WebNovels

Chapter 29 - Chapter 29: The Wild Hunt Begins

The Academy's command structure buzzed with a nervous energy, though only Jad Smyth truly understood the weight of the cryptic directives he'd received. For the rest of the faculty, the focus was singular: the looming Academy Championship. Three months. Fifty academies. A fifteen-year drought of mediocrity hanging over Astralis Academy like a shroud.

Instructor Borin, despite his usual boisterous demeanor, was unusually subdued. He marched Nox through a series of increasingly bizarre exercises in the secluded chambers, under the mysterious figure's implied command. Nox's training was not about projecting force, but about unraveling it. Borin would construct shimmering light barriers, roaring firewalls, shifting earth obstacles, then challenge Nox to "unmake" or "re-perceive" them.

As the first month of accelerated training concluded, Smyth's academy-wide announcement reverberated through the halls. "For the final two months leading up to the Championship, all selected candidates will be permitted to train in the Academy's perimeter forests. Here, you will hunt and subdue various magical beasts and monsters to hone your combat prowess, increase your Resonance capacity, and gather valuable resources. Strict safety protocols are in place, but remember: the wild is untamed. Danger is an ever-present companion."

A fresh wave of excitement, tinged with apprehension, swept through the cadets. For Nox, it was a release. The sterile confines of the chambers had become stifling. The wild promised a raw, unpredictable crucible, a chance to truly test his growing physical skills against living, breathing threats. He felt an undeniable, primal pull towards the wilderness, a resonance with Kaelix's own untamed nature.

He ventured into the dense foliage, the scent of damp earth and strange blossoms filling his lungs. Ancient trees, their boughs heavy with moss and luminous fungi, formed a canopy that filtered the sunlight into dappled patterns, creating an ever-shifting tapestry of light and shadow. Strange calls echoed through the undergrowth, a constant reminder of the unseen life—and the potential dangers—lurking within. Nox adapted with astonishing speed. His movements became a blur, faster, stronger, and more agile than cadets twice his size. He honed his senses, learning to read the subtle shifts in wind, the faint scent of fear, the almost imperceptible rustle of leaves that betrayed a hidden beast. His raw combat prowess soared.

He moved like the forest spirits themselves, anticipating the silent lunge of a Razorclaw Panther, redirecting the thunderous charge of a Bristleback Boar with graceful precision, and disarming the venomous stinger of a Skittering Scorpiox with efficient, brutal strikes. Kaelix was an invaluable partner, his chaotic energy manifesting as bursts of raw, untamed force that complemented Nox's increasingly refined movements. Together, they were a surprisingly potent hunting duo, their kills becoming more frequent and their encounters with formidable beasts more daring.

"Cadet Vale is a natural combatant," Borin noted in his daily report to Smyth, a hint of grudging admiration in his tone. "His physical aptitude and adaptability are truly exceptional. He is outperforming cadets with years more experience in raw combat metrics."

Yet, despite this phenomenal increase in his physical capabilities and combat skills, his progress with the Unclassified Resonance remained agonizingly slow. The profound insights gained from the mysterious figure felt like distant stars – beautiful, but unreachable. He could still trigger the subtle distortions, the minor unmakings, but they were largely involuntary, reactive, and lacked the controlled projection he craved. The "void" remained a stubborn, unyielding presence within him, a vast, silent ocean he could only dip his toes into, never truly command.

He watched Selene, sometimes from a distance, as she practiced. Her Light Resonance shone through the trees, a beacon of focused power as she conjured shimmering constructs to subdue larger beasts, or discharged thunderous pulses that echoed through the forest. Raven Drayke, too, was a whirlwind of controlled destruction, his fire spells leaving scorched earth in their wake. Their powers were tangible, growing with every hunt, visible to all. His, by contrast, felt like a silent, invisible hum that only sporadically responded to his will, a hidden river that refused to be channeled.

Frustration, a raw, burning ember, began to smolder within Nox, threatening to consume him. He was a master of the hunt, but a novice of his own soul. The Championship was barely a month away, and he was still on reserve, still an enigma even to himself. He knew he needed more. He needed something to shatter the wall between him and his true power. He wasn't just preparing for a competition; he was preparing for a revelation, one he sensed lay just beyond the veil of his current understanding.

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