The large Khausfallian male lowered his body, picking up a lance from the rack.

The lance possessed two inverted circular crescents to the sides of the handle. The rest remained similar to a regular lance — spike-like.

Standing inches away from the being, I gaped at his features. Khausfallians were similar to humans except for their ears and slight facial differences.

Yet, that confirmation didn't help. The student in front of me was twice my size. Furthermore, the boy's shirt could barely contain his massive muscles...

"Hurry up and get into the chamber!" The Professor yelled. "The spar shall span five minutes."

I walked past the red linings on the floor — a circle.

I gulped, nearing the center of the area. Calming myself down, I closed my eyes, breathing in from my nose and out from my mouth.

"Greetings, my name is Keiji," the Khausfallian male extended his hand, growing a smile with a relaxed tone.

I opened my eyes and reached out my hand. Clutching Keiji's hand and shaking it, I murmured. "My name is Wryn."

Letting go of his hand, I got into position.

I finally understood why I was so against children fighting. It didn't make any sense to me, yet everyone was acting as if it was normal. In what world was it normal for children to fight?

I guess fighting happened in my old world, but still, it wasn't encouraged.

Shaking my head, I stopped thinking about useless ordeals. I lifted my daggers, looking at my opponent.

The Professor yelled, causing the red linings around us to encircle in a white particle sheet. "Begin!"

At the time, I knew I had two options: fight back or give up. The reasonability in me wanted to give up. But I didn't want to be beaten in front of a crowd.

Of course not! I wasn't going to let myself get belittled.

Keiji extended his lance towards my face.

Lifting my daggers, I placed them in front of Keiji's attack. I patiently waited for the heavy strikes.

'Now,' I thought, encompassing myself in lightning. Instead of blocking, I threw one dagger at Keiji, missing him.

But thanks to my throw, Keiji was thrown off balance.

I pivoted to the right, dodging the shaky attack.

Keiji repositioned himself, bringing his lance back up and ushering it downwards to the right.

I jumped to the left, causing the lance to hit the floor and miss me.

Keiji inflamed his lance with fire. "You brat!" He clenched his teeth as his eyes widened in anger.

I tried to plot out my next course of action, but Keiji had other plans.

He ran towards me, swinging his lance like a baseball bat at my face.

It was nearly impossible for me to get my other dagger. Therefore, I did the only thing I could do: get into a defensive position with one dagger.

I blocked the attack with my right hand, shattering my dagger on impact. I dropped the remnants, pivoting to create space.

"DAMN IT," I yelled, trying to pivot, but my foot was stuck under Keiji's foot.

I couldn't move!

Keiji launched another attack, this time applying more force. His blade reached high into the sky, falling towards me.

I used my other leg, kicking Keiji's leg, but he didn't budge.

His blade hit my chest, sliding me leftwards. I hit the barrier, colliding my head and my body with it.

I moaned in pain, holding my waist. My face grew in agony, and my knees gave up as I fell to the floor. All of this occurred, yet the Professor didn't utter a word.

It was reasonable to end this fight, right? Wrong!

There was no indication of ceasing the fight. I knew it because that damn adult-like child chased me — Keiji.

I looked at the Professor, yelling. "Is the fight over?!"

She tapped her watch, shrugging. "Still time on the clock."

I clenched my teeth, using the barrier as support. I stood up and hopped towards the right, noticing my other dagger. In an attempt to not die, I picked up the dagger with all my might.

That's all I could do before the charging boy reached me.

His lance extended upwards, nearing me. I was too hurt to dodge the attack like before.

I stretched my right arm upwards, guiding the dagger towards the lance. My arm shook in agony, but I couldn't give up. I raised my other arm, creating a ball of lightning, purposefully adding more magic, making it explode.

The lighting exploded in his face, disorientating him.

I let the lance hit my dagger, but I made sure to hit a specific spot. My dagger pushed through the lance's inverted crescent design.

I pushed the lance to the left, causing Keiji's attack to be shifted.

Keiji continued his attack, adding more force and striking the ground.

I leaped rightwards, then forward, jumping towards Keiji. He was still squinting because of the lightning ball's explosion — flash.

Using all my right arm's strength, I reached toward Keiji's face, forming a fist.

I hit his face, and I could clearly see his face reverberate as I hit it.

I won...

I fell to the floor, letting out a sigh.

Opening his eyes, Keiji swiftly swayed his head back into position. Lifting the lance, he drove it near my head, inches away from my eye.

"Enough!" The Professor yelled, pointing at her watch. "Times up."

Keiji halted his attack, dropping the lance. "Don't you dare mock our techniques! Next time, I'll do more than just this."

Breathing in and out, I stood up and backed away from the child.

'Damn it,' I closed my eyes, walking toward the class.

I couldn't really formulate any thoughts, so I neared Ash, flicking him on the head. "You could have had me killed."

Blinking in fear, Ash looked at me, looking away like a child getting lectured. "I'm sorry."

Rubbing my temple, I let out a whisper. "Shit."

It just occurred to me. The fighting method I learned was a Khausfallian technique. Keiji must have thought I was mocking his culture. After all, most Khausfallian students enrolled in the Academy today. There wasn't any other explanation for his outrage.

