32 First Strike

The more Liam watched the fight, the more he realized he wasn't imagining things. Kyle was definitely improving with each attack!

Kyle also noticed his rapid improvement as he executed the basic sword moves flawlessly. It was astonishing considering he had only practiced them a few times with his elder brother and hadn't shown much interest before.

Glancing at Alec, who was skillfully blocking his attacks, Kyle noticed a surprised expression on his face.

The few beads of sweat dripping from Alec's forehead confirmed that he was feeling some pressure now!

Alec could still effortlessly block all of Kyle's attacks. But for Kyle, it was a major accomplishment, especially since he had just started learning.

Kyle attacked again, this time more seriously, carefully observing every small movement.

Their swords clashed once more, creating a loud sound. Alec blocked the attack with ease, but then he noticed something different. Kyle's sword blurred and became incredibly fast.

Alec's eyes widened as he witnessed the sword change its trajectory midway. It was the same move that had previously elicited laughter from everyone! For the first time, Alec felt an overwhelming threat from Kyle's sword. He quickly moved back to block the sword aimed at his neck.

The sound this time was deafening, pushing Alec back a few steps. Both Alec and Liam had a hidden shock behind their serious expressions. They both knew that if Alec hadn't seen the move before, there was no way he could have blocked it.

The students who had laughed earlier would never have believed the immense strength behind that seemingly light 'tap' if they hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes.

Panting heavily, Kyle looked at Alec with a smirk. He had exerted all his stamina and was completely exhausted.

"Haha... let's stop. I admit defeat. You can laugh at me."

Kyle stored the sword in the storage ring with a satisfied expression before lying on the ground, deep in thought.

'First strike: Eliminate.'

Liam chukled upon hearing Kyle's words. He glanced at the other students observing Kyle and Alec's fight.

"What are you all doing? If you don't want to train, then leave the training grounds now."

The professor's angry shout snapped everyone out of their thoughts and refocused them on their training.

Alec shook his head and pulled out a water bottle, tossing it towards Kyle.

"You did awesome. Let's spar again next time."

An invitation to spar with the top-ranked first-year student? How could Kyle refuse?

"Sure."

Kyle agreed with a slight smile.

...

Meanwhile, Professor Aliza left the classroom and headed towards Vice Principal George's office to give a report on the ranking assessment. She gently knocked on the door and heard a calm and serene voice from inside.

"Come in."

Aliza opened the door and entered the office. It was simple, with a few paintings on the walls and a small desk filled with papers. George sat behind the desk, wearing glasses.

"I'm here to report on the new students' performance."

George looked at Aliza and took off his glasses.

"How did they do? Any students who exceeded expectations?"

Aliza placed some documents in front of the vice principal before speaking.

"As expected, Alec took first place, Carcel second, and so on. But there was a student named Kyle who performed exceptionally well, surpassing the criteria you set. He even reached (F+)-Rank recently."

George was nodding along with everything Aliza said.

"Oh, as expected of that student Kyl-!"

He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening as he looked at Aliza with a hint of doubt.

"Who did you say reached (F+)-Rank?"

Aliza smiled, knowing it was hard to believe considering how the vice principal described Kyle as a lazy and untalented kid who only had luck. Nonetheless, she repeated her words.

George frowned and pondered deeply.

'How?'

It was acceptable for Kyle to reach (F+)-Rank, but achieving it in just a week was completely unexpected!

After discussing a few more students, Aliza left the office as she had other matters to attend to. George also quickly organized some papers before leaving the office, his expression serious.

He soon arrived at the training grounds designated for the first-year students. Standing at the elevated area of the training grounds, he observed the students.

Everyone was practicing diligently.

Scanning through the crowd of students, his eyes landed on Carcel and Lara before settling on Alec, who was sweating profusely but still relentlessly swinging his sword at the training dummy.

Alec made the vice principal's serious expression soften for a moment, but that softness quickly vanished when he spotted another student lying luxuriously on the floor, casually twirling a water bottle in his hands.

George had to restrain himself from going over and giving Kyle a kick. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, realizing that it wouldn't look good to beat up a student. After regaining his composure, the vice principal left with a disappointed expression.

'What was I expecting?'

At the same time, Kyle, who was lying on the floor and contemplating how his mind had become clearer recently, felt as if someone was badmouthing him behind his back.

He stood up and looked around to see who would dare to do such a thing, but he found no one. Everyone was busy with their training.

"Maybe I'm just overthinking things."

After stretching his body a little, Kyle retrieved his sword from his storage ring. Standing confidently in front of the training dummy, he swung his sword horizontally. Just like before, the sword changed its trajectory midway and struck the dummy's neck.

The sound of impact reverberated through the air, causing the dummy to tremble slightly, showcasing the incredible force behind his attack.