That morning, the elite class building was noisier than usual.
The Academy’s massive training ground shone under the sunlight, and dozens of elite students were training in different sections. The sound of weapons clashing, magic explosions, and instructors’ shouts could be heard from all sides.
Professor Valerius walked through the training grounds with his hands locked behind his back.
Today’s class topic was "Combat Coordination."
In different fields, students were divided into groups of two or three, practicing various scenarios.
But in one corner of the training ground, one person stood out completely from the others.
Lian.
Due to his power level and the upcoming mission in the fallen city, Valerius had allowed him to spend part of the class time testing his new equipment.
His new armor fit well on his body, the speed boots were on his feet, and his new sword was in his hand.
Several talismans and crystals were also hanging from his belt. Lian stood in front of several metal targets.
He took a deep breath.
Then he channeled his power into the boots.
BOOM!
A small explosion formed under his feet. His body suddenly disappeared. Several students around could not even see his movement.
A moment later, he appeared at another point on the field.
First-years looked at each other in surprise.
"Did you see that speed?"
"That’s faster than many second-years."
"Damn... is he really level ten?"
For them, seeing such a monster was very surprising. The speed this boy had was far greater than any Awakened below level 20 they had seen.
To the point that they could not even understand how and why he was so fast.
But Lian paid them no attention. He raised his sword, took a step forward.
And struck.
WOOSH!
The silver blade flashed in the air. A moment later, the metal target was split in half. The sound of broken metal echoed in the area.
Lian looked at the sword quietly.
"Its balance is very good..." Then his gaze fell on the boots.
"Energy consumption is also low."
At that moment, a voice came from behind him.
"Hey, hero of the tenth realm!"
Lian did not even turn around. He recognized this voice. A voice he did not know whether to find annoying or not.
"What is it?"
A few seconds later, Liana appeared in front of him.
Her blonde hair shone under the sunlight, and her usual mischievous smile was on her face.
Selina also stood next to her, the calm and serious blue-haired girl of the class.
"What are you doing?" Liana put her hand on her hip.
"Testing my new equipment."
"Alone?"
"For now."
"How boring." Liana sighed dramatically.
Then she pointed at herself with her finger.
"I am a Summoner."
Then she pointed at Selina.
"And she is a Water Mage."
Then her smile deepened.
"Want to test your power on us?"
Lian was quiet for a few moments. The truth was, fighting stationary targets was no longer teaching him much. In a real mission, he would not be facing metal dummies.
He needed to test his equipment’s performance against real enemies.
Besides, it was not a bad idea to test the power of other first-years to some extent, especially a Summoner. He had never fought one before.
This could give him a general understanding of Summoners’ power and abilities.
In the end, he nodded.
"Fine."
"Great!" Liana’s eyes lit up.
A few minutes later, the special training field was activated. Energy walls formed around the ground.
A few curious students slowly gathered around the field.
On the upper platforms, Valerius also stood, just watching without interfering.
This was a test battle between the new star of the class and the most powerful girls of the first year. Two girls who, coincidentally, were also the most beautiful girls of the first year.
Especially Liana, who was the crush of half the boys in the Academy, whether they were first-years, second-years, or even third-years!
The battle began.
Liana was the first to move. Several silver circles appeared in the air.
Space trembled, and two creatures came out of them. The first creature was a black wolf with red eyes.
Its body was made of shadow, and its claws left dark trails in the air.
Shadow Wolf, a normal level 3 monster.
The second creature was much larger. A stone bear over three meters tall. Its skin was completely made of hard rock. A monster suitable for defense and direct combat.
But it was also a normal level 3 monster.
It was very rare for a Summoner to be able to summon a Fallen monster or higher before their first evolution. Above Fallen, there have only been three cases in history.
And even Fallen monsters could only be summoned by geniuses with five-star classes.
How many monsters a Summoner can summon also depends on their talents and innate skills. Most of the time, when a Summoner goes through their first evolution, they can summon even more monsters.
If they are lucky, their initial monsters may evolve into Fallen ones, or they can summon Fallen monsters after their first evolution.
But all of this is chance-based and depends on the Summoner.
At the same time, Selina also raised her hand. Several blue magic circles appeared around her body. Moisture in the air gathered, and three massive blue spears formed.
Lian’s gaze moved between the enemies.
Shadow Wolf.
Stone Bear.
And a support Mage.
