Victor was among the first to step forward. The platform beneath his foot wobbled imdiately, and he had to shift his weight mid-step.
The mont his other foot landed, the platform tilted backward and tried to launch him off.
He dropped into a low crouch instinctively, letting his qi ground into his legs as he slid across it.
He hopped to the next tile as it shifted again.
"Focus," he muttered to himself.
Ahead, he saw another student leap too early onto a pole that suddenly retracted into the floor. They dropped into a glowing glyph and vanished—disqualified.
The obstacle course wasn't just physical. It reacted to intention. If you moved without confidence, it punished you. If your step was off-balance by even a hair, it shifted and forced correction.
Victor's training paid off here.
He sidestepped a spinning blade that jutted from the side and rolled under a horizontal bar.
Every ti his foot touched down, he let a pulse of qi move through his soles to read the floor, allowing his instincts to take over.
Behind him, Reed yelled, "Why is the floor moving like it owes money?!"
He leapt from a rotating disc onto a narrow beam and flailed for a second, wobbling before stabilizing.
Victor was too focused to respond. The final stretch was a series of vanishing panels. He had to move fast.
He pushed off with everything he had and burst into motion using a movent technique attached to his bloodline that consud qi for short bursts of enhanced montum.
He zipped across the panels in a blur, timing each jump by feel rather than sight.
One, two, three—then a high twist to land on the final pad just as it turned vertical.
He skidded and dropped to one knee—but he didn't fall.
The course deactivated.
He'd made it.
He let out a sigh of relief while looking around. Only a few had crossed so far.
Elyra was already at the edge, stretching calmly like she'd just taken a stroll.
"Show-off."
Reed flopped beside Victor a minute later with a pale face and sweat pouring down his forehead.
"My thighs hate ," he whispered. "They're filing a lawsuit."
Victor leaned back against a pillar, catching his breath as the final few finished—or failed.
Then Elric's voice bood once again.
"End of Phase Five."
The platforms returned to their original flat state. Instructors stepped forward and began announcing results. Victor's section buzzed as scores were posted.
> Warriors Remaining: 20
Victor scanned the nas. His was still there. So was Elyra's. And Reed's—sohow.
The arena hushed as Instructor Elric walked forward for the final announcent of the day.
"You have proven yourselves across five phases," he said. "Tomorrow marks the beginning of the end."
He let the pause hang before continuing.
"From this point forward, we move to the Versus Stage. You will fight your fellow competitors, one-on-one. No restrictions beyond the rules of honorable combat. The final victors... The ones who remain standing—will be crowned Legacy Weapon Bearers."
The crowd erupted in applause and cheers.
"Rest well," Instructor Elric finished. "Tomorrow, you fight not just for a weapon—but to prove who deserves to wield its na."
Victor stood silently while feeling tension build up much more than ever.
Tomorrow, the real battle began.
---
Later that evening, Victor and his friends gathered at a quieter part of one of the feedhubs tucked beneath glowing lantern trees. Their table was a ss of half-eaten food, spilled drinks, and scattered stories.
Selene was lecturing Kai about taking more initiative in his Level up studies. Reed was half-asleep over his noodles. Danny was trying to use a straw to flick peas into Aria's cup without her noticing.
Victor took a long sip from his fruit slush with his eyes half-lidded in contentnt.
This mont after the chaos felt rare.
That was when the energy in the courtyard changed.
Gasps rose.
Whispers followed.
Heads turned.
Soone was walking toward them.
Victor looked up to see a tall figure dressed in layered deep blue robes edged with silver.
His posture was immaculate, his hair perfectly styled. A golden academy badge glead on his chest. Third year.
Students nearby froze and whispered like fans spotting a celebrity.
"That's Zaid Ferren." "The top-ranked swordsman from Class 3-A." "He's never approached a first-year table before."
Zaid stopped right in front of Victor, smiling politely.
"I've been watching your performance during the competition," he voiced with a calm, confident but sharp tone. "You're skilled. Unconventional. Balanced."
Victor blinked. "Uh… thanks?"
Zaid extended a hand.
"I want to offer you a position. I'd like you to be my M1."
Victor paused and stared blankly at him.
"…What's an M1?"
