Chapter 32: A Heart Attack
The classroom remained silent after Cark crushed the steel baton.
The broken metal fell to the floor with a heavy clang, the sound echoing throughout the room.
The students stared at it in disbelief.
Although this was a world where such feats were something almost every ability user could achieve, what shocked them wasn’t the destruction itself.
It was how he did it.
An ability user already possessed physical strength far beyond that of an ordinary human, and their abilities could make them even more destructive.
However, using Lumina purely to enhance one’s physical body was a different matter entirely.
That was something many Level 1 to Level 3 users still struggled to understand.
Cark glanced at them before turning toward an empty corner of the room.
"Enough theory. You won’t understand Output by sitting there."
He pressed a button on the wall.
With a mechanical sound, the side of the classroom slowly opened, revealing a long metallic passage leading deeper into the academy.
"Follow me."
The fifty students moved behind him, their footsteps echoing through the corridor as if this was a normal part of their daily routine.
Victor, who had no idea what was happening, simply followed.
’Sigh... Looks like we’re moving.’
The corridor was only wide enough for two people to walk side by side. Any more than that, and it would become cramped.
LED lights lined the walls, illuminating the path clearly.
After several minutes, they finally reached the end.
As they stepped out of the passage, the scenery completely changed.
The classroom was replaced by what looked like a small stadium.
A circular battlefield sat at the center, surrounded by rows of elevated seats hovering one meter above the ground.
Above them was a massive reinforced glass dome, shielding the arena from the scorching sunlight outside.
Strangely, despite the unbearable heat outside—where breathing felt like inhaling from a furnace—the temperature inside remained comfortable.
The atmosphere here was completely different from the classroom.
This place wasn’t designed for learning.
It was designed for fighting.
The students spread out and took their seats.
Cark walked to the center of the arena and turned toward them.
"Output is not about how much Lumina you possess."
He placed a hand over his chest.
"Lumina is only energy. The true question is how much of that energy your body can convert into power."
The veins across his body faintly glowed as Lumina flowed through his muscles.
"Your body is your first weapon."
The energy gathered around his right leg, strengthening every muscle fiber.
Then—
BOOM!
His foot slammed into the ground.
Cracks spread across the arena floor like a spiderweb.
"I didn’t use a skill."
"I didn’t release an attack."
Cark looked down at the cracked ground with a faint smile.
The students’ expressions of shock and admiration only made his confidence grow.
"I simply increased my body’s Output."
He looked back at them.
"Strength, speed, defense... all of them depend on how efficiently you can use what you already possess."
Cark clenched his fist.
"Power isn’t about having more."
The atmosphere grew heavier.
"It’s about bringing out everything you have."
.
.
.
Cark slowly swept his gaze across the fifty students.
"Theory without practice is worthless."
He folded his arms behind his back.
"If you truly want to understand Output, then watch closely."
The students immediately straightened their backs.
Anticipation spread throughout the arena.
Some quietly hoped they wouldn’t be chosen, while others were eager to prove themselves.
Cark began walking along the line of students, his sharp eyes studying each one.
The sound of his boots echoed across the arena.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
He suddenly stopped.
"You."
A young man with long black hair looked around before pointing at himself.
"M-Me?"
"Step forward."
The student swallowed nervously before walking onto the battlefield.
Cark continued down the line without another word.
Once again, he stopped.
His eyes landed on a girl with a crimson ponytail.
"You. Join him."
The girl stood up gracefully.
Her chin was raised, and every step she took carried an overwhelming sense of confidence.
Cark chuckled when he realized who he had chosen.
"Seraphina Noctis."
"It’s nice to see you."
The moment the name left his mouth, the entire class erupted into whispers.
"Noctis?"
"She’s from the Noctis family?"
"I didn’t know someone like that was in our class."
This was Class C18, a class mostly filled with new recruits and students who had failed previous evaluations and were forced to repeat the year.
Nobody expected someone from such a prestigious family to be among them.
Sixty years ago, when the Draks first arrived on Earth, the Noctis family played a crucial role in humanity’s survival.
Edrin Noctis, Seraphina’s grandfather, was the head of the family during that era.
"I heard Edrin defeated a Six-Blade Drak during the war."
"Yeah, I think he was only Level 8 at the time. That’s insane."
Seraphina ignored the whispers.
Her attention remained fixed on her opponent.
The moment she saw him, surprise flashed across her eyes.
A weak frame.
Long hair.
Pale skin.
He looked as though he had barely received proper nutrition.
’Who is this weak-looking person?’
However, the person who was truly shocked wasn’t Seraphina.
It was Cark.
His eyes widened.
He hadn’t even paid attention to who he had randomly selected.
Only now did he properly see the student’s face.
His expression turned pale.
He staggered backward slightly, struggling to steady himself.
Goosebumps spread across his skin.
His heart raced as if it was about to stop.
’How is this possible...?’
’I thought he was dead.’
---
Back when Victor had left the room...
Caleb stepped out and scoffed.
"An Emberkind withstood an Elementalis kick? How is that even possible?"
He frowned.
’I should probably investigate this guy later.’
He paused.
’No... that will only create more questions I might never get answers to.’
With that thought, Caleb pushed the matter aside and headed toward his own classroom.
Unlike Victor’s Class C18, his class was Class C12.
A class reserved for the academy’s elites.
When he entered, he immediately noticed the teacher sleeping at the desk.
"Lazy bastard," he muttered.
Caleb then turned toward his friend, who was completely immersed in her device.
"Yo, Nyx."
.....
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