An Unexpected Teacher

Two weeks have passed since the academy started, and well, nothing impressive has happened. I've just been attending my classes according to the schedule. Unfortunately, due to my inability to socialize properly, I haven't been able to make any friends. How sad...

Well, but it's not the end of the world. At least I've gained some muscle in these two weeks. I haven't missed a single day at the gym. I've always thought that in typical novels, people change way too quickly, far from reality. But I guess now that I'm living this reality, it's better to take advantage of these opportunities.

I've also tried to improve my magic, but... sigh, I can't. I mean, I can do magic without chants, but I need someone to guide me and teach me meditation techniques to expand my mana capacity. And not only that, I also need to train my mana channels to properly distribute magic. Ahhh! How tedious, and I don't have anyone to teach me. Sure, there's Selene, but I haven't seen her since we had that conversation. She's probably investigating Nocturna Island or something.

At that moment, while I was in the gym, an idea came to my mind: I want to learn to fight hand-to-hand. However, being a complete novice at this, I didn't know where to start. The most efficient thing would be to ask a teacher from the combat department, but since I'm in a different department, they might refuse to help me. As I immersed myself in my thoughts, someone spoke to me, or rather, shouted at me

"Hey, you!"

Wow! It was none other than Lysandra, the friendliest girl in the world.

"What?" I responded dryly without even looking at her. During these two weeks, our relationship had been quite dry and sharp.

"It looks like you're gaining some muscle! Congratulations, you're no longer a walking spaghetti," she said, laughing mockingly.

"Thanks for the compliment," I replied sarcastically, but something inside me pushed me to seize the opportunity. "Hey, Lysandra, I have a question."

"What do you want?" she responded, still mocking, but there was a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"I want to learn hand-to-hand combat," I said directly. "And I know you're extremely good at it. Could you teach me?"

Lysandra looked at me incredulously and then burst into laughter. "Teach you to fight? You? Don't make me laugh. I don't have time to waste on a novice."

"I'm serious," I insisted. "And I'm willing to offer something in return. Ask for whatever you want, and if it's within my power, I'll do it."

Why was I asking her? Well, throughout the novel, no one had been able to defeat Lysandra in martial arts. She was someone born for martial arts; not even the protagonist, who was pretty OP, could beat her in hand-to-hand combat. Lysandra was the best option I had to improve quickly. And, above all, the first conflict of the novel would soon appear, and I had to be prepared.

She was silent for a moment, her eyes evaluating me with a mix of interest and skepticism. "Whatever I want, huh?" she muttered, thoughtful. Then, a cunning smile appeared on her lips. "Alright, I have an idea. If you want me to teach you how to fight, you'll have to challenge anyone in the top 100 of the combat department a month after I start teaching you. Deal?"

"Challenge someone in the top 100?" I repeated, surprised. I knew the academy had ranks and that those in the top 100 were some of the strongest fighters. Lysandra was essentially asking me to accept a beating. But if I wanted to learn to fight, I had no other choice. "Alright, deal."

"Perfect," she said with a satisfied smile. "See you here tomorrow first thing in the morning. Don't be late, walking spaghetti."

As Lysandra walked away, I wondered what I had gotten myself into. But at the same time, I knew this was a unique opportunity to improve my combat skills. Tomorrow would start a new stage in my training, and although the path would be tough, I was determined to move forward.

Although, of course, maybe I made a mistake asking her, right?