The classroom fell silent.
No one moved. No one even breathed. Dust hung in the air, shimmering faintly in the sunlight slicing through the cracked windows. Every pair of eyes was fixed on Jayden—frozen, still, and unreadable.
Mr. David was the first to recover. He rushed to Robby's side and lifted the boy gently off the ground.
"Mr. Sein, take him to the infirmary—immediately," he ordered, handing Robby over to his colleague. Then, leaning close, he whispered, "We underestimated this. Report it to the council at once. I'll handle the rest here."
Mr. Sein nodded and vanished in a flash of blue light.
Mr. David turned back to the class. "Alright, that's enough excitement for today. Jayden—good effort, but you used too much force.
Learn to control your strength when sparring with classmates." He straightened and looked around at the stunned students.
"Let this be a lesson for all of you. No matter how early you awaken your magic, no matter how much you've trained—there's always someone stronger. Hone your skills to their fullest potential. Now, everyone, back to class. I'll take care of the rest."
The students shuffled out in uneasy silence, their whispers fading down the hall. Jayden remained still, lost in thought, until two familiar voices broke through.
"You okay, Jayden?"
He blinked, glancing at Nadia and Ren.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said with a half-smile. "It's just… weird. I can still feel the mana residue from earlier. I don't even know how I pulled that off."
Then he grinned, a spark of pride in his eyes. "But hey—I was pretty cool out there, wasn't I?"
Ren groaned. "Here we go again…"
Soon the trio were back to their usual banter as they walked off, laughter echoing faintly through the corridor.
Behind them, Mr. David sighed. "Now to clean up this mess… Luke Reginald, what kind of monster did you create.
The council had been right to be cautious. Jayden's fight had confirmed their fears.
Breaking a Rubber Mage's body part was nearly impossible—even with high-level magic. Yet Jayden had done it effortlessly.
And that surge of mana near the end of the fight… that wasn't the same boy who walked into the arena.
There had been something else—older, more powerful—guiding him.
Mr. David rubbed his temple, surveying the wrecked training hall still humming with residual energy. "So much for an ordinary student…" he muttered.
Later that Evening
When Jayden arrived home, the sky was painted orange and yellow, the sun slowly setting with golden rays of light penetrating his window into his room
The old, brown book lay on his bed—its leather cover cracked, seemingly mocking him for leaving him unattended.
"How did Dad even get this thing?" Jayden muttered, lifting it carefully.
He tried to open it. Nothing. The cover wouldn't budge, as if it were one solid block. He tugged harder. Still no use.
"What the hell…?" he grumbled, frowning.
Before he could try again, movement outside the window caught his attention. His father had just returned—Luke Reginald, wearing his usual training clothes, a white-collared shirt tucked into brown trousers, a stone sword slung across his shoulder.
Jayden smirked. Perfect timing.
"Break."
He leapt from his spot, mana flaring in his limbs. A gust of wind trailed behind him as he launched a surprise strike.
But Luke turned at the last instant. His blade flashed, parrying Jayden's blow with ease. In one smooth motion, he countered diagonally, forcing Jayden to dodge and toss his sword toward Luke's neck. It stopped—three centimeters away—frozen in midair by Luke's expanding mana.
A burst of energy sent Jayden tumbling backward.
"Come on," Luke said with a weary smile. "That's no way to greet your father, is it?"
Jayden grinned. "You were just lucky, old man."
Both laughed and embraced.
"How was your day, kiddo?" Luke asked, ruffling his hair.
"Pretty good. Won my first fight today."
"Oh?" Luke's grin widened. "You can tell me about it… on the way there."
He stretched out his hand. Two axes floated off the weapon rack behind him, hovering beside his shoulder.
"Ready for a tree-cutting contest now that you've got magic?"
Jayden snatched the axes from the air, his competitive spark igniting instantly. "You bet! Loser washes dishes for a week!"
"You're on kiddo." Luke grinned as they headed towards the forest
The air was cool beneath the canopy, the scent of moss and sap thick around them. Shafts of sunlight filtered through the branches, glinting off the blades in their hands.
Their usual game was simple: five minutes. Whoever cut down the most trees won.
In the past, Luke had always gone easy on his son—five minutes for him, ten for Jayden, and no magic allowed. But now things were different.
"Heh. This time, I'll win."
He watched Luke idly petting a rabbit nearby, nonchalant about what was going on.
"Good. Keep underestimating me," Jayden thought as glowing lines appeared along his body.Break.
He dashed forward.
With each swing, trees fell in quick succession—three, then five, then ten. His movements were sharp, precise, each strike sending leaves swirling through the air. The stopwatch made from magic ticked down mercilessly.
When only a minute remained, Jayden looked up to see Luke sitting casually on a branch, watching him with that unreadable expression.
"Okay," Luke said, jumping down lightly, his boots barely disturbing the grass. "My turn."
He raised his sword.
Wind gathered around the blade, condensing into a swirling current that glowed faint green.
Then—he swung once.
A flash of light tore through the forest. Trees collapsed in perfect symmetry, falling like dominoes in every direction. The air howled; leaves danced in spirals; and in seconds, hundreds of trunks hit the ground.
Jayden froze, stunned.
Luke landed softly, resting his blade against the soil. "Time's up. I win."
Jayden's jaw dropped in awe.
This was the man known across the lands as Luke Reginald—the Strongest Swordsman in all of Avarice.
In a single swing, he had leveled nearly two hundred trees. Jayden had barely managed half that.
Then, as if it weren't impressive enough, all the fallen trees began to rise—lifted by invisible wind currents. They floated upward, aligning neatly before drifting toward a distant path.
"The wood company will be happy with that for a while," Luke said casually, sheathing his sword.
Jayden stared at him, speechless.
"What?" Luke smirked. "Don't tell me you're surprised. After all—" he stepped forward, placing a firm hand on Jayden's shoulder, "—I am the strongest one. And one day… you'll be too."
The forest fell quiet. Only the soft rustle of leaves answered them.
Then Luke's gaze shifted, thoughtful. "Hmm, I think I have an idea. We're going to visit an old friend now," he said, his tone turning serious. "If anyone can help you get stronger… it's her."