"Yawwnn…"

Come on me, it was but a single night, yes, I trained all night long, but how can I be tired?

'After getting his new badge, Philip made his way outside of the main Academy building.'

After this I will take a well deserved sleep…

But right now, I need to raise some money, if my total credit count reaches 0 I will get in trouble.

And what's the best way to raise credits? The Dungeons of course.

"I'll get some contracts and kill some creatures…"

It should also be a good way for me to find out how strong I am.

The Academy has Dungeons of all sizes and levels, so I can just start small and see how far I can go… And this time, I shouldn't be penalized as heavily for killing large amounts of monsters if someone does find out it was me...

I'll keep it in moderation.

And I need to do this before someone interrupts me.

'Philip knew that the Ranking system for the Wardens had been breached by an outside force, probably one of the student factions that bought their way.'

'Why? Well, in this sort of academic environment where many nobles from all corners of the continent gather, every bit of power counts…'

'This isn't only a place for learning, but also a political stage… And Philip just thought this was one of these cases, he was only unlucky to have fallen into it.'

'What would they think about a person who was not within their grasp rising quickly within the rankings? Even more so when you consider they have little to no info about him. They will definitely approach him sooner or later.'

'And before they came to him Philip wanted to have everything ready, or the contrary, he would be happy to end this problem before it grew into something too bothersome.'

{DING!}

"Oh?"

'As he waked, his badge started to tremble, he opened it and realized he had received a forced mission from a higher ranking personnel.'

"They were super fast…"

It hasn't even been 10 minutes… So they got my info, processed it, formulated a plan, and implemented it within that time?

If they were so fast it means they were expecting me…

The corruption has gone pretty deep.

Unless they are just acting without a plan?

…

'Philip followed the instructions for his forced task and arrived at a small arena outside of the Academy main building.'

'He couldn't refuse the task else he would be heavily penalized, and even if he accepted the penalty, they would just try again so why bother?'

"A training arena? Why here of all places?"

As this place teaches magic and other arts, with an emphasis on its practicality for combat, it's clear they would need a safe place to try those out since the Dungeons are a bit too risky.

Hence, these arenas are everywhere. From big ones used in special events and combat classes to smaller ones like this one used by students who are a bit too eager to try themselves out.

Of course, this is an oversimplification of how this works but it gets the job done.

'As Philip analyzed the area around him but saw no one.'

'The arena was mainly made out of stone, the arena itself was 15 M in diameter and it was surrounded by a few stone chairs like that of a colosseum.'

'It seemed pretty well maintained apart from the ground of the arena itself, it was cracked in some places, burned in others, and there was even blood in some places. It was clearly used recently.'

/Step step…/

'Philip heard the sound of steps coming from a corridor on the other side of the arena, and from it, he saw 4 guys with weapons on their hands walking towards him.'

"Unnecessarily dramatic."

Were they waiting for me? I came here quite fast too…

'The 4 guys were rather forgettable, their clothes were mixed with no uniform, and they weren't using any badge on their chest either, so it was hard to identify who they were. Especially since they had cloaks covering their face and head.'

'If you are a student, then you are obliged to walk around with your year's respective uniform, excluding things like Class representatives and the Student council, they normally have something extra to make them apart from the ordinary students..'

'Jailors are the same, they normally wear a strong orange uniform that glows under the light, it's quite funny as it made Philip remember those road cones…'

'Wardens on the other hand can wear whatever they want but they have to wear their badges. The same goes for teachers but they have a special ID instead of a badge they always carry with them, they aren't obliged to show their ID all the time.'

'So these 4 are clearly breaking a few rules just by their looks unless they were all teachers, but that raises another completely different problem…'

"Is that the guy?" Asked one of them, someone with a dark robe

"Are you really asking man? There is no one here." Replied one with a red robe

"Last time we almost made a mistake exactly because of this cheekiness of yours." Replied someone with a blue robe

'The one with the red robe shrugged before he confirmed that Philip was indeed who they were looking for.'

'The last one, someone with a white robe, remained silent.'

"What the…"

'Philip on the other hand was rather confused.'

What is this? The Power Mages?

Black, red, blue, and white? Where is yellow and red? Is there also the pink robe?

