Sunny watched Nephis practice her swordsmanship for a little longer, his eyes narrowing with quiet interest.
Her movements were crisp, clean, and full of precision... yet something about them felt off. He understood the structure of her battle art, he had seen enough sword forms to recognize the core of it, but the way she executed them felt almost too controlled, too restrained.
Especially for the heir of the Immortal Flame Clan.
'A fake battle art?'
The thought lingered in his mind longer than he expected. He studied her stance, her rhythm, the flow of her cuts. It all looked beautiful, but not... natural. Not instinctive.
Sunny exhaled softly through his nose and shook his head.
Why would she hide her true battle art?
It didn't make sense. Legacies were supposed to flaunt their strength, not bury it.
With a quiet sigh escaping his lips, Sunny turned away from Nephis and refocused on Cassie.
"Okay. Now that that distraction is over, let's continue."
Cassie gave a small, uncertain nod. Over the next hour, Sunny instructed her to try to hit him, again and again. She swung, lunged, and stumbled forward dozens of times, each attempt full of effort but lacking technique.
And yet, despite all her attempts... she never touched even a single strand of Sunny's hair.
What finally made them stop was the door opening.
Professor Rock stepped into the room, eyebrows lifting in surprise at the sight of three Sleepers already inside. But what shocked him more was who those three were: Sunless of Song, Nephis of Immortal Flame, and the girl dead last in the rankings, Cassia.
Cassie was sweating so profusely she looked as though she had climbed out of a swimming pool. Meanwhile, Sunny and Nephis looked as though they had just woken from a light nap, skin clear, posture straight, not a drop of sweat anywhere on them.
"It seems you three are here early," Professor Rock observed.
Sunny and Cassie nodded. Nephis didn't even bother acknowledging him.
The professor moved toward the center of the room, stopping close to where Sunny and Cassie stood. "The rest of the class will arrive soon. If you want to rest until then—"
He didn't get the chance to finish, because all three of them simply stared at him. Sunny with calm politeness, Nephis with indifference, and Cassie... well, Cassie was looking slightly to the right of him, eyes fixed on a wall. Still, Rock had long since pieced together who the blind girl was.
Sunny turned back to Cassie. "Let's continue."
Professor Rock blinked, frozen in stunned silence as they resumed their training exactly as if he hadn't said anything. Even Nephis continued her quiet practice beside them.
Ten minutes later, the rest of the class trickled in. Despite the noise and presence of more than twenty teens entering the room at a time, none of the three early arrivals even looked up.
Cassie kept practicing her swings, Sunny corrected her stance, and Nephis continued her silent routine.
It was only when Professor Rock officially began the class that they finally paused.
"Now that everyone is here, let me introduce myself for those who don't know. I am Professor Rock, and I will be your instructor for this fighting class." His stern voice echoed around the room. When no one responded, he continued, "We will start with a warm-up. Thirty-kilometer run. Let's begin."
A chorus of groans immediately erupted across the room.
Cassie walked up to the professor and whispered something in his ear. He nodded, and she stepped aside, exempted from the run.
Leading the rest of the students outside, Professor Rock blew the start signal, and Sunny shot forward instantly.
The track was straightforward, looping around the training grounds. Both Sunny and Nephis took the lead effortlessly, their strides smooth and controlled. Not far behind them, Caster was pushing himself to keep up.
By the end of the run, most of the teens were lying flat on the ground, gasping for breath like dying fish.
A few looked seconds away from passing out. For a moment, Sunny genuinely thought someone might die from exhaustion.
A light breeze rolled through the field, brushing through Sunny's slightly damp hair. Droplets of sweat clung to his face, though his expression remained neutral, his onyx eyes betraying nothing.
Caster, in contrast. He had a towel looped around his neck, using it repeatedly in an attempt to dry himself of the sweat that clung to both his body and face.
Sunny's gaze drifted across the group until it landed on Nephis. She stood perfectly still, eyes lowered toward the ground. Her hand kept brushing her damp white hair out of her face, an almost restless gesture, though no one else seemed to notice her discomfort.
He was about to look away when he spotted Cassie approaching in small, careful steps.
Before she could go any farther, Sunny moved instantly, closing the distance between them with silent speed.
"Hello, Cassie." Sunny smiled, genuine warmth in his voice.
Sunny had spotted Professor Rock quietly giving Cassie directions, guiding her toward where he and the others stood. She had turned her head toward him, taking careful steps in the direction he described. It was painfully clear she relied on other people just to navigate around.
A soft, faint smile appeared on Cassie's lips. "Hello, Sunny." She turned her head toward a voice further away, and Sunny glanced back too.
"Alright, now that you all have finished the warm-up," Professor Rock announced, his voice carrying across the field, "we will begin with several strength and technique exercises."
More groans rippled through the exhausted sleepers.
⸻
Today's class focused primarily on testing the Sleepers' general combat capability and physical strength. Afterward, they would be sorted into groups based on their level, novice, advanced, or expert. Their preferred weapon type. A few would even receive personal tutors or be paired together for special training.
At the moment, everyone took turns striking a wide metal plate attached to a strength-measuring machine. After each punch, the device displayed a number reflecting the Sleeper's physical power.
Training and technique heavily influenced the result.
Most students scored between ten and fourteen, an impressive number for an average person, the kind only well-trained athletes could usually reach. But several Sleepers with enhancement-type Aspects managed to reach fifteen or even sixteen.
Sunny observed the numbers carefully. If he had to make an estimate, he believed he could reach a twenty-three or twenty-four without using his Aspect. With enhancement... it would be significantly higher.
Nephis stepped forward next. She delivered her punch without hesitation, a sudden, sharp blow that cracked through the air. Sunny raised an eyebrow, surprised. Her form was nearly flawless, not a single wasted movement anywhere in her strike.
For a fallen clan, it was overwhelmingly impressive.
After a moment, the machine displayed the number:
16
Sunny felt a flicker of disappointment. He had expected a little higher from her raw physical strength. But what caught his attention was something else entirely, she hadn't used her Aspect.
There had to be a reason. If he had to guess, perhaps her Aspect wasn't focused on physical combat. Still... something told Sunny it wasn't that simple.
After Caster stepped forward, Sunny watched carefully.
Caster's fist moved so fast it blurred, barely visible. The machine shook violently, taking longer than expected to calculate the result.
Finally, two glowing numbers appeared:
21
A wave of shock swept through the class. Several students stared at Caster in awe, whispering among themselves. Caster simply bowed with exaggerated grace and stepped back.
Instructor Rock nodded, impressed.
Finally, it was Sunny's turn.
He stepped forward, adjusting his posture, feeling the ground beneath his feet. The crowd quieted instantly, eyes fixed on the prince of the Song Domain, but even then they all didn't know just how much power and influence he possessed, and just who his mother was.
Sunny exhaled once, calm, measured.
Then he drew back his fist.