Six weeks had passed since the mission.

  The days blurred together into a rhythm of exhaustion and repetition; sparring until their limbs shook, collapsing into meditation until sleep took them without warning.

  What started as awkward silence slowly turned into a routine neither of the two questioned anymore.

  Nox could feel his stats growing day by day, readying him for the upcoming tournament.

  Stigma: Stigma of Combination

  Strength: 15,2 (+5)

  Stamina: 12,4

  Agility: 14,6

  Mana: 18,7 (+8)

  Equipped items: Red Stone Sword (+5 Strength), Mana Ring (+8 Mana), Twin Ring of Healing Meditation

  Skills: Earth spikes, Water release, Water ball, Wind strike, Wind Launch, Freezing Wind, Ice Crystal, Ice Crystal Launch, Ice Crystal Growth, Icy field, Ice Boost, Magnetic Field

  “Especially my mana stat has gone up like crazy, and I even learned a new water skill yesterday. I should try combining it later,” Nox thought.

  Even with the numbers rising, he knew that one mistake in the arena would still be enough to knock him out cold.

  “I’ve found out that there’s no point in trying every combination, because the original skill weakens when used too often.”

  As Nox took some eggs and beef from the buffet, he sat at the table where his friends were already waiting.

  “Lina, why do you always fall asleep in the training room?” he whined, rubbing his sore back.

  “Oooh… sorry little baby. Next time I’ll carry you to bed again,” Lina teased, stealing an egg from his plate.

  Regea choked on his drink, while Beatrice quietly pretended she hadn’t heard anything.

  While they ate, the director walked in with a bright smile.

  “Good morning, students. It’s finally time for this year’s group tournament. You’ve probably taken on a lot of missions and earned tons of points but today could turn the entire ranking upside down!” he announced.

  “In the first round, you will fight against a group from your school year, but from then on, you can face any group; even one from the fourth years.”

  A heavy murmur swept through the cafeteria as reality sank in. The new students looked shocked, while the seniors laughed mockingly.

  “If you lose a match, you will be disqualified and ranked based on your number of wins and the strength of the team you lost to,” Albrecht continued.

  “So, it’s better to lose against the best team than against a weak one,” Nox thought.Winning mattered, but who you lost to mattered almost as much.

  “Now, the most important part; you get 50,000 points, divided by your placement.”

  The students exchanged excited glances; it was enough to boost oneself from the very bottom, to the top ten.

  “The first matches start in 30 minutes. First years go to the North Arena, second years to the East, and so on. I wish you the best of luck!”

  After Nox’s group discussed their strategy, they made their way to the North Arena.

  “We’re lacking in points, so we need to place well in this tournament,” Beatrice said.

  “Well, it’ll be hard with the older students though,” Regea replied. He seemed nervous, glancing at the huge arena before them. Dozens of students sat everywhere; their gazes fixated onto the battlefield.

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  When they sat down, the first match had already begun.

  The battlefield was a large, circular area with two massive rock formations at each entrance. Between them was a small canyon filled with dense trees and bushes.

  A faintly glowing barrier protected the crowd from the fighters.

  “What an unfair match,” Nox muttered, watching a Class F team get obliterated by a Class B team.

  The fight ended so fast it barely felt like a match, more like a demonstration.

  “They’re using those magical armours again, so it’s not like they’re going to get hurt,” Lina replied.

  “Well… not if you get a strong hit…” Nox glanced at her, concern and cautioning lacing his tongue.

  “Next is Evian Group from Class C against the Bunnies from Class A,” the commentator announced.

  “What the hell is with our name?” Nox asked. He instinctively knew this was their group.

  Regea buried his face in his hand.

  “You looked so cute in your bunny outfit, so I thought we should name our group after it,” Lina said, a devious smile stretching across her face.

  Beatrice looked away, shoulders shaking as she tried not to laugh.

  When both groups were ready, the fight commenced.

  The air felt heavier the moment the barrier sealed shut, separating them from the outside world.

