Training between the students was more lackluster than ever, and there was only one reason for it—the upcoming fight between Monk and Gary. The ranking match scheduled for later in the day was all anyone could talk about.
Kyle had turned the event into a spectacle, setting a time and place for the fight and even organizing bets among the students. Gary was the favorite to win, but Kyle had ensured good odds for Monk as well, leveraging the mystery of the Black Sash students as a selling point. Naturally, all of this was done away from the watchful eyes of the teachers. They were aware of the match but not the gambling.
Though ranking matches happened daily, this particular fight was different. It was a grudge match involving the academy's top-ranked student, and everyone knew Monk was quickly rising through the ranks. He might have been officially ranked fiftieth, but most students believed his true skill placed him among the top ten.
