7. Practice

Blaze was already waiting at the train station, where the new students gathered. He has cut his hair short.

Everyone kept their distance from him, but he paid them no attention. He stood at the waiting station while looking at the railway.

He glanced to the side as he sensed someone approaching.

"Hey buddy," He greeted Blaze.

Blaze turned around and narrowed his eyes, briefly flashing a dangerous glint before he returned to his normal demeanor.

"Who are you?" Blaze asked.

"The person who warned you about the princess—"

"I know. I mean your name." Blaze cut him short.

"Robin Brooks, but you can call me Poseidon," Robin said while arranging his blonde hair.

"What do you want?" Blaze asked coldly, too lazy to talk.

"I…" Robin hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting to the side. When he turned back to Blaze, his expression was guarded. "Never mind," he said abruptly, and before Blaze could respond, he sprinted away with lightning speed, disappearing into the crowded students in a blur of motion.

Blaze wondered what scared him like that until he heard a female voice. "You."

He turned around and spotted Princess Cherry approaching him. Her cold expression was so intense that it could have scared off even demons.

Without a reply or acknowledgment of her presence, he returned his gaze to the railway.

"Hey, I'm talking to you," Cherry spoke through her gritted teeth.

"One, my name is neither 'hey' nor 'you'. Two, compelling me to talk to you is futile.

Three…" Blaze said calmly but paused his speech at the end. He turned to Cherry and narrowed his eyes while locking her like a target. He parted his lips slightly and spoke in a frigid tone that was almost a whisper, warning, "If you're not adept at using that tone, don't dare to use it in my presence again."

This made Cherry flinch backward. She regained her wit and instantly gazed at Blaze, but only saw a smirk hanging on his lips. Though he now appeared harmless, he had previously given off a predatory vibe. They locked eyes, and Cherry could sense the mockery in Blaze's gaze. She clenched her teeth hard and was about to attack him. Meanwhile, the other students were watching them with a range of emotions, from fear to shock, but Blaze was too lazy to care about them.

Just when the air was thick with tension, the sudden arrival of the train pierced through the silence like a thunderclap, causing everyone to turn their attention to the screeching sounds of metal against metal and the hiss of steam escaping from the engine. Blaze was the first to walk on the train. Everybody waited for him to enter first.

Although the train was a contemporary mode of transportation, it appeared outdated in several ways. A doorman was required to open the door, the design was unappealing, there were insufficient seats resulting in many passengers standing, and there were other issues as well.

"And that's how you cemented your character as the fearless devil. But, why did you scare the little princess?" Aphrodite asked curiously while walking beside Blaze.

"I want to have minimal interaction with the nobles, especially the royals. I'm not experienced with the weird devices in this world. Perhaps there's a device similar to an X-ray that can scan what's underneath my clothing," Blaze whispered with a controlled tone that only Aphrodite heard.

Aphrodite nodded, but she chose not to ask about X-rays. Despite not having spent much time with him, she had observed his manner of speech and behavior and had concluded that he was not from Hadar.

"How did you master the essence of intimidation with body language?" Aphrodite asked with a harmless smile.

"Just a parlor trick. I merely controlled my tone and eyes' width," Blaze whispered offhandedly.

"And you targeted her with your killing intent." Aphrodite completed the part he omitted. Blaze turned to her before for a moment, before he focused his gaze on the train.

He learned the killing intent part from an assassin he had been told to slay. The technique was straightforward. You just have to lock your target and prepare to kill the person, but never kill the person. Your killing intent will be released automatically. The tricky part was the paradoxical nature of the technique: preparing to kill someone without actually killing them.

Blaze sat down and focused on the windows absentmindedly.

The train took them to an open hexagonal platform that was behind the classroom. Blaze stepped down and was greeted by the sight of a hexagonal platform that was wide enough to hold two thousand people.

The hexagonal platform was an impressive sight to behold. Its strong, sturdy structure was immediately apparent, with each of the six sides stretching out evenly and without any visible signs of wear or tear. The platform was large enough to accommodate a crowd of two thousand people, and its surface was made of a rough, textured material that provided a secure grip for anyone who stepped on it.

