"Final match for Group 3," the referee announced.

  "Roy Nasser versus Valeria Stormrend."

  The arena grew quiet.

  Roy stood there thinking.

  'Every person I fought was too weak. If I lose, I might get in the lowest class and that's not good. And I tried to lose the last fight in a not-obvious way and somehow i won? Shouldn't this be one of the best, if not the best, academy in the world? Is she some important person and they made her group easy on purpose? But that doesn't make sense. She's strong enough. What is happening?'

  Cutting his thoughts short was nothing other than the wooden sword getting just inches away from his stomach. He took a side step at the last moment, dodging it.

  The match had already begun, but he didn't hear the referee.

  A horizontal slash came after. He ducked.

  'All I need is to dodge another hit and lose. That will do it.'

  He stood up, taking a defensive stance. As there was no other attack, he stood there looking at her, getting ready.

  Valeria stood there, not moving, trying to find a way to land a hit.

  'He was able to dodge my first attack even though he wasn't paying attention. This will be hard.'

  She held her sword in front of her, then in a blink she disappeared, lightning appearing where she was standing. In the time it took for a blink, she attacked Roy with a horizontal slash. He ducked below it in time.

  He attacked her leg with a kick, but she jumped away before it could hit her.

  She went again with a number of slashes and thrusts.

  Roy blocked a thrust by slapping it away, then lunged forward attacking her shoulder. She sidestepped, took back control of her sword. The miss made him lose balance and fall down, but he caught himself with his hand.

  Her sword came down toward his head.

  But he didn't move. Then, from the shadow her head cast on her neck, a black hand erupted, catching her hand mid-swing. Stopping the attack.

  Valeria's eyes widened in surprise.

  Roy took the chance and pulled his hand out of the shadow, making the black hand disappear, and struck with it, aiming for her stomach. She blocked just in time.

  She began to sweat for the first time since the test had begun.

  They both stood facing each other again.

  The crowd leaned forward. Even Darius raised an eyebrow.

  Valeria stood there, lightning coming out of her sword. Then she struck again, this time using lightning in most of her attacks.

  It took just three lightning attacks for a slash to land on Roy's stomach, throwing him out of the platform.

  "Winner: Valeria Stormrend!"

  The crowd erupted again. This time louder.

  Valeria lowered her sword, breathing steady, eyes flicking to him once more.

  Roy stood up, exhaled slowly, and walked away. He didn't even watch the other matches.

  In the VIP room, the other teachers were still talking over each other.

  Darius didn't say a word. He looked down at the clipboard, scribbled a few words, then closed it.

  Valeria Stormrend: high combat aptitude. (a must)

  Roy Nasser: controlled, restrained, reads opponents well. Hiding his true power. (a must)

  The room was dimly lit except for the golden glow of the holographic screens floating in the air. A single long table stretched across the center, lined with a dozen teachers. Their faces were serious, voices low and deliberate. On the largest screen hung hundreds of names, slowly shifting as the sorting process continued.

  Darius leaned back in his chair, his broad shoulders casting a shadow against the wall. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes were sharp, flicking over each line of data as if weighing every name. The muscles across his back shifted as he crossed his arms, the fabric of his black shirt pulling tight. He wasn't someone who liked meetings, but this one mattered.

  "Alright," Anton, the teacher standing in front of the screen, said. He was a short man wearing a long white jacket, tapping on the tablet he was holding.

  "We've narrowed down the list for the top class. After students who were preselected for it, or selected from another exam, we have a few slots left."

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  "Six," another teacher said.

  "Six spots."

  Anton nodded and smiled.

  "Who will you choose?"

  Darius leaned forward slightly.

  "Then it's time to stop wasting time."

  A sharp-faced teacher sitting opposite him adjusted her glasses.

  "We can't just throw people in based on favoritism or your... instincts, Darius."

  Darius didn't flinch.

  "I don't do favoritism."

  She folded her hands.

  "Then why is Roy Nasser on your recommendation list? His performance score is good, but I can think of at least ten students who outperformed him. We only have six seats."

