Mr. Cromwell's words might as well have been a blunt weapon, because to Kenny, that was exactly what it felt like. He stumbled back slightly, eyes widening. He glanced at Marie, who seemed to be holding back a laugh. In another corner of the room, Chris furrowed his brows, the other students behind him also reacted like bees stirring in a hive. This was because every single one of them knew they couldn't perform the foundational steps—they were in the same situation as Kenny. Mr. Cromwell should have known this, so what was his goal? Did he just plan to humiliate them?
Murmurs and whispers began to spread, students inaudibly voicing their dissatisfaction. However, not everyone here seemed stressed about it. Parker mainly had a taunting smile on his face, his eyes searching for his favorite prey.
Mr. Cromwell silenced them with the raise of a hand. He let out a sigh as if frustrated.
"Okay now, settle down everyone. This is just another lesson, meant to teach students the most effective way to perform the foundational steps and to...encourage those who were left behind along the way."
The plump teacher kept stroking his beard for a while, as if pondering the next step. Then he waved his hands in a beckoning motion. Two other staff members appeared in the doorway, a massive boulder sitting on their shoulders. They struggled to climb the raised platform before slamming the boulder down in the middle of the arena.
Mr. Cromwell crouched slightly, both legs balanced in a specific position. One of his hands formed a fist, while the other stretched forward with an opened palm.
"There are three ways to improve one's strength: the body, the spirit, and the soul. Each of these gateways to power are unique, as I could spend days talking about just one. But today, we'll be talking about the spirit. The spirit is what gives us the ability to use the foundational steps and other techniques. Depending on how in tune an individual is to these techniques, their attacks can have a different weight."
The teacher began moving his hands around in a fluid motion as he continued to talk.
"The first thing a person must do, even before using the steps, is to channel the life energy from around the world, or anything they have access to, as this can have a huge impact on the strength of the attack."
He paused, his eyes sweeping across the sea of students. Some leaned forward with genuine interest, while others shuffled their feet nervously, already dreading what was coming next.
"Why don't we get a demonstrator?" Cromwell's hand purposefully lifted and settled on one of the students from Class D, then he pointed at another from Class C.
As the students walked on stage, a bowl of water was placed in front of each. They began swirling their hands around in the same motion as the instructor. Slowly and gradually, a faint humming sound filled the air as the bowl of water started forming ripples on the surface. Cromwell pointed to the ripples.
"As you can clearly see, one of the bowls has more ripples than the other. That means one person here has a..." He cleared his throat, changing the words he wanted to say first. "Clearer path ahead of them, simply because the student from Class C built a solid foundation."
The instructor's eyes suddenly caught a figure in the crowd twisting and turning his head around, apparently looking for something more interesting, as if his teachings weren't good enough. If it had been Parker or someone talented from Grade C, that might not have been an issue. But the person in question was actually from Class D, and worse of all, it was someone he knew all too well.
"That brat," Cromwell thought. "He dares ignore my lectures when he needs them the most."
Kenny wasn't quite captivated by the professor's words. Instead, he seemed interested in the door leading to the halls—the door he was sure Rin would step out of any moment now. His thoughts were interrupted by Mr. Cromwell's icy words.
"Young Master Ken."
The instructor's words drew the spotlight toward Kenny. Every single student turned in his direction. Some smirked, others seemed afraid they would be called out next.
"Why don't you come and demonstrate the actual technique for us?"
Kenny wanted to find a hole big enough to hide in. His humiliation was imminent. How was he supposed to perform such a technique? His eyes bulged slightly. Looking around, he saw Marie practically dying of laughter. He ignored her and started walking toward the arena when suddenly, the sound of the class door clicking made him freeze in his tracks.
The class suddenly became engulfed in silence. From the corner of his eyes, Kenny spotted the expression that had appeared on the faces of everyone, then the whispers assaulted his ears.
"Rin? Is that her?"
"Yeah, she's the second-best student in Class C, but man, look at that face."
"Woah, she's awesome. Maybe I can show off to her later."
Murmurs of admiration and praises filled the air, causing Kenny to sigh. He was so worried about saving face in front of Rin, but did she even know him? He was probably just a stranger to her, and yet he thought she cared.
"Young Master Kenny, don't keep us all waiting now."
Although Teacher Cromwell spoke calmly to him, Kenny was sure the guy hated him. His only saving grace was being the Beast Master's son. He gritted his teeth and walked to the top of the arena, his short stature looking out of place among the tall students.
Kenny's palms were sweating as he climbed onto the platform. The eyes of dozens of students bore into him like daggers. He could feel their judgment, their expectations of his failure. He refused to look at Rin, couldn't bear to see whether she was even paying attention to him or not.
"Who's demonstrating with him?" Cromwell asked the crowd of students, knowing very well everyone would be eager. Demonstrating with Kenny was like demonstrating with a chicken—it was impossible to lose face.
Just as expected, a bunch of students raised their hands, eager to show off their skills beside the loser. But one voice shocked everyone. It was intense and deliberate.
"I'll demonstrate with him!"
Cromwell smiled knowingly and thought to himself, "Good, Parker can teach him a lesson."
He pointed to Parker, and soon both students stood on the raised arena in the same stance. Parker towered over Kenny—everyone at school did. But Kenny wasn't focused on Parker. He was busy stealing glances at the beautiful Rin, who at the moment wasn't even paying attention to him. She was examining her nails, seemingly bored by the entire proceeding.
Kenny's heart sank. Of course she didn't care. Why would she?
"Now," Cromwell began, pacing around the two students like a predator circling its prey. "The foundational steps require three elements: proper channeling of energy, correct form, and focused intent. Parker, show us the proper stance once more."
Parker smoothly shifted into position, his movements fluid and practiced. His hands moved in perfect synchronization, and Kenny could see the faint shimmer of energy beginning to gather around his palms. The crowd murmured appreciatively.
"Young Master Kenny, your turn."
Kenny tried to mimic the stance, but his legs felt awkward, too short to properly balance the way Parker had. His hands moved clumsily through the motions, and he could feel the snickers beginning to ripple through the audience.
"Pathetic," someone whispered loud enough for him to hear.
"Focus, Kenny," Cromwell said, though there was a mocking edge to his tone. "Feel the energy around you. Draw it in."
Kenny closed his eyes, trying to block out the laughter, the whispers, the crushing weight of everyone's expectations. He reached out with his senses, trying to feel... anything. But there was nothing. Just emptiness where the energy should be.
His eyes snapped open in frustration. Parker was smirking at him, the bastard.
"Begin!" Professor Cromwell shouted.
The word rang through the arena like a death knell. Parker immediately launched into the technique, his movements precise and powerful. Energy swirled visibly around his fists as he struck forward, crashing into the boulder with a "thud—crack" a small twisting line formed on the boulder.
The force of the displaced air made Kenny's hair whip back, and he stumbled backward, nearly losing his footing.
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause for Parker's display.
"Excellent form, Parker," Cromwell praised. "Now, Young Master Kenny, show us what the son of the Beast Master can do."
Kenny's stomach twisted into knots. This was it—his moment of ultimate humiliation. And worst of all, he could see Rin now watching, her expression unreadable. She had finally decided to pay attention, just in time to witness his complete and utter failure.
He took a shaky breath and assumed the stance again, knowing that whatever happened next would define how the entire school saw him for the rest of the year.