The dark water reflected the starry sky above. It was a beautiful and breathtaking sight that would make anyone feel at peace.
Through the water, Kiernan backstroked gracefully, feeling weightless and free. It felt like he was floating among the clouds.
It felt nicely refreshing after a long, hot day that was spent in training for the upcoming nationals.
"Haaa!"
Inhaling deeply, he dipped below the water and started punching through the cool liquid with swift, powerful strokes.
’Iron Smash! Straight Impact! Iron Smash Storm! Iron Smash Breaker! Krishna’s Blast!’
The fists continued to move rapidly, each punch feeling stronger than the last. The water in front of him exploded into a cloud of water droplets as his fists connected with incredible force.
He then kicked his legs in a fluid motion, swimming upwards back to the surface.
"Haaaah!"
The deep inhale filled his lungs with the refreshing air.
He then floated on the surface on his back, staring up at the sky. He was only wearing his swimming trunks, his well-toned muscles shining in the moonlight.
’I am feeling… powerful.’
Kiernan thought to himself, then gently swam back to the beach and walked out of the water. He picked up his sandals from the sand, put them on, and picked up his towel from the small boulder.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Footsteps came from over the village. It sounded soft, like footsteps on sand, and he turned to see who was approaching.
"Mm~"
Ariadne stretched her arms above her head. She was wearing a sunhat and sunglasses with a strapped bikini top and shorts.
It framed her pale, delicate skin perfectly, accentuating her slender figure.
"Hmm…"
Kiernan sat on the boulder, wiped his hair with the towel, and then saw her look in his direction.
"Here for another swim? How’s the water?"
Ariadne asked with a smile.
They had encountered each other before after the nightly swims. It was becoming a routine for them to meet each other after Kiernan finished with his swim. Continue your saga on Freewebnovel
She swam slightly later as she enjoyed the peace and quiet of having the lake to herself.
"Pretty cool. It felt great."
Kiernan replied while wiping the water off his face.
"The officials visited the cottages. The first matchups were announced for the first round."
She said, removed her sandals, and walked barefoot on the warm sand towards the water.
"I guess I must go talk to the coach then."
With a push off the boulder, he waved his hand at her and then left the beach, but before he could take another step, he saw a familiar face walk over to him.
"Kiernan!"
Julia waved her hand with a smile after seeing him. She came here to fetch him up. Then, she noticed a beautiful blond-haired girl swimming through the water in the distance.
It pretty much looked like Kiernan just finished swimming with that girl, as he was still drenched from head to toe.
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Julia’s eyes narrowed.
She wondered why the hell Kiernan was swimming with Ariadne, the girl who was one of the great aces and one of their most dangerous opponents in the upcoming nationals.
"Heard about the officials. Coach told you to come get me?"
Kiernan asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Ah, yes… He also has to talk to you about the opening ceremony…"
After returning to the cottage, he was greeted by Coach Jin, who was excited to share the details about the upcoming nationals.
Before having a longer conversation with him, Kiernan went to his room to change into shorts and a t-shirt, then returned back to the living room to hear more about the opening ceremony.
Coach Jin explained everything the officials had told them about the opening ceremony.
"Mm, I must carry the flag in the ceremony, which is pretty much it."
Kiernan nodded in understanding.
"Alright, everyone, focus up!"
Coach Jin clapped his hands.
Everyone looked over.
"Since we are the sixth seed of the nation, we shouldn’t face any powerhouse schools at the first day. Thus, I think we should let Kiernan rest for the first day. Julian, you will be in the team to ensure that we don’t lose.
"You must take every fight as seriously as you could."
"Sure, coach."
Julian said and cracked his knuckles.
He was getting quite excited to fight in the nationals as he would be fighting in front of the entire nation.
So far, he wasn’t that known, but it wouldn’t take long for him to make a name for himself.
Once he showed his strength, the entire nation would know that Karuza High was the only winning contender!
"The second day has a much higher chance of encountering powerful schools. Jonathan, Julian, and Kiernan will handle the rest of the tournament.
"Jonathan will start every match. However, we’ll keep switching between Julian and Kiernan as second fighter to make sure both of you stay relatively healthy."
Everyone nodded.
The game plan was simple.
Ding! Ding!
***
[QUEST HAS ACTIVATED!]
[Quest]
[Rank: B]
[Mission: Win the New Rakuya’s Nationals]
[Description: It is time for another yearly nation. You must carry the team to victory and bring a long-awaited championship over to Karuza High!]
[Time limit: Till the end of the nationals]
[Reward: Fenrir, the Everloyal]
[Penalty: Lose all progress in the system]
***
"Ah?"
Kiernan raised an eyebrow, and then his expression turned serious.
’It looks like I must win. Lose all progress means that I would be back to level 1 with my stats stripped away. However, what is that reward even about?’
He was already planning to do everything in his power to win, but now he was even more determined.
Losing wasn’t a choice.
He looked at the reward and couldn’t quite understand what that should be. He decided to focus solely on winning the nationals and worry about the reward later.
After finishing the meeting, everyone retreated to do their own things and began preparing for the upcoming weekend.
All of them were nervous.
In his room, Kiernan leaned out of the window, hanging his head low with a sickly feeling in his stomach.
The nerves were again crippling him, but he knew he had to push through his nervousness. Everyone put their hopes on his shoulders to carry their team to victory.
’Win… I must win.’