  A few others nodded in agreement. Anton pulled up Roy's evaluation file. A replay of his battle against Valeria flickered to life above the table. Roy dodging and staying just barely ahead of her blade. And the way he used his shadow power: clean, efficient, but not explosive.

  "He didn't use his full power. He was trying to hide it, but was doing a really bad job in the last fight," another teacher said.

  "Exactly," the woman said flatly.

  "We can't reward someone for holding back."

  Darius's gaze narrowed.

  "What he has done is already enough."

  The room fell quiet for a heartbeat.

  "He read Valeria Stormrend's rhythm," Darius continued.

  "He adjusted every move to keep her just far enough away. Not to beat her. To measure her. That kind of combat awareness doesn't come from nothing. And if someone's able to do that while holding back..."

  He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

  "...then I want him in my class."

  The sharp-faced woman crossed her arms.

  "This is the top class, Darius. Not a training ground for people who are hiding their true strength. If he's hiding his true power at a test, who says he'll take the training seriously? Did you read his essay?"

  He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to.

  "I can guarantee you that I will be able to make him take the class very seriously."

  Anton, for the first time, took part in the conversation.

  "And his control over his shadow abilities is clean. Too clean for someone his age that the data shows didn't train before."

  Darius gave a curt nod.

  "Exactly."

  The woman exhaled through her nose, clearly unconvinced.

  "Okay, forget about him for now. Let's see the others. Let's begin with Omar."

  "Omar Khalil," Anton began, reading from the tablet and showing some parts of Omar's last match against Marie on the screen.

  "Winner of Group 1."

  The screen showed him blocking air attacks with a wall he made from the platform.

  "Good earth powers."

  Then the screen cut to the part where he overwhelmed Marie with fire, melting every ice attack and winning him the match.

  "Excellent fire affinity in his last match. He's loud and reckless, but his strength is undeniable."

  "He's in," Darius said without hesitation.

  No one objected.

  "Marie Quinn."

  Anton said.

  "Even though she lost, most of her moves were creative and combined two of her powers, something even most professionals don't do often."

  "She doesn't break under pressure either. Reckless, but..." Darius added.

  "She's got instincts. Instincts get sharper with the right environment."

  There were no major objections for Marie either.

  "Next, the winner of Group 2," Anton said, as always pulling up some of his fights.

  "Marcus Brunt. A really big kid. Blocked every attack, and all of his wins were by pushing his opponent outside or by them surrendering."

  He looked up from his tablet.

  "Any objections?"

  No one answered.

  "Okay, next is the winner of Group 4."

  "Don't want her," Darius stated.

  "Do you have another student in mind?" Anton asked.

  "No."

  "Any other objections?"

  No one answered.

  "Then she's in," Anton said, looking directly at Darius.

  Darius didn't react much, as he cared more about students he wanted not getting in than students he didn't want getting in.

  "And lastly, Valeria Stormrend," one of the teachers said.

  That one didn't even need to be debated. Her name was already highlighted in gold on the list.

  "She was always going to the top," Anton murmured.

  Darius let out a slow breath.

  "Then it's settled. Roy Nasser, Omar Khalil, Marie Quinn, Marcus Brunt, and Valeria Stormrend all in the top class."

  "And Elise Richter," Anton added.

  The woman glared at him.

  "You're taking a risk."

  He finally gave a small smirk.

  "I've taken worse."

  They were about to argue once again, but the door opened softly. All conversation stopped.

  The principal herself, Elvira Stahl, walked in: tall, silver-haired, calm as an executioner. Her mere presence made the air feel heavier.

  She scanned the list with sharp eyes.

  "Any disputes?"

  The woman opened her mouth.

  "Roy. Darius is..."

  Elvira raised a single finger, silencing her.

  "I watched the fights," Elvira said coldly.

  "Darius is right. He will join the top class."

  She gave the faintest hint of a smile.

  Darius smirked just slightly.

  "Then it's decided," Elvira continued.

  "Publish the rankings."