A dangerous combination for a group fight. If it were any other Awakened, even if they were level ten, they might have trouble in such a situation.
Suddenly, Seris’s face appeared in his mind. Well, that girl was a monster in her own right. She would crush these two girls without any problem.
Liana smiled.
"Shall we start?"
A moment later, the Shadow Wolf attacked. It jumped with the speed of an arrow.
But at that moment, Lian’s boots activated.
BOOM!
His body vanished.
The wolf could only tear apart his afterimage.
Sounds of amazement rose from the spectators.
"What?!"
"He wasn’t even seen!"
"This speed is insane!"
But the attack was not over. Selina’s spears were fired. Three deadly projectiles went straight toward Lian.
Lian raised his sword.
CLANG!
CLANG!
Two spears were deflected. The third passed by his face. And he charged toward the Stone Bear without stopping.
The bear roared.
A sound like a mountain collapsing. Its massive fist came down, but Lian spun past it.
The silver sword flashed in the air, but he preferred not to use it, because it could kill the bear.
He raised his fist and struck with twenty percent of his power.
The Stone Bear was thrown back like a kite and fell to the ground in pain.
"That was just one hit! How is his fist that powerful?" Liana whispered in disbelief.
The Stone Bear’s defense is among the best, but it could not even withstand one punch?
And this was only the beginning.
Selina’s expression became more serious. She raised both her hands. A pool of water formed in the air, and the field ground became wet.
Lian’s movement became harder.
At that moment, the Shadow Wolf attacked from behind again. This time, the attack was completely coordinated.
Liana gave orders.
Selina controlled the battlefield.
And the two summoned monsters applied pressure from different angles. For a few minutes, the training ground became a real battlefield.
Water.
Shadow.
Stone.
Sword.
Both girls fought with all their might.
Even Valerius watched them more carefully, because contrary to his expectations, the cooperation between these two girls was much better than he had predicted.
But the difference in experience was still clear. Lian fought not just with power, but with calmness. His movements were calculated. He wasted no extra energy.
No strike was pointless, and it was completely clear that he was heavily controlling his power so as not to hurt these girls.
Finally, a moment came.
The wolf jumped for a final attack. The bear charged from the front, and Selina also prepared her last spell.
At that moment, Lian’s eyes narrowed.
BOOM!
The boots activated. His body moved like a gray shadow across the field. He passed by the wolf.
His sword targeted the bear’s weak point. A large crack spread across the monster’s body.
And a moment later...
The tip of the silver sword was only a few centimeters from Selina’s throat.
Silence.
The entire field fell into silence. No one even breathed. Selina stood motionless, her calm gaze trembling slightly.
Then Valerius’s voice was heard from a distance.
"Enough."
The energy walls turned off.
The battle was over.
Liana took a deep breath and put her hand on her knee.
"Damn..."
Selina also quietly nodded. They had lost, but they had not been humiliated.
They had managed to make Lian show part of his true power.
Or maybe the reason they were not humiliated was that Lian had not wanted to humiliate them.
Valerius approached the field, his gaze moving over all three.
A few seconds of silence followed.
"This is exactly what I wanted to see." He then said.
His gaze fell on the two girls.
"Your coordination is unmatched. I doubt any first-year student can defeat you alone."
And then, as if he knew what was going through the girls’ minds, he added.
"But this boy is a little different. Don’t be disappointed that you couldn’t defeat him." Then without further explanation, he turned and walked away.
But that sentence alone was enough.
Because from Valerius’s mouth, this was almost a great compliment.
After the class ended, students slowly dispersed.
"Well... now I am sure the rumors were not lies. Professor Aldric definitely made the right choice by selecting you." Liana approached Lian with a smile.
"And I am sure you are not just talkative." Lian shrugged.
"Hey, I’m hurt." Liana frowned and put on a sad face. A face that, if others saw it, would drive them crazy with anger, and whoever dared to make her upset would be torn apart.
"I apologize. I shouldn’t have overdone it."
"An apology alone is not enough. How about inviting me on a date?"
"I take back my apology. Thank you for not forgiving me." Lian said with sarcasm and turned to leave.
Liana puffed out her cheeks and looked at his back as he walked away, with frustration.
"Am I not pretty enough? Why is he ignoring me?" She then asked her friend while reevaluating herself.
Selina looked at her as if she was looking at an idiot.