Everyone else at the table turned to him at the sa ti.
Reed facepald. "Oh my god."
Victor stared at the outstretched hand like it might explode.
Whispers filled the surroundings like buzzing flies drawn to a fla. Students who were previously focused on food, chatter, or gossip had gone still.
All eyes were now fixed on Victor.
"Be my M1," Zaid had said.
Victor blinked again. "What's… an M1?"
Aria nearly choked on her drink. "You're joking."
Selene leaned in with a glare. "Tell you're not joking."
Victor held up his hands defensively. "I've never heard of it before, alright?!"
"Did you never read the academy guide?" Danny whispered loudly.
"Uhhh..." Victor's brain blanked out.
"The blue book with like a hundred pages... It has all the info..." Danny muttered with a look of impatience.
Victor faintly recalled sothing like that but it was probably in a pile of other hand outs and guide books he had gotten on the first day of Academy... But he hated reading so he only rembered checking out one page and falling asleep imdiately afterwards.
"Oh that..." Victor mumbled with a wry look.
Aria exhaled before placing her drink down. "M1s are assistant field operatives assigned to elite third-years. When Year 3 students get dispatched on actual missions—usually because there's low manpower or the mana defense officers are tied up—they're allowed to bring one assistant."
Victor's brows rose slightly. "And I'd be… that assistant?"
"Yes," she said. "Normally, Year 1 students never get considered. Most first-years don't leave the Academy grounds unless they're promoted, or they get offered the position in their second year—maybe. But Zaid Ferren just offered it to you. A first-year."
"Wait," Kai voiced with a frown. "So... if he accepts, he gets to go on actual field missions?"
"Real battles," Aria nodded. "Actual monsters. Humanoid alien species... He'd gain insane experience before any of us even step out of these gates."
Reed scratched his head. "And here I was proud of getting thirteen cuts."
Danny leaned over with his mouth wide open. "Not even one S-ranker got approached today. This is insane."
Selene looked at Victor like he'd just punched a unicorn. "You're not actually thinking about turning it down, are you?"
Victor shrugged slowly. "I an… I didn't say no. I'll just need ti to think."
Everyone at the table simultaneously gasped.
Reed threw his hands up. "You madman! That's the plot twist no one saw coming!"
Zaid who was still standing before them, chuckled softly. "You're interesting," his eyes glead with curiosity. "Most would have said yes before I even finished speaking."
Victor scratched his cheek, a little sheepishly. "I just… don't like rushing into contracts, y'know?"
Zaid nodded thoughtfully. "Fair enough. You're cautious. I like that." He turned to leave and paused briefly. "I'll return in one week to hear your answer. Don't keep waiting too long, Victor Revenant."
With that, he walked off, drawing just as many gasps and murmurs as his arrival had.
Once he was out of earshot, the table exploded into noise.
"I cannot believe you just said maybe," Aria said.
Selene crossed her arms. "You'd better not say no."
Victor leaned back with a smirk. "No pressure at all, huh?"
---
Dinner passed in a flurry of laughter, disbelief, and a dozen theories about what Zaid's offer might truly entail. Victor stayed mostly quiet, listening to the others debate about the best M1 assignnts in past years, and how Zaid's missions were notoriously difficult but prestige-enhancing.
By the ti they parted ways and headed back to the dorms, the artificial sky had darkened to deep navy blue with the moonlight glowing faintly through the cloud cover.
Victor stepped into his room and tossed his jacket onto the bed. The lights auto-dimd as he entered, and a soft holographic notification blinked from the corner.
Kairo's voice chid from the side. "Good job today."
Victor smiled faintly. "Thanks, man. My thighs feel like they've been fed through a blender."
"Still standing. Still sharp," Kairo said. "That's what matters."
Victor walked over to his bed, letting the exhaustion hit him in full. "I'll probably crash soon."
"Well, for the first ti I'd say you deserve so sleep..." Kairo chuckled.
Victor chuckled as well but internally...
'Didn't get the chance to log in yesterday. But tonight? I'm going back in. Still need to return to Bluefla City.'
He crawled under the sheets, pulled the neural helt onto his head, and laid back.
The inner screen flickered with the familiar interface.
[ Connecting to Ascendant Realms… ]
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