Looks like they don't want to reveal their identity? Well, that is quite the bad way to do so…

Unless it means something else.

'Just like how Philip was analyzing them, they were also observing him.'

'The one with the blue robe suddenly shook as he looked at Philip, he approached the red one and whispered something.'

"The what? Level 1? Are you sure?... Yeah yeah, I heard that before... He seems to be one of those huh…"

'They were quite far from each other, but even so, the red one completely disregarded Philip and talked, as if it didn't matter if he could hear him or not.'

'The one with the dark robe then whispered something to the one with the red robe.'

"The same as fucking always… But we'll be a bit more cautious this time, still, nothing changes."

'They continued to talk and whisper to each other, giving Philip a chance to think.''

"..."

Level? Right…

Blue-[Level ??]

Black-[Level 45]

Red-[Level ??]

White-[Level ??]

Well, would you look at that? All above Level 40.

It may seem low, and it is… Although it depends on your perspective.

One thing that is important to repeat is the fact that leveling up becomes harder and harder as time goes on. The people of this world cannot simply hunt monsters to level up… They can, but that is another story.

They don't simply gather XP or whatever the heroes use to Level up… Perhaps heroes don't use anything like that in the first place.

For these people, Level is a stage of power, and it involves training and studying, a culmination of effort and talent.

Heroes are seemingly limitless but these people are not, they have a point at which they can't progress anymore and that is the day they stop leveling up unless they put in the effort to go beyond that, but most fail, whatever their reasons may be.

Think about it, some people only level up once every year, no, even less.

Levels 40 and 50 are both very important milestones, and in terms of power, these people would be comparable to your average 4th class magician. Perhaps even 5th depending on what those people's levels are.

(I wanted to use a scheme where Level 10 is 1th Class, and Level 20 is 2th Class, and so on until 6th Class and above where things change)

Level is not a precise indicator of strength, that is proved by yours truly, Philip.

Level can help you in estimating someone's strength, especially when you know their Class since you can have an idea of the total values for their stats… But that isn't a sure thing either.

Dae once said there was a once morbid genius that became an Archmage before he even hit Level 20, so Level is not a proper indicator of strength…

(N1)

A cultivator may live his entire life in a cave and only train day in day-night with just pure effort and talent, no herbs or anything, and leave at the apex of martial arts, and his level might be below 20…

Well, that might've been a bit of an exaggeration but in essence, what exactly is 'Level', is still a bit of a mystery to me.

One thing that I do understand is that getting power beyond your level is a hard task.

How do you get your strength to be above your Level? Hard work is not enough, it's just an aspect of it… Proper knowledge, that's a must, resources, like potions and medicine? Of course!

A good Class? That's fundamental! A Class literally defines your 'FATE' in this world…

Not counting good techniques… Overall, background. And from the billions of intelligent lifeforms in this continent, how many can fit within this description?

Going over a Level is easy, 5? Not so much, 10? Hard but the elite should be able to do it… What about 20? 30?... More?

'As Philip was lost in thought, the group of people finished discussing and arrived in front of him.'

'The red guy approached him and asked:'

"So? I guess you're Philip?"

"That's a pretty bad way to start a conversation, but yes, I am Philip. So? What do you want from me?"

"HA! I like this guy, directly to the point, perfect…"

'He started to walk back and front like a villain as he said:'

"I hate wasting time, so let's get this over with… What is your deal? Who is behind you?"

"Can you be a bit more specific? Those questions are…"

/BOOOM!/

'The guy in red quicked the ground, making the arena tremble.'

"I just said I fuckign hate wasting time, so stop being dumb."

'He took out a paper and started to read it out loud:'

"One week and one day, that was the time you spent in this place, and apart from staying in a library doing a series of activities, you did nothing else."

"In one night, you went from someone who could barely become Rank 2 to someone who could go directly to Rank 3, you really got us off guard."

"How?"

'When Philip heard that, he smiled and raised one of his eyebrows.'

"Isn't it simple, I got it from a Dungeon, there is no one behind me, and before you throw up another tantrum, how about we stop with this shit and go directly to business?"

'The guy in red froze, hearing the mockery in Philip's tone made him mad!'

"You guys came here to teach me a lesson for breaking your pathetic rules but you stopped because you got afraid? Don't make me laugh, I don't have all day."

