The dormitory was still dark when Alex stirred. A faint gray light leaked through the narrow slits in the stone walls, and the air smelled of smoke and sweat from a hundred children breathing in the same cramped space. Snores rose and fell like waves, punctuated by the occasional cough or muttered dream.
Alex lay awake on his cot, staring at the rafters above. His arms ached from the previous day's drills, his palms were raw with blisters, but his eyes burned not with exhaustion but with determination.
The System's faint chime echoed once more at the edge of his vision.
[Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency: 99%.]
One more swing. Just one. And he would break through.
He sat up slowly, careful not to wake the others. Nobles slept soundly at the far end, wrapped in silk blankets. Commoners huddled at the other, curled beneath coarse sheets. Alex, small and forgotten in the middle, tightened his fists. His satchel was tucked under his cot, but it was the wooden sword at his side that mattered most.
He glanced at the door. The guards outside were strict, but morning bells hadn't rung yet. If he was quiet…
Alex slid from his cot, his bare feet making no sound on the cold stone. His hands closed around the chipped wooden blade. Even that touch hurt his blisters cracked, oozing faintly but he did not flinch. Pain was proof he was alive. Pain meant he was moving forward.
The courtyard outside was empty, mist curling low along the obsidian tiles. Statues of past heroes loomed in the shadows, their eyes glowing faintly from rune-light, like silent sentinels watching his every move.
Alex took his place in the center. He inhaled deeply, the air cold in his lungs. His stance was shaky at first, knees sore, but he adjusted—feet grounded, weight balanced.
He raised his sword.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Swing.
The blade cut the air with a faint whoosh. The sound was thin, weak—but it was there.
[Ding!]
[+2 EXP. Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency: 99% → 100%.]
A warmth surged through his chest. The System's chime rang louder this time, brighter, filling his vision with cascading light.
[Congratulations! Basic Swordsmanship has reached Level 5.]
[New Skill Unlocked: Horizontal Arc Slash.]
[Passive Gained: Stamina Growth (Minor).]
[Effect: Slight increase in natural stamina recovery. Each strike drains 5% less energy.]
Alex froze, sword trembling in his grip. His breath caught, heart hammering. A skill. His first real skill.
He read the glowing words again, scarcely daring to believe. Horizontal Arc Slash…
His lips curled into a trembling smile. "I did it," he whispered.
He gripped the sword tighter, feet adjusting. Slowly, he positioned himself for the technique both hands firm on the hilt, blade raised across his chest. He let his body move with the rhythm his father once taught him. Inhale. Exhale. Hips turn.
He swung.
The blade carved through the mist in a wide arc. It wasn't fire, it wasn't magic but the air split sharper, faster, cleaner than any swing he'd done before.
[Ding!]
[Horizontal Arc Slash executed. Proficiency: 1%.]
His chest swelled. The sound of that ding was sweeter than any noble's applause. For the first time, he wasn't just enduring. He was growing.
Interrupted
"Up already?"
The voice startled him. Alex whirled, wooden sword raised, but lowered it instantly when he saw Captain Kaelen leaning against a statue in the shadows. The veteran's arms were crossed, his scarred face unreadable in the dim light.
Alex's cheeks burned. "I… I just wanted to train."
Kaelen stepped forward, boots echoing against the tiles. He eyed the boy's raw hands, the sweat already dripping from his forehead despite the cold morning. For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then, to Alex's shock, Kaelen gave a faint nod. "Good. Let the others sleep while you sharpen yourself. Those who train in silence grow the strongest."
Alex blinked. A soldier's praise was rare rarer still for him.
"Your stance is steadier," Kaelen continued, circling him. "But you're still forcing your arms. Strength won't come from flailing. Use your body. Swing again."
Alex obeyed. He inhaled, exhaled, swung with his hips driving the blade.
The arc was cleaner, sharper.
Kaelen's lips twitched the faintest hint of approval. "Better. Again."
So Alex swung again. And again. The System chimed faintly each time, his Horizontal Arc Slash proficiency creeping higher. His arms still burned, but his stamina drained slower, his breath steadier.
When the academy bell finally tolled, echoing across the city, Alex collapsed to his knees. Exhaustion gripped him, but his grin was wide.
Kaelen helped him to his feet, resting a hand briefly on his shoulder. "You may not have flame, boy. But you have something most here don't. Resolve. Don't lose it."
Alex swallowed hard and nodded.
Training resumed at sunrise, the yard alive with clashing wood and sparks of fire. Instructors barked orders, striking children with staves if they faltered. Nobles flaunted their magic, their flames dancing brighter than yesterday.
But Alex stood taller. His sword no longer wobbled in his hands. His stance rooted him firmly, his strikes sharper than before.
Kaelith of House Veynor, the ruby-pendant noble, noticed immediately. His smirk twisted. "So the ash-rat thinks he can swing now?"
When drills turned to sparring, Kaelith made sure Alex was pushed toward him. The crowd buzzed with anticipation—everyone eager to see the half-blood humiliated again.
The whistle blew.
Kaelith's blade blazed with fire as he lunged. Alex's body screamed to flinch, to flee. But he steadied himself.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Horizontal Arc Slash!
His blade swept wide, the arc colliding with Kaelith's strike. Sparks flew. For a heartbeat, the noble's smirk vanished.
The crowd gasped.
[Ding!]
[Horizontal Arc Slash Proficiency: 4%.]
Kaelith snarled. "Lucky swing." He pressed harder, flame flaring, driving Alex back until the wooden blade cracked against his guard. Alex stumbled, chest heaving.
The noble shoved him to the dirt. Laughter erupted from the crowd.
But Alex did not bow his head this time. He pushed himself up, sword trembling but raised once more. His eyes blazed not with fire, but with will.
Kaelith sneered, ready to humiliate him again. But Instructor Veynar's sharp voice cut through. "Enough. Winner Kaelith. But…" His gaze lingered on Alex, cold but firm. "At least the boy learned to stand back up."
The nobles scoffed. But Alex's chest swelled. It wasn't victory, but it wasn't nothing. The System's faint glow in his vision confirmed it.
[+20 EXP. Resilience +2.]
[Hidden Trait Progression: Willpower (Minor).]
He had not fallen. Not completely.
That night, Alex collapsed onto his cot, every muscle screaming. The nobles laughed at his "pathetic resistance" long into the evening. Kaelith boasted about how easily he'd crushed him, his friends cheering.
But Alex barely heard them. His eyes were fixed on the System's glowing text.
[Basic Swordsmanship: Lv. 5.]
[Skill: Horizontal Arc Slash – Proficiency 7%.]
[Passive: Stamina Growth (Minor).]
[Quest: Prove Your Worth – Survive your first month in the academy.]
[Progress: Day 1 / 30.]
He lay back, clutching the chipped wooden sword close to his chest. His body was battered, but his spirit soared.
For the first time since Elderleaf burned, he felt like he wasn't just surviving. He was moving forward.
"They can laugh," he whispered into the dark. "They can mock. But one day… one day I'll burn brighter than them all."
The System pulsed softly in answer, as if agreeing.
And with that glow warming his heart, Alex closed his eyes, ready to face tomorrow.