone was already doing exercises, either running or swinging their swords.
"Asher, why are you late?" the instructor asked as Ash approached the training grounds.
"Um, instructor…" Ash showed a confused expression.
"Nel," he corrected calmly. "You can call me Instructor Nel."
Ash gave a small nod. "I overslept."
Nel studied him for a moment, his gaze sharp but not immediately disapproving. "And why did you oversleep?"
"I performed spell imprinting yesterday," Ash replied without hesitation.
A flicker of understanding crossed Nel's expression. "I see… that would explain it." He paused briefly, folding his arms. "Spell imprinting is taxing, especially for someone your age."
For a moment, it seemed like that might be the end of it, but Nel's expression hardened slightly.
"Even so, a reason is not the same as an excuse. Discipline still matters." His voice remained even, but firm. "There will be no point deduction, but you won't go without consequence."
Ash straightened. "Understood."
"Run," Nel said simply, gesturing toward the track. "Until I tell you to stop."
"…Alright." Without further complaint, Ash turned and started running along the edge of the training grounds, his pace steady despite the lingering fatigue.
After a few laps, he started to feel tired. However, he didn't stop; he had trained before, so this should be nothing for him. But for some reason, he started to run out of breath, which was unusual. Perhaps it was a side effect of spell imprinting.
Then he ran more, then more. He was already extremely exhausted, but he still kept going. Just as he thought he was going to finally pass out, Instructor Nel's voice rang out. "Stop."
When Ash heard the word, his legs gave out on him.
"That's a surprise. Your stamina is low, but you can persist this long." Instructor Nel, who had been busy teaching other students, paid attention back to him.
Strangely, although Ash was extremely tired, his mind felt clear from the fatigue he had previously had. Then Ash looked at the instructor, confused.
"Spell imprinting leaves residue—fatigue, instability in mana flow. Running like this forces your body to stabilize itself again." He gestured faintly. "That was the real purpose."
Ash blinked once, then gave a small nod. "I see."
"You can go now."
It turned out that Ash had run for the whole class. So after he returned and ate dinner, he immediately went to sleep.
The next day, it was time for the tactical strategy division. There were very few people there, perhaps fewer than 100. But Ash still followed the lecture intently. He regarded it as important after all.
When class finished, he decided to finish the day by training his weapons in the training grounds.
The rest of the week was uneventful; the same routine of him going to class, learning, then going back to the dorm continued.
Monday arrived once again. This time, he learnt how to use mana to cast his spells, allowing him to know his spells better.
After class finished,
"Asher, I challenge you to a ranked duel!" Alice was already waiting for him outside the hall. Although she had also joined the magic and weapons departments, she had a different schedule, so they didn't meet.
"Now?" Ash asked, glancing at her.
"Yes!" Alice didn't just want to get the first rank; she also wanted to train the skills she had learned over the past week.
They headed to the training grounds, and before long, a small crowd of students followed, eager to watch their match.
When they arrived, each of them took their stances. Although Ash and Alice knew each other's affinities, neither of them knew each other's skills. It was a good test. Because in a real battle, no one would know what their opponent could do.
They faced each other in silence, small figures in a space that suddenly felt much larger.
Alice moved first.
A deep crimson flame flickered to life around her hand, thicker than normal fire, almost like liquid. "Bloodflame." It coiled around her arm before surging forward as she dashed in, her sword cutting through the air with surprising force for someone her size.
"Lunar Veil." Ash's eyes sharpened, but his body remained relaxed. A faint silver glow wrapped around him; it was subtle, calm. "Void Step." Then he disappeared.
Alice's strike passed through empty air.
She didn't stop. She turned immediately, scanning. A ripple of darkness flickered to her side.
Ash reappeared, already stepping again, his movements smooth and quiet. To the others, it looked like he was simply vanishing and reappearing, skipping space in short bursts.
Alice clicked her tongue, adjusting quickly. Instead of chasing directly, she swung again—this time her flames flared wider, spreading across the ground in a sweeping arc.
Ash stepped.
Gone, then back, just outside the edge of the fire.
But the heat still brushed past him, forcing him to keep moving.
Again. And again.
Alice's attacks didn't slow. Each swing chained into the next, her flames growing more aggressive, covering more space, leaving fewer gaps. She wasn't just attacking—she was pushing him, controlling where he could go.
Ash noticed. 'She's limiting my steps.'
He steadied his breathing, the soft glow around him sharpening his focus. Her movements became clearer, easier to read—but her attacks were still too wide to ignore.
He stepped again, but this time, Alice didn't follow. She stopped.
Ash reappeared a short distance away, though the moment he did, her hand snapped forward.
The flames around her compressed tightly into a single point. For a brief instant, everything went still.
"Surge." A concentrated surge of blood-red fire shot straight toward him, faster than before.
Ash reacted instantly, trying to step, but the timing was off.
The explosion grazed him mid-movement, throwing him off balance as he stumbled back, the rhythm of his steps breaking.
Alice didn't hesitate. She rushed forward, closing the distance in an instant, flames coiling tightly around her blade as she raised it.
Ash tried to move but he couldn't regain control in time.
The blade stopped just inches from his neck, heat pressing faintly against his skin.
Everything went quiet.
Ash froze for a second, then let out a small breath.
"…I yield."
The flames faded.
Alice lowered her sword, her expression bright despite the slight rise and fall of her breathing. "You move weird," she said, a hint of excitement in her voice. "But if I don't let you breathe, you can't use it properly."
Ash pushed himself upright, brushing dust from his clothes. "…Yeah. You figured it out fast."
She grinned. "Of course."
Around them, the watching students finally started talking again, the tension breaking all at once, but the two of them barely paid attention.
"Next time," Alice added, lifting her chin slightly, "I'll win faster."
Ash looked at her, calm as ever.
"…Then I'll get better."
And this time, there was no hesitation in his voice.