Look at this guy, he can barely keep his calm… He must be a brat.

'The guy in red started to tremble, but the guy in blue stopped him.'

"Violence is not always the answer, that is why we have language." He said

'Philip found this guy quite interesting, he was unlike your typical villain.'

"So what do you propose?"

"Join us, you must have your own reasons for staying hidden, and if you truly don't have a backer, then it would be better to get one, this school is not fond of those who walk in the dark alone, even if you wish no harm to it."

"Hoo…"

A threat and an invite at the same time? How kind… He is pretty much saying that if I stay a loner, I will have no place in this school? How bold, that's saying this school is under the control of these factions and not in the principal's hands…

"I can think about it, but I need some info first."

'The red guy laughed.'

"Do you think you are in a position to bargain?!"

"It depends on your perspective, and I am not asking for much, I just want to know what I am signing in for."

'The blue one then said:'

"We can't tell you who we work for, but we can tell you what you would gain from joining hands with us as well as your obligations."

'The one in blue started to list a series of things and tasks, but in the end, Philip just said in mockery:'

"That's just an overglorified Slave."

/FWUSH!/

'The one in red suddenly moved right next to Philip, his fist was burning as he punched towards Philip's head as he said:'

"Then I guess it's down to this!"

/Shush!/

'But he suddenly stopped…'

"..."

"..."

'If you were to take a closer look at Philip, he now had an exotic sword sheath in his hands, but that was all. He did not unsheathe the sword, and yet, the man in red remained still, the fire in hand slowly extinguished.'

"Wow, that scared me. This guy had such a hot head Haha... No one's laughing? Come on, that was a good one…"

'Philip suddenly vanished.'

"?!"

'The one in the black cap jumped to the left while the one with the white cape jumped to the right, but the one in blue remained motionless.'

'Philip slowly got out from behind him, walking around him.'

"I'm still a bit sore, my hands hurt…"

Using the Pthumerian Combat art is still very hard... Even in this scenario.

'Like in the game, several of the Pthumerian bosses were capable of movement akin to teleportation, however, that wasn't the case as they were only moving extremely fast, Philip could move much faster than them, but that was due to his body strength, he was still lacking in technique.'

"I just need one so…"

'Philip turned his head towards the one with the dark cape as he disappeared.'

"?!"

'Dozens of magical lights started to envelop the man as he put barrier after barrier around him… But nothing happened…'

/CLANG!/

'Instead, the sound of sword clashing echoed in the arena…'

'The man in black looked forward to seeing his companion holding a sword blocking with all their might a red blade coming down from above…'

'It was a faint! Philip scared the one in black while he charged at the one in white!'

/Ploft…/

'Due to the trembling, the other two bodies also moved, and the balance was removed… The red guy had his face decapitated while the blue one was cut in half, from head to head.'

'This scared him shitless as he did not even hear the sound of the sword…'

"Oh my! Oh my fucking my! You actually blocked it!" Said Philip with an interested smile

I thought this would end without me learning anything but this guy… No, girl, actually blocked it!

Good! The only way for me to get better is through proper combat… But can she last?

No no, I can't underestimate people…

'Philip smiled as his grip on the sword increased.'

/Clang!/

'The girl used all of her strength to push Philip's sword aside as she retreated next to the man in black.'

'Philip on the other hand smiled, he walked slowly as he rested his sword on his elbow.'

"Now, time for some answers, who are you two, and who do you work for? How did you get my information and all of that?"

'But the girl in white did not reply.'

"Do-Do you even know who you killed?!" Exclaimed the boy in black

"Why should I care?"

'The boy's expression twisted with a mad smile as he screamed:'

"Those were students from the academy! You just slayed two students… It's fucking over for you!"

"..."

True, no matter the case, if someone dies, there will be repercussions, even if a student kills a warden, however, one day of detention for killing a Warden is nothing as compared to what a Warden would get for killing a student…

But this isn't a normal situation in the first place. They were without their identification and they attacked me with the intent to kill…

I can't even imagine what they did before meeting me.

Even if the rules are twisted and corrupted, the Academy's Spirits are still the same ever since its creation, it is still rather fair and righteous…

Unless it's a situation where the academy's prestige is on the line, it won't interfere if these sort of students died… And I don't see this as one such situation.

