Sparring Session

Noah Grey's POV:

"It's November 3, 2393. I had a strange dream. My mother told me that it was nothing. I'm 23 years old. The unusual golden blood condition is catching up with me; my body is deteriorating. On my way back from my grandfather's laboratory, a catastrophic event occurred — what I now call the 'paradox point.' When I awoke, I found myself in a different world, and I seemed to have significantly...

'de-aged'.

It's year 2012, a different timeline.

I have thought this through over a hundred times, but no apparent explanation has come to mind that could support why this happened.

Is this beyond science?

There were no preliminary evidence, indicators, or patterns either.

Actually, there is one pattern that did occur in my life, but it cannot be linked to the transmigration incident. It is the recurring dream patterns.

My final aim here is to conduct controlled experiments: If feasible, set up controlled conditions to test whether the 'paradox point' can be replicated..." I stopped writing, taking a breath of the musty air.

I read my watch. It was 2:12 AM. The library, deserted. Books lay scattered across my table, the remnants of my research into paradoxical historical events.

Rising slowly, I began to gather the scattered volumes, each one a piece of the puzzle I'd been trying to solve from many days.

I did make a little progress, but it left me with more questions than answers.

Sifting through the pages, I encountered various accounts from the 1960s. They detailed the debunking of reports claiming human abductions by extraterrestrials. These reports came from Mithila, North of RavenSoli, and Zenith Point, with notable claims of fetus abductions.

Most scientists and mental health professionals dismissed these accounts as products of false memory syndrome, sleep paralysis, or delusions associated with extremist conspiracy theories. But, reading into the accounts of UFO sightings, a different truth surfaced. These weren't any conspiracy theories or alien encounters.

After thinking for some time, I deduced that these fetus abductions and UFO sightings were probably done by demons.

Demons had a form of magitech called a magic-spaceship, a vehicle capable of traveling across vast distances in space. Most people aren't aware that demons use these to come to Earth. So, those UFO sightings were probably just magic-spaceships. This also means demons have been preparing for the third human-demon war for at least fifty years now. It was only during the Second Cataclysm that magic-spaceships were revealed, causing mass panic in the human domain finally forcing an alliance between all the races.

"No wonder humans lost the war during the 2nd cataclysm," I said with a sigh as I made my way to the library's computer section.

Another significant historical event that captured my attention was the mass teleportation of the city RavenSoli, which occurred four-hundred years ago.

Situated to the north of the Revati Drylands — 'Revati' being the continent situated west of Tressia, where St. Sebastin resides — RavenSoli was an ancient city originally named Arkhazan, meaning "ancient desert." The current name, RavenSoli, symbolically refers to a land rich in oil reserves. Raven as in crow and soil, black soil.

On a fateful night in 1612, RavenSoli vanished from the world, an event meticulously recorded by the Grandwardens of the era.

But, what caught me more than the teleportation was the sequence of events that followed.

In 1650, a man named Edmund Blackwood invented the steam engine for the first time.

Later in his life, he went on to invent the electric battery, electromagnetic induction, conductors, electric power transmission, the light bulb, the lens, and gunpowder.

He even conquered the entire continent of Revati and later went on to conquer the continent of Krittika. But he was later killed by the followers of the Temple of Light. It wouldn't be wrong to say that this world advanced in terms of science due to this man alone. But...

"This guy honestly feels like he stole knowledge from our world and brought it here," I said, frowning. But I had my reasons for doubting this hypothesis¹. I wanted to dig deeper, but all the codices were locked away in archives, and regular people like me weren't allowed access.

Suddenly, my eyes burned.

It was the sunlight streaming through the window.

"Is it morning already? Ugh, great. First, my sense of time gets messed up after the transmigration, and now I've developed this 'self-inflicted insomnia.'"

Sighing, I stood up, ready to leave the computer lab. Classes were set to start in a few hours, and today was the sparring session.

I walked along the row of computer tables, tired and dizzy from a restless night of probing thoughts. As I passed one of the occupied tables, my wrist accidentally knocked over a stack of books. They tumbled to the floor.

Fascinating. Six in the morning. Who else is here besides me?

"I'm sorry about that, my fault for not paying attention," I quickly apologized, picking up the books and handing them to the man seated at the table. But then I froze. I knew him.

Edward Wilson!

Of course, I knew him—his details were mentioned in one arc of the story from the second volume.

Although Edward was currently a minor, unimportant character, to me, he held great value. He was also the head of the chemistry lab for first-year electives, and an alchemist of Arcanum blades.

But most importantly, he was the creator of a certain illegal magic potion. If I could extort the formula from him, the rewards would be massive. I could sell it on the black market through Dyrne Alley, or use it for my own benefit.

"It's alright. Happens," he said with an innocent smile, taking the books from me.

I couldn't help but smile back. How would he react if he knew I was scheming against him?

***

Professor Riya explained the rules, "Your names will be drawn and whoever is selected will have to spar."

She continued, "As it isn't feasible to organize so many battles, only five matches will be held. The draw will decide the matchups, not the rank."

Most students looked nervous upon hearing this.

