"Is today the day of our assessment?" Sun-Jung asked, sitting next to me instead of in his usual spot. Stella was on the next bench with Ji-ho while Alex Spencer sat further away with a student whose name I didn't know.
"I'm not sure if there was supposed to be any assessment today. What's it about?" I asked.
"It's not exactly an assessment or test," Sun-Jung explained. "Think of it more as a spar between cadets."
He then added, "Didn't you check the notice board yesterday?"
"No, I was busy with some personal things," I replied.
"Personal things!" Sun-Jung whispered, but I still heard him. He often interrogated me like this, keeping track of my activities.
"Good morning, everyone," Mun-Hee, our homeroom teacher, greeted us as she entered the classroom and, as usual, banged the teacher's desk with the attendance register.
"Let's start by taking attendance," she announced, calling out each student's name and waiting for a response of "yes" to mark their presence.
"Today, you will each choose a sparring partner to help identify areas of improvement in your combat abilities," Mun-Hee explained. "This process will continue until next week."
"Now, let's head to the training ground," she said, eliciting a loud cheer from the students.
"Whoah!"
"Don't get too excited," Mun-Hee dampened their spirits. "You still have theory classes every day. The training session will only last four hours." With that, she led the group through a series of corridor passages to the training ground.
The training room was a spacious, well-equipped space with a light theme. It was equipped with a weapons and equipment department, rubber floor tiles to absorb impacts and protect the floor, sound-absorbing pads on the walls, and various safety measures, which were uncommon in the 1990s.
"Change into more comfortable clothing suitable for combat," she instructed, pointing to the large changing room attached to the training grounds. "All sizes are available in there"
As I entered the men's section of the changing room, I picked out a training outfit that fit me well. While I changed, removing my academy uniform, I noticed Sun-Jung observing me from a close distance.
"Is that a tattoo? Are you affiliated with the mafia or something?" he asked, pointing at the four-headed dragon tattoo on my back.
"Oh, absolutely! I have my own little gang now. You caught me," replied with an exaggerated and sarcastic tone.
"Ha, Dumbass!", shouted a kid in the room, causing everyone to burst out in laughter at Sun-Jung's expense.
"I was just asking, it looked cool", he said in frustration and turned around after changing.
The students were now dressed in black tracksuits and white half-palm gloves. Alex Spencer approached me and said, "Ready for a spar?".
I could sense a hint of scepticism in his tone as he struggled to reconcile my higher rank with his own self-assessment of his abilities. But, I confidently replied, "Whenever you are".
With two top-ranking students set to face off, the other cadets in the room became interested in our match. I headed towards the empty arena in the training ground while making my way there, I saw many other cadets sitting on the sidelines, chatting amongst themselves. A majority of them were female students, eagerly waiting for the start of the match.
The Arena was a type of boxing ring, with qi elements painted on the floor. Upon entering the arena a transparent barrier materialised around it as the yin and yang sign on the floor glowed a little.
"Ready to begin?", Mun-Hee's voice echoed throughout the arena. "Get your weapons," she says, and we nod as we retrieve our designated weapons from the storage ring. "Take your stance," she continues, as he grips two katanas, one in each hand, with the blades facing opposite directions.
His stance is wide, with one foot slightly ahead of the other for stability and balance, and his knees are slightly bent to lower his centre of gravity. He holds his arms out in front of him, ready to strike, with a straight back and a focused gaze on his opponent. This stance allows for quick changes in position for defence or attack.
I, on the other hand, retrieve a long metal pole from the storage ring and secure it behind my back with both hands, spinning it at a rapid rate. The movement is swift and creates a powerful gust of air pressure in the arena, aimed to intimidate my opponent. With a flick of my wrist, I can adjust the position of my weapon for both defence and attack.
"Start!"
The voice boomed through the speakers of the arena, signalling the beginning of the match. In an instant, he moved towards me with lightning-fast speed. His feet created a gust of wind as he dashed towards me and leapt into the air with both katanas raised and ready to strike. To the average person, this might have seemed like a foolish move, but he was in complete control.
However, even if I had attempted to block his swords with my metal pole, the sheer force of the air generated by the movement could have still inflicted damage. Fortunately, I was not an average opponent.
I opted for a counterattack instead of blocking. I swung my pole from side to side, shifting my weight forward to maintain a sturdy centre of gravity. Our weapons collided, producing a bright spark and immense pressure, enough to cause cracks in the barrier of the arena. Despite relying solely on raw physical strength, not a hint of aura was used.
The force of the impact sent him flying backwards, but he managed to land firmly on his feet.
"Ready for level 2?" I inquired, referring to increasing the intensity of the next attack.
"That's the plan," he replied as dark black flames ignited on the edges of his black and gold katanas.
This time, he was even quicker as he harnessed his aura to amplify his strength, senses, and agility. He pushed off with his legs, creating a massive force, and lunged towards me, causing the ground beneath him to crumble.
Alex, with his fiery katanas, charged at me once again. Despite his increase in strength, agility, and aura, he still had one vulnerability. As he approached me, I noticed that his axillary region was exposed. Instead of trying some fancy move or relying on my aura, I simply stepped forward and lowered my body, making him lose focus.
In a swift movement, I turned 360 degrees and used the end of my pole to strike the exposed area under his arm.
The impact was powerful enough to cause the bones in his side ribs and shoulder to shatter. I didn't need to use any extra strength or aura to inflict such damage. I simply used his own velocity against him. The force of the strike sent him flying, crashing through the barrier of the arena and landing outside unconscious.
"Time's up, Kael, you're the victor," Mun-Hee declared as she headed over to Alex to assess his injuries and summoned medical assistance to take him to the infirmary.
I removed my weapon from my storage ring and left the arena, noticing the awe and fear in the eyes of the other cadets. I had easily defeated a top-ranked opponent who used aura against me.
"That was incredible," Stella praised as she, along with Ji-Ho and Sun-Jung, approached me. They nodded in agreement.
"Thanks for the compliment, but why aren't you three training?" I asked.
"We usually train together in the evenings," Ji-Ho explained. "We wanted to invite you, but you weren't in your dorm, so we had some free time during training."
"I'm not really into training, so I'll have to pass," I replied.
"So, what's the plan now?" asked Stella. "We were thinking of going to the library before recess starts in three hours and then we have theory class."
"You guys want to go to the library to finish your homework?" I asked.
"Yes," answered Stella.
"That's correct," said Sun-Jung.
"Exactly," added Ji-Ho.
"Well, I haven't done my homework either," I said. With that, we changed back into our academy uniforms and headed towards the library.