After completing their tasks, the children had an hour of rest before their next class.

  According to the schedule, combat and evasion classes alternated for five days with two weekly rest days.

  The classes schedule excluded tasks.

  Tasks were every day, but they usually started late on weekends to let them sleep as much as they needed.

  Today was evasion day. They were about to learn The Unseen Legion's Maneuver Technique.

  Teacher Ena was waiting for them in the field. Everyone arrived on time; she looked at their faces, reflecting different emotions.

  Ena smiled warmly. "Looks like everyone is here. Usually, on evasion days, you'll be sprinting in the morning and learning advanced techniques in the afternoon. For today, we'll only focus on the afternoon session. This style, according to Teacher Aaron, was a staple for almost every soldier in his homeland. It's chaotic — a style where movement seems completely random. But under Teacher Aaron's command, their weapons always found their mark."

  Jean's eyes widened. Something clicked in his mind.

  "This style is called the Zigzag Maneuver," Ena continued. "Teacher Aaron's homeland didn't have mana, but they excelled in craftsmanship, producing weapons that could shoot projectiles 15 to 20 times faster than any unawakened arrow we've seen. This technique was developed to induce confusion, make aiming harder for enemies, and ultimately increase troop survival rates."

  She led them into a massive open field. "This field isn't always vacant, as your seniors train here in their free time. However, it will always be cleared whenever a class is in session. So, whenever you find an empty spot, make sure to train properly," Ena said with a smile.

  The field was marked with circles and lines, scattered with various obstacles. Every mark indicated a potential starting point, adding to the randomness.

  Mojian, like the other children, was focused on the field, his expression filled with curiosity and determination.

  Ena stepped onto one of the marks. "I'll demonstrate. I won't use my full speed, so you can follow the movements. Over time, as you practice, you'll naturally develop your own style. This is just the gateway to understanding the concept."

  With that, she began sprinting. Her movements were chaotic, yet fluid — leaping, alternating between stepping and hopping, jumping with no discernible pattern. Even the marks she stepped on were random, never repeating. After completing a round, she stopped in front of the group.

  Jean now saw...

  They were the same movements of the phantom, yet... it was completely different.

  "Anyone can perform random movements," Ena explained, her voice calm but firm. "But to execute them without hesitation, without overthinking, you need to drill it into your muscles and bones."

  She glanced at the group, her smile playful. "Now, who wants to try first? Or would you all prefer to jump in together?"

  Mojian opened his mouth to speak, but Sia had already darted forward, her swift affinity evident in her movements. However, her attempt turned into a chaotic mess — her speed faltered, and her path became predictable.

  Sia slowed, realizing her mistake. A hint of embarrassment was evident on her proud face.

  She glanced at Ena, only to find Ena's smile didn't waver.

  As for Jean, his fighting spirit flared. His hair already carried a faint red tint.

  At that moment, Aaron's voice echoed in Jean's mind:

  [Brat, you've done this once before. You can do it better than them. Don't go feral — control your affinity. Don't ruin their efforts to hide it.]

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  But hearing Aaron's voice, he hesitated, unsure of how to proceed.

  [Breathe deeply, hold it for a moment, and exhale slowly.]

  Jean began to breathe, steadying himself. Ena watched him closely, her expression unreadable. Roman had specifically assigned her to this class to ensure she could use her illusions to maintain control if things spiraled out of hand.

  She was impressed once again.

  Aaron's voice came again, gentler this time:

  [Think of this as a game. Play with the other kids for fun. Run until you're exhausted. Enjoy it — for now, no one is chasing you. And make sure to help your little sworn brother if he needs it.]

  The reddish hue rapidly subsided.

  Jean exhaled again, his hair now pure white.

  He was safe — right? He was safe here.

  Jean smiled. He looked at Mojian, who was inching forward again, ready to speak. Without warning, Jean turned to him with a grin. "Let's play."

  At their age, boys naturally gravitated toward their male friends, while girls found boys equally dull — and vice versa.

