Chapter 376 – Retainer

Chapter 376 – Retainer

Kai smoothed the grin sparked by the notification into impassive composure as he returned to his place in the ranks. Poorly concealed whispers and glances rained on his senses.

Awe. Envy. Curiosity. Glee. Hostility. And more he didn’t care to investigate.

His gaze firmly avoided the attempts to catch his attention, fixing on Professor Valdibald’s lecture through the scroll window.

I finally got it.

The exact wording varied from person to person, but he recognized the specialization from the library: Elemental Attunement. Recalling the sting of reaching that milestone only to be offered two options he’d disliked still irked him. To think that was the norm for most people—Raelion’s students included. Without skill-specific training at Yellow, few earned specializations beyond the basic path.

I may be a little spoiled, but I can’t compare myself to the average if I want to match Elijah.

The duels with his peers had been instructive that way. He might have walked away with three wins and a draw, but, among all classes, combat magic was his field.

Most students had only trained in heavily curated environments, but they had solid foundations. Even Kastor had wielded impressive firepower. Once they learned how to apply it, their combat potential would soar. In a real fight, with professions and enchanted equipment, the outcome would be far less predictable. Not to mention, the Trials’ rankings didn’t necessarily match the strongest students.

I can’t rest on my laurels if I want to keep my lead. Specializing Body Augmentation is just another step. I should go ahead with it.

Bloodrush wasn’t a bad option, but ignoring damage to his body to squeeze out more power didn’t erase his injuries—it merely postponed the burden. Kahali’s Retribution already rewarded shed blood. He had no intention of becoming a berserker. Just because he could endure pain, it didn’t mean he enjoyed it.

Should I reread it? Just in case…

Kai wrenched his eyes away from the elegant script on the window.

Nope. I don’t have decision paralysis. I’m just careful.

*Ding*

You’ve chosen to follow the path of Elemental Attunement. Congratulations, Body Augmentation (lv50) can now reach lv75.

The grin fought to chip his poise.

Pity I can’t test it right now.

“As Mister Elcarin has so ably demonstrated, making assumptions with incomplete knowledge and biases can carry dire consequences in a fight.” Professor Valdibald paced before the ranks like a general addressing his most disappointing platoon. “Presumption has killed more mages than skirmishes in the north over the last forty-four years since the Remarrian War. Accurate intelligence is one of the pillars of warfare. But that’s a topic for second years. If you last that long.”

He sure is energetic.

The speech showed no sign of abating. Despite the unjust stress from unmasking his identity, the spars themselves took no more than half an hour.

Kai settled in with a diligent expression, cloaking his channels as he tried weaving elemental threads in his leg.

Unlike most specializations that brought set changes and intuitive understanding, Elemental Attunement offered neither. The difficulty and potential backlash from channeling the elements through body enhancement were frequently cited as its greatest drawback in the compendiums. But no one complained about its power.

The Guide always balanced gain against hardship.

Having multiple affinities increased both the specialization’s potential and the effort required for mastery, since each element behaved differently. With such a steep investment, restricting its use to Elemental Swordsman alone would have been a waste.

Why had he enrolled at Raelion at all, if not to learn?

So many possibilities… I wish I’d hit Green just to need fewer hours of sleep.

“I expect to receive your reports by next week,” Professor Valdibal said. “Assignments can be turned in to the adjunct instructors before each lecture. You’ll discover I‘m not shy about awarding both merits and demerits. And no, Mister Sovelle. This report does not replace the analysis of the spars. Five demerits for disturbing the class.”

A lanky student in the third row went milk-pale. Professor Valdibal continued without pause. His oppressive aura cut down on the bubbling complaints.

“Combat Magic may be a practical class, but that does not excuse ignorance of historical and military classics. I’ll reiterate the importance of knowledge in duels and war for as long as you remain my students. Now, start running laps.” He curtly motioned to the grassy field. “As you’ve seen, athletic fitness can greatly aid a fight. Your pursuit of magic doesn’t justify wasting half your attributes. Don’t stop till I say!”

