(Rodova Military Academy – Medical Wing, A Block, One Day After the Fight)
The Administrative Building’s Medical Wing was the most advanced medical facility in the entire academy—reserved exclusively for faculty members and students suffering from severe injuries.
It wasn’t a place where students wanted to end up.
Yet, here they were.
Leo and Su Yang—bunkmates in defeat.
Both lay in their respective beds, wrapped in thick layers of bandages, bruised, battered, and sulking hard as they stared at the ceiling in utter silence, each lost in their own thoughts, replaying their respective battles over and over again.
It had been a long, grueling twenty-four hours since their fights had concluded.
And neither of them was handling the loss well.
’I am Su Yang! I belong to the main branch of the Su Clan… My grandfather is a God! Yet, I failed to defeat a clan-less female archer.
I failed to land a single blow on her body—’
Su Yang’s thoughts churned with anger and shame as his fingers clenched into trembling fists, the pressure turning his knuckles white.
The loss weighed on him like a crushing boulder, as he felt helpless and suffocated under its weight.
He had been raised his entire life to believe in his superiority. To believe that he was a supreme genius who was supposed to be untouchable, invincible and destined for greatness.
Yet, in the end, when it truly mattered—
He had been humiliated. Continue your adventure with .Côm
Not by a legendary warrior.
Not by a fellow prodigy.
But by an upperclassman with a bow.
Someone without a named family name. Someone he had mocked before the fight even began.
And she had made him pay for it. She had humbled his arrogance, and made him lose his appetite for food completely, because he couldn’t stomach the taste of defeat.
"Please, Student Su Yang, you must hydrate yourself—otherwise, your recovery process will be impeded," the nurse pleaded, her voice laced with concern.
But despite her insistence, Su Yang remained unmoved. He sat stiffly on his medical cot, arms crossed, jaw clenched, refusing to so much as acknowledge the bowl of nutrient-rich broth placed before him.
Not a single grain of food.
Not a single drop of water.
No matter how much they begged, he would not yield.
And beside him, another nurse sighed in exasperation, turning toward the other equally stubborn patient in the room.
"Please, Student Leo Skyshard, you must take your recovery medicine," she pleaded, offering him a small vial of shimmering liquid designed to accelerate healing.
But Leo, much like Su Yang, refused.
Though his reasons were entirely different.
Unlike Su Yang, whose defeat had been absolute, Leo had not been humiliated.
His fight against Khyaal had not been a one-sided slaughter. He had fought back. He had pushed his opponent to his very limits and had nearly won.
However, in the end—he still lost, and the bitterness of that reality settled in his stomach like a stone.
’I couldn’t have done better even if I tried. There is nothing, in hindsight, that I could have done differently.
I lost because I simply wasn’t strong enough.
That’s it. That’s the truth.’ Leo realized, as the truth disgusted him.
Every time the thought crossed his mind, a sharp wave of shame followed, crawling under his skin like an unbearable itch.
Defeat did not feel natural to him.
And more than anything—he was a sore loser.
His mood had plummeted drastically since the fight, weighed down by the harsh reality of his own inadequacy.
It wasn’t the pain of his injuries that soured his appetite. It was the embarrassment which did, as he couldn’t stomach food, while feeling uncomfortable under his own skin.
"You’re both impossible! I’m complaining to the Principal!"
The head nurse finally snapped, throwing her hands up in exasperation.
But before she could storm off, the sound of heavy boots echoed through the medical wing as Major Hen strode into the room, his sharp, authoritative gaze locking onto both boys like a hawk.
His presence alone was enough to make the air feel heavier.
"Enough," Hen said plainly, his tone firm yet calm. "Don’t give the nurse a hard time."
And just like that—Su Yang immediately lifted his bowl and began drinking the broth, while Leo wordlessly grabbed the vial of medicine and downed it in one go as the nurse blinked in disbelief.
"Huh?!" She gawked at the scene unfolding before her.
Just moments ago, these two had been acting like the most stubborn brats in the academy—yet the second Major Hen walked in, they obediently followed his command without question.
Hen didn’t even react to her shock. Instead, he walked further into the room, crossing his arms as he regarded both boys.
"You both fought well yesterday," he stated, his voice carrying the weight of his assessment. "Your fundamentals are strong. And while you still have room to grow, there is no doubt in my mind that you will both become excellent representatives of this academy in the future."
Su Yang remained quiet, his face tense, while Leo simply watched the Major with an unreadable expression.
"Skyshard," Hen continued, turning his gaze toward Leo, "your fight was mesmerizing. You exceeded all of our expectations."
Leo didn’t react.
"And you, Su Yang," Hen said, shifting his focus to the sulking first-year. "You have a lot to improve. However—if we put aside the outcome of the fight—there were still many positives to take away from your performance."
Su Yang’s fingers curled slightly over his blanket, but he remained silent.
"Your sword balance, your power, your reflexes—these are all top-notch," Hen acknowledged. "It’s clear to me that you have more raw talent in your little finger than half the Elite Class has in their whole bodies combined."
Su Yang exhaled sharply through his nose.
"But talent alone isn’t enough," Hen said bluntly. "You’re a great fighter, but you still have a long road ahead before you can call yourself a great warrior."
Silence filled the room for a moment.
Then—Hen shifted the conversation.
"The rest of your class received their first dosage of the Genetic Awakening Serum yesterday," he informed them. "You’re both scheduled to receive yours today. I’m here to take you with me, as soon as the nurse clears you to leave."
Leo’s eyes flickered with interest at the mention of the Genetic Awakening Serum—but just as quickly as the excitement appeared, it faded, as his expression darkened slightly, and his voice came out steady but weighted when he spoke.
"Major… about our selection for the Circuits Team," Leo said, meeting Hen’s eyes.
"What does this loss mean for us?" Leo asked, as Su Yang, who had been sulking just moments ago, also perked up at this question.
"Look, kids," Hen started, as he let out a deep sigh.
"It’s the end of June right now—" Hen said, pausing, as he looked towards the ceiling, trying to form some words that sounded gentle.
"The Interschool Circuits Championship takes place in February next year, However, the Circuits Team doesn’t just sit around until then. Throughout the year, they participate in numerous practice matches, visit other military academies for mock battles, and use that time to build momentum and confidence leading up to the main event."
He paused for a beat, then continued, his tone shifting slightly.
"Had you won your bouts, you both would have secured permanent slots on the team and joined them for that entire journey. You would have been part of every practice match, every exchange, every team-building exercise."
Leo and Su Yang already knew where this was going.
"But because you lost," Hen said, leveling them both with a firm stare, "you won’t get that chance."
Silence.
Instead of immediate protests, neither of them spoke, though their expressions darkened.
"That being said," Hen continued, "there’s still one way for you to make it onto the team."
"In January, we hold our final selections for the official Circuits Team lineup," Hen explained. "So if you want to represent Rodova in the Interschool Circuits Championship as first-year students—you will have to compete for it."
Both boys inhaled sharply at the same time.
"You will have to defeat an established team member in a one-on-one match during the final selections," Hen said.
"As only then will you earn your place in the team now—" He concluded, as a heavy silence followed his words.
Defeating an already experienced and established team member was going to be very hard in 6 months time, especially since they would have had a whole year of mock battles and practice rounds to prepare for the circuit’s format.
However, some hope was still better than no hope.
As both Leo and Su Yang resolved to get a spot in the final line-ups, no matter how hard they needed to work to get it.