Before the Tournament: 1

'There was no one like him in the game…who is he.' Marie Fou Lafan wondered as the princes escorted her to her temporary dormitory.

She'd first taken note of the boy when he was with the original main protagonist, Olivia.

With all the prince's taken away that happy-go-lucky girl was supposed to be just another background character but why did it seem like her importance hadn't died out?

It was because of the mob next to her. That same mob who had taken in Angelica in the dungeon when she should have been alone.

After that day she had included the other two in her plan of destroying her room and placing the blame on Angelica.

She had done it, so why? Why the HELL are they taking her side and not mine?!

Marie screamed into her pillow when she was finally alone in her room.

…

"Was that a good thing to do, Noir? You were kind of mean." Livia spoke to me as we walked out of the hall.

"Oh, you think so? Would it help my image if I told you Marie was the one who had a hand in destroying our rooms, not Angelica?" I asked with my hands behind my head.

"O-oh." The girl didn't even doubt my words, she truly was too trusting.

"It's well within my policy to punish those who do me or those I care for harm," I added trying to make my actions a lot more justified.

Livia was a pure girl, her stance on things like violence were very child-like. I doubt she'd grow distant just because we don't share those same ideals but her being unsure was of no surprise.

"Those you care for…" Instead of what I expected the girl seemed to grow a little red. I couldn't pretend like I didn't know why and it made my heart beat just a little bit faster.

'She's cute.'

For a while, we stood in silence before I spoke up. "Hey, Livia?"

"Y-yes." She was still a bit flustered but responded nonetheless.

"I'm confident that my reputation has dropped significantly after what I did, it may be best for you to distance yourself from me for a while…you know to keep the fire from spreading to you" I had failed to consider as I was carrying out my first step to revenge exactly how this may affect the girl. But, thinking about it now it might just.

"No!" The last thing I expected was an instantaneous reply. "Noir has been so good to me, I will not abandon you! Even if the bullying gets worse, I won't separate myself from you!" She held onto my shirt as she said so, her dazzling blue eyes meeting my ordinary black ones.

'Holy shit. Am I a capture target?!' I wondered internally as I could practically feel my attraction meter going up.

"O-okay." It was a lame answer, but never had I been left this speechless.

Coincidentally the place we had temporarily stopped was right in front of a fountain. A fountain that was well-lit at its base and even through the evening sky allowed me a clear look at her facial features.

Her ovalish face and slightly pointed jaw that was partly covered by her shoulder-length blonde hair. Her slightly flushed porcelain skin was without a single flaw. Her thin eyebrows that along with her deep-blue eyes were positioned in such a way that made clear her current feeling of commitment, and maybe just a hint of a concerned anger.

Those tantalizing lips that even when oriented in a small frown still didn't fail to draw my attention.

Unintentionally I licked my own lips. 'Was this girl always this insanely gorgeous.'

The change in expression and slightly deeper blush told me my stare had been noticed. Instead of backing away, however, she leaned deeper into me.

Despite the situation, I was still scum enough to grow conscious of her large bosom that was pressing into my chest.

"Say, Noir…" Her warm breath brushed against my neck as she whispered to me.

"Yes," I whispered back, suddenly growing very conscious of my hands that just dangled by my side.

'Do I hug her?' It hadn't started off as a hug and a part of me felt we had spent just a second too long in this position for me to suddenly make it into one.

"Angelica… do you like girl's like her." I wondered at that moment what she felt. Inadequacy, fear… was she jealous that I was in a way fighting for another girl?

Whatever it was, it was clear she felt some level of unease.

It was when I realized that, that my inhibitions died and I moved my arms to wrap around her back. One hand rested on her waist while the other was slightly above it.

As I grew in raw strength in the dungeon I had started to learn how to control it, but at this moment I wondered if I was holding her just a little too hard. She seemed fragile almost, like she'd break with the softest touch.

"I don't know enough about her to say…" That is how I responded. It might not have been the best choice but I didn't know how to respond.

"I see." I knew she was dissatisfied but there was no helping it.

Our gentle embrace lasted a few more minutes before I heard the chattering of students as they left the hall.

