The loud, metallic buzzer echoed across the sprawling expanse of the subterranean gymnasium, cutting sharply through the anxious chatter of the bleachers.
Many grueling combat rounds had finally completed, filling the reinforced floor with dark scorch marks, cracked tiles, and the lingering, heavy scent of burnt ozone.
The remaining recruits were completely exhausted, their uniforms torn and dusty, but the nervous energy in the room instantly spiked as the head examiner raised his microphone to announce the final bouts.
“Match number eight!” the examiner announced, his voice booming effortlessly through the massive speakers.
“Linease versus Chrites Lunode.
Step into the ring immediately.”
Chrites stood up slowly from his bench, intentionally keeping his posture slouched and uncoordinated.
He walked down the metal steps one by one, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his standard uniform coat, looking exactly like an average, unmotivated rookie who would rather be sleeping.
Across the wide fighting floor, Linease stepped forward into the light.
She carried a highly polished, sharp sword resting comfortably at her hip, and a sleek magical sidearm holstered securely on her thigh.
She looked incredibly focused, her posture perfect and her eyes locking entirely onto Chrites as they stopped a few paces apart in the center of the arena.
“Begin!” the examiner shouted, stepping quickly back behind the thick, transparent safety barrier.
Chrites moved first.
He deliberately did not reach for his plain black sword.
Instead, he raised his bare right hand, gathering raw, unrefined heat into his palm.
He pushed his hand forward, releasing a sudden, wide wave of bright orange flames directly toward her.
“Fire Blast,” Chrites muttered calmly.
The flames surged forward like a roaring wall of heat.
Linease did not flinch or step back.
She drew her sword with blinding, incredible speed.
With a single, masterful horizontal sweep, she cut the incoming fire completely in half.
The divided flames parted perfectly around her body and dissipated harmlessly against the shock-absorbent floor tiles, leaving only wisps of gray smoke behind.
Without missing a single beat, Linease raised her left hand, drawing her magical gun from its holster.
She pulled the heavy trigger, unleashing a devastating, highly complex combination attack.
A sharp beam of piercing laser light erupted forward, tightly wrapped inside a compressed, spinning spiral of raging fire and razor-sharp cutting wind.
The attack moved at a terrifying, lethal speed.
Chrites stood completely still until the absolute last second.
Just as the destructive beam was about to pierce directly through his chest, he tilted his body slightly to the side, dodging the strike by a mere millimeter.
The intense heat singed the fabric of his coat as the beam blasted past him, exploding violently against the reinforced barrier behind him and shaking the walls.
But Linease was already moving.
Using the bright visual distraction of the gunshot, she closed the distance between them instantly.
Before Chrites could reset his defensive stance, she pulled back her fist and threw a devastating, full-strength punch straight into his stomach.
Chrites purposely let his body take the full force of the blow without using any mana to shield himself.
He launched backward at an unbelievable speed, flying through the air and crashing downward into the arena floor.
The heavy concrete tiles shattered instantly upon impact, creating a massive, deep crater right where he landed.
Debris and dust flew everywhere, completely clouding the ring.
Chrites lay motionless in the center of the ruined ground, groaning quietly and acting completely incapacitated.
“Match end!” the examiner shouted, waving his flag decisively.
“Winner, Linease!”
The bleachers instantly erupted into loud cheers.
Linease exhaled a sharp breath, smoothly sheathing her sword and re-holstering her gun.
She looked down at the massive crater, feeling a heavy wave of guilt for hitting him so hard, but she quickly walked out toward the edge of the ring as the academy medical staff rushed forward with stretchers.
Chrites allowed himself to be helped up by the nurses, dusting off his ruined coat and walking back to his friends with a sheepish, embarrassed grin.
After the remaining combat rounds finally concluded, the gymnasium fell entirely silent.
The head examiner stepped back onto the center platform holding a master list of evaluation results.
“The physical examinations are officially complete,” the examiner declared loudly.
“Those whose names are not called today have failed the assessment.
You are dismissed and may return to try again next year.”
The tension in the room was heavy and suffocating.
The examiner began reading the list of passing recruits.
“Rivb.
Chrono.
Shevy.
Melise.
Linease.” The examiner paused, scanning the bottom of his digital tablet.
“And Chrites Lunode.
Passed.”
“We passed!
Dude, you got cratered straight into the foundation of the earth, but you actually passed!
I cannot believe it!”
“The examiners look for control, potential, and fighting style, not just raw victories,” Chrono said with a proud smile, adjusting his collar.
“Great job, everyone.”
The failing students gathered their bags and walked toward the exits with heavy, defeated steps.
Meanwhile, the passed recruits were immediately directed toward the administration wing to receive their permanent class schedules.
The students were grouped into different academic divisions.
When the large digital board flashed their permanent assignments, Rivb started laughing loudly.
“Look at that!” Rivb pointed eagerly at the screen.
“Class Division Four.
All four of us are assigned to the exact same room.”
Linease walked up behind them, accompanied quietly by her friend Melise.
Linease looked up at the glowing digital screen and smiled warmly.
“It looks like Melise and I are assigned to Class Division Four as well.
We are all together.”
“That is awesome,” Shevy said, welcoming the two transfers with a warm nod.
“Let us head up there before all the good desks in the back rows are taken.”
The six teenagers navigated the crowded hallways and found their new classroom.
It was a wide, spacious room filled with tiered wooden desks.
They took their seats just as the instructors arrived.
For the next two hours, various academy teachers cycled through the room, giving brief introductory lectures on military discipline, basic mana theory, and campus security rules.