The color of the platform was a deep, earthy brown, and the edges of each side were marked with a bold, black line that added to its imposing appearance. As the students stepped down from the train and onto the platform, they could feel its solid weight beneath their feet, as if they were standing on something that was built to last for centuries.

"What are we doing at the battle arena?"

"Practice."

"Are you certain?"

"Yep! My elder brother told me."

Blaze overheard the conversation from the students alighting from the train. The doorman closed the train before it went away.

"Hey, twitchy ears with big guts." Robin's voice made Blaze turn. Blaze's ears were twitching as he filtered relevant information from the noisy crowd of students.

"What a nice name you got there." Blaze narrowed his eyes and displayed a smirk that gave Robin chills.

"Follow me!" Cherry yelled, getting the attention of everybody.

Everybody followed her. When they got to the other end of the platform, they saw a group of teenagers practicing with different weapons. They infused their elements into the weapons while fighting. It gave the students goosebumps, but their display didn't impress Blaze. Their fighting prowess was below average according to Blaze's standard. However, he noticed their luxurious accessories.

Suddenly, he felt a hostile gaze lingering on him. He glanced to the side, using his peripheral vision to check who it was without turning his head. He was careful to avoid any sudden movements that might give away his attention, keeping his body still and his breathing even. It was a reflexive habit he'd developed over years of training, and it served him well in situations like this. He saw a boy with long black hair tied in a ponytail, gazing at him with narrow eyes like a venomous serpent and clenched teeth.

"The boy staring at you is Cherry's fiancé, Liam Quadragon. He's the second son of the Duke, Adam Quadragon, and although his Wyvern bloodline is still dormant, he reached the Liquid sublevel at the age of fourteen. His magical prowess and sword skills are well-refined, and he's considered the cream of the crop for his age." Robin walked to Blaze's side and provided information on Liam's identity.

"You ran like a mouse seeing a cat at the sight of Princess Cherry. Aren't you going to run now Liam is staring at me with spite?" Blaze mocked Robin with a serious face and tone.

"Princess Cherry is another matter, but Liam? He's just a kitten." Robin threw a smirk at the fuming Liam. This made Liam's face reddened in fury.

Blaze inquired with a seemingly harmless and friendly smile, "I'm curious, what's your identity and how did you come by this information?" However, Robin was overcome with an eerie feeling, as if a cold shiver ran down his spine in response to his question.

"It's not a secret," Robin said after shaking up the sudden fear that encroached on him but asked immediately, "So, what are you going to do about Liam? His targets never ended well."

Blaze responded with a cryptic, yet confident remark, "Only time will tell." As he spoke, his expression reverted to its previously stony and emotionless state. Finally, he locked eyes with Liam, creating a tense and intense moment.

At this time, Liam's hand was balled tightly in a fist. He was about to approach Blaze when a voice made him halt.

"I will be teaching your combat classes. Industrial classes will start after the first test." Blaze turned to the origin of the familiar voice and saw Zara dressed in a white training robe.

"Everybody, get into your training robe. The boys, enter the left changing room. The girls, go into the changing room on the right," Zara roared, losing all the softness and civility she displayed in front of Blaze. Blaze's face remains impassive because he expected much.

He headed to the changing room to put on his training robe. The training robe consisted of an oversized shirt and trousers, along with a black belt made from the same material as the robe. Blaze noticed the similarity between Earth's dressing and Hadar's dressing in some parts. Many lockers with padlocks were constructed on the wall, but Blaze realized that there was no privacy in the public dressing room. This posed a big issue for him because taking off his uniform would expose him as a carrier of a forbidden bloodline.

"Hey, can we wear our uniform for practice?" Blaze whispered to his neighbor.

The fat boy jumped in fright, his body jolting with the sudden movement. For a moment, he looked dazed and disoriented, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open in surprise. But then he quickly regained his composure, his wits returning as he took a deep breath and tried to steady himself.

"Nope. It's against the rules."