"So, that's the man's dorm?" Keesha uttered.
"You sound disappointed," Zane said.
"To be honest, I am. It looks exactly like ours — with no difference whatsoever."
"The tower probably chose a standard model and used it for both sides," Tom Nguyen added.
"Didn't you visit the boys' dorm during the school tour on the first day?" Zane asked.
"No. Our guide separated the men and women for the dorm tour."
"I see." Zane went to his room to get his laptop and a USB cable. In less than five minutes, he transferred the pictures from Keesha's phone into his laptop. "Done."
"You know a lot about computers, right?" Keesha asked as she retrieved her phone.
"You could say that. Did you need something?"
"My computer is a little slow. Can you take a look for me?"
"No problem," Zane said, nodding. He planned to walk the girls back to their dorm, so he could just check then.
"So, you guys are here," Ahmed said as he walked into the room. "We've been waiting for you."
Tom Nguyen snapped his fingers. "Oh, right, we did have an appointment for today."
"Sorry about that. We got distracted by the Elite Class and completely forgot," Zane added.
"It's fine," Ahmed sighed. "But are we still on for tonight, or do you want to cancel?"
"I still have some strength left," Zane said. Tom Nguyen's competitiveness prevented him from backing down from a challenge, and Evans didn't want to be left out, so all the mages agreed to proceed as planned.
"What appointment? What are you guys talking about?" Keesha asked.
"It's like this," Zane said, explaining the little knight vs mage training that they had recently started.
"You have such a good thing, and you didn't invite us?" Evelyn asked.
"You guys want to join?"
"Heck yeah," Keesha nodded.
"That's fine by me. What about you?" Zane looked at Ahmed, who nodded.
"By the way, I'm Ahmed."
"Keesha."
"Evelyn."
After the introductions, the group headed back to the training hall, choosing a large training room—one that not only had enough space but also provided staff and enchanted weapons students could borrow for training. Then, like the last time, the mages tested themselves against the knights. The result was the same as last time — utter failure. Zane and his group were not surprised by this outcome, but Keesha and Evelyn were shocked; they didn't expect there was such a gap between Elite Mages and Elite Knights — especially the difference between using and not using weapons.
A few defeats were enough to quell the arrogance of the two new members of the group. And after a brief discussion, the group decided to stop individual battles and try group battles, with the mages facing the knights. The result was obvious: the knights suffered a terrible defeat. With someone blocking the first wave of attacks, the remaining Mages easily bombarded the knight into surrender.
So, in the spirit of fairness, everybody decided to switch things a bit: each knight would have two mages in their group, and one person would be the judge. Then, with the protection of the training room, an all-out battle started.
The situation changed immediately when each group had a knight providing support. With someone providing them aid, mages felt more secure casting spells. Meanwhile, the knights also receive help in the form of magic shields and stat buff spells. And since it became more balanced, strategy began to play a role in deciding the victor. The original plan was for an hour of training, but it ended up being close to two hours.
"Damn, this was fun," Keesha said as he cleaned the sweat from her body with her towel.
"Indeed," Evelyn nodded. "I didn't know knights were so powerful."
"That's right. Why are you guys so tough? Especially you, Devonte. You're like a bear in human form," Keesha nodded.
"Is that a compliment or are you cussin' me?" Devonte was speechless.
"Both."
Tom Nguyen snorted. "Give us an extra six months of training, as we won't be any weaker than them."
"It's even more terrifying when you realize it's not their full potential," Zane — who was using the Water Condensing Spell to cool down — added.
"What do you mean?"
"With their talent, they will probably learn [Flash Step]. By then, it will be a nightmare trying to hit them with a spell."
"Oh, I forgot about that Battle Skill," Keesha nodded.
"Is it too late for me to change my path?" Evelyn asked.
"Don't exaggerate things," Tom sneered. "There are many movement spells that can keep up with [Flash Step]. Plus, we still have AOE spells. I don't believe they can escape if I nuked everything within a 30-meter radius."
"If you can't [Instant Cast] it, how can you hit us?" Ahmed said.
"Why can't we [Instant Cast] it? If you guys are talented enough to learn [Flash Step], could it be we aren't good enough to learn [Instant Cast]?"
"Fair point."
"By the way, Devonte, what Orc Stage are you fighting?" Zane asked.
"6."
"What can it do?"
"Flash Step," Devonte replied, chuckling at the coincidence.
"Oh? What about Stage 4 and 5?"
"Stage 4 is a fully realized knight clad in enchanted armor," Ahmed replied. "Stage 5 is not just an orc. The first one is a Shaman who has mastered [Nonverbal Casting]. 5B is a Human Mage, and 5C is an Elf Archer."
"So, it's all about fighting against casters or long-distance fighters?" Evans asked.
"That's right."
Zane was intrigued. "How challenging are they?"
"The others are manageable, but that archer is a nightmare," Ahmed said, shaking his head. "I still don't understand how you beat it."
"You gotta watch the tip — I mean, the arrow tip — to predict where she hittin' you," Devonte replied.
Ahmed smiled wryly. "I tried that, but I just get hit."
"Then, I dunno what to tell you, man. When I focus on the tip, I feel a tinglin' feeling on my body and knows that's where she's hittin'."
"It sounds like you have an extraordinary battle perception," Keesha commented, and everybody else agreed with her.
"Really?" Devonte didn't think too much about it; it was just something he could do.
Evelyn sighed. "Some people are just gifted."
"Aren't well gifted?" Zane said, sensing a subtle shift in the conversation. "Hmm? Why are you staring at me?"
"You're the last person who should be saying that."
"What does that mean?"
"She means it's obvious you and Devonte are unique even among us."
"You're the last person who should be saying that," Zane rebutted. Her terrifying reflexes are something he's still jealous of, and that's not mentioning her abnormal psychic spells.
Keesha waved her bob. "I'm indeed extraordinary."
"And here comes the narcissism," Zane joked, eliciting a few chuckles.
Keesha glared at him. "Wanna fight?"
"I'm good." Zane swiftly waved the white flag. With the few spells he knew, he wasn't confident in taking her down. "By the way, are you guys interested in inviting your roommates? Especially the knights. It might be more educational to have more capable people."
Keesha immediately made a face.
"What? Did I say something wrong?"
"We're not really on good terms with them," Evelyn said.
"A bunch of jealous and petty bitches," Keesha sneered.
Zane shook his head. "Then, forget I said anything."
The group left the training hall and returned to their dorm. Zane stayed in the women's dorm since he had promised Keesha he would look at her computer. As Keesha had previously remarked, the room's decor was exactly like the men's dorm, except it was smaller. Unlike Zane's, Keesha's dorm had six rooms instead of seven.
Zane sat at the dining table and fixed the computer; it was only a memory issue, so after erasing a few background apps and malware, it began running faster and more smoothly than before. He wanted to do more, but without internet, the whole process would be a chore, so that was it for now.
"All done."
"Thank you," Keesha said, immediately testing it out. A satisfied smile hung on the corner of her mouth; there was no more lagging or delay.
"Can you walk me to the elevator? I want to talk to you about something."
"Sounds serious?"
"It may be," Zane said.
"Alright."
Zane walked out of the room and waited until the door closed. "Have you heard the term [High Potential List]?"