Chapter 185

The last day before the annual tournament was meant for rest — a fragile breath after days of brutal simulations, cracked shields, and mana-depleting sparring under the mercenaries hired by Duke Stark. Muscles ached, bruises lingered, and half the group walked with stiff movements they tried to hide behind smiles.

But the trio — Kana, Suri, and Boris — weren’t planning to relax. Rest day or not, the tournament waited for no one. And enchanted items weren’t going to buy themselves. They must take all the advantages that they could.

The winter morning lay heavy over the central district, snowflakes swirling like slow-falling ash. The streets shimmered white, rooftops gathered thick layers of snow, and merchants blew into their hands to keep warm while setting up their wares. The central market, usually bustling, was quieter today… until it wasn’t.

A sudden rush of movement broke the calm.

Dozens of citizens hurried through the snow-packed street toward the Board Hall, a massive structure of stone pillars and a wide announcement wall sanctioned only for government, adventurer guild, and qualified merchant postings. The wooden boards displayed everything from adventurer, merchant announcements to kingdom decrees.

People swarmed toward it like winter-starved wolves.

Boris squinted. “What’s with all the running? Oi—brother!”

He planted a heavy arm across the chest of a passing young man but it was definitely older than him — more a wall than a gesture, really. The man skidded to a halt, eyes widening at the mountain of muscle that had intercepted him.

Kana winced. Suri quietly muttered, “He could’ve just asked normally…”

The man, probably in his early twenties, clicked his tongue in annoyance, but after meeting Boris’s towering form and boulder-like shoulders, his expression twisted into a begrudging smile.

“You haven’t heard?” he said breathlessly. “Rumor’s been spreading for days. Empire carriages arrived a few days ago. And now—” He jerked his chin toward the Board Hall. “There’s an official announcement about changes to the annual tournament. They’re saying there might be a duel. Our kingdom’s brightest student… against the empire’s.”

Suri tilted her head. “Brightest student…?”

Boris grinned and slapped Kana’s back. “That’s obviously her.”

Kana smiled awkwardly, but the man didn’t believe them and wasted no time sprinting off again.

The moment he left, Kana released a slow, foggy breath into the cold air.

“So it’s official then,” she murmured. “Looks like I’m… not participating with you after all.”

The weight of her words drifted through the air like falling snow.

Boris crossed his arms. “Kana… you think you can win?”

She didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she watched the flurry of people at the Board Hall, excitement mixed with worry, pride mixed with fear. The empire’s presence always stirred complicated emotions in the northern kingdom.

Slowly, she spoke.

“You know Senior Shawn Dawn, right?”

The two nodded.

“A few years ago, he visited the Empire with a delegation. There was… an unplanned duel. They didn’t want it. But it happened anyway.”

Snow crunched as Kana shifted her footing.

“It wasn’t a duel,” she said quietly. “It was a one-sided defeat. Shawn has tricky skills —with her [Esper] skills, mobility, misdirection — enough to win him countless matches at the academy. But against the empire’s…” Her voice thinned. “He was overwhelmed.”

Boris let out a low whistle. Even he knew how slippery Shawn Dawn could be.

Kana continued, “If I face someone like Shawn Dawn, I might actually struggle.”

Suri snorted. “I don’t think so.”

Kana blinked. 

Suri crossed her arms tightly over her chest, breath puffing out in a small cloud. “Kana… if you crush them too easily, the empire will dig into who you are. And when they find out what you can do…” Her eyes darkened. “They’ll want you.”

Kana stiffened.

She hadn’t expected Suri to think that far ahead.

“You’re right,” Kana whispered. “I can’t reveal too much but maybe you’re underestimating them too much?”

Boris scoffed loudly. “That’s stupid.”

Suri turned to glare at him. “What do you mean stupid?”

Boris jabbed a thumb toward Kana. “If I were you, I’d forget everything. Empire. Rumors. Politics. I’d go all out. No holding back. Imagine dueling someone who trained their whole life just to get defeated. The worst part? You’re playing with them.”

He smirked. “It’ll break their spirit”

Suri’s eyebrow twitched. “That is — the worst possible—”

Kana cut in gently. “Actually… both of you have a point.”

“Can I borrow a few coins?” Boris realized something, smiling at Kana.

Kana was curious but didn’t ask and gave him a hundred silver coins.

Suri and Boris locked eyes.

In perfect synchronization, they turned their heads away from each other.

“Hmph.”

They walked on through the snowy market, their breath fogging the cold air — three silhouettes preparing, in their own ways, the next few days would decide everything.

…….

The first day of the week—and with it, the long-awaited Annual Tournament Festival—finally arrived.

