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    [Location: Leoncrest Estate - Training Woods]


    [Date: April 5, y. 486 of the Fourth Age]


    After returning to the Academy, Zeke found it hard not to tell everyone about their underground treasure. He wanted to burst into the dining hall and announce their discovery to the world.


    Who wouldn''t want to hear about ancient magical gems hidden in forgotten dungeons? But Ingrid made him promise to keep quiet, except for Victoria and Elise.


    "If word gets out," she''d warned him, "the forest will turn into one massive treasure hunt. Every student with a shovel will be digging holes, hoping to strike it rich."


    Zeke understood the logic, though it didn''t make keeping the secret any easier. He showed Victoria and Elise the Aura gems that night in their private study room, carefully unwrapping them from the cloth he''d stored them in.


    "These are incredible," Victoria had whispered, holding one of the blue gems up to the candlelight. "I''ve only read about these in ancient texts."


    "Can I try one?" Elise had asked eagerly, but Ingrid quickly intervened.


    "Not unless you want to risk burning yourself from the inside out," she''d cautioned. "These aren''t toys."


    Beyond their small circle, no one knew about their discovery, not even Ralph, who would have certainly found a way to monetize the information. Classes resumed, and everything seemed to go back to normal.


    Except... it didn''t.


    Three days after their dungeon adventure, Zeke was on his morning run through the Training Woods. He''d chosen an old stone statue near the eastern ridge as his turnaround point, a weathered monument to some forgotten hero, now serving as Zeke''s personal milestone.


    As he rounded a bend in the trail, he caught a glimpse of movement in his peripheral vision. Someone was standing between the trees, not approaching or attacking, just... watching.


    When Zeke turned to look directly, the figure was gone.


    The next evening, as he gazed out his dormitory window before bed, he spotted a dark silhouette moving along the outer wall, keeping to the shadows. The figure paused once, as if sensing Zeke''s gaze, then continued on its way.


    During Swordsmanship class the following day, he noticed someone peering through the gate of the training yard. By the time Victoria called for a water break and he had a chance to investigate, whoever it was had vanished.


    He tried to convince himself it was just his imagination, after all, surviving an assassination attempt would make anyone jumpy. But when he and Ingrid were running sprint drills the next morning, she suddenly cut their session short.


    "We''re going to head in," she murmured quietly. Then, much louder for anyone listening: "You look a bit sick, Godfrey! Let''s get you inside before you really knock yourself out!"


    Once they were out of earshot of the training grounds, she leaned in close. "There''s someone about three hundred feet off, watching from behind that cluster of pines. He''s been there a while. Not doing anything, but... I don''t know. I''d feel safer getting back inside the walls."


    Zeke nodded, grateful he wasn''t just being paranoid.


    The following day at lunch, he dropped onto the bench at their usual table. Elise slid in beside him, while Victoria took her seat across from them.


    Before any of their usual mealtime chatter could begin, Victoria leaned forward with a concerned frown.


    "Hey, do you know what''s wrong with Ingrid? Ever since you two got back from that dungeon expedition, she''s been acting strange. This morning she headed into the woods, muttering something about finding something."


    "Someone, probably," Zeke sighed, taking a bite of his bread. "We''re being watched."


    He quickly filled them in on the suspicious sightings of the past few days. When he finished, Elise whacked him on the arm.


    "And you didn''t think to tell us?" she scowled. "We could have been helping you!"


    "I don''t disagree," Victoria said, twirling pasta around her fork. "Ingrid is many things, but a one-woman army isn''t one of them. Whatever she''s planning, it would be better if we all went together."


    Zeke blinked. "So... you''re saying you''ll help me?"


    "Of course," Elise rolled her eyes. "Did you think we wouldn''t? The question is how."


    "Leave that to me," Victoria said, her brow furrowing in concentration. "When you were attacked before, I started thinking about defensive strategies. Give me until the end of Swordsmanship today. I should have a plan by then."


    "Thanks," Zeke said with genuine relief. "I appreciate it more than you know."


    Throughout Swordsmanship class that afternoon, Zeke found it difficult to focus. Victoria seemed equally distracted, occasionally missing steps or giving incorrect instructions.


    Their classmates exchanged confused glances, Victoria Reinfir never made mistakes, but no one dared question her.


    As class ended, Zeke could see her eyes had taken on that determined gleam that meant she''d reached a decision.


    "I know what we''re going to do," she said quietly as they gathered their equipment. "Don''t ask for my full reasoning, but I want you to head into the forest like you''re going for your normal run. Go about a quarter mile, then act tired and turn back. Understand? After that, go straight to your room, I don''t want whoever''s watching to see us together. Tomorrow morning, skip my class and do your run instead."


    "You''re sure?" Zeke frowned.


    "Just trust me," Victoria insisted. "Let''s hope whatever Ingrid''s doing doesn''t interfere."


    As it turned out, Ingrid''s plans didn''t interfere, largely because Zeke literally ran into her as he stepped through the Training Woods gate. She was just returning, her robes covered in burrs and twigs, looking like she''d fought her way through the densest parts of the forest.


