Chapter 299 (Patreon)

The Duel Arts I occupied the training field of the academy this time. Steel rang out again, the sound sharp and heavy, vibrating through Boris’s arms as his spear met yet another blade. The impact traveled from the weapon into his bones, a familiar jolt that he had long since stopped noticing. To him, it was nothing more than rhythm. To the others, it was something harsher, something that chipped away at their focus with every clash.

Boris adjusted his footing, boots grinding lightly against the dirt as he redirected the force of the strike. His opponent staggered back half a step, grip faltering for just a fraction of a second. It was enough.

Another attack came immediately.

This one from behind.

A faint change in the air. A presence that hadn’t been there before. One of his classmates, a [Scout], had slipped into his blind spot, hiding himself until the last possible moment. The timing was perfect. The angle was perfect. By all logic, Boris shouldn’t have been able to react in time.

And yet—

He knew.

He couldn’t see the strike. Couldn’t hear it clearly over the noise of the field. But something inside him moved first, a quiet instinct sharpened by countless battles. Maybe it was the hours spent fighting Kana, where hesitation meant defeat. Maybe it was the endless grind of dungeons, where survival depended on reacting before thought could catch up.

He didn’t question it. Turning would be too slow. So instead, Boris moved the spear. He pulled it back, reversing his grip just enough, the motion simple, almost crude. The butt of the spear thrust backward.

A solid impact followed. A grunt echoed a heartbeat later as the strike landed squarely against the [Scout] stomach, knocking the air from his lungs. The student crumpled slightly, clutching his midsection as he staggered away.

Silence fell over the immediate area.

“Boris is the winner again,” someone muttered, disbelief threading through their voice.

“Almost got him earlier,” Adam clicked his tongue, shaking his head.

“I thought I’d only lose to Kana,” Joan Clarke said quietly, more to herself than anyone else. Her grip on her greatsword tightened slightly. “Didn’t know there were others like her.”

Boris scratched the back of his head, his face reddening under the attention.

“I’d probably lose already if anyone could use skills,” he admitted.

That was the condition of the exercise. No skills. No enhancements. Just raw movement, timing, and instinct. Professor Fin’s question still echoed faintly in the back of everyone’s mind.

What would you do if you ran out of mana?

What would you do if your skills were disabled?

At first, it had been simple. One opponent against Boris. A straightforward test.

Then two.

Then three.

Professor Fin had watched silently as the number climbed, his expression unreadable as more students joined the fray. Four. Five. Until, at some point, it had become everyone.

And still—

Boris stood at the end. Now, he leaned slightly on his spear, chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. Sweat clung to his skin, his arms marked with fresh bruises that would darken by evening. His muscles ached, but he remained upright, stubborn as ever.

“Boris,” one of his classmates called out, stepping closer, curiosity clear in his eyes. “I’ve never seen you fight Kana. After this… I’m wondering. Are you better than her?”

Boris didn’t hesitate and shook his head. “I’ve never won against Kana.”

There was no pride in the answer. No embarrassment either. Just a simple truth.

Then he paused. His eyes lifted slightly, as if following a thought that had just caught up to him.

“Oh,” he added, almost as an afterthought. “I did beat her a few times.”

The reaction was quick. Students gathered around him, curiosity flaring into excitement. Even Professor Fin moved slightly from his usual spot beneath the tree, his attention sharpening just enough to show interest. Thorne, perched comfortably on the professor’s shoulder, paused mid-chew, as if sensing the change in the atmosphere.

“How many times did you beat her?” someone asked quickly.

Boris glanced upward, squinting slightly at the sky as if counting clouds.

“Many times, actually.”

The crowd leaned in,“Should we invite her tomorrow?” another suggested eagerly. “We want to see you two spar.”

Boris smiled. It wasn’t a confident smile. More like the kind someone wore when they realized they had walked into something they couldn’t easily walk out of.

“Well… it’s true I beat her a couple of times,” he said slowly. “But that was before she awakened.”

The excitement energy collapsed. Students straightened, expressions flattening as they quietly stepped back, dispersing as if nothing had happened. The excitement drained away, replaced by something closer to disappointment.

Even Professor Fin moved back to his original position beneath the tree, interest fading as quickly as it had appeared. Thorne resumed eating, completely unbothered, its tail flicking lazily as it munched on the nuts Fin always carried.

The two of them had become an odd pair over time. The massive professor and the small, ever-hungry lizard, bonded not by training or discipline, but by snacks.

Boris watched the group scatter, his shoulders slumping slightly. He exhaled, leaning more heavily on his spear now that the tension had passed. It had been over an hour. An hour of defending, striking, adjusting, enduring. His body felt every second of it.