The trio met near the dormitory at dawn, breaths steaming in the cold winter air. Kana blinked in surprise. The academy grounds were unusually empty. Only a few scattered students hurried toward the main gate, and even from here the trio could hear the low roar of thousands gathered beyond the main gate—murmurs, shouts, vendors barking prices, the sharp hum of excitement vibrating like a distant storm.

“This is… a lot less people than I expected,” Kana murmured.

Rin shrugged, though her eyes gleamed with anticipation. “Most of them are already crowding the gate. The first day means the opening events, it's not as exciting as the main event so yes there will be less people . Anyone can join—nobles, commoners, students…” She smirked. “Or fools who want to show off.”

They followed the noise toward the training field—and then Kana stopped dead in her tracks.

The field was gone.

In its place stood something impossible: a colossal coliseum, towering like an ancient relic reborn—wide, circular, layered with ascending seats carved from pale stone that seemed almost to glow in the early morning frost. Thin streams of mana shimmered faintly along the edges of the structure, faint runic patterns etched deep into the walls.

Kana’s jaw dropped. “This… wasn’t here a week ago.”

“It was,” Yuri said, “just not in this form.”

Rin leaned forward, as if admiring their handiwork. “[Mage] earth variant. Before the annual tournament starts, they hire them, they bring in hundreds of them to create this masterpiece. Every year.”

Kana shook her head and muttered, “Half a year’s work done in seven days…engineers would weep.”

Engineers? Another alien word that she could understand or at least the idea of them.

The group climbed the stone steps until they spotted the rest of their team waving frantically. Kana slid into her seat—and the sheer scale of the arena stretched before her like a battlefield built for giants. Even though less than half the seats were filled, the hum of the crowd vibrated the stone beneath their feet.

Yuri fidgeted. “Are we really okay relaxing like this? Other groups are probably practicing until the last minute.”

“Resting is part of practice,” Kana replied, repeating a mantra from a life she barely remembered. “A blade kept under constant strain dulls faster than one properly sheathed.”

I swear I heard it from one of the movies… movies?

Rin nodded solemnly, as if Kana’s vague wisdom was a profound ancient proverb.

Then the announcer’s voice boomed—amplified by the glowing stone he held, a device Kana recognized from the fourth years’ inventions.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first event of the Annual Tournament Festival!” His voice rolled across the arena like a controlled explosion. “The Fast Sprint!”

Eighty participants gathered at the starting line. Some stretched. Some bounced on their heels. A few stood unnervingly still, like coiled springs waiting to snap. Many wore no boots, their feet wrapped in thin enchanted bindings that crackled with energy.

Kana leaned forward as the gong rang.

They didn’t run.

They erupted.

Air warped. Dirt exploded beneath their feet. Figures blurred into streaks of color—some vanishing entirely as [Blink] skill users flickered forward like stuttering lightning. Others pulsed with raw mana, legs glowing as [Enhanced Speed] propelled them at terrifying velocity.

Kana’s heart pounded. “This… this doesn’t look like sprinting anymore.”

It was very different from her memory.

Some were faster than her. A lot faster. She swallowed that uneasy realization.

The victor was a man named Sir Alex, who chain-blinked with inhuman efficiency, appearing at the finish line almost before Kana registered the first step.

“That still counts as sprinting?” Kana muttered.

“Rules never said you can’t use skills,” Toby said, eyes sparkling.

Event after event rolled by—boulder lifting that cracked the ground, archery so distant Kana had to squint to see the targets, and a javelin throw that tore a trench across the earth.

Rin and Toby narrated everything with fan-like enthusiasm—past winners, infamous mishaps, predictions delivered with scholarly seriousness. Kana found them entertaining. Suri slept through half the events, Boris looked ready to chew through his own boredom.

When the final gong rang and the first day concluded, the crowd began dispersing. Kana stretched—and froze.

Not far from the arena entrance, a group walked through the thinning crowd with casual confidence. Their skin gleamed like hammered copper, bronzed deeply as if sculpted by desert suns. Their clothes bore the empire’s crest. Their movements radiated the coiled grace of trained predators.

Empire students.

Three of them were her age—maybe a bit older—and yet the sheer force of presence around them was suffocating. Their mana pulsed differently, sharper, harsher, as if born in harsher lands.

Kana’s pulse skittered.

These are the ones… the type who defeated the likes of Shaun Dawn so easily?

Their aura reminded her of fourth-year elites—focused, seasoned, utterly sure of themselves.

“How,” Kana whispered, “did they win so easily…?”

Because from here, the empire looked so beatable. She could tell at a glance, her level was higher than them.

They didn’t look terrifying.

What is so special about them?

Though she wouldn’t be careless. Boris was right. She must go all-out.

Post note:

First chap of the week. Hope you enjoy 🙂