We walked in silence until we reached the female dorm room. Luckily, we had beaten all the others students so I was sure she wouldn't run into trouble on the way to her room.

…

[Master, I'm deeply enjoying this sudden development, I'll make sure that Sable is in tip-top shape for your battle.]

Luxion suddenly appeared at my side as I entered my room. He was more than likely happy that I was facing off against the prince of a New Human Kingdom.

[I overheard that it is even not that rare for some to die during their bout.] My suspicion was right.

"I'm not killing them Luxion." Outside of the consequences that would come with me killing the prince, they didn't deserve to die for being meatheads.

[A pity.] My AI companion muttered.

I began undressing from my uniform. It was something I always looked forward to at the end of the day. The clothing wasn't exactly built for comfort.

I rested on my bed for a second, reflecting on the last few hours before I rolled off it and landed in a push-up position.

Academy life didn't offer me much in the way of time to train and so I had to use my only downtime to do so.

I had considered placing a magic circle in my room that would teleport me to the dungeon, but with how little sleep I would get I held off on it.

That was confirmed to be a good idea when my room was infiltrated and destroyed. I'd be annoyed if anyone were to see a magic circle hidden in my room.

Instead of that, I had employed [Get Creative] and found a different way to keep up with my training.

It was called [Exertion] and it increased the efficiency of my training by whatever multiplier I pay for.

It wasn't expensive but it would be if I used it daily and even more so if I bought it permanently. Its use depended on how much LP I generated a day. On a day like this where my satisfaction was at a high point, I could afford to buy a fifteen times multiplier that would last for a few hours.

Instead of that, I instead bought a 5 times multiplier that would last that same duration for around 1,500 LP. This meant I could use more LP the next day for another boost.

Not wasting any time I bought the temporary skill and began doing my normal routine. Push-ups, squats, sit-ups, planks. I then moved on to the weights and kept going until I felt it was difficult to move my body.

Outside of magical means, you grew stronger by tearing muscles and regrowing them.

I then moved on to magical practice. In a limited space like this, it was best to work on magic control rather than improving certain spells.

Achieving a result with as minimal magic power was ideal and something I practiced with water.

A simple jet of water should barely dent your reserves if done expertly. During my initial stages of learning magic, a tiny jet of water was nearly driving me to fatigue.

Now though, through the growth in not only my reserves but also my control, I didn't feel a thing.

When I felt that time was starting to run low on my multiplier I stopped with my magic practice and picked up a wooden sword.

My limbs still felt like jello but I mustered the strength to hold it right. I had no basis to go off to measure my skill but I think what I had achieved was pretty good. It was efficient at the very least.

I lowered my stance my right hand on the top of the hilt and my left a little lower. When I felt myself balanced I stepped forward with my right foot and swung the sword simultaneously.

Controlling it, I stopped it right where I wanted it and turned it sideways while simultaneously moving my left foot sideways.

This was a stance that put me in a perfect position to pierce someone. At the same time, I was grounded enough that I could respond to any counterattack.

I went through my usual routine paying extra attention to my footsteps. My steps were light and quiet. They were hardly audible even as I moved about my room.

I continued like this until around five minutes were left on my multiplier. One day, while I was still getting used to magic power, I had wondered about the best way to increase magic power.

I thought it'd be more fun to experiment before asking the Sage and so I did. Meditating, extensive concentration, I tried a lot of things but what I found to work best, was depleting my magic to levels that caused me exhaustion.

I confirmed with the sage and indeed, through normal methods, it was the best I could do.

And so, like most nights, I went to the window and opened it. With both my outside the frame I concentrated.

It took no time before I forcefully converted my magic power into wind and let it all out. The sound was loud different from how peaceful it was before.

In the distance, I could see trees begin to bend as if they were caught in a tornado. To avoid destroying anything I aimed upward until eventually I began feeling that exhaustive feeling.

My timer ran out and my training for the day was finished. I was completely drenched in sweat and on reflex began walking toward the bathroom.

I had to make the shower quick as I felt myself falling asleep in the midst of washing myself.

After drying and getting dressed, being the good buddy he was, I made Luxion carry me and tuck me into bed.

...

AN: POWERSTONEEESSSSJCBFHSBDNSJXBDB