Chapter 151: 151 Challenge.

The sun glared above from the cloudless sky, casting a long shadow across the grassy training field.

Becoming an overseer at the crisp and ruthless scene in the area where students sprawled on the ground gasping for breath with soaked bodies.

The scent of grass and sweat mixed in the air, thick but not overwhelming.

From afar, the screeching voice of cicadas welcomed them with a dampened mood as they witnessed the battle unfolding in the middle of the field.

Jin exhaled softly, his breath steady even after rigorous training for hours under the summer weather that scorched his skin.

He shifted his stance and deflected Kaede’s blade with a gauntlet he borrowed from Kurobe.

Sparks scattered while Kaede’s eyes showed no impatient or clear intent. She was void, and it was hard for normal people to guess what she thought.

Her cat ears twitched in wary, responding to Jin’s shift in motion. Kaede swung her katana, focusing only on offence.

She swiftly moved like a predator purely driven by instinct, but as she lapsed in the moment of clarity, a touch on her left ribs jolted her consciousness awake.

“Kaede, control your instinct”.

Jin voiced his instruction; then his gaze shifted as a loomed shadow shot toward him.

Kurobe approached from his right at a lower altitude, following his martial art style that embodied the animal itself.

He did a sweeping kick, but Jin easily stepped back and let Kurobe continue his momentum in attack.

Fixing his stance, the cat boy hurled his attack in a flurry of kicks, punches, claws, and feints.

With the same gauntlet in his arms, the little brothers moved like blurred, calm yet carried an explosive force, thanks to the training he had done with Jin.

In this past month, after training with Jin, the cat twins managed to restrain their instinctive behaviour in a fight.

Their instinct-like movement was indeed good, but it consumed too much stamina.

Kurobe was the one who showed the most promising change, unlike his sister Kaede, who tended to use it as a force of habit since she was little.

The cat boy moves along with Jin’s counterattack, polishing his own martial art and applying some of Jin’s movement to his own, creating a new style that suits his current calm state.

Kurobe dodged Jin’s punch, ducking and destroying Jin’s stance with a sweeping kick. He pivoted and thrust his back-kick, surprising Jin.

Jin twisted his body in mid-air, narrowly dodging the attack that packed a force that could send him flying several meters behind.

He rolled on the ground and used that momentum to stop up, leaping back.

“Your movement is getting faster, Kurobe”. Jin’s lips parted in joy.

“Thank’s, big bro, Jin”.

“I’m ready”.

From Kurobe’s side, Kaede’s nonchalant voice resounded, but different from her indifferent and carefree demeanour.

Jin could see flames flickering. She was resurrected with a fierce glint in her purple eyes.

Both breaths steadied, and the slit on their sharp pupils shrank like a predator.

’Quite competitive as usual’. Jin inhaled deeply, preparing his stance as he gazed at his opponents.

“Come, you two!”.

The twins didn’t answer as they vanished from Jin’s sight and relentlessly hurled an attack at every angle.

A sharp, calculated silver blade scatters a spark each time it meets the gauntlet protector. A strong gust of wind blasted the air surrounding the area, coming from Kurobe’s counter.

Nearby, on the side, students in Alpha Class paused to focus their minds on the battle. They observed in quiet respect and awe.

This past month of training with Jin honed not only their physique and technique but also their bond as a class.

However, the most notable of them all was Jin himself.

The boy from the south, living in a frontier with unending threats, grows to become such a powerful character in their hearts.

Even the twins, Kael and Kain, had to admit that they were too foolish not to recognize him.

Their sharp eyes swarmed all over, following the movement of the one in the middle.

As the spar continued, the students held their breath, watching Kurobe being blasted to the side by Jin’s palm strike straight to his stomach.

Kurobe clutched the throbbing in his stomach, his body trembling while kneeling.

“Nya!”.

Kaede’s sharp yelp jolted the other as they witnessed the cat girl being pinned down on the ground and being held on her nape.

“Huff, I think that’s it”. Jin released his grip and tensed his feet upward.

Jin glanced at Kurobe, still trembling on his knees. He shifted to the side field, finding Lily, who gasped behind her palm.

“Lily, please”.

“…Y-Yes”.

Lily stammered but dashed toward the cat twins, giving them minor treatment with healing magic.

Her body shone in gold as tiny particles spilt from her stretched hands, enveloping Kurobe’s body.