Nobody was required to cast spells or take detailed notes.
It was a smooth, easy introduction into academy life.
Eventually, the loud bell rang through the corridors, signaling the start of the first lunch break.
The classroom quickly emptied as hungry students rushed toward the main cafeteria.
Chrites lingered behind, slowly and lazily packing his bag to avoid the crowd.
As he stepped out into the quiet hallway, Linease caught his eye.
She gestured quietly toward an empty, unused lecture room across the corridor.
Chrites glanced around carefully to ensure Rivb and the others were not watching, then slipped quietly through the heavy door.
Linease closed the door securely behind him and turned around, looking incredibly guilty.
She kept her hands buried deep in the pockets of her uniform coat, pacing slightly across the dusty floor.
“Chrites, I am so sorry,” Linease said in a quiet whisper.
“I am really sorry for that attack today.
I used way too much force.
I honestly thought you were going to use your powerful magic to block it or stop my punch.
I did not realize you were going to just stand there and take a full-strength strike to the stomach.”
Chrites leaned casually against a wooden desk and let out a quiet, relaxed laugh.
“Do not worry about it.
It really was not a problem.”
“Not a problem?” Linease repeated, wide-eyed with disbelief.
“You shattered the concrete floor!
You were completely buried in rubble!”
“It looked dramatic, but it was not a powerful attack to me,” Chrites replied smoothly.
“Honestly, it just felt like a gentle push from an automated training dummy.
You do not have to feel bad anymore.
It made my disguise look absolutely perfect.
Everyone thinks I am just a lucky, clumsy rookie who barely survived.”
Linease sighed heavily, rubbing her temples.
“Well, regardless, coming here to meet you in an empty classroom feels incredibly embarrassing.
It is highly suspicious.”
“Suspicious?” Chrites asked, crossing his arms.
“Yes,” Linease explained.
“If people see us constantly sneaking into empty rooms together, they will start making assumptions.
They might think we are in a secret romantic relationship, or suspect we are involved in something dangerous outside of school.
Sneaking around draws unnecessary attention from the staff and other students.”
Chrites listened closely, his expression turning entirely serious.
“We know the reflection assassin from last night saw your true face,” Linease continued.
If rumors start spreading about us sneaking around, it could lead the wrong people straight to our organization.
We need to act completely normal.
I think the best solution is to become open, public friends.”
“Open friends,” Chrites mused.
“Exactly,” Linease said.
“If we are part of the same public friend group, it will be completely normal for us to talk, eat lunch together, and walk home.
It hides our syndicate connection perfectly.
Nobody looks twice at regular classmates hanging out.
You should introduce me to your friends properly, and I will bring Melise.”
“That is a perfect plan,” Chrites agreed, a genuine smile forming.
“It is incredibly smart.
It completely hides our organization’s identity, and we can coordinate our business without anyone noticing.
Let us do that.
The lunch break is almost over anyway.”
Chrites stepped back out into the hallway, smoothly blending into the moving crowd.
Afternoon lectures resumed shortly after.
The instructor droned on about magical history, but Chrites spent the time mindlessly tapping his pen against his notebook, feeling a deep sense of relief.
Having Linease actively helping him manage his civilian cover made things much easier.
Two hours later, the secondary lunch break arrived.
The strict academy schedule allowed two separate breaks for eating and resting due to the heavy physical demands of the military training.
As soon as the bell dismissed the teacher, Rivb turned around in his seat, stretching his arms wide with a loud groan.
“Man, I am starving again,” Rivb complained loudly.
“Chrono, Shevy, do you guys want to go check the campus vending machines down the hall?”
Before Chrono could answer, light footsteps approached their row of desks.
Chrites looked up.
Linease and Melise were walking down the tiered steps toward them.
Linease held her lunch box, offering a polite, slightly nervous smile to the group.
“Hello, everyone,” Linease said cheerfully.
Melise offered a small, quiet wave.
“Hey.”
Chrono and Shevy looked up, surprised but completely welcoming.
Rivb blinked, immediately sitting up straighter in his chair.
“I know we shared the morning lectures together,” Linease said, looking directly at Shevy and Chrono.
“But since Melise and I are new transfers, we do not really know anyone here yet.
We were wondering if we could eat lunch with you guys?
I would love to be friends with all of you.”
Rivb’s face lit up instantly.
“Oh, absolutely!
No problem at all!
There are plenty of empty seats right here.
Pull up a chair!”
“Yeah, we would love to be friends,” Chrites added, offering a perfectly casual, welcoming nod.
“The more the merrier.”
“Thank you,” Linease smiled, taking a seat at the desk next to Chrites while Melise sat beside Shevy.
“So, Linease,” Rivb started immediately, leaning forward with immense curiosity.
“You have to tell us.
That punch you threw in the ring today was absolutely terrifying.
Where did you learn to strike like that?”
“Just lots of practice,” Linease laughed smoothly, opening her lunch box.
“My previous instructors were very strict about close-quarters combat.”
“Well, it was impressive,” Chrono said, sharing some of his snacks with the table.
“It is great to have strong fighters in our division.”
As the group fell into easy, comfortable chatter, laughing and trading food, Chrites leaned back in his chair.
He took a bite of his lunch, watching his friends happily welcome the two girls into their circle.
The public disguise was completely locked in.
They looked exactly like six ordinary academy students enjoying their afternoon break.
Nobody in the room, not even the watchful military instructors, had the slightest clue about the dangerous, hidden world they were truly running from the shadows.