"You want to have a duel with me?" Vale asked, narrowing his eyes as he studied the glint in Nym's bright green ones.
Nym smirked as if she had been waiting for that exact question. She lifted a hand to her chest in an overly dramatic gesture, closed her eyes, and declared with theatrical pride:
"Of course. I want to know exactly how strong my equal is."
Vale raised a brow.
"Equal? What do you mean by that?"
Nym cracked one eye open, her smirk stretching wider.
"Well, we're the only two people who managed to force a senior to actually take us seriously. No one else has pulled that off, not this year, not last year. That makes us equals… don't you think?"
Her expression gave away her delight long before her words did.
Vale had suspected she was impressive, but hearing her say it so boldly amused him. She wasn't just skilled, she was proud of it, and more importantly, she had every right to be.
He thought about what he had heard:
She was a prodigy, hated by her classmates, yet capable of defeating Eskar, the model student, like it was child's play. It made sense now why she carried herself like a storm in human form.
Vale let out a small chuckle and offered her an exaggeratedly polite bow.
"Very well then. Where shall we have this duel, miss?"
Nym's face brightened with uncontained excitement.
"Delightful! We'll head to the gymnasium."
She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "And I suggest we use rules."
That caught Vale's attention.
"Rules? What kind of rules?"
Her eyes sparkled.
"All kinds." A grin spread over her pale face. "Anyway, let's get moving. If we hurry, we might even get an official match."
She turned on her heel, waving one hand behind her.
"Follow me."
Vale couldn't help smiling at her enthusiasm. He turned his gaze toward Korin, who still sat hunched on the tiny bench, his massive frame almost swallowing it whole while Tachyon perched beside him.
Their eyes met. Vale's grin shifted into something more arrogant.
"Wanna come too?"
Korin blinked, surprised he was being included. After a moment, he smiled awkwardly and patted the back of his head.
"Yeah, sure. Thanks."
Tachyon chirped once before shooting into the sky, disappearing in a blink, its speed too fast for Vale's eyes to track.
Vale waited until Korin stood beside him.
"Lead the way?"
Korin nodded and started walking, though his voice trembled with uncertainty as he spoke.
"U-uh, just so you know… Nym lied a little. I'm also equal to the two of you. Maybe even… stronger."
Vale almost tripped over a stray rock.
His eyebrows shot up.
"How so?"
Korin rubbed his neck awkwardly.
"My ability removes my physical limit Completely. But… since my realm is in chaos right now, it's pretty much uncontrollable."
Vale's expression tightened in thought.
Removing physical limits… yes, that was terrifyingly strong, simple and brutal but effective. In a strange way, it fit Korin perfectly.
But before he could ask anything else, Korin spoke again, voice soft and hesitant:
"Well… 'limit' is the wrong word. It removes the risk. If that makes sense."
Vale looked up, startled by that clarification.
"I see."
He let the subject rest. He didn't need more details, he'd witness it himself eventually. Besides, he preferred to keep his mind clear before the duel.
The three walked through the quiet garden for several minutes until a massive circular building came into view. Its walls were tall, smooth, and reinforced with layers of dark alloy, clearly built to contain something much stronger than ordinary students.
Nym spun around dramatically in front of the entrance.
"Ta-da! The gymnasium. The teacher's a bit grumpy, so just ignore him, alright?"
She grinned proudly, then turned again and pushed both doors open with unnecessary force.
"Hi everyone! I'm back!" she announced like she owned the place.
Everything inside froze in an instant.
Students paused mid-punch, mid-jump, mid-conversation, some even mid-fall. Heads snapped toward her, then toward Vale and Korin standing behind her. Whispers rippled through the room like a chorus of startled birds.
Then a deep, irritated voice boomed:
"NYM!!!"
Vale scanned the gym for the source and found it quickly: a short man stomping toward them with the fury of a much taller one. He had short black hair, dark eyes, and olive-toned skin, his expression alone enough to scare half the class into silence.
"Why the hell are you skipping combat training again?!" he barked, his voice echoing off the high ceiling.
Nym looked completely unfazed, as if she had heard this exact yell at least a hundred times.
But when the teacher got close enough to notice Vale and Korin, he stopped dead in his tracks. His anger dissolved instantly, replaced by pure shock.