  Jean didn't wait for Mojian to respond. He started sprinting across the field. Mojian blinked, then gave chase. "Wait — that's cheating!"

  Soon, Zeroth pulled Darvok and started running too.

  Nina, who seemed absent-minded, found her legs moving forward, joining the others.

  At this moment, it was just a game.

  Everyone's anxiety eased. Even Nina smiled for the first time...

  But, for Sia, this was not a game.

  She remained detached from others, as always. However, she couldn't hide her astonishment at Jean's execution of the evasion style.

  'Is he that talented?!' she thought, questioning what she was seeing.

  Jean, who moved in the same manner as the phantom adjusted to his capabilities, was like an unleashed beast. Mojian kept chasing, trying to catch him, but he also kept failing all the same.

  Unless he was trained under harsh conditions since he first started walking, his execution couldn't seem this fluid.

  Sia subtly gritted her teeth and joined.

  High elves never received the favor of Aaron, unlike the current World Tree Guardians and the other faction. Aaron made sure of balancing the powers and not giving anything to those who don't deserve it.

  And soon, the class ended.

  Jean and Mojian, who ran the most, dropped flat on the ground, panting heavily while looking at the sky.

  "How... huff huff... are you that good?" Mojian asked, speechless.

  He was also trained as a child, but he never had an optimized model of himself guiding his execution.

  To his frustration, the only answer he received was Jean's loud giggles.

  He couldn't help but laugh out loud as well.

  Ena, on the other hand, was satisfied with their first class. "The class is over, dismissed."

  She was familiar with those who failed to adapt or socialize for weeks or even months. Thus, today was a fruitful day.

  'These newcomers were promising,' she thought as she turned her back, leaving.

  Sia gave one last look at Jean, who was still on the ground. She wanted to ask him, but her pride as a high elf held her back.

  In the end, she was the first to leave.

  By the time they were rested enough to move back to their rooms, Isolde had already departed for her mission.

  Outside of the school...

  She sprinted without aid or means of transportation.

  She only had her combat bayonet, a small multi-purpose shovel, and a bastard sword.

  She followed the route Jean had taken from the forest to the school, passing by Swamp City on her way without alerting anyone.

  In a few hours, she was already near the borders of the Swamp Forest.

  She didn't rest; she kept moving.

  And once she was inside, she was on high alert for any abnormality.

  Moving deeper into the forest slowly, maintaining her vigilance.

  After crossing the outer borders, another hour of traveling deeper inside the forest.

  It was then that she felt a movement — an unnatural shift in the forest.

  Her perception affinity allowed her to identify the creature.

  A Fleset — a feathered creature with black and gray feathers. But unlike most feathered creatures, this one didn't have a beak. Instead, it had a horrifying, toothy maw.

  But that wasn't all.

  This one in particular was jarring; its movement pattern was irregular, unlike normal Flesets.

  Flesets also moved in groups, but this one was alone.

  They were beasts of death, leaving no living creature in their wake. They didn't eat everything, but they killed everything in their path.

  One of the monsters native to the Swamp Forest, periodically exterminated due to their invasive and destructive nature.

  Normally, she'd have ignored it, for there may be more nearby, but the way it moved... her instincts told her this was not a light abnormality, and if there were more, she could've sensed them.

  So, she focused.

  As soon as Isolde pinpointed the exact spot, her bayonet was already flying toward it.

  Thud~

  It found its mark.

  Isolde sprinted to investigate.

  Squatting down where the creature fell.

  She examined the fresh corpse, but the only thing she found was a mark that looked like three fingers dripping with black fluid.

  The mark began to fade along with the heat, leaving the fresh corpse.

  Isolde's face was grim.

  'An Imprint Mark,' she thought. 'Teacher was the only known Imprint Mark user we ever knew.'

  She stood, giving the creature one last glance.

  'This could be... my very last mission...' She bitterly sighed...

  first major arc of the book. And from here on out… things will shift.

  Cynic Gray