The group walked toward the middle of the training ground.
A warm breeze swept across the open field.
Whooosh…
The distant sounds of other students training echoed across the academy.
Clack! Swish! Thud!
Kael stopped and looked at everyone.
"So… I don't think we need to change the roles we planned earlier."
Everyone turned their attention to him.
"Our roles will remain the same."
He pointed to himself.
"I'll handle defense."
Then he gestured toward Sylven.
"Sylven will be the supporter."
Next he looked at the others.
"And Iren, Riven… and Lyra will be the attackers."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
But Lyra raised her hand slightly.
"Um… I think the attacker position doesn't suit me."
She looked a little unsure.
"I'm not really good at attacking."
Kael immediately shook his head.
"No, Lyra. You're underestimating yourself."
He continued calmly.
"The way you fought against Ronan clearly showed that you're a strong attacker."
Riven crossed his arms and grinned.
"Yeah. And you even defeated him barehanded in the end."
Sylven nodded.
Even Iren silently agreed.
Kael continued explaining.
"Your fast attacks and your time-skip technique make you perfect for an attacker role."
Lyra looked a little shy after hearing everyone support her.
"…Okay."
Kael smiled slightly.
"Also, there's one thing I liked about your training."
Riven and Iren asked together,
"What?"
Kael answered calmly.
"You practiced fighting without weapons with Iren."
He folded his arms.
"That's actually very important."
Everyone listened carefully.
"It's possible that during a real match we might get disarmed."
"And if that happens, we'll have to fight barehanded."
Riven waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't worry. That won't happen."
Kael looked at him seriously.
"But it already happened to Lyra once."
"You saw it yourself."
Riven paused.
Then slowly nodded.
Kael continued.
"Also, Lyra's daggers are much lighter than your dual swords."
"So we all need to be careful."
Everyone agreed.
Kael clapped his hands once.
"So today we'll practice close-combat and barehanded fighting."
He pointed at two pairs.
"Iren and Lyra will spar against each other."
Then he looked at Riven.
"And Riven… you'll fight me."
Sylven raised a hand.
"Then what about me?"
Kael answered calmly.
"You should focus on increasing the duration of your reinforcement magic."
He looked at Sylven seriously.
"You're the supporter of our team."
"You'll need plenty of stamina so you can strengthen and heal us during battle."
Sylven nodded.
"Alright. Sounds good."
Iren added,
"You could try running while maintaining your reinforcement spell."
"That would actually help a lot."
Sylven rubbed his chin.
"Hmmm… that's actually a good idea."
Then he waved his hand casually.
"Well then, I'm going for a run."
He started jogging away from the field.
Everyone waved back.
Kael cracked his knuckles.
"Alright."
"The rules are simple."
"Whoever falls first loses."
He took a fighting stance.
"Let's begin."
---
Kael vs Riven
On one side of the training ground—
Riven rushed forward.
"Here I come!"
He launched a series of punches and kicks.
Thud! Thud!
Then he suddenly used his burst speed technique.
Whoosh!
His movement became faster as he closed the distance.
But Kael calmly blocked every strike.
Thud! Block!
"Too predictable," Kael said calmly.
Riven smirked.
"Oh really?"
Both of them dashed toward each other again.
Thud! Thud!
Punches and kicks collided as they blocked and countered each other's attacks.
Their arms clashed repeatedly.
Clack! Clack!
The sparring quickly became intense.
---
Iren vs Lyra
On the other side of the field—
Iren and Lyra faced each other.
Both took their stances.
"Ready?" Lyra asked.
Iren nodded.
"Always."
They rushed forward at the same time.
Thud!
Their fists collided.
Then kicks and punches followed.
Thud! Thud!
Neither of them held back.
Their movements were fast and precise.
Then suddenly—
Lyra activated her ability.
Her eyes glowed faintly.
"Domain of Time."
The world slowed.
Iren's body froze for a moment.
In the blink of an eye—
Lyra vanished.
She appeared behind him.
Then—
THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD
Ten hits landed within a single second.
Iren's eyes widened.
His body trembled.
