The training auditorium felt larger now that they were standing in it, the high ceilings and reinforced walls creating an arena that swallowed sound and amplified tension. Cairo's ten classmates spread out across the space, some clustering together nervously, others isolating themselves in corners, their body language screaming leave me alone.
Cairo took the opportunity to observe, really observe, cataloging threats and potential allies with the cold calculation the system had awakened in him.
His gaze swept across the room, picking out the ones who didn't look defeated. The ones who stood apart not from fear but from confidence.
The first was impossible to miss.
A girl with crimson hair that fell in loose waves past her shoulders, the color so vivid it looked like it might ignite. Blue eyes that carried a sharpness beneath their beauty. But what really caught Cairo's attention, what would have caught anyone's attention, was her figure.
She was the most busty girl he'd seen since entering this Academy, and that was saying something considering he'd spent time around Eden and witnessed the Alpha class lineup. Her uniform blazer strained against curves that seemed designed to defy fabric, buttons working overtime. Her face matched the rest of her, beautiful in a way that was almost aggressive, features that demanded attention rather than politely requesting it.
She stood near the far wall, arms crossed beneath her chest in a way that only emphasized what she was working with, her expression bored as she watched the other students mill about nervously.
Alina Tallis. The name floated up from Cairo's fragmented memories of the webnovel, though he couldn't recall specific details about her role in the story. Delta class hadn't been a major focus in the early chapters.
But she looked strong. Carried herself with the kind of confidence that came from knowing exactly what she was capable of.
Cairo filed her away as priority target number one.
His attention shifted to another girl who'd claimed a corner for herself. Silver hair that shimmered under the auditorium's lights, cut in a neat bob that framed delicate features. Light blue eyes that tracked movement with predatory focus. She was curvaceous in ways that made Cairo's enhanced attributes take notice, her figure balanced perfectly between strength and sensuality. Her chest rivaled Alina's in sheer presence, and her posterior matched in prominence.
What really caught his attention though was the katana she held.
The weapon rested in her hands with the casual familiarity of someone who'd been wielding blades since they could walk. She turned it slowly, examining the edge with an expression of intense concentration, completely ignoring everyone else in the room.
Layla Wisteria. Another name Cairo recognized vaguely, though again the specific details eluded him. But that katana suggested her talent was weapon-related, and anyone confident enough to bring a blade to what was supposed to be hand-to-hand combat assessment clearly had something to back up that confidence.
Priority target number two.
The third girl who stood out was impossible to categorize as anything but a man's fantasy made flesh.
A Therianthrope, specifically wolf-based if Cairo was reading the subtle signs correctly. Dark purple hair that looked almost black until the light hit it right, revealing its true color. Purple eyes that gleamed with an animal quality, tracking movement and body language with the instincts of a predator. Her figure was... exceptional. Curvaceous didn't do it justice. Busty didn't capture the full picture. She was built like someone had asked what the ideal female form looked like and then added twenty percent more to every curve.
But what really set her apart was her energy. While Alina projected bored confidence and Layla radiated focused intensity, this girl seemed almost playful. Free-spirited. She stretched like a cat, her movements fluid and unselfconscious, completely comfortable in her own skin in a way that was almost intoxicating to watch.
Dena Beaufort. That name Cairo recognized immediately, and with it came a flood of information. The Beaufort family. Shadow Wraith talent. One of the most versatile and dangerous abilities in the entire webnovel, capable of manipulating darkness itself to devastating effect.
Priority target number three.
Cairo's gaze continued its sweep, cataloging the remaining students. The mousy-haired girl from earlier looked terrified. The two complaining boys were trying to psych themselves up with increasingly hollow bravado. Michael stood off to one side, his posture tense but determined, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides like he was already practicing grip for a weapon he didn't have yet.
Then Cairo saw him.
A boy who practically radiated wrongness. Short white hair that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Crimson eyes that carried an intensity bordering on madness. But what really made Cairo's instincts scream was the aura.
Red. Pulsing. Visible even without magical sight, it seeped from the boy's body every few minutes like blood from a wound. The air around him seemed to shimmer with heat and violence, and other students unconsciously gave him a wide berth.
