Chapter 241: Sylvia’s speech.
Selena looked at him in disbelief. "You mean... from the fight yesterday? You fought that demon?"
Kael nodded. "Yeah. He is Dakin."
"How do you know his name?" Selena asked.
"Well he said himself when he showed before midterm"
Kael tilted his head. "So, can you tell what those coins are?"
"Not right now," she admitted. "Give me some time. I’ll study them later."
"Alright," Kael said, nodding. "Also... do you have any magic book? I want to learn some basic spells."
Selena blinked in surprise. "Magic? You?"
"Yeah," Kael said firmly. "I’ve been relying too much on my sword. I can’t always depend on brute force. It’s time I learn something else."
Selena smiled faintly, clearly amused. "You are learning magic... that’s something I didn’t expect to hear today."
Kael gave her a dry look. "I’m serious."
"Fine," Selena said, chuckling softly. "I actually have one. It’s in my dorm room. It’s a basic beginner’s guide—covers simple mana control and spell formation."
"That’ll do," Kael replied. "Can you bring it?"
Selena nodded. "Wait for me at Ground Zero. I’ll be right back."
Kael nodded again. "Alright."
She turned and started walking toward the academy dormitories.
Kael watched her go, then sat down on a nearby stone bench, feeling the pain in his leg throb again.
As he waited, a few of his classmates gathered nearby, whispering among themselves.
"Hey, is that Kael sitting with Selena again?" one boy said.
"Yeah... they look pretty close lately," another replied.
"I thought he was close with Cecelia. Did he ditch her for a senior?"
Cecelia, who had been standing with a group of girls not far away, overheard them. Her expression darkened, and she lowered her head slightly.
"Maybe he’s just asking her about something," one girl tried to defend, but her tone wasn’t very convincing.
Still, the rumors spread quickly. The teasing whispers turned into quiet chuckles.
When Selena returned, she held a thick blue-covered book in her hands. "Here," she said, handing it to him. "Don’t burn yourself trying to cast a spell, alright?"
Kael took the book carefully. "I’ll be fine," he said, though a faint grin tugged at his lips.
"Thanks."
"Anytime," she replied. "And don’t forget to rest that leg."
"Yeah, yeah," Kael said, standing up. He winced slightly as the wound stung again, but he didn’t show it much.
As they walked side by side out of the training ground, several students watched them go.
One of the boys laughed loudly, "Hey, Kael! What were you doing with her last night, huh? Sneaking around the city, maybe?"
The others laughed.
Kael ignored them, but Selena gave them a sharp glare that silenced the laughter immediately.
Another boy whispered, "He’s walking weird... maybe that senior girl gave him a rough punishment, haha!"
More laughter erupted.
Kael clenched his fist slightly but didn’t react.
He just kept walking toward the ground.
Kael stood quietly among the crowd of students gathered on the academy training grounds.
Kael, however, wasn’t joining in their chatter.
(Since the strongest heroes like Elysia, Edwin, and Jin don’t use magic... I’ll use it.) he thought.
(If I master it quietly, it won’t interfere with the future storyline. They’ll never even know.)
He clenched his fist subtly, feeling a faint pulse of energy beneath his skin. The thought of learning magic thrilled him — not for glory, but for survival.
The murmurs around him faded as a familiar, calm yet commanding voice echoed across the grounds.
"Good morning, everyone," Professor Sylvia greeted, walking onto the ground with her usual grace.
The students immediately straightened their backs, quieting down. Even Kael focused his gaze on her.
"Today," she continued, "your mission is to clear the dungeons and the demons within. This task will directly contribute to your final exam marks."
A low murmur rippled through the crowd again. Kael could hear the faint gasps and whispers from all sides.
"Does that mean we’ll actually fight demons this time?"
"Man, this is going to be tough!"
"Well I am excited because demons usually exist in ancient times", someone said.
Sylvia raised her hand, and the chatter died down instantly.
"Before midterm," she said, "your assessments didn’t include any written tests. However—" she paused, letting her words sink in, "—for the final exam, there will be written exams alongside field evaluations."
The students groaned almost in unison.
"A written exam?!"
"That’s unfair! We’re warriors, not scholars!"
"I barely passed the last written one!"
Sylvia chuckled softly. "Yes, yes. I can hear your complaints already. But the heroes of tomorrow must not only be strong — they must also be knowledgeable. Understanding mana flow, beast anatomy, and demonic structure could mean the difference between life and death."
Kael nodded silently to himself. He admired her logic.
(Knowledge is survival... not just strength.)
Sylvia clasped her hands behind her back and continued, "Now, regarding the dungeon missions — you may form groups or go solo, depending on your confidence."
Instantly, students began whispering and glancing around, trying to pick their partners.
"I’m teaming with Edwin!"
"Count me in too!"
"Hey, save a slot for me!"
Kael stayed still, observing. He knew better than to rely on others. Teaming up could make things easier, but it also slowed him down.
And worse — it could change events that hadn’t happened yet.
He looked down, muttering to himself, "I’ll go solo. The less I’m involved, the fewer things I change."
Sylvia’s voice drew his attention again.
"The demons you’ll face within the dungeons may not be ordinary. Each one carries a demon core — usually located in its forehead."
A few gasps came from the crowd.
"The core?"
"Just like the beast cores from the earlier missions?"
"But... demons are way stronger!"
Sylvia nodded. "Indeed. Extracting a demon core will be easy. They are intelligent creatures — far more cunning than monsters. However, each core you collect will be counted as points in your final score."
The students’ eyes lit up instantly. The word points always triggered their competitive spirit.
"So the more cores we collect, the higher we rank?" a boy asked eagerly.
"Exactly," Sylvia said. "Those with the most points by the end of the exam will receive direct recommendations to the Hero League trials."
The field erupted with excitement.
"Hero League!?"
"No way— that’s where the top-tier heroes are trained!"
"If we score high enough, we could be scouted early!"
Kael’s eyes flickered at the mention of the Hero League.
(So that’s the connection. This exam isn’t just about rank... it’s about getting noticed.)
He crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Demon cores, huh? That might actually help me. I can use them for forging... and for studying their properties."
From the corner of his eye, he noticed Cecelia standing a little farther away. She caught his gaze and smiled faintly, holding up her staff.
"Looks like it’s dungeon time again, huh?"
Kael nodded slightly. "Yeah. Guess we’ll be seeing more demons soon."
"Will you go alone again?" she asked softly.
Kael hesitated before replying, "Probably. I can’t rely on others yet."
Selena frowned a little but didn’t push further. "Just... ummmm"