His eyes hovered over Vale's metallic arm, then his eyes, then Nym, then back again.
Nym casually gestured toward Vale.
"Vale, this is the teacher I told you about."
The teacher's face drained of color.
"That kid… he's the Rose of Skill?" he asked, voice suddenly low, almost afraid.
Nym nodded cheerfully.
"Yup. This is my dear friend Vale."
Vale raised a brow as he heard Nym's words, unsure whether she truly meant them or simply used the label "friend" to make things flow more easily. the Teacher brought a tired hand to his face, dragging it down with the kind of exasperation one only earned through years of dealing with Nym in particular. When he looked up again, his expression had softened.
"Hey, Vale," he said, voice calmer now. "Sorry she had to be your first impression of this class. Either way, it's a pleasure to meet the newest member of the Rose family. I'm Julian, lead combat instructor."
Julian's eyes slid to Korin next, taking in the towering figure looming behind Vale. Korin offered him a sheepish smile.
"I see you brought Korin with you as well," Julian said, smiling back with a brief, knowing look.
Then his gaze snapped toward Nym, the warmth draining instantly from his expression. A strained, obviously forced smile took its place.
"So," he asked through gritted teeth, "what did you come to do here, Nym?"
Behind him, the students had gone completely silent. The whispers that followed were thin but rapid, spreading through the room like sparks crawling across dry grass. Dozens of eyes bounced between Nym, Vale, and Korin in awe and confusion, and Vale felt their attention like a physical weight.
Nym, however, basked in it. Her arrogant smile only grew.
"Well," she declared proudly, lifting her chin, "we came here to duel, of course."
Julian blinked once, twice, then slowly closed his eyes and let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Of course you did," he muttered. "That's all you ever come here for, isn't it?"
Nym nodded enthusiastically.
"Naturally. I'm far better than anyone in this room, so why would I come for anything else?"
That statement sent the class rippling with reactions. Some students glared at her in anger, others looked away in embarrassment, a few whispered that she was insane. But Nym seemed immune to all of it. Vale watched her with mild amusement, until a different presence caught his attention.
Across the room, standing stiffly near a training rack, was Eskar.
The same Eskar Nym had humiliated earlier.
He stared directly at Vale with sharp, focused eyes, unblinking and intense. Vale blinked once, then simply gave him a polite wave and a small, courteous smile. Eskar's glare sharpened further.
"Fine," Julian said finally. "You can duel. But there will be rules, and it won't be an official match. You two are not normal students, after all."
Nym's eyes sparkled with excitement. She turned toward Vale, looking him up and down again with an assessing gaze before placing one hand beneath her chin. She stepped closer, closing the distance without hesitation.
"You're going to need new clothes," she announced.
Vale gave her a dry, confused look.
"And where exactly should I get those?"
Julian answered before Nym could.
"There are spare combat uniforms in the men's locker room." He tossed Vale a metal key. Vale caught it easily. "Through that door. Should be your size."
Vale placed a fist over his chest and bowed politely.
"Thank you."
He headed across the gymnasium, feeling dozens of silent stares pierce into his back. No one spoke, not a word, yet the air felt thick with speculation. He pushed open the locker room door and closed it behind him, shutting out the noise.
Inside, he immediately noticed a neatly organized stack of clothing: compression shirts in several sizes, along with flexible combat pants made from a dark, durable material. Vale examined one of the shirts, pulling gently on the fabric. It stretched easily but refused to tear or deform. Despite its softness, it radiated an almost metallic toughness.
Flexible, but strong… feels like steel without the weight.
An impressive design.
He set the shirt down and began removing his armor. As it came off piece by piece, he paused briefly, looking down at himself.
His torso was a map of dense scars, pale lines crossing old wounds. His left arm bore a bone-like implant embedded neatly into the flesh, while his right arm gleamed, sleek, metallic, and alive with faint bio-mechanical movements.
For a moment, he simply looked at himself.
'This body… it's changed so much already.'
After a breath, he pulled the new clothes on. They fit surprisingly well, tight enough to follow his movements, loose enough to allow full flexibility. It felt lighter than his armor, almost freeing.
When he reached the door again, he placed his hand on it and murmured under his breath,
"Alright… let's get this over with."