A soothing golden glow enveloped Orion and Sylvia instantly, diffusing their battle fervor. Their breathing slowed, hearts calming down as clarity returned swiftly to their eyes.
"Enough you two," Arya's gentle voice echoed clearly, her expression speechless. "You both fought well. Let's stop here before someone gets hurt."
Sylvia exhaled slowly, lowering her sword and stepping back. She smiled faintly, clearly impressed. "Your potential is frightening, Orion. I'm convinced."
Orion relaxed his stance and closed his eyes, restricting his instinct again before exhaling deeply as he sheathed Realm Guardian. "You were amazing as well, Sylvia. It was quite helpful for me to find my flaws."
Sylvia chuckled lightly, acknowledging his sincerity with a nod. "I'll accept your offer. Being able to spar with you from time to time is enough of a benefit for me to join."
A light chuckle left Orion's lips, "Well, that's quite good for me as well."
Sylvia nodded her head, "Yes, hardly anyone can keep up with me among the younger generation. I'll challenge you soon… I need more experience to break through to Tier 3."
"Sure, I also need to learn more about the sword from you." He nodded with a smile.
The crowd erupted into animated chatter, excitement palpable. Students began dissecting the incredible spar, their eyes shining with newfound admiration and curiosity.
Arya stepped closer, gently patting Orion's shoulder with a proud, mischievous smile. "This was a true miracle, Brother Orion. You truly never fail to amaze me."
"…Do you truly have so little trust in me?" He asked with mock disappointment.
Arya playfully chuckled, "Of course not, but it's really hard to believe you fought to a standstill against her when your skills during the last match… Mmm let's not talk about that."
Orion speechlessly looked at Arya, 'It hasn't even been a week since I started learning the sword…'
[They don't know your greatness, Master!!
Felira nodded her head, "It was totally worth it to invite Sylvia like that, it was such an intense match…" she extended her hand, "I still have goosebumps from it."
Sylvia bonked Felira's head lightly, "Try to do something again and see if I don't make you my training dummy."
Felira stuck out her tongue and hid behind Arya.
Orion chuckled lightly, scratching the back of his head. "Honestly, I didn't expect it to escalate that far."
Sylvia giggled lightly, gracefully brushing her hair back. "Neither did I. But that's exactly why it was so thrilling. It's been a long time since someone made me push myself that hard."
Orion smilingly nodded his head, "Well, we should head back now. We got all the members we need. Let's meet up tomorrow to introduce ourselves to each other."
Just as they finished discussing, Instructor Viren approached calmly, adjusting his glasses thoughtfully. "An impressive display. Orion, your instincts are quite exceptional, and Sylvia, your technique remains impeccable. However, remember to exercise restraint during sparring sessions. This isn't a life and death duel."
"Yes, Instructor Viren." Both of them respectfully said. They had met him during the speech of Vice Dean Hargan.
Viren nodded his head and left without saying anything further.
Orion and the others talked for a little bit more before leaving on their own ways.
As the crowd slowly dispersed, the training grounds buzzed with leftover excitement. Students were still discussing the fight in animated tones, glancing occasionally at Orion and Sylvia as if trying to memorize every detail of the intense exchange.
Orion let out a long breath, adjusting the grip of his sheathed sword as he quietly stepped away from the arena.
His muscles ached slightly—not from exhaustion, but from the sharp focus he had maintained for the entire fight. His instincts had calmed down by now, making him feel as if he had just gone blind.
[That was soooo coooolllll, Master!! You looked like a main character from a sword-fantasy drama! :｡･::･ﾟ'★,｡･::･ﾟ'☆]
'Was it really that flashy?' Orion chuckled inwardly.
[Of course! You looked like you belonged on the cover of a "Sword God Chronicles" novel! Even Sylvia looked impressed. You got yourself a rival AND a club member! That's like a two-for-one Gacha pull!]
'…Please don't compare people to Gacha loot.'
Still grinning softly to himself, Orion waved goodbye to Arya, Emilia, Sylvia, and Felira, then turned toward the academy gates where his carriage would be waiting.
The pathways were quieter now, the sun beginning to descend westward, casting a mellow golden hue across the grounds.
'Honestly though…' he thought as he walked, 'The classes feel so slow. At this pace, I'll waste days trying to grasp things I can comprehend in minutes.'
[You're not wrong. Your comprehension is ridiculous—even by True Dragon standards.]
Lumi's voice chimed thoughtfully, now in her calm "teacher mode."
[You could probably skip entire classes just by reading the reference books directly. Especially the theoretical ones.]
Orion nodded inwardly, gaze lifting toward the sky. 'Tomorrow, I'll visit the library first thing. I need to know what kind of knowledge is available—and how much is being hidden from standard students.'
[Hehe~ That's more like it! Let's go raid that knowledge vault, Master! Also… you planning to challenge the Tower of Myths soon?]
A grin tugged at his lips. 'You read my mind.'
The Tower of Myths—one of the three grand structures of the academy. A place where echoes of past prodigies were bound and reanimated for battle. An arena of living memories, scaled to the challenger's current level.
'I need to see how far I've come. And how far I still need to go. The sword spar was just the first step.'
[Oooh! You're really going full protagonist now, huh? "The lonely genius climbs the tower, shattering the myths of old!"]
Lumi added a dramatic tone, complete with sparkles on the screen.
'Tone it down, Lumi,' Orion laughed softly, turning a corner toward the main exit.
The stone pathway gave way to the academy courtyard's polished open arch. Just beyond the gates, the luxurious obsidian carriage awaited.
Edgar stood beside the carriage with arms crossed, his broad frame still dressed in his standard black coat. His ever-watchful eyes were scanning the crowd until they spotted Orion.
"Finally done, Young Master?" Edgar lightly bowed while welcoming him, "You took longer than usual today."
Orion gave a light smile, "Had a spontaneous spar with one of the top geniuses. Things got… intense."
Lucan, who was leaning against the carriage side casually, chuckled. "Let me guess. Sylvia?"
"I heard the crowd shouting all the way from outside the academy. Thought someone had summoned a mana beast," Lucan teased lightly, pushing off from the carriage to open the door for him. "You've got an eye for beauty, Young Master. First the Heir of House Blackwell, now the Gem of Stormbolt family, not to mention the little princess and her guard."
Lucan looked at Orion dramatically as if he had been deeply hurt. "Dayum, Young Master, you are a bigger womanizer than me."
Orion's lips twitched, "The hell, what am I supposed to do when there are so many girls in top ranks among my year? I just asked those who are talented enough to join my club."
Lucan looked at Orion as if he totally understood him, "You don't need to say anything, Young Master. We both are men here."