After finishing with the cat boy, Lily approached Kaede’s side, activating her healing ability once more.

Jin saw the pink-haired girl’s glistening face, drenched in sweat. He couldn’t help but have a huge respect for her determined goal of using her power for good equally.

“Darling, next would be me, right?”. Lucya’s chirping broke the stillness in the field.

Her golden hair fluttered gently as she ran toward Jin, who welcomed her with an exasperated sigh.

“Nope, we must prepare for lunch”.

Jin shook his head; hours passed in the blink of an eye when the students were focused on training.

He had already assessed the Alpha Class’s growth and their current abilities after coaching them.

“Eeeh!”. Lucya whined. Her brows knitted in a frown. “Come on, just a little bit more, please~”.

“No, rest is also essential in training”.

The princess didn’t back down and pounced on his chest. Despite the sweat and smell, Lucya rubbed her face adorably and lifted her gaze, pleading.

“Dar~ling, please~”.

Her sweet, enchanting words stirred the boy’s calm heart. Jin gulped, feeling the heat in his body spiking up as his heart pounded furiously.

Blood rushed to his face, and because of the earlier intense activity, his mind turned haze.

Jin gulped as his hand unconsciously almost reached out to the girl’s waist, pulling her closer.

“Okay, that’s enough”.

A sharp voice snapped Jin back from his daze. The warmth in his chest disappeared as Iris yanked Lucya.

The Elven girl’s cheek twitched, and the bulged veins on her temples throbbed furiously as she was on the verge of exploding.

Lucya, who was helpless from being grabbed on the neck, snorted.

“Hmph, I thought I had my chance”.

“Quit it, girl!”. Iris roared, inciting laughter from the group.

“Good work, Jin”.

Silvia’s melodious voice cooled the chaotic atmosphere as she draped a towel on Jin’s head. In her hand, she held a water canteen she had bought in town, filled to the brim with water.

“Thanks”. Jin received the water bladder and gulped down its contents.

When the group was shrouded in calm and mood, a loud voice shattered the air.

“Well done, students”.

The atmosphere shifted as they heard the footsteps of someone approaching the field. They turned to the source and found Dannan and several students behind rousing nostalgic scenes a month ago.

And at the epicentre of that was the blue-haired girl.

Her beauty and presence drew a contorted glare from the Alpha Class, except for Allen and Lily.

’What’s she doing here?’. Jin narrowed his eyes in wonder, then looked at Dannan for confirmation.

The man nonchalantly clapped his hands together in a gesture of apology. Jin intensified his glare, making the man flinch.

’I’m sorry’. Dannan scratched his back head, feeling cold sweat drenched his back,

Jin scoffed and glanced at Selene, who stopped before the Alpha Class. Her large blue eyes stared at him for a brief second, and then she opened her mouth.

“Good afternoon, everyone”.

Selene’s gaze swept over the first-year students. She nodded after seeing their clothes sticking to them from sweat, with sharp composure.

She was happy that her junior put in a lot of effort for the tournament. But at the same time, a flame of frustration prompted her nails to dig into her palm skins.

Over the years, the academy was in decline. Last year, her group was butchered by the students who studied craftsmanship.

That experience took a massive toll on their minds; some of them even still held a deep grudge, wanting to avenge last year’s festival.

There was also the matter of the tournament being held at this academy, which put her group under stress.

The way they behaved rashly toward the junior last time. It must be due to the stifling expectations that weigh on their shoulders from the older generation.

Whether it’s senior students or teachers.

She has been honing her abilities, diving into dungeons and seeking experience in foreign lands as stepping stones to conquer the festival.

But a wild card emerged. Jin, a first-year student, possessed unparalleled strength and an attitude that was far from the typical image of a teenager.

Selene heard that the principal, Auremir, had chosen him as the representative in the tournament, excluding everyone’s opinion, including her own.

At first, she was blank; then realization struck her as a ragging tide washed away the effort she cultivated for years for the festival, only to be discarded.

The girl shrouded in anger, not at the principal, but herself.

’I knew he was superior, but’. Selene stared at Jin’s emerald eyes, trying to peek at his abysmal character.

“Jin, I challenged your group in a duel with mine”.

Her voice echoed in the training field; it was heavy and brimming with conviction that stirred the slumbering dragon Jin had raised.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep