Kato nodded at Yukinoshita’s words; it was true enough.
The two didn’t dwell on it and went back to their meals.
The cafeteria food actually tasted pretty good, didn’t it?
Meanwhile, Lucian had already left the cafeteria.
On his way back to the classroom, he suddenly felt a stir in his chest.
A new piece of information had surfaced in his mind.
Had he unintentionally learned Kato’s Talent?
As he sorted through it, his expression turned strange.
His Talent had activated on its own.
He’d barely spent any time with Kato, just a bit in class and over lunch, yet it had still copied hers successfully.
That was a little unexpected.
And unlike her passive Talent, his version could be switched on at will.
“It really is subtle, but not bad at all.
In that case, let’s call this Talent Presence Concealment.” Lucian’s expression was rather odd just then.
He honestly hadn’t expected his Talent to absorb Kato’s without him even trying.
And it had even refined and upgraded it.
Hers was purely passive; his was active.
Passive and active were completely different things.
At the very least, Lucian wouldn’t have it kick in when he didn’t need it, unlike her.
Kato’s Talent was on at all times, which was exactly what put her in such an unlucky spot.
Anyone weaker than her would tune her out on reflex; only those stronger could notice her.
Maybe even more people would ignore her as her strength grew.
That was the source of Kato’s distress, but none of it was a problem for Lucian.
He could turn it on when he needed it and off when he didn’t; the thing had simply become a skill for him.
Maybe he could pick up some assassin-style moves and techniques as well.
Lucian returned to the classroom alone.
There weren’t many people left, since most had gone to eat.
Back in his seat, he took out his phone and kept watching, this time studying dagger techniques.
From morning until now, Lucian had learned a great deal, especially when it came to Martial Skills.
In that department, he figured he wouldn’t lose to anyone in the school.
In a straight hand-to-hand fight, there probably weren’t many students who could beat him.
Beyond that, Lucian had learned to use plenty of weapons; he even planned to become a grandmaster of the whole armory.
With a Talent like his, mastering every weapon under the sun shouldn’t be a problem, right?
As for magic, he’d picked up a few minor spells too, but with so little mana in his body, he couldn’t cast much at the moment.
He’d learned them, sure, but couldn’t use them without the power to fuel them.
After all, Lucian was still a newbie who’d only just touched magic.
Being the good student he was, Lucian diligently got to studying in the classroom.
Before long, Kato and Yukinoshita returned.
After greeting him from their seats, they got on with their own things.
Kato sat behind Lucian.
Seeing him endlessly scrolling videos, she was immediately puzzled.
If she remembered right, he’d been scrolling videos ever since she first walked into the room.
Could online tutorials really work?
The question made her curious.
But seeing how intently he watched, she didn’t disturb him, taking out her own books to study in earnest instead.
The lunch break passed quickly.
The afternoon bell rang, and the students returned to their seats.
At the sound of it, Lucian put his phone away and waited for the teacher.
A few minutes later, a woman with waist-length hair and a striking, spirited face strode in.
“Hello, everyone.
I’m your next Martial Skill teacher, Hiratsuka Shizuka.
Now tidy up and follow me.
We’re going to the large classroom downstairs to train.” And with that, Hiratsuka walked right back out.
Her impulsive manner left many of them stunned, but no one dragged their feet; they all stood and got moving.
Lucian was surprised too.
He really hadn’t expected their Martial Skill teacher to be Hiratsuka.
Then again, with Yukinoshita here, her showing up wasn’t all that shocking.
Lucian stood and followed the group downstairs to the huge martial arts hall.
“Everyone, just find a spot to stand!” As they walked into the vast room, Hiratsuka called out to them.
At that, the group found their places and waited for her next instructions.
“Good, everyone’s here, so let’s start.” Hiratsuka swept her eyes over the room, confirmed no one was missing, and got straight into it.
The martial arts course was really about teaching various Martial Skills.
After giving everyone a look, Hiratsuka set her stance and ran through a set of boxing forms.
It was one of the sets the school taught.
Basic as it was, in her hands it whistled through the air.
With every punch, you could hear the air crack, and there was faintly some energy flowing through it too.
Finishing the set, Hiratsuka looked them over.
“You shouldn’t be strangers to this set; in fact, most of you have probably already learned it.”
She began to lecture.
At her words, everyone nodded.
It was true; the school had started teaching this set once they entered high school.
“Today, what I want to teach you is the advanced application of it.
I can see a lot of you have already reached Rank 2, so next I’ll teach you how to condense aura inside your bodies.” That was the real point of this class.
Teach them to condense aura and then break through to Rank 3.
The students here were basically all Rank 2, and some were right on the verge of Rank 3.
The only thing missing was aura.
Once they could condense it, breaking through to Rank 3 was just around the corner.
You could say this class was made up of Geniuses among Geniuses.
After all, some students in other classes hadn’t even reached Rank 2.
“Teacher, do those of us who specialize in magic need to condense aura too?” The class wasn’t only martial arts students; there were magic students as well.
Facing the question, Hiratsuka grinned.
“Yes, you don’t get to skip it either.
You should know, the class you’re in now is a special class!
There’s no such thing as specializing here!”
Everyone in this class had to dual-train magic and martial arts.
So next, you little brats, get ready for some devil’s training.
That principal went to a lot of trouble for all of you.
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