As the girl drove in her dagger—it hung a mere breath away from the boy's skin, yet his face remained as dull and indifferent as stone.
Her confidence wavered mid-strike, a tremor of doubt rippling through her arm. But alas, the blade connected. At least she thought so.
Until the ground suddenly shifted beneath her feet, and she found herself slashing at empty air.
The boy stood far across from her, untouched. The arena had stretched like taffy, carrying her away from the lifeless figure.
Northern, who had been scratching his head after his last sentence, froze and leaned forward with eyes wide as dinner plates. Pure excitement coursed through him as he slammed his hands against the edges of the demarcation, gripping the concrete so tightly it groaned beneath his weakened strength.
'What in the world?! The ground expanded?!'
He'd never seen anything like it.
The boy's talent? Definitely elemental—Earth elemental to be precise. Northern wasn't collecting all the elemental types, at least not intentionally.
But he already possessed ice, fire, and wind... he had never encountered someone with earth type elemental talent, while water types proved even rarer. In the Central Plains, fire and ice talents sprouted like weeds, especially fire. Few clans could boast ice talents at all.
And they probably traced their lineage to the Northern Continent.
Northern had begun to suspect that the talents found in the Central Plains might be tied to the region's weather—a wild speculation considering he'd never set foot there. But everyone knew the truth: temperatures there plunged a hundred times colder than the harshest winter day in the Central Plains.
His eyes glittered like a child unwrapping his favorite toy on festival day.
Ellis watched him with peculiar fascination. One minute, Northern discussed a suspicious student; the next, he vibrated with such excitement his bones might leap from his skin.
Ellis remained silent for several seconds, blinking at Northern from the side. Then he remembered those early days—how spontaneous, unreasonable, and delightfully weird Northern could be.
He scoffed pleasantly.
"Of course..."
Northern sat back down, raising an eyebrow as he turned to Ellis.
"What?"
Ellis shook his head, still smiling.
"Nothing at all. It's just... good to know that even after whatever that has happened these past three months, you're still the very Northern I know. The one I fell in love with."
Northern's glare could have frozen lava.
"Pardon?"
Ellis's grin widened into something predatory as he fixed Northern with a seductive stare, winking deliberately.
Goosebumps erupted across Northern's skin like a plague of insects. He nearly shrank into himself, silently turning away to focus on the continuing match.
Regardless of the suddenly extended ground, the girl had already flashed across, hurling a spiraling cyclone of dagger strikes at the boy. While Northern was distracted, the boy had switched his sword to his other hand, his blade blurring as he viciously parried each of the girl's persistent strikes.
...Not just with his sword. His entire body moved in sync—legs stepping back, sometimes sideways—all working in perfect tandem to exploit momentum shifts. One moment he'd shove her aside, the next he'd lure her in for a knee bash.
But the girl's blood thorn vines proved to be true thorns in his flesh. Their volatility restricted him in more ways than one. Yet somehow, he remained perpetually one step away from being hit, even when she was certain her weapon would finally make its mark.
Her frustration bloomed like a poisonous flower. Her speed declined, the blood thorn vines following suit.
While it appeared she had the upper hand—her speed superior, bombarding the dull student with strikes from all sides—the truth painted a different picture. She had failed to land a single hit since the match began. Instead, she had suffered one herself. Worse, her attempts to strike him consumed more stamina and soul essence than his simple parries and counters.
Was he even exerting himself?
The boy's face remained impassive throughout, an unreadable mask.
The lady staggered, barely standing. Her chest heaved with exhaustion, and more blood dripped from her nose. Yet her eyes blazed with a bloodshot fury that refused to yield.
Northern folded his arms and leaned back.
'This is foolish... I knew she was the reckless type.'
Ellis observed him without turning his head.
"Are you worried about her?"
Northern's eyebrow shot up in absurdity.
"Why would I be worried about her? It's not her I'm concerned about. It's everyone."
Ellis finally turned to face Northern, regarding him evenly. His once-innocent face had gained a measure of maturity, appearing less frail and more defined—though still far from manhood.
They were still teenagers, after all.
"Does it have something to do with this suspicious student? Do you want to talk about it?"
Northern stared at the match, squinting as the lady shot forward again. She took a swift dive, blurring forward while simultaneously driving her blood thorn vines to lash at the boy.
Stone walls rose like parchment pages, each blocking her path. The boy used them as stepping stones, vaulting over her to land far beyond her reach. Then the ground contracted once more, his sword slicing forward with deadly precision.
The girl barely managed to roll away. The blade grazed her armor, drawing a thin line of blood from her exposed flesh.
Exhaustion was claiming her now, its weight dragging at her movements like chains.
Northern glanced at the student in black, scrutinizing him more intently.
The boy possessed long black hair, neatly groomed and flowing to his shoulders like liquid night. His face pale as moonlight, eyes pitch black pools of emptiness. Dismissive indifference hung about him like a cloak—no other emotion betrayed itself on those ghostly features.
He stood with both hands clasped behind his back, one hand making minimal movements with two fingers extended.
Northern's frown carved deep shadows across his face.
'Who really is this bastard?!'
What exactly was happening? No matter how he examined it, this figure was no student. Nothing about him fit the mold.
True, Northern hadn't met every student at Milhguard Academy. But after three months here, he knew their essence, their bearing. The subtle air that marked them as belonging.
It was simple to tell when someone didn't fit—when someone screamed 'this person doesn't belong here.' Northern was certain other students sensed it too. Perhaps they simply didn't care enough to pursue it.
And the instructors? Surely they would have intervened.
Perhaps their inaction meant nothing was wrong. Northern might have accepted that explanation in calmer times—if he hadn't witnessed a grown intellect gatherer suffer brainwashing without even realizing it.
He had to factor that possibility into his calculations.
'Alright then...'
Northern exhaled and decided to 'look' at him.
However...
[Target Profile Unavailable]
[Target soul is sealed with a strange anti-clairvoyance divination technique]
Northern's frown deepened until it seemed to carve valleys into his face. Shadow claimed his features despite the morning's brilliance.
At that precise moment, the suspicious student shifted his gaze—eyes locking directly onto Northern, his expression cold.
Then one corner of his lips slowly curled upward in a predatory grin.