Chapter 5: The Calm Before the Storm


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    The entire school was buzzing.


    By noon, the Combat Evaluation had become the only topic of conversation.


    First-year students were required to prove their worth in front of the entire academy, fighting in one-on-one duels. It wasn’t just about survival—it was about status, hierarchy, and the future of every student involved.


    And me?


    I was the unknown variable.


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    The Outcasts Weigh In


    I sat with Elias in one of the open courtyard lounges, watching as other students whispered and pointed in my direction.


    He smirked. "You''re famous, y’know."


    I didn’t bother looking up. "Not the kind of famous I want."


    Elias chuckled, resting his hands behind his head. "Well, when you piss off Kaien Aldren on your first day, people tend to notice."


    I sighed. "It was an accident."


    "Sure. And I accidentally stole the Headmaster’s wine collection last year."


    I blinked. "You what?"


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Elias grinned. "Nothing. You can’t prove anything."


    I rubbed my temples. "I hate it here."


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    Tension in the Air


    As the afternoon passed, the tension in the academy grew thicker.


    Everywhere I walked, I felt eyes on me—some curious, some mocking, and a few openly hostile.


    The Elite students were watching me like a joke waiting to happen.


    The Average students were betting against me.


    And the Outcasts?


    Well. They weren’t betting at all. They already knew how these things went.


    A C-Rank nobody with no history? I wasn’t supposed to win.


    I was supposed to be crushed.


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    A Chat with Nyx and Umbra


    That night, I found a quiet training hall, empty except for the flickering lanterns along the walls.


    I unsheathed Nyx, the obsidian-black blade pulsing in my grip. Her voice curled into my mind.


    "Nervous, my master?"


    I exhaled. "Should I be?"


    "Considering your opponent is likely aiming to make an example of you?" She chuckled. "Yes."


    I glanced at the tiny metallic blob clinging to my sleeve. Umbra wiggled excitedly.


    "I WANNA FIGHT, MASTER!"


    "You’re barely a dagger," Nyx muttered.


    "I’M A VERY STABBY DAGGER!"


    I sighed.


    "Don’t worry, Master!" Umbra chirped. "If you die, I’ll avenge you! Somehow!"


    "...That’s not comforting."


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    The Night Before the Fight


    I sat against the training hall wall, staring at the ceiling.


    I’d trained. I’d prepared. But I was still an unknown, a wild card.


    Would I win?


    I didn’t know.


    But one thing was certain—


    Tomorrow, I wouldn’t just be fighting for survival.


    I’d be fighting for recognition.


    For proof that I wasn’t just some defect waiting to be erased.


    And I had no intention of losing.


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