Inside a private glass-paneled observation room overlooking the VR arena grounds below, the tension was almost palpable.
Dozens of screens hovered in the air, each displaying a different match from the simulated battlefields. Despite the variety of fights happening at once, almost every instructor's gaze was locked onto a single screen.
A single student.
Adrian Blackthorn.
"Did you see that counter?"
"Unreal. He read that before it even happened."
One of the instructors leaned forward, eyes wide behind his glasses. Another let out a long, impressed whistle.
The room buzzed—not with conversation, but with quiet, stunned murmurs.
Most of the instructors present didn't know each other well. They'd been pulled from different departments specifically to evaluate the cadets for the upcoming tournament—an effort by the Academy to avoid favoritism and departmental bias.
But right now, none of that mattered. Adrian's performance spoke for itself.