He glanced toward Professor Fin, who sat quietly as if nothing unusual had occurred. Boris frowned slightly.

Did I do something wrong to him?

The thought lingered, quiet and uncertain, as he wiped the sweat from his brow and prepared himself for whatever came next.

…..

Kana had walked away from the antique district the day before with nothing but dust on her fingers and disappointment sitting quietly at the back of her mind. Most of the so-called dungeon items had been exactly what people whispered they were—replicas, trinkets dressed up in stories. An item that made your hands glow. A pendant that warmed slightly in cold weather. Useless things pretending to be very pricey relics.

Not what she was looking for and was not even close. So after attending her Dungeon Exploration I class, where the lectures blurred together into familiar patterns of routes, risks, and resource management, Kana made a decision. If she couldn’t find what she needed, then maybe she could have it made—custom made to be exact.

There was only one place in the academy where that kind of idea wasn’t immediately dismissed as impossible.

The scholarly club.

The building itself stood quieter than most, almost intentionally so, as if it preferred not to draw attention despite its reputation. It was one of the few structures in the academy with an accessible basement, and even that felt it was on purpose as well. Whatever they worked on, they kept it below ground.

Kana approached the metal door and knocked.

The sound echoed faintly, dull and heavy, as if the door itself absorbed more than it reflected. For a moment, nothing happened. Then came the faint shuffle of movement from within, followed by the click of something unlocking.

The door opened just enough for someone to peek through.

A girl stepped out, her long, curly light-brown hair slightly frizzed at the ends, as if it had recently been singed. There were faint traces of ash on her cheek and sleeve, and a smudge across her forehead that she either hadn’t noticed or didn’t care about. Despite that, her smile came easily.

“Never expected the famous Kana to visit us,” she said, tilting her head slightly as if trying to decide what time it was. “Good morning? Or… afternoon?”

Kana blinked, caught off guard for a second before offering a small, polite smile of her own.

“Nice to meet you,” she said. “I was hoping to ask something… if that’s alright. I heard the scholarly club is good at making… impossible things.”

The girl’s smile widened, just a little sharper now.

“I guess we are. Sometimes,” she said casually. “I’m Patricia. A [Wizard].”

She turned her head without warning and raised her voice.

“Loyd! Come here.”

What followed didn’t sound like footsteps. It sounded like an impact. The ground gave a faint tremor as something—or someone—moved quickly from deeper inside the basement. Kana instinctively straightened, her senses sharpening as the presence approached.

Then he appeared.

A large figure, moving with surprising speed despite his build. His tattered uniform marked him as a student, though Kana was certain she would have remembered someone like him. His hair was neatly trimmed, his face round with chubby cheeks, his skin pale, and his body… heavy. Not muscle. Something softer.

He stopped in front of them, slightly out of breath but smiling.

“I’m Loyd Drum,” he said. “[Alchemist].”

Kana stared for a brief moment.

How have I never seen him before?

Patricia coughed lightly, clearly enjoying the moment. As if amused by Kana’s reaction.

“We invented something new,” she said, gesturing toward Loyd with an odd sense of pride. “A powerful orb that turns your body fat like this in one day.”

Kana blinked while Patricia nodded as if confirming her own statement.

“Loyd tested it,” she added. “We’re researching possible side effects.”

Kana slowly nodded in return, though her mind struggled to follow the logic behind such an invention. She could think of many things worth creating.

That wasn’t one of them.

Still, she kept her expression polite.

This was the place that had developed the stone microphones. The strange bomb she had once used alongside the royal knights. She had seen their work firsthand. No matter how strange their methods were, the results spoke for themselves.

So she removed the exp booster ring from her finger.

“Can you make something like this?” Kana asked, holding it out. “Or… Well.. what I want is if you’re able to replicate its effect?”

Patricia didn’t hesitate. She snatched the ring from Kana’s hand with surprising speed and held it up to the light, turning it slowly between her fingers. For a moment, her expression was unimpressed.

“It looks useless,” she said flatly. “And honestly a bit dirty.”

Kana’s smile stiffened slightly. She washed it with water sometimes.. and a few days had passed from her last quick clean of it.

Then Patricia’s eyes sharpened. Her grin returned, this time wider, more genuine, edged with something closer to excitement.

“Oh,” she murmured, “Now that’s interesting.”

She glanced at Kana, the curiosity in her gaze no longer casual.

“This,” Patricia said, lifting the ring slightly, “isn’t ordinary at all. Where did you get this?”

Post note:

Alt exp booster incoming???Boris is getting famous now? 😂

1st chap of the week!Hope you enjoy the chap! 🙂

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