Seth and Devus left the dormitory and headed toward the only tower that wasn't attached to the academy's main castle. Trees lining the cobblestone path cast long shadows around them as they walked, leaves rustling in the mild breeze.

"Hey, sorry for being grumpy lately," Devus said, kicking a pebble. "Getting beaten that badly really got under my skin. I've been training like crazy these past months to catch up with everyone, and all it took was one class for it all to feel pointless."

"No worries," Seth answered. "Anyone would've felt the same."

Devus gave him a weak smile. "Yeah, I guess so."

The closer they got to the tower, the more impressive its size became. It stood taller than any other buildings on campus, and the dark stones that made up its structure absorbed sunlight, giving it an ominous presence. A massive archway, wide enough for two side-by-side carriages, served as the entrance. Carved above it was an emblem of two crossed swords over a heater shield with the academy's golden owl at the center and a blank strip under its lower edge.

A sea of students had gathered nearby, all chatting and laughing in small clusters while half a dozen waited in line near the entrance. Seth searched for Jenna while following Devus to the queue's end but couldn't find her. Instead, he caught sight of Elena, who was standing alone off to the side.

"I expected a bigger crowd on the opening day," Devus said, glancing at the six students wearing the nobles' scarlet uniform in front of them. "Oh, where's that girl you were with, by the way?"

"Probably inside," Seth answered. "I guess she couldn't wait."

"Make sense. She was pretty excited."

"You mean euphoric?"

"Yeah," Devus laughed. Two other students joined the line behind them. "So, how'd you meet her?"

"We're in the same Weapon Mastery and Combat Theory classes," Seth answered. "And I ended up fighting her in both classes."

"Who won?" the Guardian asked.

Seth rubbed the back of his neck. "She uh… she did. Her father's the captain of the Surani guards. You should've seen her sword techniques."

Devus nodded, his lips tightening. "That explains how she knew about Brandon Surani's Double-Tiered spells."

"Yeah," Seth said, trying to picture what the Two-Tiers spell of a Guardian could be. "What was the spell he used? A shield bash?"

Devus raised an eyebrow. "You think I got beaten by a shield bash?"

"I don't know." Seth shrugged before pointing at the large black shield on the Guardian's back. "I'm pretty sure you could smash me with that thing."

"That's different. Guardians like me are specialized in Toughness unlike Primalists like you," Devus answered with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The one he used was a spear spell. It boosts his Strength tremendously for a single thrust. I couldn't even block it with my Uncommon defensive spell."

Like that Ground-Splitting Strike, Seth thought, recalling the spell in the academy shop. "You've got an Epic spear and shield, but your best defensive spell is only Uncommon?"

Devus grimaced, pulling his mouth to the side. "Welcome to the life of Slave Wielders—great gear, terrible spells."

"Why is—" Seth stopped abruptly as it hit him. "Money."

The Guardian nodded. "Exactly. My sponsor can resell my gear if I go up in Tiers… or if I die. But spells? He can't get his money back on them."

"So, he wants ten years of free services, but he can't pay for anything expensive that he won't be able to resell?"

Devus threw his hands up. "Well, he did buy me sessions in an Epic Training Room and a bunch of Uncommon spells. That counts for something."

That's still a terrible deal, Seth thought. Ten years is a lot of time.

'Can we go hunting instead of wasting time here?' Nightmare grumbled inside the necklace.

Seth ignored the direwolf's comment and watched the first student of the line follow the instructor into the tower. "How long do you think this will take?"

"Depends on how far they get," the tanned Guardian answered. "The tower has eight separate sections, so multiple students can go in at once. We'll probably get inside in about twenty minutes."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"You'll get inside," Seth corrected. "I'm just here as moral support."

"You don't have to do that for—" the Guardian began but halted mid-sentence as a massive student with a childish face and short, scarlet hair emerged from the entrance.

Blue words materialized on the long strip below the shield of the archway.

Brandon Surani ~ Floor 12, 28 min 45 sec.

He seriously had to be here? Seth cursed inwardly, glancing at Devus. The Guardian's expression had shifted back its mournful, brooding look. He was finally back to his normal self.

The towering student quickly walked over to the last of the three large ranking boards on the entrance's side while Elena joined him. Just as Seth thought things couldn't get worse, a haughty voice rang out.