And in any case… The spirit won't interfere... This fight ended before it even started.

"You look desperate kid, are you perhaps… Afraid?"

[Predator's presence LvMax has activated]

'The boy suddenly fell to the ground in horror as he realized how fucked he was.'

"Did you realize, even if something happens to me, you will go to hell first."

'Philip took out a pistol from his inventory, he aimed at the boy and pulled the trigger.'

/BANG!/

/CLANG!/

'But the girl barely deflected the bullet, saving his life.'

"You can also do that? How impressive, that was a model focused on bullet speed and penetration… So? How will it be? You have been extremely focused so far, will you cooperate or will you continue to resist?"

"Don't listen to him! I've already called for reinforcements! We just need to…"

/SPLAT!/

'His head suddenly burst, the bullet the girl deflected had actually shot up from the ground and opened a massive hole in his head.'

"I never tried this before… Rather effective."

Telekineses is still a bit much for me, it's way harder than you think...

But launching something in a direction at high speeds is easy... Easier than everything else.

'All this while, the girl maintained her composure under Philip's titanic aura… Or tried to, as she was sweating as she held her sword.'

/Clang…/

'She eventually dropped her sword, and said:'

"I'll talk…"

"Won't you ask for me to leave you alive or something?"

"No… My life is not in my hands anymore. Do what you wish."

'Philip scratched his head as he sheathed his sword. He also lifted his hand, making her sword fly towards his hand, this startled the girl and made her drop her head.'

"Talk."

"... We… They were enforcers from the Evythus Flower group while I was merely contracted… If you don't know, the Faction is currently under the leadership of Verimir Ji, Fifth-year student and top 10 of the rankings."

"They came here to investigate your identity, since recently, a lot of internal flights have been happening around the academy between the factions."

"And they feared that you were an attempt from a faction to bring an outside force into the fight… This situation has already happened several times this month already."

"The faction is currently in the top 5 of the academy, and we control all of the Low ranking Wardens and a majority of the high ranking as well, that was why your sudden rank increase was so important as it could threaten this balance."

"Hum… So that's it? You attacked me because you all thought I was some sort of outside agent? If that was the case, why send you guys and not some stronger ones?"

'The girl bit her lips as she said:'

"What more do you want from students? They... Are already the best that is, better than this would be..."

'Philip's eyes did not change as he only smiled in amusement, making the girl think he was sick in the head, but she didn't say anything.'

"So I was just dragged into this, fine, I will accept your lackluster answer. But tell me, what do you mean by contracted? And keep it brief."

"... Just like students can get missions in a Work center, there is also a black market for these things… I needed some credits so I signed up for this job there."

'Philip was surprised, he knew about this black market, it was mentioned in Dae's book, but the method to enter it always changed so that wasn't mentioned.'

"Black market? Tell me more."

"It is an absolutely neutral Hub controlled by one of the top 5 factions, the Warlock Council, they deal with everything that must be kept out of the Academy's eyes, and they have been operating for generations, with their leader changing every 5 or so years…"

"There is even a rumor that the Academy is controlling it since it's impossible for its existence to be hidden from it."

"I see… What about your job?"

'She did not hesitate as she said:'

"I… I was only tasked with keeping these guys safe, a simple yet exotic escort mission… I've been doing it for a few weeks, but I failed miserably this time…"

"..."

"You must be a Fifth-year student right? Why risk everything you've accomplished so far by accepting such a risky job? After all, if something was to happen and you were forced to act, you would be abandoned by the Academy in a sense."

"..."

"Silence huh, fine, I got enough."

'The girl raised her head, looking at Philip with her tired eyes.'

She has a lot of courage, to face me like this despite my Skill activation, I'll give that to her.

'Philip turned around ready to leave. There was no point in killing her. If he did, those guys wouldn't stop anyway, in fact, they might get more aggressive.'

'He could alter her memories, but under the Spirit's eyes, that may be the same as killing her and he would still suffer.'

"It was fun, I am a bit disappointed, but you weren't half bad." Said Philip as he raised his right arm

/SNAP!/

'Like thunder descending from the sky, white light covered her vision as dizziness took over her and she fell on the ground.'