The crowds shuffled with sluggish confusion, though none dared complain out loud. Kai had barely crossed a row when a girl with pink hair stood in his way.

“Greetings.” She smiled a little too brightly, performing an airy courtesy. “I’m Phelilla from House Demoore. Is it true House Blackwoods sponsors or—”

“Huh!” He choked, throwing a frightened glance behind her. More students were already headed his way, scowling not to have moved first. “The professor is glaring at us.”

“Pardon, is he—” Phelilla stiffly turned to Valdibal.

Before she caught the lie, Kai darted into the churning students. Bodies and voices pressed on him. He opened his way with elbows and shoves. Emerging from the ranks, he reinforced his cloak of Shadow and began running.

Four red poles delimited the field with a dozen students jogging ahead.

Mhmm… this feels nostalgic.

Before he could breathe in relief, gazes pierced his back, strides pounding at his heels.

Damn annoying.

He channeled his Shadow mana, abandoning subtly for power, and sprinted to mix with the front runners.

“You are going to crash if you don’t pace yourself.” A stout teen huffed. He had short, dark green hair, almost in a military cut. His sunken gaze remained ahead, seemingly not recognizing him.

Kai hummed in assent and positioned so the bigger guy would shield him from view. Ten breaths later, he seemed to have lost his pursuers.

At least for now. Is this how Alden feels?

Those looking to harass him seemed too slow, and the few who matched his pace didn’t seem interested in talking.

“What are you waiting for? A written invitation?” Valdibal bellowed. “Hop, hop. Put those young legs and lungs to use. And watch the markers! The first who cuts the corners will wish they’d been expelled!”

Yeah, nothing better than a relaxing jog. I almost forgive him for publicly announcing my identity.

If he had to break his anonymity, besting four elite students must rank among the best approaches. Still, he’d mourn the days of lost peace.

What’s done is done. I’ll have to adapt. Hmm… do I actually need to write an analysis of my own fights?

Kai glanced at Valdibal’s straight back and shook his head. If nothing else, it would make for easy merits.

The rest of the class flew by amidst drills that mixed basic fitness exercises with spellcasting. He shadowed his large, silent buddy, united through shared effort without the need for words or names. His would-be stalkers seemed too busy heaving, cursing and sweating to look for him amid the crowd. Their ragged breathing drew a righteous smile to his lips.

The number of students struggling to cast spells on the move was frankly embarrassing. Even those in decent shape must have been skipping cardio.

“…good enough! I said I did twenty repetitions!” A student shouted at an adjunct instructor. “What would you know? Are you questioning my word? ”

Valdibal stood beside them in a single breath. “This is not a debate, Mister Cavyll.” His voice swallowed the field. “As long as you stand on my grounds, every instructor here represents my will and authority. You will respect them as you would me, and you will not talk back. This will earn you twenty demerits.” His eyes narrowed to freeze a protest before it could take form. “Unless you’d like to make that forty? No? I thought so.”

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After the commotion subsided, the number of complaints dropped sharply.

Sebastian Elcarin rejoined them not much later. White bandages covered his swollen, purpling face, though they did nothing to hide the dark glares he sent his way, charged with more hostility than seemed reasonable. His aura only quelled after Isadora flanked him to exchange a quick word.

Sorry, man. But you did it on your own. I just punched you once.

Losing himself in the lull of physical exertion, the silvery chime swept the field too soon. No thinking, just doing. Despite the rough start, Combat Magic turned out to be quite relaxing.

Kai dusted off his jacket, weaving Water and Fire to smooth out the creases and the burnt smell from the duels. It would need a proper washing, but this should get him through the last classes without reprimands for lacking decorum.

“Mister Veernon. A word with you,” Valdibal called as the students staggered out of the field. His severe look sent his lagging stalkers running, then returned to weigh him. “Good work today. Twenty merits for the spars. One’s starting circumstances don’t determine how far they can rise through work and effort.”

Huh…?

“Thank you, professor.” Kai dipped his head with the perfunctory forms.

Cheapskate.