    "You okay?" Zeke asked. "Victoria''s worried about you."


    "I''m fine," Ingrid shrugged, picking leaves from her hair. "Just leaving our little friend a welcome-home gift for when he returns to his hideout."


    "You found one of his hideouts?" Zeke''s jaw dropped in amazement.


    "Yup," she grinned, looking proud of herself. "Right now, he''s off in the Dark Forest. I managed to trick him into following me there, then gave him the slip around noon."


    "If you haven''t seen him since then, he could be anywhere by now," Zeke pointed out.


    "I suppose that''s possible," Ingrid admitted. "Unlikely, though. I trapped him in an old hunting pit. He''ll think twice about messing with us after this."


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Zeke sighed. "You should talk to Victoria. She''s working on something."


    Ingrid nodded and headed inside. If she was right about trapping their stalker, then there was no point in his planned run.


    But if she was wrong, and the man had escaped, he''d be in a vengeful mood.


    The next morning, Zeke woke early. Victoria hadn''t contacted him to call off the plan, so he assumed they were still going ahead with it.


    He dressed quickly in his training clothes, stretching his muscles as he prepared for whatever lay ahead.


    "Dude, you''re insane," Ralph muttered from his bed. "Just so you know."


    "With you telling me every single day, how could I possibly forget?" Zeke replied with a grin. Ralph just laughed and rolled over, pulling the blanket over his head.


    Zeke slipped down to the dining hall for a quick breakfast. Ingrid sat alone at a corner table, and gave him a single nod when their eyes met.


    He hoped that meant the plan was still on.


    With a piece of bread in hand, he headed out toward the Training Woods. The morning was cool and damp, dew clinging to every blade of grass.


    Mist hung between the trees, giving the forest an otherworldly quality as the rising sun streamed through in golden shafts.


    Zeke pushed open the gate with its familiar rusty squeak and paused just inside. Taking a deep breath, he whispered, "Activate Golden Touch."


    「???????????? ?????????? ?????? ???????? ??????????????????」 【Luck has been increased 500%】


    Nothing seemed to happen. No glow, no magical sensation, no sudden feeling of being blessed by fortune. Just the same old Zeke in the same old woods.


    "Worth a shot," he shrugged. Ingrid had said the skill was defunct anyway, an abandoned stat from centuries ago. He started down the path, alert for any sign of Victoria''s plan in action.


    Whiz!


    A knife flashed through the air directly in front of his face. It missed him by half an inch, burying itself in a tree trunk with a solid thunk.


    Zeke''s heart lurched as he spun toward the source of the attack. A man stepped out from behind a tree about twenty feet away, dressed in the same camouflaged gear as the assassin who''d attacked him months ago.


    His face was covered by a mask made to resemble forest foliage, with only a narrow slit for his eyes.


    The attacker raised his hand, three more knives gleaming between his fingers. Without hesitation, he threw them in rapid succession.


    Zit!


    Slash!


    Thwap!


    All three blades somehow missed, though they came close enough that two of them sliced through Zeke''s robes. He stumbled backward, more shocked than frightened.


    "That was lucky!" Victoria''s voice rang out as she burst from the underbrush, racing toward the attacker with her sword drawn.


    "Tell me about it," Zeke muttered, drawing his own weapon and charging after her. Every instinct screamed at him to run the other direction, but that clearly wasn''t the plan.


    Whatever Victoria had cooked up, it involved confronting this threat head-on.


    The masked man watched them approach for a moment, then turned and sprinted deeper into the woods. He was fast, much faster than either of them, and quickly began to pull away.


    Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out, and the man stumbled over something in his path. He went down hard, tumbling through ferns and undergrowth.


    As he scrambled to his feet, Elise stepped out from behind a massive oak, a ball of fire already forming between her hands.


    "Surprise," she said, launching the fireball directly at his face.


    The man raised his hand, activating a shield Emblem that blocked the fireball just inches from his skin. The flames dispersed harmlessly against the invisible barrier.


    He stood, only to jerk sideways as an arrow struck him in the shoulder.


    The arrow didn''t penetrate, it seemed to hit some sort of armor beneath his clothing, but the impact made him spin around as Ingrid emerged from the trees, already nocking another arrow.


    "So you have me surrounded," he muttered, his voice distorted by some kind of magical field. "What now?"


    The four students formed a circle around him, weapons at the ready. Zeke gripped his sword tightly, watching the man''s every movement.


    Elise had another fireball prepared, Victoria had her blade poised for a strike, and Ingrid''s bowstring was drawn taut.


    Zeke studied the attacker more closely. The mask was more elaborate than he''d first thought, not just leaves and sticks, but some kind of living plant matter woven into a face covering.


    The eye slit revealed nothing but darkness, and there was something unnatural about the way he moved, too fluid and precise.


    "You either surrender and come with us, or we fight," Victoria declared, raising her sword slightly higher.


    "Fight with you? Four against one?" The man gave a distorted laugh. "I would grind your bones like wheat. You''re good, the best of the Academy, but you are still only students."