"Well, well, if it isn't the two beggars from Arthuri."

Seth and Devus turned to find Lucius approaching them, a staff bearing a red crystal on his back. Following him were three of his boot-licker henchmen, each brandishing dazzling weapons. Probably all Epic.

"How thoughtful of you two to save our spots," the noble said, his tone dripping with mock gratitude. Then, without hesitation, he and his friends moved to take Seth and Devus' places.

Seth faked a broad smile and pointed to the end of the queue. "Oh Lucius, I'm sure going to the back won't make a difference for four strong men like you."

"You should keep that mouth of yours shut and just walk away," Lucius hissed. "Or I'll break your arms like your friend the blacksmith."

Seth clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms, and his core stirred in his chest. Of course that prick has to bring that up again.

Just as he stepped toward the noble, a girl's voice cut him short.

"Lucius," Elena said, now a few feet away, arms crossed. "Just be a decent human being and go to the back of the line."

"Defending a commoner?" Lucius retorted before flashing a grin. "Planning to turn him into one of your House's Slave Wielders?"

"No, I couldn't care less about him," she answered dismissively, giving Seth a brief sideways glance. "It's just your arrogance that makes me feel sick. You act like you own the place, but you're not even in the top five… or even top ten."

Lucius' smile vanished and his flawless features twisted, contorting into a mix of hatred and something else that Seth never thought he'd see in the prick's face: shame.

The noble opened his mouth to retort, but whatever he'd planned to say died in his throat as a young woman stepped out of the tower. Light-brown, wavy hair attached into a ponytail, a curvy form that stretched her uniform, and a stunning face that came second only to Elena's. Seth looked up at the stripe above the tower's archway.

Marine Vancaws ~ Floor 19, 43min 45 sec.

A chorus of congratulations rippled through the surrounding students, and Elena's brother, Brandon, tilted his head down in acknowledgement. "That's an incredible performance, Miss Vancaws."

Marine gave the large noble a warm smile. "No need to bow or use my House name, Brandon. Our fathers aren't here."

Lucius and Elena both seemed ready to offer their own words of congratulations, when Marine caught sight of Seth and immediately spun toward him, her face brightening up. "Oh my, my!" she exclaimed. "Mister Golden Eyes is about to take on the tower! I was heading to dinner, but now I'll have to stay. No way I'm missing this."

The surrounding students fell silent, stunned, mouths agape, seemingly unsure what they were witnessing.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Marine," Seth answered, a bit surprised by her attitude. "But I'm just here to watch. I'm not using my free attempt until the end of the semester."

"Oh, I see." A faint furrow formed on Marine's forehead, then her hazel eyes lit up again. "I'll pay for your attempt, then!"

Seth frowned. "Why would you do that?"

"For everyone's sake," she answered, her gaze sweeping across all the bystanders around them. "If you really are the genius Professor Reat believes you are, your performance will surely motivate them to train harder."

"I don't have my weapons with me, and I've got stuff to do," Seth replied, throwing excuses, not sure participating in her scheme would be a good idea.

Lucius' eyes widened, and he seemed to spot the occasion to jump in. "A genius? Please. Professor Reat must've hit his head on—"

"I wasn't talking to you, Lucius," Marine snapped, cutting him short and glaring at him before pulling out a long dagger from her Endless Pouch and handing it to Seth. "Consider this a gift. For your time. Since you've 'got stuff to do'?"

Seth took the weapon and turned it over in his hands. The runes etched into obsidian blade shimmered under the sunlight while his finger wrapped around its soft leather-wrapped handle.

Blacksteel Dagger

Weapon

Tier: Copper

Grade: Rare

Effects:

- Ignores 11% of Toughness.

- Reduces aether cost by 12% for spells channeled through the dagger.

'She's plotting something,' Seth told Nightmare. 'Why would she want me to do well when it'd cause her to lose her bet with Professor Reat? Wouldn't she lose her chances at that unlimited access to the academy's Epic Training Chambers?'

'Who cares?' the direwolf answered. 'She's giving you a free attempt and a better weapon. Take them and use them to rise higher than her.'

Seth sighed and raised his head to meet Marine's gaze. "Alright. I'll do it."

The girl's smile widened, deepening the dimples in her cheeks—making it even more obvious that it was fake. "Perfect."

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