"Isn't it unfair for a weaker combatant to face a stronger one?" someone questioned.

Professor Riya retorted, "That's a stupid question. Battles in real life aren't fair or honorable. Who's to say that your opponent won't be much stronger than you? The academy is preparing you to face such situations."

In reality, if someone faces an overwhelmingly stronger opponent, there may be little they can do.

However, by giving students an example of this in advance, it can help them maintain focus in real-life scenarios.

A moment of distraction in a real-life battle could lead to fatal consequences.

The purpose of such experiences is to train students to think quickly and stay focused in order to effectively deal with the situation rather than panicking and wasting time with irrelevant thoughts on the battlefield.

-"I hope I don't get matched up with a tough opponent," whispered one student.

-"Please, I don't want to fight someone strong," prayed another.

-"Finally, something interesting is happening," remarked a student, while others murmured with anxiety.

The top-ranked students remained silent.

Professor Riya approached the drawing box and drew the first name.

As she shook the box, two balls fell out with a "tuktuktuk" sound.

Riya picked them up and announced the names, "Kai Lee" and "Abdul Aziz."

Both Kai Lee and Abdul approached the disc arena.

Kai Lee seemed focused, assessing his opponent and preparing for the battle.

Abdul, on the other hand, looked placidly proud.

With a smirk, he said, "People often say that fighters are special, but today I'll prove that mages are better with my own abilities."

Looking at Kai from top to bottom, Abdul snorted, "A weakling like you, with just an (F-) strength, doesn't deserve to be in the top 10 rankings."

As far as I remember the story, Kai Lee practices in a unique style of martial art that enhances not just his muscles, but his bones too.

As the story progresses, he even unlocks the ability to manifest 'Ki', an incredibly potent energy.

Watching the scene unfold, I couldn't help but feel a sense of apprehension.

"There's absolutely no way he'll be defeated," I said under my breath.

With a nod, Professor Riya gave the signal to start the match.

"The match ends when either one gets thrown out of the ring or one side accepts defeat. Fatal attacks are not allowed. Of course, I don't need to tell this, but killing is also not allowed. Now begin," she announced in a clear voice.

Abdul wasted no time and launched his attack first.

"Flaming Tornado!" he shouted as he brought his palms together, unleashing a powerful flame that rushed towards Kai at an alarming speed.

Kai managed to dodge it by leaping into the air.

Not one to give up, Abdul quickly formed a defensive shield made of rocks as he saw Kai heading towards him.

"Go Aziz! Show him what you can do!" some of the kids in the crowd cheered.

James and I observed the scene with keen interest, but we couldn't help feeling a tinge of doubt.

"They must be cheering him on to stall for time. What is he, a sacrifice goat?" James muttered beside me, his eyes glued to the fight.

James was the only one standing beside me, or perhaps I should say that I was left alone by the rest?

After all, who would want to be anywhere near the misfit?

"Exactly. If the match stalls for long enough, it'll be a small victory for Abdul," I chimed in.

Kai Lee landed beside Abdul and infused his limbs with mana, appearing to trigger a silent skill.

He struck the shield concealing Abdul with force, causing it to shatter with a resounding shock.

In an instant, Kai executed a powerful back kick that sent Abdul hurtling through the air like a lifeless puppet.

Tears welled in Abdul's eyes in pain.

He begged, "Please, stop. I surrender-"

Without allowing Abdul to finish his plea, Kai sprang towards him and punted him out of the ring like a football.

That was the end of the match.

The match lasted only ten seconds, a sharp contrast to the extended battles presented in anime.

In truth, a real fight could be over in the blink of an eye.

As the match ended with Kai as the victor, I could hear muted murmurs of astonishment from nearby students, not surprising given that Abdul was ranked (F-).

The ease with which Kai defeated Abdul showcased his impressive skill.

But, some students seemed disturbed by the quick victory.

-"It's too much," someone muttered.

-"Only two kicks, and he beat his opponent like it was nothing. If Kai truly wanted to, he could kill with a single move in a real life."

Kai left the ring with an nonchalant look.

Kai Lee was a very strong character in the novel.

Although he only appeared briefly during major arcs and was never a main character.

Despite this, he was extremely powerful and stood out even as a side character.

I looked over at the main characters located on the other side of the cylinder arena, I couldn't help but think, 'If the side characters are this strong, then they're just monsters. Even with Nano's help, I don't think I could survive a fight against any of them.'

'And if they are monsters, what makes of', my thoughts faded as my eyes darted towards a guy with brown eyes, who seemed to be aloof in his own world.

This whole fight gave me an insight.

It's true that I don't want to associate with the main characters but-

'Maybe Kai Lee could be my ally?' I thought to myself.

The protagonist had a team, and soon enough, I would need one too.

It was clear that without a reliable team, it would be difficult for me to survive the early stages of the novel, especially when facing significant events and challenges.

Anyway, as much as I remember the contents of the novel the next match should be between Nola Reinheart and some random girl, whom I don't remember properly.

As I was thinking a sudden shook came my way-

"Next Match..."

"Nola Reinheart and Noah Grey."

What the... What the fuck?