'When the light receded, the four kids could be seen on top of each other, all still alive and intact… What happened?!'

"Phew… I got it right."

It was easier than I thought to put them under hypnosis… It has been some time since I used it.

'Mental force! The power of the mind, Philip used it once to mind control a man when he just arrived at the Academy and he now used it again to put these kids under hypnosis.'

'When the 4 arrived, Philip immediately checked them with his mental force, and seeing that they didn't react to it nor resist it, he slowly put them under his influence and eventually, hypnosis.'

'A better way to say it would be an illusion, they saw their friends dying, but Philip never dealt the finishing blow... But he certainly broke a few bones.'

'It would be a shame to not use this ability he has been training so much in his free time…'

'Even if they are talented students, in the end, people can't protect themselves against everything, what is important is to keep calm and analyze the situation, but Philip kept provoking them and distracting them, and in the end, they completely lost themselves in it.'

'And his Mental Power is in no way weak…'

"Time to go…"

"Not yet."

"?"

'As Philip walked away, someone suddenly called for him.'

'Philip turned around and saw a middle-aged man with a chubby beard and a long coat. This guy was definitely a teacher.'

"Are you a professor? I don't think I need to explain this situation."

I did not hear him coming, nor could I feel anything else…

Is he one of the inspectors? I heard the Academy has several of these patrolling all around the place, making sure the students don't take it too far.

'The middle-aged man did not reply immediately, instead, he looked at the 'kids' on the ground and nodded.'

"Yes, yes I am… I teach about Monster Anatomy…"

"That's quite interesting."

He doesn't seem to have any bad feelings for me… Was he monitoring those students?

Then it was good to take this approach instead of taking them out.

"Haha… If only the students thought the same… But enough of this, I am not here to discuss anatomy with you, although you are free to visit my classes anytime."

'He took out his thin glasses and asked:'

"I am thankful you handled this situation like this, although I can't do much against their actions, I still believe that the current general consensus in regards to our workers safety in the academy is wrong, specially when we talk about the Wardens."

"You are one of the few then." Laughed Philip

"I can't promise you much, even with my rank, I can't stop these kids from doing these sort of things, but that can change depending on your rank you see."

"Yeah?"

'The middle aged man suddenly disappeared!'

/FWUSH!/

/CLANG!/

"!"

'The middle aged man appeared in front of Philip and slashed with something that seemed similar to a small pen, fending off Philip's blade!'

/Cling…/

'Philip jumped away using everything he had and he gazed at the man, his guard up.'

'The middle-aged man also looked at Philip, with a thin smile on his face.'

"..."

He's rather fast...

"Rank… Is synonymous to strength and capability… So I would like to ask you, what do you seek in this academy?"

"Pardon? I was already asked this…"

"Of course you were… However, with your capabilities, there are very few things you can acquire in this Academy… You could've applied to be a teacher, that would've been more profitable… But that wasn't the case."

"You want something, something that doesn't need you to be a teacher to acquire… What could it be?"

"Are you testing me? Is this really necessary?"

'He smiled and said:'

"Not at all, in fact, I don't really care about what you seek, this Academy was built so that people could seek their dreams no matter from which country, nation, race they are from."

"So why are you here asking those questions?"

"Is just… I find it really fascinating to see such a talented young man doing such odd jobs and I couldn't help but get curious when I first saw you."

'He looked at the sky and started to move his mouth without saying anything as if he was talking with something…'

'He looked to the ground and nodded.'

"Alright, let's do it like this."

"You're going a bit too fast, I didn't even agree with anything…"

I guess this is the first time I am being pushed around like this…

"Oh? It wasn't my intention. Instead, I would like to give you a deal… I know you will like it."

"..."

"Fight me young man, and I will give you… Hum… This pen. Oh! And don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this."

"A pen?... I bet you won't just stop if I refuse right?"

"On the contrary, I hate forcing others, but I would be really sad…"

"..."

What is his thing?

But… He does seem strong…

"Fine, I accept."

'The middle aged man smiled.'

"Thank you, I was just in the need of a warm up… I forgot to ask, what is your name?"

"Philip… What about you?"