Near Ash were Allura and her friend: Edea. They seemed worried, but Allura looked more disappointed than anything.

"I want next!" A kid yelled, facing the Professor. His blondish and black hair mixture was a dead giveaway to who he was: Valis.

The Professor's eyes were wide open in anger, but she shook her head. "So be it." The Professor pointed to a random child, calling them forward.

The rest of the course entailed light fights and random lectures by the Professor. She would comment on flaws and improvements, but most of it didn't even help me.

"You all are dismissed," the Professor yelled, gripping her hands. Her eyes bulged out, and her nose crinkled as she left the area.

"Good riddance," I whispered, placing my arm around Ash's shoulder. "Now, how should I make you pay for that?" I rubbed my chin with my left hand like an evil scientist. "A little shock will do!"

I ejected lightning from my hand onto Ash, causing his hair to puff out.

"EEEEE," Ash wailed as the shock hit him. He began jumping up and down. "Enough, enough, enough!"

"Alright," I snickered, pushing Ash onto the floor.

Walking over Ash, I looked around, trying to find Allura And Edea.

Finally, spotting them talking to other students, I remembered something important.

I remembered wanting to check out the combat facility with Allura, but I couldn't because of Alren's stupidity. I reasonably needed to inform Allura that I had joined one.

"Let's go, Ash," I said, looking back and kicking him while he was on the floor.

He got up, straightening his hair. "Where did Ulotaine go?" He looked around, pointing at a girl. He winked, elbowing me. "I have a date with a girl."

Not saying a word, I opened my mouth, skeptical.

"She's the girl that Professor Grumili called upon, but thanks to me calling you out for your misbehavior, she didn't get in trouble! Ulotaine was so appreciative that she wanted to go out with me!" He looked at me, smiling.

Shaking my head, I closed my eyes and let out a sight. Waving at him, I walked forward.

He gave me a thumbs-up, running towards the girl.

Thanks to me, that nincompoop was able to pull a girl.

I smacked my face, stopping.

I had no interest in love or anything regarding that field. I was too old for that...

Though, it made me think about the mental age of the others around me.

The children around my age were somewhat mature. I mean, obviously, I was going to be mature. But the children around me were only teens, yet they acted more like adults than some adults in my old world.

For my sanity, I shrugged it off with logic. 'Perhaps in this world, children mature and age faster. Just like in books, shows, and anime...' I guess it made sense since some of the children didn't even look like teens, for fuck's sake.

By the time I finished my reflection moment, the only individuals left were Allura and Edea.

I approached Allura, saluting her. "How's life, o great one."

With a straight face, Allura made eye contact. "You could have done a better job at resembling a clown."

"What!? There are clowns in this world?" I sputtered, narrowing my eyes.

Shaking her head, Allura began walking away with her friend.

"This clown got into a Combat Team or whatever they call it," I yawned, hands behind my head.

Allura looked backward, raising her eyebrows. "Which one?"

I smiled, cracking my knuckles and nearing the two girls. "Not a big deal or anything, but Bertin's organization."

Allura looked confused at first but grew a sinister smile. "Let me join too!" She then glanced to her left. "Would you like to join, Edea?"

Edea's smile turned into a grimace. She stared at the floor, shaking her head. "You guys go do that. I have some work to do."

"Are you sure?" Allura tilted her head.

"Yeah, it's fine! Enjoy!" She ran, not letting us get a clear view of her face.

After the unexpected reaction from Edea, we both walked to the combat facility. On the way, it was a simple walk without much discussion. It was refreshing compared to the high-octane combat that transpired.

"We're here," I cringed, noticing my burnt clothing. 'Tehla is going to kill me.'

Allura opened the door to the facility, and luckily enough, Bertin was there. He was fighting against Mythrn, and other than them, no one else was present. We let their fight end before we intervened.

Allura dipped her head towards Mythrn. "Greetings."

Mythrn responded, saluting Allura. "What are you doing here?"

I raised my hand, smiling. "I wanted to see if Allura could join?"

Bertin remained silent, looking at Allura and me. He grew a smile, chuckling. "Why not! having a Commander's daughter join our team is quite intimidating!"

Mythrn looked at Allura, closing his eyes. "Remember joining this doesn't excuse you from Student Board work."

Allura nodded, answering. "I understand."

Bertin tapped my shoulder, asking. "What happened to your clothes?" His eyes focused on the burnt fabric near my waist.

"It happened during Combat Class. That damn Professor didn't end the spar." I let out a sigh, straightening my clothes, or what was an attempt to make them look better.

Rubbing his chin, Bertin looked at Mythrn. "Mythrn, you should talk to the admin about this. Also, get some combat wear for Allura." Bertin rubbed his chin — giving his usual expression — smiling. He turned around, waving. "I'll be going to class! See you guys tomorrow."

I likewise left from the facility, waving at Allura and Myrhrn.

Mythrn provided a thumbs up, ushering Allura towards the resting area. A box was there, which I assumed had the gear in it.

I exited the building with Bertin as he laughed. "So, did you win or lose?"

I shook my head, whispering. "I lost."

