Silver stood at the podium, her presence radiating authority. With every step she took, her graceful hair swayed gently behind her, adding to the commanding aura she carried.
"Now, to demonstrate and evaluate your skills in martial arts," she announced calmly, "I would like one of you to raise your hand and come to the stage. You will be fighting me."
The declaration immediately stirred the class. Students turned their heads toward one another, excitement rippling through the room. Soon, many hands shot up into the air, eager for the chance to face their stunning teacher.
Silver observed them quietly, her piercing eyes moving from one student to another, carefully examining each face. After a moment, she spoke again.
"You at the back—the one with the blonde hair. Come forward and fight me."
The classroom reacted instantly. Heads snapped toward the back, and hushed murmurs spread across the students.
"Seriously? Out of everyone, she picked the one with a level-one ability?"
"That's unbelievable…"
Fex stood frozen for a moment, stunned by the sudden attention. Beside him, Layla nudged his shoulder.
"What are you doing, Fex?" she whispered. "Go!"
Finally snapping out of it, Fex walked toward the front. Keeping a brave face, he stepped onto the podium and stopped about ten meters in front of Silver. He raised his fists and took a fighting stance.
"Introduce yourself first," Silver said calmly. "I don't know your name."
Fex coughed, before he cleared his throat and answering.
"I'm Fex."
Out of all the ways he had imagined meeting his sister again, this certainly hadn't been one of them.
"Well then," Silver said, her voice steady, "let's begin."
For a brief moment, neither of them moved.
Then suddenly, Fex dashed forward and launched a kick toward her. Silver moved gracefully, stepping back just enough to avoid the strike. Fex followed up with several quick jabs and kicks, trying to close the distance.
But none of them landed.
Both of them were holding back. Fex couldn't reveal his full capabilities, and Silver seemed to be limiting herself as well. The fight remained at a basic level—at least for now.
Fex continued pressing forward, throwing combinations of punches and kicks in hopes of landing even a single hit. Yet every attack was effortlessly avoided.
Then Silver moved.
Fex saw the kick coming toward him, almost as if time had slowed down. But despite seeing it, the speed behind the attack was far faster than he had expected.
Silver wasn't holding back at all.
Her kick connected directly with Fex's face.
In the next instant, his body was launched off the podium. He crashed to the ground and tumbled across the floor.
Immediately, guards seemed to appear from nowhere. They rushed toward him, lifting him up and quickly carrying him away toward the medical ward.
The classroom fell silent.
Silver slowly turned back toward the students and looked across the room.
"Anybody else?"
Not a single hand was raised.
--
Somewhere on a planet called Lintarnia, Leo was training relentlessly inside his dojo. Sweat trickled down his body as he repeated the same movements over and over again. Ever since returning from the military base, this routine has become part of his daily life.
But his body was no longer the same.
He could feel its limitations more clearly with each passing day. His swings weren't as sharp or as fast as they used to be. Age had finally begun to catch up with him, slowing him down little by little.
After finishing his training, Leo stepped outside and headed toward the shelter. There were always tasks waiting for him there. Over time, the shelter had grown larger, housing several people who relied on its safety. Leo had become its sole protector and handler, since it was neither under the military or the big four.
As he walked through the area, people bowed their heads respectfully as he passed. Leo acknowledged them silently and continued forward.
But Suddenly, he stopped.
Leo constantly used his ability, Dragon Eyes. It allowed him to sense his surroundings clearly, enabling him to move through the world without bumping into objects or people, almost as if he could see normally.
But this time, something unusual had caught his attention. His ability also detected qi and other different energies.
And currently he was sensing an incredibly strong flow of Qi coming from someone nearby.
Every living being possessed Qi, but only those who trained and cultivated it could accumulate large reserves. The strength of this particular Qi surprised Leo for a moment.
The person was currently speaking with someone else, unaware that Leo had already noticed their presence.
