Today, the academy grounds were more crowded than ever before. Students filled the wide stone plaza surrounding the arena, some gathered in groups dissecting strategies, others nervously checking their equipment, while a few confident individuals simply stood with arms crossed as if the entire tournament was already decided in their heads.
At the center of everything stood the Lemurian Combat Arena. It was a massive circular structure of reinforced stone and steel, its outer walls engraved with containment runes designed to hold powerful abilities inside the ring without letting them tear the building apart. This was where the strongest students of the academy would soon clash.
Aaron and Rei walked through the crowded plaza together. Rei's head swiveled left and right constantly, his expression caught somewhere between nerves and excitement.
"Brother Aaron..."
Aaron glanced at him.
"Yes?"
"My heart is beating very fast."
"That means... your own heart hasn't given up on you."
Rei shook his head vigorously. "No! This is love!"
Aaron sighed.
"You're still thinking about that?"
"Of course!" Rei puffed out his chest and adopted a solemn tone, as though delivering a personal doctrine. "A true man must pursue the woman he admires!"
Aaron looked at him. "And how many women admire you?"
Rei immediately changed the topic. "That's not important."
They continued toward the arena entrance. Then Rei froze mid-step, his entire body going rigid as though he had just spotted a dangerous monster in the wild. Aaron followed his gaze.
Standing not far away was a group of students gathered around a tall girl with long golden hair tied into a ponytail. She wore a light combat uniform that sat naturally on her confident posture, and a beautiful silver bow rested across her back. Her presence drew attention the way a flame draws eyes in a dark room.
Rei whispered with great gravity.
"...Brother Aaron."
"Yes."
Rei grabbed his arm. "That's her."
Kang Yue. The newly transferred student. A-Rank Class, Radiant Spirit Archer.
Rei inhaled deeply, the breath of a man girding himself for something irreversible.
"Brother Aaron."
"You don't have to do this."
"A man must follow his heart." Rei shook his head with absolute conviction, then marched forward. Aaron watched him go with the expression of someone observing a man walk calmly toward his own execution.
Kang Yue was chatting with two female classmates when Rei materialized in front of them and cleared his throat with great ceremony.
"Ahem!"
The girls stopped talking. Kang Yue raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
Rei's face turned slightly red, but he held his ground. "Miss Kang Yue. My name is Rei Lang. I am a student of Lemurian Hunter Academy."
"I know," Kang Yue said politely.
Encouraged, Rei pressed on. "I saw you yesterday... and I was deeply moved." Around them, nearby students slowed their walking. Several stopped entirely, sensing the particular atmosphere that only forms around public confessions.
Kang Yue folded her arms. "...Go on."
Rei took a breath and committed fully. "From the moment I saw you, I felt that destiny had brought us together!" The whispers spread immediately through the gathering crowd.
"Is he confessing?"
"Isn't that the Aaron friend?"
"He's brave..."
Kang Yue's expression shifted into something quietly amused. Rei clenched his fists and raised his voice. "Miss Kang Yue! I know I may not be the strongest man here today! But my feelings are sincere!" He held her gaze. "So I hope you can give me a chance!"
Silence fell across the surrounding area. Dozens of students were watching now. Kang Yue stared at him for a few long seconds, then laughed. It wasn't a gentle laugh. It was the kind that comes when something strikes a person as genuinely absurd.
"You?" Her voice carried easily across the plaza. "You want to pursue me?"
Rei nodded nervously. Kang Yue looked him up and down with the slow, unhurried attention of someone already certain of their verdict. "You're a C Rank Scout, aren't you?" Several nearby students chuckled. Kang Yue continued without pausing. "Do you know how many talented hunters pursue me? Do you know what kind of family I come from?" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "And you think someone like you deserves a chance?"
Rei's face had gone pale. The crowd's whispers grew louder around him. Kang Yue waved one hand dismissively. "If you want my advice..." Her voice turned cold. "Know your place." Then she turned away as though the conversation had already ended some time ago.
Rei stood there motionless, his fists trembling at his sides. The surrounding students filled the silence.
"Poor guy..."
"That was brutal."
"Public execution."
Then footsteps approached from behind. Aaron stopped beside Rei and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at Kang Yue.
"You talk a lot."
Kang Yue turned back slowly, her eyes narrowing. "And who are you?"
"Aaron."
The name moved through the crowd immediately.
"Aaron Emegrey?"
"The Laborer?"
"The guy from the Stoneback Bear rumor?"
Kang Yue studied him briefly, then scoffed. "So you're the famous Laborer." Aaron's expression didn't change. She tilted her head slightly. "Are you here to defend your friend?"
"Yes."
Kang Yue laughed again, and then her eyes went cold. "How touching. But if he's weak, he deserves to be rejected."
Aaron looked at her quietly for a moment.
"In today's tournament..." His voice was calm and unhurried, which somehow made it land heavier. "I will make you kneel."
The plaza went still. Kang Yue's expression darkened. "You're very arrogant for an E-Rank Laborer."
Aaron shrugged. He then turned and walked away. Rei hurried after him without looking back.
Behind them, Kang Yue's fingers tightened slowly around the grip of her bow, her gaze fixed on Aaron's back.
"...We'll see."