"I'm Fabrin, you have quite the unusual name." He said with a small chuckle

"I can say the same…"

'As they talked, the old man used his pen to 'write' something in the air, and the 4 kids disappeared, this startled Philip as that was not only a type of magic he didn't know about, but it seemed to mess with space as it seemed to be a kind of teleportation.'

"You have quite the unusual blade… It doesn't seem to be made of strong materials, but its craftsmanship is extremely sturdy… That sheath too, never saw one like it."

'Philip raised his sword sheath and smiled.'

"Thanks, it's a blade that has been passed down for a few generations… But how about we start?"

"Of course, I'm ready when you are."

"In that case…"

Switch Mental Lord Title with Blessed.

(N2)

[Equipped]

[Apex Evolver has activated]

[The Titles are resonating]

[Resonation has been successful!]

[The temporary effect 'Holy presence' has been activated]

[Holy presence

Effects:

Further increases the passive regeneration of wounds and stamina.

All creatures deemed Unholy will be weakened around you.

]

[You are being challenged by a stronger enemy]

[Extra effect: Apex has activated]

/CRACK!/

'Philip knew this was a strong enemy, his instincts told him that, the system further confirmed this gut feeling of his. He didn't know how much, but seeing how he stopped his blade with that pen, it's definitely considerable.'

'So he went in with all his power from the beginning! From the outside, it seemed as if Philip suddenly vanished, followed by a loud 'bang!' and the cracking of the ground.'

'In the slowed world under his skill, Philip held his sword sheath with one hand and his sword with his other one.'

'His body bent forward as he aimed at his neck, Philip pressed the trigger!'

/BANG!/

'The mechanism detonated as the sword started to fly at an incredible speed, Philip moved his hand and pulled, slashing the sword faster than that of sound.'

'His arm muscles tensed and expanded as red energy condensed around them, he was pushing his martial arts to their limit, all for one strike.'

'He channeled everything he had into the blade, making it glow in an eerie red as it cut the air in front of it.'

'Several skills were used one after the other, all for the sake of this single strike, this was his strongest state, there was no way to surpass this slash unless he was given time to prepare.'

/CLANG!/

/BOOM!/

'At the same time as Philip dashed, the sound of a massive explosion hung in the arena as a dust cloud formed in the middle of the arena.'

'When the dust cloud dissipated, it was revealed to the world what had just happened.'

'Behind the old man, the walls of the arena had been cut cleanly by something and a big chunk slid off to the side, causing a loud impact, residual red energy still remained in the stone cut...'

'From behind the arena, even a few trees had been cut cleanly in half...'

'The ground beneath them had broke down and a small crater had formed from their clash. Yet, the old man still remained in place, unmoving. For a single moment, the faint outline of two snake-like eyes formed in the air next to the man, gazing at Philip.'

'Philip also noticed a thin pillar of stone crumbling into the ground, as if it had already accomplished its job.'

"Oh my… I underestimated you Philip, you are…"

'However, Philip wasn't listening to him.'

'With a single arm, the old man raised his pen and blocked his slash! But not without repercussions…'

'His golden black pen had been slightly cut, about a third of the way, and second, the old man was a tad bit too slow and he allowed Philip's blade to scratch his cheek, a bit of blood even fell from the wound.'

'His expression was that of extreme surprise and even admiration, he smiled as if he had seen his son return from war.'

"But… You don't seem capable of being able to fight…"

'Philip's situation wasn't that good either. If the sword had cut through, that would've been fine, but the old man stopped it right on its tracks, making Philip receive the brunt force of his own attack, this tore his arm muscles and even a few other muscles.'

'He would be fine with time, but not right now…'

"I guess… Huff… I am still lacking…"

Fuck… I feel like crap…

'His expression was one of loss, had he ever suffered such a terrific defeat? To be defeated by a pen?'

'His technological vibration blade with nanomachines, under the combined might of all of his skills was stopped by one flaccid arm holding a single pen…'

"I felt like you just mocked me..."

'And if his enemy hadn't underestimated him, would he even have suffered any damage at all?'

'Philip knew there were monsters in this world, and that he was far from that, there were literal Gods somewhere in some distant plane of reality, but those were so far that Philip always believed he was good enough as he was, that he was already massively strong for his own Level…'

'And that by the time he reached them, would they be able to even hold a candle?'