Lex Crawford. Cairo didn't recognize the name, but that aura told him everything he needed to know. This was someone dangerous, someone whose talent was combat-oriented and probably volatile.
Priority threat.
"Alright," Noah's voice cut through the nervous energy filling the auditorium. "Here's how this works. I'm going to pair you up. You fight. Winner advances, loser is out. No second chances, no rematches. One elimination bracket until we're down to our final candidates for Commander and Vice Commander."
He pulled out a small tablet, swiping through what looked like a randomized pairing list.
"First match," Noah announced. "Alina Tallis versus Rebecca Marsh."
The mousy-haired girl, Rebecca apparently, made a sound like a wounded animal. Alina just smiled, slow and predatory, and walked to the center of the auditorium floor.
Cairo watched carefully as the match began.
Rebecca tried, he'd give her that. She summoned what looked like earth manipulation, chunks of the reinforced floor cracking and rising at her command. But her control was shaky, the attacks telegraphed and slow.
Alina didn't even move from her starting position.
Objects around Rebecca began to lift. Training equipment from the racks. Loose debris from the floor. Even Rebecca herself rose a few inches off the ground, her eyes going wide with panic.
Telekinesis. But far more refined than any basic version Cairo had read about. Alina's control was surgical, precise, capable of targeting multiple objects simultaneously while maintaining enough force to immobilize a struggling opponent.
The match ended when Rebecca was unceremoniously slammed into the padded wall with enough force to knock the wind out of her but not cause serious injury. She slid to the ground gasping, and Noah called it.
"Winner, Alina Tallis. Next match, Layla Wisteria versus David Chen."
One of the complaining boys stepped forward, trying to project confidence he clearly didn't feel. Layla moved to the center with her katana held loosely at her side, her expression never changing.
David launched some kind of fire projectile, crude but effective. It should have hit Layla center mass.
It didn't.
The fire dispersed three feet from Layla's body, dissipating like it had hit an invisible wall. David tried again, this time with multiple projectiles from different angles. Same result. They all stopped just outside of striking range of her blade, unable to penetrate some kind of barrier.
Then Layla moved.
One step forward, impossibly fast. Her katana didn't even leave its sheath. But David screamed and collapsed, clutching his arm where a deep cut had appeared as if from nowhere.
"Zone," Noah said from the sidelines, his tone carrying a hint of approval. "The Wisteria family talent. Creates an invisible sphere around the user. Anything that enters that sphere is subject to the user's will. In Layla's case, anything that enters her Zone can be cut, regardless of whether her blade physically touches it."
Cairo filed that away. Dangerous at close range, probably less effective at distance, but that speed made closing to distance a nightmare.
"Winner, Layla Wisteria. Next match, Dena Beaufort versus Thomas Wright."
The second complaining boy looked like he wanted to run. Dena stretched one more time, her movements languid, then walked to the center with a smile that showed a hint of canine.
Thomas tried to rush her, probably hoping to end it quickly with physical force. He never made contact.
Shadows rose from the floor like living things, wrapping around Thomas's legs and arms, binding him in place. He struggled, panic evident on his face, but the shadows only tightened.
Then Dena was behind him somehow, having moved through the darkness itself, and her hand was on his shoulder.
"Yield?" she asked pleasantly.
Thomas yielded immediately, his voice high with terror.
"Shadow Wraith," Noah announced. "The Beaufort family talent. Manipulation and traversal of darkness. Particularly devastating at night, but hardly useless during the day as you just saw."
Cairo's mind raced. That mobility was insane. And if she could move through shadows, conventional attacks would be nearly useless unless you could eliminate all darkness from the battlefield.
Michael fought against a girl with weak healing abilities and won through sheer determination and surprisingly good hand-to-hand technique.
Then Noah called the match Cairo had been waiting for.
"Cairo Starlight versus Lex Crawford."
Cairo walked to the center, feeling every eye in the room on him. Lex stood across from him, that red aura pulsing more strongly now, excitement or bloodlust or both evident in his crimson eyes.
