Bilric Ramel

Finally… the day had come.

I had trained nonstop for this.

Every word, every detail from Master Grey—I kept it all. Even after he disappeared, I continued training, pushing myself further using everything he had shown me in the short time we had together.

I couldn’t waste it.

As I drifted in my thoughts—

A voice echoed across the arena.

“Welcome… to the 25th Gathering Festival!”

The crowd erupted instantly.

“Thank you all for joining us,” the announcer continued. “Today, the candidates will compete—not only for victory, but for the honor of representing their people… and the chance to join Opeur’s prestigious academy.”

A brief pause.

“Now… let us welcome our candidates!”

The stands exploded with excitement.

We stepped into the stadium.

The candidates from Nishin entered first… followed by the northern regions… and finally, us.

The noise was overwhelming.

Then—a soft voice behind me.

“Let’s do this…”

I turned slightly.

Lisa Bloodrose was looking at me, her eyes bright, her smile soft—just for a moment.

Then she looked down.

I gave a small nod.

“Yeah… let’s show them what we’ve got.”

Another voice cut in.

“I’m shocked. So you can talk.”

Jasmine stood beside us, one hand covering her mouth in mock surprise—though the sarcasm was obvious.

I glanced at her.

“Good luck to you too, Jasmine.”

She dropped her hand, shifting into a more focused stance.

“Yeah… let’s do this.”

The announcer’s voice echoed across the stadium.

“This year, we have eight candidates—perfect for one-on-one matches!”

The crowd cheered.

“But before we begin,” he continued, “we’re going to have a little fun deciding the matchups.”

More excitement rippled through the stands.

“In the center of the arena, you’ll see a training dummy. Each candidate will strike it with a single attack.”

I glanced toward the middle of the field.

A large, reinforced dummy stood waiting.

“This dummy is equipped with a mechanism that measures the damage inflicted,” the announcer explained. “Based on the results, candidates will be ranked.”

A brief pause.

“The strongest will face the weakest.”

The crowd grew louder.

“First will face eighth. Second will face seventh… and so on.”

I heard Jasmine mumbling beside me.

I glanced at her.

“What’s the problem, Jasmine? Afraid?”

She shot me an annoyed look.

“Afraid? No. That’s not it.”
She crossed her arms slightly. “I just don’t see the point. Let’s say I’m the strongest—but I use a weak attack. Then what? This ranking means nothing.”

Lisa tilted her head, thinking.

“Maybe they just want to randomize the matchups,” she said. “That’s all… maybe.”

I shook my head slightly.

“Either way, showing your strongest move now would be stupid,” I said calmly. “Better to hold back.”

A brief pause.

“Attack lightly.”

They both nodded in agreement.

Before we could say anything—

An explosion erupted in the center of the arena.

We all turned, startled.

“Someone’s attacking the festival—?” I thought, instinctively stepping forward.

Dust filled the air.

Then, a voice came from within it—calm… almost amused.

“So… how much damage did I deal? It should be quite a lot.”

A silhouette slowly emerged.

The announcer’s voice followed:

“982 damage recorded—for the first candidate, Sam Westover!”

The crowd roared.

So that’s how it starts…

Before I could process it, the northern candidate walked past me, glancing in my direction.

“Show us what you’ve got… blue-eyes.”

A challenge.

I narrowed my gaze.

Fine.

I stepped forward.

Raising two fingers, I began gathering water—compressing it, shaping it, building pressure. The mass grew dense in seconds.

Then—

I released it.

The attack shot forward, piercing straight through the center of the dummy with clean precision.

A perfect strike.

“290 damage recorded!”

I froze.

“What? Only 290?” I shouted, frustration slipping through.

The announcer continued, almost casually:

“Ah—perhaps I should clarify. The damage is calculated based on impact across the entire dummy. A concentrated strike, no matter how strong, results in a lower score.”

A pause.

“As you’ve just demonstrated.”

My jaw tightened.

“So I can attack again,” I said quickly. “Right?”

“Unfortunately not,” the announcer replied. “Each candidate is allowed only one attempt.”

“That’s not fair—”

A hand landed on my shoulder.

Firm. Confident.

“It’s my turn.”

Akio Zhen-Gwan stepped forward.

With a swift motion, he raised his palm—

A burst of pressure shot forward, striking the dummy with controlled force.

No wasted movement.

No hesitation.

Then, without a word, the other two Nishin candidates stepped forward.

And did the exact same thing.

Same stance.
Same motion.
Same attack.

I narrowed my eyes.

Do they all have the same ability…?

The announcer’s voice rang out:

“600 damage recorded—for the three Zhen-Gwan siblings!”

The crowd reacted immediately.

I watched them carefully.

“They used the same amount of power…” I muttered under my breath.
“…Interesting.”

That’s not talent… that’s discipline.

Next, Jasmine stepped forward.

She drew her sword in one smooth motion—

And struck.

The movement was clean… almost elegant. Like a dance.

The blade passed through the dummy in a single, precise arc.

It split in half.

“785 damage recorded!”

Jasmine glanced back at us, clearly pleased.

But the way she looked at me…

That’s how it’s done.

Lisa Bloodrose gave her a thumbs-up before stepping forward herself.

Her eyes began to glow.

A deep red.

A dark aura spread around her, pulsing outward as the air seemed to tighten.

Then—

It collapsed inward.

The force crushed the dummy from all sides at once.

“799 damage recorded!”

She turned toward me, searching my face—

Looking for a reaction.

I gave her a slight smile.

Behind her, Jasmine wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“My cute little vampire… so cute,” she teased.

Lisa laughed softly.

But I noticed it.

Her breathing.

Slightly heavier.

Her posture… just a bit off.

She looked drained.

Still not in full control…?

Lastly… the girl who had remained silent this whole time stepped forward.

Unlike her companion—the loud one—she hadn’t said a word.

Calm. Still.

Then she moved.

Her hand began to change—shifting, reshaping—until it resembled something like a cannon.

At the same time, a dark blue energy flowed behind her back, forming a single wing… only on the side of her transformed arm.

Strange.

Unbalanced.

Yet… precise.

The energy around her began to gather—pulled inward like a vacuum.

The air itself seemed to collapse toward her.

Then—

Boom.

She released it.

The pressure surged forward—

And the dummy… vanished.

No impact. No break.

Just gone.

“1000 damage recorded!” the announcer shouted.
“The maximum value the dummy can measure!”

For a moment—

Silence.

Then the crowd exploded.

The announcer’s voice echoed once more.

“We have three candidates with identical results. Therefore, an additional rule will be applied.”

The crowd quieted slightly.

“Candidates from the same region will not face each other in this stage.”

A brief pause.

“Here are your matchups.”

The arena screens lit up.

Sam Westover vs Yong Zhen-Gwan
Lisa Lanis vs Bilric Ramel
Lisa Bloodrose vs Rishi Zhen-Gwan
Jasmine Sword vs Akio Zhen-Gwan

I stared at the list.

Lisa… Lanis.

So that’s my opponent.