'But what was his level? What was his stage? Philip had been progressing so quickly he didn't understand where his strength was anymore, and he simply believed he was strong… But how strong?'

'Level 60 strong? Level 70 strong? Or Level 50 strong of someone with an Elite upbringing? He wanted to know but didn't know where to start…'

'Fabrin on the other hand, had a big smile on his face as he watched Philip's expression change, this was what he was looking for, what he wanted to achieve.'

"From what I observed, your body is still too weak to handle that exotic swordsmanship of yours…"

He seems to be treading a rather unique path… His entire swordsmanship is focused on that strike… A single decisive strike.

And he knows that and is willing to learn… How unusual.

But it seems rather… Mixed up poorly… Like he did not have enough time to fuse it all together… And his body is suffering from that… That is no good.

A weak body that cannot use his skills, that is also suffering from their poor execution… But he is still so… As if he had a lot of time to train each of his skills but never tried using them together.

'Fabrin opened his mouth and asked:'

"Why don't you quit being a Warden and become an official student?"

'This startled Philip, he lifted his head and looked at the old man.'

"Unfortunately, I am too old for that. Else I wouldn't go over this trouble…"

Yeah, even if I become a student for just 2 months, this would be better than this, since that is rather common. Transfer students who only stay for a small period of time to learn something or participate in something before leaving, it happens quite frequently.

"That is not the case, yes, you are too old to go into the basic cycle of 5 years, but you can join as an advanced course student, this means there is no need for you to bother with all of the repercussions of your actions."

"Advance course student? Are you talking about the students who stay after their 5 years?"

"Exactly, in some cases, a student may remain to start their own project or study under a teacher, most of the time acting as a helping hand to the teacher. Although most don't since you know… They aren't as passionate about studies as they are into making their name known around the place…"

'He stored his pen in his pocket and cleaned his face with his finger.'

"I'm willing to vouch for you, since the pen is now broken, this is the least I can give to you as a reward."

"Isn't it a bit too much?"

"Not really, this is quite good for me in fact, I have a quota as to the number of advanced students I need to accept, but recently I've been more and more disappointed, so having one be appointed will make things easier for me."

'Philip entered into deep thought.'

"Wouldn't I need to pass a test in that case?"

"No, the Central Spirit is always watching us, its word is enough proof. And I am sure you pass all requirements, but I do have one small request."

"I knew this was too good to be true…"

"Haha… Don't be so pessimistic, I just need you to help me in my Class from time to time, no need to worry about these problem children as you won't be a Warden but an Advanced student! In most scenarios they would be the ones who would need to suck up to you."

'Philip tried to move his arms, he could at least move them now.'

"I may have to refuse that, one of the things I wanted was to keep myself hidden and out of any potential trouble…"

'But Fabrin replied:'

"That hasn't been going well so far no? Sometimes, trying to act in the dark may attract more attention than acting under the light. After all, the best place to hide is right under the nose. What do you think?"

'Philip thought about his objective, and in the end, he realized there was no need to stick dutifully to the suggestions in the book, being flexible is important and sometimes, the plan needs to be redone.'

"I'll do it."

'Fabrin nodded when he heard him, so he patted Philip's shoulder, making him flinch in pain.'

"Remember this pain, it is the pain of failure, and of the potential to improve…"

"Most people can't even feel such pain and die trying… But now, it's time to go, I'm sure you are eager to rest, I can see it in your eyes, leave the rest to me… Someone has to punish these kids and that is my work."

"You should receive the papers to become an Advance course student by tonight."

"I… Alright… However, I don't think this was that big of a loss." He said with a thin smile

"?"

'Philip did not reply and just put his finger on his own neck, propping Fabrin to check his own neck.'

"!"

'There was a very thin cut in there, making his eyes open up in shock.'

When did he cut me?... Brat…

'When he went to look, he saw Philip already running away awkwardly without a care.'

'He smiled and scoffed.'

"Age is such a bummer…"

'Smiling slightly, Fabrin made his way out of the arena.'

"A simple stroll made me find such an interesting young man… Yeah, you were right…"

"Hum?... Of course I will, I can't allow him to just… I noticed as well…"

'Fabrin talked with the air as he slowly left…'

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Notes