"Berserker talent," Lex said, his voice rough like he wasn't used to speaking. "Makes me stronger the more I fight. The more I hurt. The angrier I get. You should yield now, Starlight. Save yourself the pain."
Cairo said nothing, just settled into a ready stance. His mind was already analyzing, already planning.
Berserker. A talent that increased power through combat and damage. Which meant the longer the fight went, the more dangerous Lex would become. Cairo needed to end this quickly, efficiently, before that escalation became a problem.
But he also needed to hold back. Revealing his full capabilities now would be strategic suicide. Better to win convincingly but not overwhelmingly, save the real surprises for when they mattered.
Noah raised his hand. "Begin."
Lex charged immediately, no strategy, just raw aggression. That red aura flared brighter, and Cairo could feel the heat coming off him like standing near a furnace.
Cairo sidestepped the first wild swing, his enhanced agility making the movement look effortless. Lex recovered faster than expected though, spinning into a backhand that would have taken Cairo's head off if it connected.
It didn't. Cairo ducked under it, stepped in close, and drove his fist into Lex's solar plexus.
The hit landed solidly, driven by enhanced strength that made the impact sound like a thunderclap. Lex stumbled back, gasping, and Cairo saw the aura pulse brighter in response to the pain.
There. That was the talent activating. Taking damage and converting it to increased power.
Cairo needed to end this now.
He pressed the advantage, moving faster than Lex could track with his pain-addled senses. A combination of strikes, precise and brutal, targeting nerve clusters and pressure points rather than trying to overpower with raw force.
Lex swung wildly, his enhanced strength making each attack potentially devastating. But enhanced strength meant nothing if you couldn't land a hit.
Cairo flowed around the attacks like water, his combat instincts sharpened by his boosted attributes and the fragmented memories of reading about combat techniques in the webnovel. Each dodge was minimal, conserving energy while Lex burned through his.
Finally, Cairo saw his opening. Lex overextended on a haymaker, leaving his guard completely open. Cairo stepped in, drove his palm up under Lex's chin, and followed with a sweep that took the larger boy's legs out from under him.
Lex hit the ground hard, the red aura flickering like a candle in wind. Cairo stood over him, ready to continue if necessary.
"Yield," Lex gasped out, and Cairo could see genuine respect in those crimson eyes despite the defeat.
"Winner, Cairo Starlight."
Cairo stepped back, helping Lex to his feet despite having just beaten him. The other boy nodded acknowledgment of the gesture and limped to the sidelines.
Cairo returned to his observation position, noting the looks his classmates were giving him now. Surprise mostly. The weakest bloodline descendant had just beaten someone with a combat-focused talent.
Good. Let them underestimate what else he was capable of.
The remaining matches concluded quickly. By the time Noah called a halt, only five students remained standing.
Alina Tallis, her crimson hair still perfect, her expression still bored despite having demolished her opponent.
Layla Wisteria, her katana still sheathed, her light blue eyes tracking the other winners with calculating focus.
Dena Beaufort, stretching lazily like the violence had been nothing more than light exercise, her purple eyes gleaming with amusement.
Cairo Starlight, keeping his expression neutral despite the adrenaline still pumping through his system, aware that the real challenges were just beginning.
And Michael Chamberlain, breathing heavily but standing tall, clearly surprised he'd made it this far but determined not to show weakness.
Five candidates. Two leadership positions to fill.
Noah surveyed them with something that might have been approval in his tired eyes.
"Not bad," he said, and coming from him that was probably high praise. "These are your finalists for Class Commander and Vice Commander. Though they were placed in Delta class, you five have proven you're not any weaker than the descendants of heroes should be."
He let that sink in for a moment, acknowledgment of their strength wrapped in reminder of their supposed failure.
"This will be a great match."
Cairo stood among the other four, sizing them up now that he'd seen what they could do. Alina's telekinesis was devastating but required concentration. Layla's Zone was nearly unbeatable at close range but had limited area. Dena's Shadow Wraith was versatile but probably weakened in bright light. Michael had solid fundamentals but no awakened talent yet.
And Cairo had the system. Had Limitbreak. Had knowledge none of them possessed.