"Hello, class. I am Roderic, your teacher for this course."
The tall man with brown hair and green eyes spoke, his commanding voice capturing everyone's attention.
"As you might have noticed, this is a joint class between A-Class and the first part of B-Class."
Zaroth turned to Zack and whispered low enough not to be heard by the instructor, who, despite looking quite young, also had the aura of a seasoned veteran—probably more powerful than any instructor here, excluding Elysia.
"What's this about the first part of B-Class?"
"Unlike A-Class, the other class has too many students, so they're split into parts. The first part consists of the most promising students of B-Class." Zack explained quietly enough so the instructor wouldn't notice their talking... or maybe he did and just didn't care.
Nodding slightly, Zaroth returned his attention to the instructor.
"You are not stupid… well, most of you aren't stupid, so you should know this is the most important class of all," Roderic began, his tone calm as he paced, looking at the students in front of him.
"I'm not saying this because I teach it or because I'm biased. Everything you learn here—how to control your powers, how to control your bodies—is to prepare you for combat."
Suddenly, he stopped and raised his voice, startling most of the students.
"Before me stands the most promising individuals of this year! But don't think this will be easy. There's a reason 30% of students drop out in the first year—it's simply because they don't have what it takes."
Some students glanced around nervously but remained silent.
"From you, I will require complete discipline, unwavering focus, and indomitable spirit. If you give me that, I promise you—"
His eyes glowed faintly, and a menacing aura began to surround him.
"You will become one of the strongest in this empire."
"That's not enough," Zaroth muttered under his breath. "One of the strongest is not enough… I will become the strongest."
If Luna had been summoned, she would have grinned from ear to ear, listening to her master.
After his speech, Roderic announced that, to understand what kind of people he would be teaching, he wanted everyone to pair up with whomever they wished and fight as they saw fit.
Naturally, Zaroth and Zack immediately approached Lily and Roran.
"So, are you up for the challenge?" Zaroth asked with a smile.
"You bet," Roran responded immediately, returning the smile.
"Even if Roran says you are strong, I still need to see it for myself," Lily said, her tone as cold as ever.
"Then I shall be your opponent," Zack replied, meeting her coldness with a smile of his own.
Because this was the most prestigious academy and the participants were among the most promising students of the year, being in A and B-Class, Roderic assigned them a private training room. Any group of more than two students was granted their own space.
"Wow," Zaroth muttered involuntarily as they entered the room. Weapons of all kinds were displayed, ready to be used, short and long swords, shields, bows, hammers, axes, daggers, whips, spears, and more.
As they entered the room, Lily was the first to break the silence.
"Before we begin, let's say the oath."
"The oath?" Zaroth asked.
"Yes," Zack immediately answered. "Knowing someone's abilities can also reveal their weaknesses, right? So, in duels like this, we swear on the god who blessed us that we won't use the information we gain today against them."
"I see…" Zaroth wasn't entirely sure he understood.
Seeing his confusion, Lily commanded, "Just do as I do and repeat after me."
Lily placed both hands on her chest, and the others followed suit. Together, they spoke in unison,
"In the name of the god who bestowed power upon me, I hereby declare that any information I learn here and now shall never be shared, neither with a foe nor an ally."
Once the oath was complete, they split the room into two sections, one for Zaroth and Roran's duel, and another for Zack and Lily's.
"So, what weapon do you use?" Roran asked, approaching the weapons on display and picking up a sword.
"To be honest, I don't really have much experience with weapons. I guess I can use pretty much anything," Zaroth replied, grabbing a similar sword.
'If he chose it, then I guess it's good, right? Though I thought this was training—why are these weapons sharp metal instead of wood?' he thought. Deciding it didn't matter, he straightened his back and faced Roran.
Suddenly, a fireball erupted to his right. Turning, Zaroth saw that Lily and Zack had already begun their fight.
"You can use pretty much anything?" Roran's sudden question snapped Zaroth's attention back to him.
"I see…" Roran smiled, his eyes shining with dangerous intensity.
'Aside from hiding Luna, I don't think I can afford to hold back,' Zaroth thought, studying his opponent.
"Well, Zaroth, you see…" A menacing smile spread across Roran's face. "I use everything."
Roran dug his foot into the wooden floor and launched himself at Zaroth—but he wasn't alone. Several weapons on display suddenly shook and flew toward Zaroth, a sword, a spear, and an axe.
'Is he using some kind of telekinesis?' Zaroth wondered, his face mirroring Roran's menacing grin.
"This is going to be fun," he muttered, running toward Roran while also trying to avoid the flying weapons.
"Come, Silverfang." A light appeared beside Zaroth, and a giant silver wolf with numerous scars materialized.
The next second, their swords collided, sending shockwaves through their bodies. It was clear that Roran possessed the advantage when it came to sword fighting, as the shockwave Zaroth felt was much stronger than the one Roran experienced.
In the next moment, Roran found himself with a wolf biting his left arm, but it wasn't all good news for Zaroth, as he himself found that the flying sword had pierced his leg.
Not even a second had passed since the start of the battle, yet both men, injured heavily, were smiling like maniacs.
Their thoughts perfectly mirrored one another,
'This is going to be fun!'