The Royal Academy had changed.
Not physically.
The stone walls, towering towers, and endless corridors remained the same.
But the atmosphere was different.
The evaluation announcement had spread throughout the academy, and every student had become more serious.
Training grounds were full from morning until night.
Students pushed their abilities further.
They studied opponents.
They prepared strategies.
Because in one week...
Everything could change.
A student from a lower class could rise.
A student from a higher class could fall.
The academy promised fairness.
But everyone knew the reality.
The strong usually remained strong.
And the weak usually remained where they were.
Especially F-Class.
---
Kael stood alone in the training area, his fists raised.
The wooden target in front of him was already covered in cracks.
His breathing remained steady.
One punch.
Another.
Another.
His body moved efficiently.
No wasted movement.
No unnecessary strength.
Everything had a purpose.
That was what he had learned from observing the strongest students.
Power wasn't just about having a powerful Path.
It was about understanding how to use what you already had.
"You're still training?"
Kael turned.
Dren stood nearby.
"Yes."
"The evaluation is in a week."
"That's why."
Dren sighed.
"You really don't know how to relax."
Kael looked back at the target.
"Relaxing won't improve my chances."
Dren shook his head.
"Sometimes I wonder if you know how normal people think."
Kael ignored the comment.
Because right now...
Normal thinking wasn't useful.
---
Not everyone was happy about Kael's improvement.
Across the training grounds, Kellis watched.
His expression darkened.
The other students didn't notice.
But he did.
Every day.
Kael became better.
Faster.
Stronger.
More confident.
A year ago, Kael had been someone everyone ignored.
A No-Path who barely survived the entrance exam.
Now?
People were starting to talk about him.
Not positively.
Not yet.
But they were talking.
And that was enough to bother Kellis.
Because Kael wasn't supposed to change.
A No-Path wasn't supposed to rise.
---
Kellis remembered his sister.
The memory came without warning.
Her smile.
Her kindness.
The way she believed everyone could be saved.
Even people everyone else had given up on.
She worked at an asylum because she wanted to help those society had abandoned.
Until one person destroyed everything.
A No-Path.
A murderer.
Someone who proved every fear people had about No-Paths.
Kellis knew Kael wasn't that person.
He knew it wasn't logical.
But anger was rarely logical.
And every time he saw Kael improving...
It felt like the world was proving him wrong.
---
That evening, Kael left the training grounds alone.
The sun had already begun setting.
The academy was quieter.
Perfect for thinking.
Or so he thought.
"Kael."
He stopped.
Kellis stood ahead.
Behind him were Brann and Rhett.
The same three people who had made his first months at the academy miserable.
Kael looked at them.
"What do you want?"
Kellis clenched his fist.
"You really think you're different now?"
Kael said nothing.
"You trained your body."
Kellis stepped forward.
"You filled your head with useless knowledge."
His eyes narrowed.
"But at the end of the day..."
A pause.
"You're still a No-Path."
The words were familiar.
Too familiar.
Kael had heard them countless times.
But now...
They didn't hurt.
They only confirmed something.
People would continue seeing him the same way until he forced them to see differently.
---
"Are you done?"
Kellis' expression changed.
"You don't even deny it?"
"Deny what?"
"That you don't belong here."
Kael looked at him calmly.
"I belong here because I passed."
That answer irritated Kellis more than anger would have.
Because Kael wasn't defensive.
He wasn't begging for approval.
He simply believed it.
"Then prove it."
Kellis moved.
---
The fight began.
Brann attacked first.
A direct attack.
Kael stepped aside.
His body moved before the attack reached him.
He countered with a strike to the arm.
Brann stepped back.
Rhett followed.
Kael adjusted immediately.
One opponent.
Two.
Three.
He studied their movements.
Their habits.
Their weaknesses.
Seven months ago, he wouldn't have lasted.
Now?
He could fight.
---
But then Kellis joined.
The pressure changed.
His ability activated.
Kael blocked the first attack, but the force pushed him backwards.
He regained his balance.
Better.
But still not enough.
The gap between them remained.
Kellis saw it.
"You improved."
He admitted it reluctantly.
"But not enough."
---
Then...
A voice interrupted.
"You three are still doing this?"
Everyone turned.
Tovin stood nearby.
Hands in his pockets.
Expression bored.
As usual.
Kellis frowned.
"This doesn't concern you."
Tovin looked at Kael.
Then back at them.
"I know."
A pause.
"I just wanted to leave."
Brann laughed.
"The lazy guy wants to help?"
"What are you going to do?"
"Spin a rock at us?"
The others laughed.
Everyone knew Tovin's Path.
Rotation.
A strange ability.
A Path that could rotate solid objects he touched.
Useful for tools.
Useful for tricks.
But weak in direct combat.
At least...
That was what everyone believed.
---
Tovin sighed.
"I really hate explaining things."
Kellis moved first.
He didn't even consider Tovin a threat.
That was his mistake.
The moment his fist approached...
Tovin moved.
Not quickly.
Not dramatically.
He simply rotated.
His shoulder turned.
His body followed.
His fist connected.
A single impact.
Brann flew backwards.
Silence.
Nobody moved.
Nobody understood.
Because they all saw the same thing.
Tovin punched.
That was it.
---
Brann stood up slowly.
"What...?"
Tovin looked at his own hand.
Nothing unusual.
No glow.
No obvious ability.
Just a normal punch.
Except it wasn't.
Because Rotation wasn't limited to objects.
Tovin had simply never bothered correcting anyone.
---
Rhett attacked next.
Tovin stepped forward.
His movements were strange.
Not fast.
Not powerful.
Just impossible to predict.
Every strike landed perfectly.
Every attack missed by a fraction.
A shield.
A defensive ability.
A counterattack.
Nothing worked.
Because Tovin wasn't fighting normally.
His entire body was moving as one rotation.
---
Kael watched silently.
His eyes narrowed.
Something was wrong.
He understood physical strength.
He understood technique.
But Tovin's movements...
They didn't follow normal rules.
"What are you doing?"
Tovin looked at him.
"Fighting."
That answer annoyed Kael.
Because it wasn't an answer.
---
Within minutes...
The fight was over.
The three bullies were defeated.
Not injured badly.
Not humiliated.
Simply overwhelmed.
Tovin looked at them.
"Don't bother."
Then he walked away.
---
Kellis watched him leave.
But his anger wasn't directed at Tovin.
It was directed at Kael.
Because in his mind...
The conclusion was simple.
Kael still needed someone else.
Someone else had protected him.
The resentment inside him grew.
---
Kael remained still.
Looking at Tovin's back.
For the first time...
He had encountered someone he couldn't immediately understand.
A person whose ability didn't match the academy's explanation.
A person who had been underestimated.
Just like him.
But unlike him...
Tovin had been hiding it.
Kael looked down at his fists.
The evaluation was coming.
And he had a feeling...
F-Class contained more secrets than anyone realized.