  The enemies quickly spread out and attacked from all sides. They could match in stats, but the gap between a main stigma and side stigma was immense.

  Small ice crystals hit two of them in the chest. As their armours beeped, the two students were surrounded by a small barrier, unable to attack or be attacked.

  The others were blocked by three golems. Blue flames engulfed them; the immense heat could be felt from the other end of the arena, making Nox gulp heavily.

  The beeps echoed through the arena, silencing even the teachers in the stands. Altair glanced at them with a proud gaze, as if it was her success.

  “T- The fight is over!” the commentator stammered.

  No one had expected such a clean, brutal finish.

  At the end of the day, all fights had ended, and Nox’s group returned to the dormitories.Adrenaline faded quickly, leaving sore muscles and shallow breaths.

  “Alright, let’s ea—” he wanted to say, but Lina dragged him away.

  Her grip wasn’t strong, but decisive.

  “We should give the two some time for themselves,” she said, leaving the castle.

  “Okay, but I want to eat,” he protested.

  “Don’t worry, I’m a princess after all,” Lina bragged.

  When they entered a luxurious restaurant, the waitress awaited them.

  “I- It’s an h- honour to meet you, p- princess,” she stuttered. She seemed more nervous than even Regea, which was almost impossible.

  “I’m sorry for the sudden reservation; it must have been stressful,” Lina replied.

  “N- Not at all,” the waitress said, guiding them to a table.

  As they walked through the restaurant, all eyes were on them.

  “Hey, isn’t that the princess?”

  Some recognized Lina and the others immediately started to act like they recognized her too.

  “Who’s the man with her?” someone asked.

  Nox suddenly became very aware of how close they were.

  “Maybe her fiancé.”

  “That can’t be… she said she isn’t interested in a political marriage.”

  They sat at a large table as far from the others as possible.

  “Isn’t it annoying to be this famous?” Nox asked.

  “Yeah, I’d rather be some random noble like you,” she answered.

  “I’m not some rand—”

  “Yeah, yeah. I really meant that… just tell me what you want to order,” she said. Her tone was genuine and warm.

  When the waitress returned, Lina ordered steaks for them both.

  “Looks like you planned this beforehand,” Nox realized.

  “I have to take care of my valuable party member after all.”

  “I also wanted to know more about your stigma,” she admitted.

  “Well, I found out I can enhance my armour with ice. It makes it stronger, but it breaks after one hit, so it’s not very useful. In the tournament, I won’t be able to use my magnetic element or combination, unfortunately.”

  Saying it aloud made the limitation feel real.

  “That’s unfortunate. How high are your stats now?” Lina asked.

  “My mana is at 26 with the Mana Ring, and my others are around fourteen. What about you?”

  “My mana is at 31, but my others are only at five,” she laughed.

  “But I would be careful. I know martial arts!” she added, her gaze sharp and confident.

  “But this is perfect. Take this.” She handed him a strange looking stone.

  The stone felt warm in his hand, almost familiar.

  Name: Light’s Rune

  Grade: Stigma

  Type: Rune

  Description: You can equip an infinite number of runes. The better your relationship with the subject, the more effective the caster’s skills on that subject. Can only be used by someone with less mana.

  “Where did you get this from?” Nox asked.

  “It’s a one-time use skill from my stigma. It lets me choose one person to give this to.”

  “So why are you giving it to me?”

  “I don’t know. I just thought you’d be the right person,” she answered. She was calm but there was something else in her voice, anticipation and trust.

  “But why m—”

  “Just take it before I change my mind.”

  When Nox used it, the glowing stone disappeared. Something invisible settled between them, quiet but heavy. He had a feeling that this would be the key in the future.

  “Now that you’re indebted to me, I can do whatever I want with you, right?” Lina asked.

  “It depends.”

  “I’ll tie you up while meditating. How does that sound?”

  “Sounds pretty bad,” Nox admitted.

  “Come on, no one sees us. You’ve got a debt to repay,” she countered.

  “Just this one time?” he asked.

  Her smile answered before her words.

  “We’ll see about that.”