He dropped to one knee.
Lyra stepped back and spoke calmly.
"Yield?"
Iren didn't answer.
Instead, he slowly tried to stand up again.
Then he said,
"You're actually really good at close combat, Lyra."
He looked impressed.
"And with our new technique… you've become even more dangerous."
Lyra smiled proudly.
"Oh come on…"
"Is Mr. Popular giving up already?"
Iren stood up fully.
Then he smirked slightly.
"Who told you… I'm giving up?"
Just as they prepared to continue—
DING DONG!
The academy bell rang loudly.
It was lunchtime.
Lyra sighed slightly.
"Maybe we should take a break."
Iren nodded.
"As you wish."
Lyra started walking toward the shade.
But then she noticed something.
Iren wasn't following her.
She turned around.
"Aren't you coming to rest?"
Iren shook his head.
"No."
"I'll keep training."
Then he looked at her seriously.
"I don't want to lose to you again."
Lyra chuckled teasingly.
"Alright then… do as you wish, Mr. Popular."
Iren didn't reply.
He simply smiled.
Lyra walked toward the shaded resting area.
There she saw Kael and Riven sitting on a bench.
Both looked exhausted.
Huff…
Riven wiped sweat from his forehead.
Then suddenly—
Sylven arrived as well.
Kael looked up.
"So how's the training going?"
Sylven smiled tiredly.
"Good."
Lyra nodded.
"Yeah, pretty good."
Sylven stretched his arms.
"But now I really need some rest."
Riven raised his hand weakly.
"Same here…"
Kael looked around.
"Where's Iren?"
Lyra pointed toward the field.
"He's still training."
Sylven's eyes widened.
"He's still going?"
"Even with my reinforcement magic I would've collapsed by now."
Lyra shrugged slightly.
"Who knows…"
"But he trains really hard."
"Maybe he's just used to it."
Riven looked curious.
"How do you know that?"
Lyra explained,
"I asked him once about his training."
"He said his master used to train him much harder than this."
Everyone gasped.
Kael nodded slowly.
"That explains why he's so strong."
Everyone silently agreed.
---
Meanwhile — Training Ground
Iren was doing push-ups on the ground.
Thud… thud…
Sweat dripped from his face.
Inside his mind—
'Today I have to complete one hundred push-ups.'
Around the academy buildings—
Students were watching from the railings.
"Hey look."
"That's Iren down there."
Another student nodded.
"His teammates are resting… but he's still training."
"That's insane."
A boy nearby said,
"He's way too energetic."
Even some girls were watching from the balconies.
"Look… it's Iren."
Another girl smiled.
"Yeah… and he looks even cooler today with that cape."
One girl said excitedly,
"I became his fan after the tournament."
Another nodded.
"When he first arrived he seemed so calm and normal."
"But now we know how strong he is.. ."
Then they noticed something.
Lyra was walking toward him.
One girl sighed.
"I'm honestly jealous of Lyra."
The others nodded in agreement.
"I wish I could be his training partner."
"But I guess that wish will stay a wish…"
---
Back on the Field
Iren finally finished.
"...One hundred."
He stood up.
Just then Lyra approached him.
"Doing push-ups?"
Iren nodded.
"Yeah."
"Just part of my training."
Lyra crossed her arms.
"So how many did you do?"
Iren smiled slightly.
"About a hundred."
Lyra looked surprised.
"Seriously?"
"How are you still so energetic?"
Iren shrugged.
"I don't know."
"Maybe I just enjoy training."
Lyra smiled.
"Hmm… that's definitely your style."
Then she suddenly mimicked his voice dramatically.
"Because I don't give upppp!"
She copied the way he shouted during their quarter-final match.
Then she burst into laughter.
Iren sighed.
"Oh come on…"
"Now you're teasing me like Riven."
Lyra tried to control her laughter.
"Okay, okay… I'll stop."
Then Iren stretched his arms.
"So… shall we continue?"
Lyra nodded.
But Iren raised a finger.
"First… water."
"It's way too hot."
Lyra laughed.
"Fair enough."
The two of them walked together toward the shade.
---