As the conversation ended and the mysterious individual began walking away, Leo decided to follow them from a distance. His ability allowed him to track the person easily without drawing attention.
The figure continued walking, passing beyond the human settlements and heading toward a more secluded part of the area.
However, as the distance between them grew and fewer people were around, it became harder for Leo to follow without being noticed.
Realizing this, Leo decided it was time to intervene.
The man moved beneath an abandoned, crumbling building. Once inside, he activated a large circular machine hidden within the shadows.
It was a teleporter.
As the portal slowly began to activate and glow with energy, a calm voice suddenly echoed from behind him.
"When there are official portals located at the teleportation base… why is there another illegal one in this part of the settlement?"
It was Leo.
The man turned around instantly, clearly shocked that someone had discovered him. His hands quickly moved toward the hilt of the sword resting at his hip.
"And who are you supposed to be?" the man asked cautiously.
Leo stepped forward slowly, as the faint light shed on his face.
"Well, even though it's concerning that an illegal teleporter exists here… I'm more curious about something else."
He paused for a moment.
"Tell me… do you know something called Qi?"
The man didn't answer.
Instead, he suddenly lunged forward, drawing his beast weapon sword and striking directly at Leo.
But Leo had already predicted the attack.
Using his Dragon Eyes, he sensed the flow of aura along the opponent's movement. With a small shift of his body, he evaded the strike completely. In the same motion, Leo drew his own sword and deflected the follow-up slash aimed directly at his throat.
The man chuckled.
"For a blind man, you're doing pretty well to last this long. Now I understand why they call you the Blind Swordsman."
He laughed lightly.
"It's an honor to fight you… but unfortunately, you won't be fighting for long."
Leo remained calm.
Even as the man infused his attacks with Qi, Leo's mind stayed focused. As they clashed again and again, Leo carefully observed how the other fighter was using Qi.
And what he saw surprised him.
The opponent was clearly proficient in the first stage of Qi, but he was also using something beyond that. There was a faint coating of Qi surrounding the sword itself, enhancing its power.
Leo's brows furrowed slightly.
"Tell me," he said while parrying another strike, "how do you know Qi this well? Who are you… and who taught you to use it like this?"
The man stayed silent for a moment before finally replying.
"Well, since you'll be dying by my sword… I suppose telling you the basics is only fair."
"I don't have a name. They call me Agent Number 31… and I am from Pure."
His voice grew colder.
"I won't be revealing anything else."
The fight continued.
Leo's decades of experience and mastery of his ability gave him the advantage in skill, but the opponent was no ordinary fighter. Agent 31 had also reached the second stage of Qi, allowing him to keep up with Leo's attacks.
The battle quickly reached a stalemate.
Their swords clashed repeatedly as both fighters deflected and redirected each other's strikes with precision. Neither of them broke a sweat, but as time passed, Leo began to feel the weight of his age slowing him down.
From this encounter, Leo understood two things.
First, the organization known as Pure trained their fighters in martial arts far more intensely than he had expected.
Second, they were using Qi in ways Leo had never imagined before.
Realizing the danger of the situation, Leo knew he could no longer hold back.
He activated his Soul Weapon.
Then he waited.
The moment finally came when Agent 31 raised his sword and brought it down with immense force. Leo stepped forward and absorbed the kinetic energy of the strike, redirecting its momentum.
In a single fluid motion, Leo countered.
His blade flashed through the air.
The strike landed cleanly.
Agent 31's arms were severed instantly.
The man stumbled backward, blood pouring from the stumps where his hands once were. A look of horror spread across his face.
Leo moved quickly, grabbing him before he could collapse.
"Talk," Leo demanded firmly. "Tell me everything about Pure."
But the man refused to answer.
Then suddenly, before Leo could stop him, Agent 31 bit down hard on his own tongue.
Within seconds, foam began forming around his mouth as poison rapidly spread through his body.
Leo's grip tightened, but it was already too late.
Agent 31's body went limp.
The agent had killed himself.