The practical training instructor arrived, and the students' chatting immediately stopped.
He looked completely different from the students; he was large-built, mostly white-haired with a few barely noticeable wrinkles under his eyes. Compared to the tallest students, they barely reached his waist.
"Hello, children. My name is Andrew. I believe you know me well, so there's no need for me to introduce myself. We will start the lesson now."
All the students knew that the person in front of them was extraordinary; he was ranked 1936 globally among Awakened Ones and belonged to the Black Dawn Guild, one of the best guilds in the world. He was also an Awakened of S rank. Shock was evident on the students' faces—how could the academy place someone of this level to train first-year students?!
"Attention, children. Three classes have been combined for this lesson."
"In today's physical training, you will be divided into pairs to fight each other."
"It can be said that today we will measure your development during this holiday after the exam."
"Of course, I will choose your partners who are at the same level as you, so there will be no unfairness or errors in measurement. You must fight with all your strength."
Andrew looked sharply at the silent students.
"What? Where is your enthusiasm?"
The students shouted quickly:
"Present!"
Andrew nodded and then began pairing students for combat:
"Kay with Elisa, Leonard with David, Ira with Eveline, Nathan with Han… Steven with Max…"
Steven narrowed his eyes while watching Andrew for a moment, then turned his gaze to Max and frowned.
'It's good that I will be Max's opponent. There are some things I need to change about him; otherwise, he won't be different from the novel I wrote.'
Steven lowered his eyes, feeling responsible for everything happening in this world, especially the lives of the characters he created in his novel *Search for Hope*. It was no longer just words; the characters were real, their emotions real, and their lives were affected by events. His heart ached with guilt for what he had written before—he never wanted the tragedies in his story to become reality.
Steven approached the nervous Max and spoke calmly:
"Perhaps you should stand firm if you want to deserve my fight."
Max tensed and clenched his fists.
"I-I… do you remember me? W-We met during the exam…"
Steven looked down at him with indifference.
"I do not remember the weak."
Max lowered his head and replied softly:
"Ah… sorry."
Suddenly, they both heard Instructor Andrew's voice:
"Now the pairing is complete. Everyone prepare to fight! Mana skills are forbidden; rely only on the strength of your bodies. On another day, you will fight using your full skills in a proper combat arena within the academy."
Steven took a combat-ready stance, and so did Max. When Andrew shouted "Start," Steven rushed at Max, raising his fist and hitting him in the stomach with force, giving only a single blow, leaving Max unable to resist. Max fell to the ground, coughing and holding his stomach.
When Max did not move, Steven stepped closer, grabbed his hair to lift his face, and spoke coldly:
"Why did you come to the academy? You can't even protect an insect. You don't deserve to be an Awakened. If you continue with this weakness, you might be the reason those you try to protect get killed."
Max's pupils trembled violently. Steven released his hair and turned away, leaving Max weak before him.
"You know nothing."
Steven turned slightly and spoke louder:
"You know nothing about me. Don't talk to me like that."
Steven looked at Max and said:
"I see you as pathetic right now, unable even to protect yourself. I am only talking about what I see with my own eyes."
Max bit his lip and spoke:
"I will not leave the academy until I take revenge."
Steven smiled sarcastically:
"Revenge?! At fourteen years old, crying like a baby?!"
Max widened his eyes.
"..You said you didn't remember me."
Steven bit his lip lightly, then spoke sarcastically:
"Well, maybe I remembered you because you were extremely pathetic."
Max clenched his fists with determination and said:
"Let's fight… let's continue our fight now."
Steven's lips curved slightly in a subtle smile.
'Now this is good.'
Steven fought Max. Max wasn't very strong, so he received many hits from Steven. The only difference was Max's sudden determination; he fought as if his life depended on this battle. Both kept fighting until Andrew shouted:
"The match is over!"
Finally, Max lay on his back, breathing heavily.
The earring lowered awakening levels but did not reduce Steven's physical strength, so Steven had to pretend to be exhausted. He placed his hands on his knees, bent over, and made his breaths heavier as if tired.
Instructor Andrew spoke:
"Now the lesson is over. You may leave. Oh, right, I almost forgot—every three months, there will be a comprehensive exam for all students. The weakest will be expelled, so don't slack off in training. The bottom 60 ranks will be expelled."
After Andrew left, the students grew noisy, but Steven headed back to his shared room to shower and then go have lunch in the first-year cafeteria.
The academy has four cafeterias, one for each grade, each designed to suit the students' strength levels. There are always outstanding students who receive special privileges and are considered the kings of their grade. Kay is currently one of the four kings of the academy.
Steven entered the cafeteria, joined the queue, and when his turn came, chose a meal and asked its cost. The staff told him, "5 points."
Steven raised his academy badge to the board, activated the device given by the staff.
"When this device beeps, you can come take your meal."
Steven nodded and went to find a place to sit.
In the academy, there is no traditional money—only points earned from exams and tasks provided by the academy. Points can also be earned in other ways and are stored in the academy badge, which requires the owner's fingerprint for activation. No one else can use it.
When a student first enters, the badge contains 100 points, and they must earn more continuously; otherwise, some students may have to leave the academy voluntarily before starving due to losing points.
Beep! Beep! The device in Steven's hand sounded, indicating that his meal was ready.