The battle at the arena goes on very intensely. Wind arrows were shot, fireballs flew and exploded, lightning struck the floor and electrocuted at least five students, and darkness origin danced madly as it grabbed people in the form of tentacles. The origin techniques that these individuals are casting were in no way simple and weak. They are advanced, trained, and polished to perfection. They truly are the best of the best within the academy.
But surprisingly, their combat quality is still quite lame. It's proven that they have no experience in real combat, because the students still take their time to think of their options in the middle of the fight. As a result, getting hit by origin techniques from the enemies isn't something rare. And after watching for a while, I can already tell that what these students lack was real life experience.
"They are still quite lackluster." I said after watching for a while, and Eric turned his confused stare at me. "Their techniques are decent and polished, but their sense of combat is still all over the place."
"I agree. It does look like they spent their entire two years practicing their origin techniques, but they have no experience whatsoever in real combat. It's like spending years sharpening your weapon, but you have no idea how to use them." Eric added to what I said, and I laughed hearing his choice of words.
"Wow, do you even hear yourself? It sounded as if you're an expert fighter yourself!" I said with a little mocking tone, and Eric snorted.
"I'm an emerald ranked mercenary. Don't underestimate me." He said boastingly, and I became really shocked.
"Huh!? I'm diamond ranked! Wait, what the hell was your mercenary group!?" I asked out of pure annoyance, and Eric turned his smirk at me.
"White Venom."
"No way!!"
The White Venom mercenary group is incredibly famous all over the land of Avenor. They are one of the five greatest and most dangerous mercenary groups in the land, placing fourth place in terms of achievements and firepower of their members. And now, one of their highest ranking members is standing right next to me.
Speaking of which, the emerald rank is the highest mercenary rank. Diamond rank is right below that, the second highest rank.
"I totally wasn't expecting a member of the White Venom to be a child."
"You're a child as well. And I wasn't a member." Eric fixed my words, and I stared at him really shocked.
"… No way."
Seeing my surprised face, he only turned his smirk that had gotten bigger. He took out an item from his hidden storage bracelet, and he showed the item to me. It was a white snake badge with a real emerald gem at the center, the emblem owned only by the emerald ranked mercenaries within White Venom.
But... it has golden decorations on the sides of the badge. Only one person in the group ever owns such a badge.
"What's wrong, 'Second Prince of Fiordall'? Do you have a problem with my job?"
"You're a douche... Shut up."
Eric stored his emblem back, and he turned his eyes back to the arena. Meanwhile, I was stuck thinking just how surprising this guy has always been to me, ever since he first showed up. This guy was not only really powerful, but he is also heavily experienced. To think I'd face one of the greatest mercenaries in Avenor as my classmate, I have never guessed anything like this would happen.
"Speaking of which, that's the guy I wanted to show you." Eric pointed his hand at the arena, and I turned my gaze back to it.
Over there, the battle drill is now down to only four people. Everyone else was moved out because they were either injured or out of stamina, which leaves the battle to only one against three.
The one person being ganged up upon is a bucket haired senior who uses fire origin. Fighting against him are three individuals, and all three of them looked very fearsome with their attacks. However, the solo senior is fighting almost flawlessly.
He was able to hold up his best against the three opponents, and he was even able to take down one of them after a long while. His use of fire origin is so wild and bizarre, that the enemies just cannot predict his attacks at all.
I know someone else who fought like that, and she became the best knight in Fiordall. For sure, that senior will go far and beyond once he graduates.
But after a long fight, the senior eventually gets tired. He tripped on a random rock, and the two opponents he was fighting against quickly grabbed this chance and took him down. The battle drill is over, and the senior with the fire origin has lost.
"Wow. That guy is… insane." I commented after watching, and Eric nodded.
"He is the best student of the third year. Just like me, he is ranked first." Eric said so nonchalantly, and I had to stare at him with annoyance to see if he really had to mention that part.
"And he could've become better… if he had the mastery phase." I chimed in, and Eric turned his confused stare at me.
"Mastery phase?"
"Oh, you don't know."
While waiting for something else to happen at the arena, I told Eric about what the vice headmaster wants me to learn. I already studied genes with Eric, but he still had no idea what the mastery phase is all about. And once I told him that is what I used at the training class, he immediately turned interested.
"T-Then, do you have any notes on how to use it?" He asked out of curiosity, but I shook my head.
"All I have is the advice that the vice headmaster gave me. And honestly, even I find that advice horrible. For now, I just need to keep on trying to activate it, then maybe I can find a key that is needed." I explained to him what I know, and he started thinking deeply.
"When it happened in class… you were very angry, weren't you?" He thought deeply, and I nodded.
"You think I just needed to get that angry again? I tried it. Didn't work." I told him my attempt at doing it, back before Jerry and the others from class J approached me.
While reading the book under the tree, I tried channeling that rage again inside my head, but nothing happened. The only thing that changed was my blood pressure increased, and no change occurred within my origin.
I might have to dedicate an entire hour just practicing, but I don't think I can practice at a random place. It might attract attention like what happened at the training class, and I really don't want to get punished again for destroying the academy's assets.
"So, you need a place to practice?" Eric guessed what's on my mind, and I turned my surprised face to him. Seeing the grin on his face, something tells me that he has something in mind.
Just how many secret places does this guy know!?
After watching the arena for a while, we realized that we've seen enough from the third years, so we left the roof.
Before we went to class, Eric showed me the place that he was talking about. It's actually the basement of the laboratory building, and this place was mostly used for highly dangerous experiments that the clubs were doing. It was locked, but Eric found a secret way to enter through the ventilations.
This guy just knows all corners of the academy inside and out, huh!?
"We can train here. The air might suck, but it's hidden at the very least." he suggested, and I nodded in confirmation. But then I remembered the word he used was 'we', and I turned my annoyed stare at him.
" 'We'?"
"Of course, 'we'. You think I'm just going to let you grow stronger on your own?" Eric said before turning around to leave through the vents again, and I turned really annoyed thinking that this might be for the best.
If something like a war is really coming… then an ally like Eric might be something that is needed.
"Hey. Eric." I called out to him right before he crawled into the vents, and he turned his glare to me.
"You have no relation with the dark republic, do you?" I asked with deep hopes, wishing that he doesn't. And thankfully, my wish was heard.
"Well, my mom is a darkness origin. I think her parents are from there. Who knows, I've never been there."
That sounded pretty close, right!?
"Well, let's say… theoretically… if something were to occur…"
"Stop rambling and just say it." He angrily stopped me from being awkward, and I let out a sigh. I lifted my serious gaze, and I spoke again with a serious tone.
"If a war were to break out between us and the dark republic… would you join me?" I asked with a serious note, and Eric looked shocked to hear that. He fixed his posture and jumped down from the vent, and he faced me completely now.
"No."
????
"What's in it for me, anyway? In case you don't know, mercenaries don't do anything without getting paid." Eric said, spoken like the truest of mercenaries.
I let out a sigh, and I just folded my hands. "If you're willing to help out, then I'll listen to any of your requests in the future."
"You're willing to go that far?" He asked with concern, and I nodded firmly.
"This war is everything to me. So, it will be very helpful if you can help out." I told him how I honestly feel, and Eric looked very surprised by that.
"Well, if you're saying it like that, then I don't have any reason to reject it." He said before turning around, and I grinned from the relief. "By the way, you can't use this place from morning until the afternoon. The lab nerds usually come here to do some dangerous stuff during that time, so come only at night."
I nodded at his advice, and Eric started climbing up the vent. After he left, I turned my eyes to the basement and started thinking of what is the next right path for me.
I guess… only time will tell.