The academy plaza was packed tighter than Aaron had ever seen it.
Students filled every inch of the wide stone square surrounding the arena, some huddled in tight groups dissecting strategies, others nervously checking their weapons one last time, while a few confident ones simply stood with arms crossed like the entire tournament had already been decided in their favor.
At the center of everything stood the Lemurian Combat Arena. The massive circular structure of reinforced stone and steel rose high, its outer walls engraved with glowing containment runes designed to keep powerful abilities from tearing 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 kept swiveling left and right, his expression caught somewhere between nerves and wild excitement.
"Brother Aaron..."
Aaron glanced at him.
"Yes?"
"My heart is beating so fast I can hear it in my ears."
Aaron gave a small smile.
"That means your own heart hasn't given up on you yet."
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 sideways. "And how many women admire you?"
Rei immediately changed the topic. "That's not important right now."
They continued toward the arena entrance. Then Rei froze mid-step, his entire body going rigid like he had spotted a dangerous monster in the wild. Aaron followed his gaze.
Not far away, a group of students had gathered around a tall girl with long golden hair tied in a neat ponytail. She wore a light combat uniform that fit her confident posture perfectly, and a beautiful silver bow rested across her back. Her presence drew eyes the way a flame draws moths in the dark.
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 preparing for something irreversible.
"Brother Aaron."
"You really 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 friend walking calmly toward his own execution.
Kang Yue was chatting with two female classmates when Rei suddenly appeared in front of them and cleared his throat with dramatic ceremony.
"Ahem!"
The girls stopped talking. Kang Yue raised an elegant eyebrow.
"Yes?"
Rei's face turned slightly red, but he stood his ground. "Miss Kang Yue. My name is Rei Lang. I am a student of Lemurian Hunter Academy."
"I know," Kang Yue said politely, her tone neutral.
Encouraged, Rei pressed on. "I saw you yesterday... and I was deeply moved." Around them, nearby students began slowing down. Several stopped entirely, sensing the particular atmosphere that only forms around public confessions.
Kang Yue folded her arms. "...Go on."
Rei took a deep breath and committed fully. "From the moment I saw you, I felt that destiny had brought us together!" The whispers spread instantly through the gathering crowd.
"Is he confessing?"
"Isn't that Aaron's friend?"
"He's actually doing it..."
Kang Yue's expression shifted into something quietly amused. Rei clenched his fists and raised his voice just a little. "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 straight 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 lightly. 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."
Rei kept glancing back over his shoulder as they moved through the crowd, his face still pale but now carrying a hint of awe.
"Brother Aaron... you really said that to her."
Aaron kept walking.
"She needed to hear it."
Rei let out a shaky laugh.
"You know what? Even if I get rejected a hundred times, at least I have you to watch my back."
Aaron smiled faintly.
"Focus on the matches today. Save the romance for after you win something."
Rei nodded, but his eyes were still shining with a mix of embarrassment and determination.
The arena gates stood open ahead of them, the massive fighting ring waiting inside like a promise of what was coming.
The tournament was about to begin.
And somehow, the air already felt heavier with the weight of all the eyes now watching the so-called E-rank Laborer.