Liam stood before Damian's room door with his usual serious attitude, holding a pair of training gloves. Inside, Damian was still half asleep on the bed, his hair messy, and a pillow pressed against his face. Then Liam opened the door and entered his room.
"Master Damian, you left your practice gloves again in the practice room…" Liam said firmly.
Damian screamed and tried to get up from his bed. "Five more minutes?… please?"
Liam shook his head without smiling. "Negative. We have to go to the main hall now. There's a big announcement this morning."
Damian reluctantly crawled out of bed, his warm feet touching the cold floor. He furrowed his brows and asked while putting on his clothes, "This must be about the follow-up assessment, right?"
Liam nodded slowly. "According to the rumors, yes."
Damian looked at Liam with half-open eyes. "Where did you get that rumor from?"
Liam glanced over, his expression unchanged. "Rumors from our seniors, Master Damian."
Damian took a deep breath, then took the gloves from Liam's hands. "Okay, let's go."
Liam nodded, then walked ahead of Damian out of the room, both of them preparing to face a morning full of puzzles.
The main hall of Zephyrus Academy was filled with students from grades 1 to 3. Professor Limbert stood at the podium, surrounded by senior staff of various races. His voice echoed as he opened the event.
"Today, we announce the opening of the Zephyrus Selection Tournament," Professor Limbert said.
Then Professor Limbert said firmly, "This tournament is open to all students from all three grades. You will be tested not only on strength, but also on leadership and mental toughness."
Damian stared at the silent room for a moment, then continued on the large crystal screen beside the podium, a temporary list appeared:
1. Alzein Crownguard (on mission)
2. Rygar Ardent
3. Seraphine Valeheart (on mission)
4. Vellia Darkfang
5. Brakth Runebreaker
6. Nero Valtzreid
7. Kaelith Snowveil
8. Kyle Ardent (inactive)
9. Damian Kade
10. Firi Puppetblade
Lucien was ranked 13th, Elric was 17th, and Liam was 20th.
Professor Limbert raised his hand, "The tournament champion will lead a high-level strategic mission from the academy. Please note, ranks 1 and 3 will not be competing due to being on duty, but your positions on the Power Leaderboard will still be recorded."
Whispers began to fill the hall. Damian felt adrenaline rising as memories of his previous battles with his friends and how strong they were. He glanced briefly at Lucien, Elric, and Liam in the crowd; they too looked tense, but ready. "Top 20 is already considered elite," Damian muttered, "but our opponents this time are no joke." On stage, Professor Limbert concluded the announcement, "Prepare yourselves. The tournament starts tomorrow morning." The magic spotlight dimmed, leaving the spirit of competition surging throughout the hall.
They moved down the main hallway as the five top students stood casually waiting.
Rygar Ardent, human, 3rd year rank 2, grinned at Damian and his friends.
Vellia Darkfang, human, 3rd year rank 4, glared.
Brakth Runebreaker, dwarven (he still had human roots, so his body was very large), 3rd year rank 5, his body as large as Elric's.
Kaelith Snowveil, elf, 2nd year rank 7, thin air began to gather around his hands.
Firi Puppetblade, human, rank 10, leaned on a giant living puppet beside him.
Rygar stepped forward. "So these are the brats everyone's been talking about?" his voice was cold. Vellia added, "You're still ranked below us, but you're acting like you're defying the system."
Damian stood in front of his friends, the air around him turning cold until the floor began to be coated with a thin layer of ice.
Liam's right hand was already on the handle of the revolver. Lucien began to prepare to cast his magic shield, Nero moved the shadows around him, and Elric took off his uniform, revealing his muscular and large body, indicating that he was ready to fight.
"You want to fight us? Whatever. But don't regret it." Damian said confidently, but in his heart, he was already begging for all of this to end quickly.
Suddenly, Instructor Van appeared from the side hallway. "Save that fight for the tournament! Duels outside the arena are prohibited."
Rygar raised his hand. "Relax, it's just an introduction." Everyone lowered their mana aura.
Even so, the presence of Damian and his team in front of the five seniors was enough to make every other student step aside and whisper, indicating that Damian's group had become the center of attention of the academy.
That night, in the quietest corner of the Zephyrus library, Damian, Liam, and Lucien gathered behind a pile of top-ranked student data books. The dim light reflected off the old wooden table, creating a solemn atmosphere.
Lucien opened the first book and pointed at the list of names. "These are the five strongest opponents we might face in the tournament," he said.
They took turns reading carefully:
Rygar Ardent (Grade 3, Rank 2): Wielder of a giant axe, has a fire affinity, and can melt high-level magic shields. A skilled front-line fighter.
Vellia Darkfang (Grade 3, Rank 4): Poison and stealth assassin, skilled with a small sword, and coats it with mana and poison. Known to be very fast and skilled.
Brakth Runebreaker (Grade 3, Rank 5): Of Dwarven descent, a skilled fighter, uses mana and ground magic—his body is covered in mana that can withstand any attack, and can also use ground magic well.
Kaelith Snowveil (Grade 2, Rank 7): Elf, wind magic, able to support the team with her highly trained and powerful wind magic, and can detect enemies from afar. She is said to be able to read the opponent's movements through her wind magic.
Firi Puppetblade (Grade 2, Rank 10): A giant magic puppet controller with a hidden arsenal of weapons, her puppets can move agilely like living creatures. Has Puppet Affinity, can turn living creatures into puppets and control them, the stronger the creature she turns into a puppet, the bigger the puppet will be.
Liam stared at his notes screen, his eyes wide. "The leader of the Leaderboard is now in grade 2? And number three is also grade 2? Some notes say Alzein defeated Rygar when Rygar was in first place."
Damian swallowed, his mind spinning. "Someone can beat Rygar? Must be incredibly strong. But we also have to show that we deserve to be here." He clenched his fists. "We're not just on the list by chance, we're there because we're strong."
Lucien closed the book quietly. "Winning is the only way to prove it."
They stared at each other, their determination burning that very night..
Midnight in Damian's dorm room, the moonlight illuminated the quiet room. Damian sat on the edge of his bed, staring blankly out the window of his room.
"Tomorrow everything starts…" he said softly.
At the study table area of the room, Liam was tidying up their training equipment, gloves, revolver, and strategy notebook.
"We must not waste this opportunity," Liam said firmly, not taking his eyes off his revolver.
Damian straightened up and looked at Liam. "This tournament… is not just about rankings or missions. It's about proving that we deserve to be here."
Liam turned his head, their eyes meeting. "And I will make sure that you will not face this alone."
A moment of silence fell between them before a faint smile appeared on both of their faces. The atmosphere became warm even though the night was still dark.
"Come on, let's show our best," Damian said, full of confidence.