    "Really? Then why are you here talking instead of fighting?" Zeke demanded. "Why do you keep trying to kill me?"


    "There are some things you do not want answered," the man snapped. "You have done more damage than you know, Zeke de''Godfrey. You must pay for your crimes."


    "Then kill me now," Zeke challenged, stepping forward. Something about the man''s words struck him as odd, what crimes could he possibly have committed? He''d only been at the Academy for a few months.


    Without another word, the attacker moved. His hand flashed toward another knife, but as he tried to throw it, the blade slipped from his fingers and fell harmlessly to the ground.


    In that same instant, Elise launched her fireball while Ingrid released her arrow. The coordinated attack should have been devastating.


    But the man was too skilled. He spun and somehow caught the fireball in his shield Emblem, redirecting it toward Victoria.


    The flaming projectile struck her squarely in the chest, knocking her backward with a grunt of pain. The arrow he simply dodged by leaning forward, letting it whistle past behind him.


    Before any of them could react further, he turned and sprinted away, weaving between trees with inhuman speed. Ingrid quickly nocked another arrow, but by the time she took aim, he was almost out of sight.


    She fired anyway, her arrow disappearing into the forest.


    "Well, that didn''t tell us much," Zeke sighed, sheathing his sword.


    "No, it didn''t," Victoria agreed, slowly climbing back to her feet. Her armor was scorched but intact. "Still, maybe it taught him a lesson. We''re not just going to let him pick us off one by one. Hopefully he''ll think twice next time."


    "You''re only alive because you got super lucky," Elise said, glaring at Zeke. "You need to be more..." Her voice trailed off, eyes widening. "Super lucky. Oh! That''s actually really cool! The skill really works!"


    "Either it works, or some days are just like that," Ingrid shrugged, clapping Zeke on the shoulder. "Come on, let''s get back inside. We all have classes, and I''d rather not be around when professors start asking questions."


    As they walked back toward the Academy, Zeke found himself puzzling over the encounter. The man had said he''d "done more damage than he knew", but what did that mean?


    Was it about the dungeon they''d discovered? The cult activities they''d been investigating?


    And why, when he clearly had the skills to harm them, did he run instead? Something about the whole situation felt off, as if they were missing a crucial piece of information.


    "Thinking hard?" Victoria asked, falling into step beside him.


    "Just trying to make sense of it all," Zeke admitted. "He could have killed us, or at least tried harder. Instead, he ran."


    "I noticed that too," Victoria nodded. "It''s almost like he''s under orders not to kill you, just to scare you."


    "Or maybe he''s testing you," Elise suggested, joining their conversation. "Seeing how you react, how strong you are."


    "Whatever his game is, we need to be ready next time," Ingrid declared. "And there will be a next time."


    They passed through the Academy gates, where students were hurrying to morning classes. No one paid them any special attention, four friends returning from early training wasn''t an unusual sight.


    As they reached the central courtyard, they reluctantly split up for their respective classes. Before they parted, Zeke thanked them all.


    "I don''t know what I''d do without you three," he said sincerely.


    "Probably get yourself killed," Ingrid replied with a smirk, but there was genuine affection in her eyes.


    Victoria squeezed his arm. "We stick together. That''s what friends do."


    "Besides," Elise added with a smile, "your adventures are never boring."


    As Zeke headed toward his History of Athia class, he was struck by how much had changed since his arrival at Leoncrest. He''d come here expecting to face the 34 Trials alone, to carry the burden of House Godfrey by himself.


    Instead, he''d found allies who stood beside him against not just the trials, but mysterious assassins and ancient conspiracies.


    Whatever the masked attacker''s reasons, whatever "crimes" Zeke had supposedly committed, he wouldn''t face them alone.


    That evening, as he sat cross-legged on his bed, Zeke carefully examined one of the blue Aura gems he''d recovered from the dungeon. Its gentle pulsing matched his heartbeat, as if the ancient magic were somehow attuning itself to him.


    "What are you going to do with those?" Ralph asked from across the room, where he was carving intricate patterns into a wooden box.


    "Not sure yet," Zeke replied, not mentioning that he had more than just the one gem. "Probably save it for when I really need it."


    "Smart," Ralph nodded. "The best weapons are the ones your enemies don''t know about."


    Zeke wrapped the gem back in its cloth and tucked it into a hidden pocket he''d sewn into his tunic. Tomorrow he would need to begin experimenting with his unusual new Emblem.


    If Golden Touch really had saved him from those knives, it might be far more valuable than he''d initially thought.


    After all, in the trials that lay ahead, a little luck could go a long way.


    「???????????? ?????????? ????????????:」


    【Active Time Remaining: 52 minutes】


    【Current Luck Modifier: +500%】


    As he drifted off to sleep that night, one thought kept circling in his mind: if luck had saved him today, how could he use it tomorrow? The possibilities were as endless as they were exciting.


    [Scene Close]


    [Earned Emblems:] Heart of the Warrior, Endurance, Cunning, Golden Touch


    [Active Quests:] [You Feeling Lucky?: Run experiments to see if the Golden Touch skill actually works or not.]