Bertin snapped his finger, patting my shoulder. "It's fine. You lose some, and you win some. You'll find a way to keep moving and progressing. At the end of the day, you'll live."

I was genuinely concerned about the mental age of these children. They were much older mentally than normal children. To be frank, Bertin was more of an adult than a teen, but still impressive advice from a pubescent teen.

"Thank you," I waved at Bertin as he wandered to his class. I, on the other hand, walked towards the entrance.

On my way to the entrance, I noticed a nice spot to relax. It was an area with flowers and two benches. There was also a water fountain in the middle.

Since the school was located in a forest, barriers disallowed students to pass. This area, however, was in a caveat as the space was a small semi-circle surrounded by the forest. Of course, there was a barrier around, but still, it was surreal.

I took a seat on the bench, looking at the water dripping down the fountain. I relaxed my position, letting my legs stretch out.

Watching the water drip down was oh so relaxing.

*DRIP*

*DRIP*

*DRIP*

The relaxation really did help me reflect.

I realized that Bertin was correct, that I'd live another day. Still, being beat wasn't something I could handle. Perhaps it was competitiveness kicking in. Or was it my new body's hormones?

Slapping myself, I opened my eyes. I knew I had to act more mature. I was letting a fight that meant nothing control my irritation.

A voice yelled, coming from the left of me. "Hey, hey."

'What now,' I thought, squinting my eyes.

I turned my head, seeing a group of three students next to me. It was Valis and his two fangirls. The fatass child to the right was eating some type of candy. The child to the left was a skinny dwarf on his tiptoes — what I think was an attempt to seem intimidating. In the middle of these children was Valis, the cocky bastard. All three of them were visibly upset, impatiently showing signs of violence.

Valis was tapping his feet on the ground while the skinny dwarf tried to intimidate me by standing tall. The fatass was just eating his candy...

"Hey, hey, come on, Princess! We don't have all day!" Valis barked, grabbing my shoulder as his face grew red, veins popping out. His eyebrows pointed downwards as he developed a frown. "How the hell did you?!"

I stood up, pushing Valis off of me. "Calm down, Grinch." Creating space, I took three steps backward. "I don't know what you want, but it certainly doesn't involve me."

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! How did you get into Bertin's group but lose a class battle?!" Valis advanced closer while his lackeys watched, encouraging him. "It's not possible! We should have got in, not you!"

'Why can't I just have a peaceful day?' I curled my lip, looking at him.

Water formed from his hand as he pointed it at me. "HOW?!"

If there was one thing my old life prepared me for, it was for scenarios like this.

'The one who draws their weapon first wins... No, they live.' I remembered, forming lightning around me.

I took out one dagger — not dull — imposing it against Valis's neck. My blade touched his adam apple, not causing any damage. My other arm was around Valis to make sure he wouldn't move. I didn't apply any pressure, but Valis knew if he moved. It would be over for him.

Valis ferociously began breathing from his nose — in and out.

His friends ran towards him, but before they fully could, I yelled. "STOP."

"That's dirty," the dwarf shouted on his tiptoes.

"You can't do that. That's against the rules!" The fatass snorted, dropping his snack.

"What rules? Rules dictated by who?" I questioned, pressing the blade harder, causing a bit of blood to drip. "By you fools? If that's the case, we're better off with no rules!"

"Stop it! You'll kill him, you lunatic!" The dwarf yelled, forming some type of magic with his hand.

But before he could, Valis sniveled. "Stop!" He took a deep sniff, whispering. "Ruteack, Birrod, back off. Both of you back off now!"

"No way, we're gonna punish this-"

"Get the hell out of here!" Valis screamed, causing the dagger to go in a little deeper. It wasn't anything worse than a bad papercut, but I wasn't trying to cause such damage.

Both the delinquents ran off, leaving Valis and me alone. His face was fiery red, but his body language was calm. He didn't waste any movement trying to escape. He simply remained in my grasp.

"Let's forget about today," he remained calm, not provoking any force.

"And why should I?" I asked, making sure to keep a good grip on my dagger.

Valis let out a deep breath, calming himself down. "I have some important business to attend to. It's best if we forget about this."

"Wouldn't it have been wise to not do this if you had important business to attend?!" I questioned, gripping the dagger even harder.

"You're right, and in all honesty, we had no intentions of a fight. We came here to befriend you."

"What a nice way to ask someone to be your friend," I laughed, pressing the dagger slightly harder. "Get out of my face, alright?"

"Yeah, sure thing," Valis rasped, gritting his teeth.

I let go of Valis, pushing him forward — away from me. He began to walk in the other direction but suddenly stopped. He looked backward at me, "If it's a dirty fight you want. Then I'll give you just that." He turned around and continued walking.

Just like the unexpected event began, it ended.

I sat down on the bench, placing my dagger back. I grasped the surroundings, letting them calm me down.

I again was alone in the beautiful view.

*DRIP*

*DRIP*

*DRIP*

I glanced at my clothing, growing frustrated. I sighed, standing up. 'Tehla is going to kill me.'

"Oh well, things could have been worse," I said, laughing. I moved to the entrance, mentally prepared for a lecture by Tehla.