Newt regarded Brenda and William with a calm gaze, yet beneath the surface, a simmering anger lingered in his eyes.
"For my second question," Newt began, "are there truly individuals above Rank 1 in the imperial palace who will instruct us before our graduation?"
Brenda and William exchanged puzzled glances, finding Newt's inquiry unusual. Brenda responded, "The notion of individuals surpassing Rank 1 is mere fantasy and legend. No one has ever witnessed a martial artist beyond Rank 1, and such an achievement is deemed impossible."
Newt, displaying an anticipated acknowledgment, nodded calmly. Despite Brenda's confident answer, he seemed unfazed, leaving her with a sense of control over the situation.
"The rest of my questions can wait for now," Newt declared, rising abruptly and exiting with an air of evident frustration.
Brenda contemplated the situation, recognizing that, aside from his initial question, the course of the conversation followed a predictable path.
'As for Ryan, I'll set him aside for now; their knowledge doesn't extend to what I seek. I'll investigate independently after dealing with matters here,' Newt contemplated as he left the corridor.
"Fatty, come and meet your end!" Ryan's enraged shout echoed through the classroom, his face contorted with anger, though a calm demeanor masked his true emotions.
"You bastard!" Ryan burst into the room, his eyes bloodshot with fury.
Charging at full speed, Ryan unleashed a punch aimed at Newt's face.
Observing the attack, Newt calmly sidestepped, though his external expression feigned surprise, creating the illusion of a hurried evasion.
'Boring,' thought Newt, unimpressed.
"You will die today!" Ryan, frustrated by the missed punch, shouted angrily.
Drawing his Rank 5 artifact, a sword, from his storage ring, Ryan examined it with a determined gaze.
"You're not the only one with artifacts," Newt remarked, producing a dark, eerie-looking spear from his own storage ring, radiating an unsettling aura.
"It's a blood artifact, and a Rank 6 at that," Brenda remarked, arriving with Linda and William.
Curious, Linda inquired, "What's so special about it, miss?"
Brenda explained, "Blood artifacts are crafted from the remains of monster beasts, unlike our conventional artifacts. They increase in rank by consuming blood, making them exceptionally perilous. Wounds inflicted by a blood artifact take months, even years, to heal."
Ryan's bloodthirsty gaze intensified as he rushed toward Newt.
Responding in kind, Newt advanced with his spear, and their clash erupted, disrupting the tranquility of the classroom and drawing a growing crowd.
'Even with a lower-tier artifact and deliberate sluggish movements, he fails to comprehend the process,' Newt observed, noting Ryan's actions.
"Ryan is fortunate to wield a Rank 5 sword; otherwise, it would have shattered against a blood artifact of equal or higher rank," Brenda commented, enlightening the onlookers about the inherent danger of blood artifacts.
The spectators gathered as the clash intensified, drawing students from various classes. The clash resonated so loudly that it disrupted the focus of other classes.
In the midst of their fierce exchange, as Ryan aimed to stab Newt, the latter, with a beast-like instinct, dodged and countered, grazing Ryan's arm and drawing blood.
"Should I intervene?" questioned the class instructor, noticing the blood on Ryan's hand.
Beside him stood Ryan's grandfather, a Rank 1 Martial artist. "No need. Ryan will emerge victorious. Barbarians may lose their sanity to their beast-like instincts, but that very madness fuels their addiction to violence and war. As long as Ryan understands that, he'll win," the grandfather confidently declared.
Fearing the sight of his own blood, Ryan momentarily hesitated, but witnessing Newt's apparent loss of sanity, he mustered the resolve to continue the fight.
"Die, barbarian!" Ryan yelled, reengaging in the intense duel.
'I've demonstrated the ideal traits of a barbarian; any lingering suspicions should be dispelled,' Newt thought, glancing momentarily at the observers on the elevated platform.
Undeterred, Ryan persisted in his attacks, oblivious to the growing crowd's anticipation. Each clash resulted in fresh wounds for Ryan.
Ryan persisted, attempting to staunch the flow with aura, only for it to resume.
"I'll end you!" Ryan seethed, his eyes practically ablaze with anger, retrieving a stone from his storage ring.
"That's..." The instructor gasped in disbelief.
"This can't be!" Brenda stared in astonishment at the stone, radiating an intense brightness as if it held the power of the sun, defying the sunny day.
"I expressly told him to wait until graduation," Ryan's grandfather sighed, a mix of disappointment and hope in his eyes as he witnessed Ryan unveiling the powerful stone.
'Once he takes that step, we'll surpass the Knight family,' Ryan's grandfather envisioned a bright future for his grandson.
Newt, typically calm, found his eyes now reflecting the intensity of his anger, a sudden and profound fury sparked within him as he beheld the mysterious stone.
"Host exhibits emotional turmoil."
"Host exhibits emotional turmoil."
"Host exhibits emotional turmoil."
"Host exhibits emotional turmoil."
"Host exhibits emotional turmoil."
"Implementing countermeasures."
Newt struggled to contain his anger, almost succumbing to the urge to end Ryan. Yet, thanks to the Neon Link, he regained control over his emotions and began to think rationally.
He swiftly charged at Ryan, who was in the process of activating the stone using his aura.
Ryan, taken aback by Newt's unexpected move, found himself stabbed in the stomach. With an angry expression, Newt confronted him, but Ryan, despite his injury, managed to smile and remarked, "You're late."
As Ryan activated the stone, releasing a surge of energy, Newt was forcefully propelled backward. Despite the unsettling turn of events, a newfound calmness settled in Newt's eyes.
'Zinc.'
'The very same stone taken by those two individuals who murdered the Salamander family.'
His initial motive for approaching Ryan wasn't to prevent the stone's activation but to verify if it was indeed the Zinc stone taken by those mysterious figures.
Confirming his suspicions, he glanced at Brenda, who appeared to be aware of the situation, though she hadn't anticipated it unfolding in this manner.