Jinto, alongside his sixty-two classmates, saw the rays of the sun cast its might before an open field. The floor, made out of stone, laid out four different areas, marked with red chalk each, they were rectangular in shape, and all four had a certain distance from each other.
Different from before, this time he and all his classmates were dressed differently from their green robes and yellow dresses. Instead, they wore a black robe together with a belt on their torso, alongside pants with leg wrappings and boots. It was their combat clothes that they would be sparring with for today.
This place was already familiar to Jinto and the rest of the students, it was the private section of the training grounds, where classes were held, the same place the proficiency test was carried out.
Master Hector stood in front of the class along with another person, he explained: "Today, I hope everybody has formed their first mana circle and obtained their heart spell. Today you'll battle against your classmates in a friendly spar. Now, should you go too far in the sparring and gravely harm anyone, the consequences will be severe."
He pointed at the person who stood beside him: "This here is Master Lithia, she will treat any wounds that come as a result of your matches. Once done, you can go towards her to get treated."
Master Lithia then greeted the students. After the exchange, Master Hector continued: "We will have four battles going at once, with two participants sparring in those red rectangular stages. Since there are sixty-three of you, the odd one out can request to spar with someone who has already gone, but it must be within reason."
"The rules of the spar are simple: make the opponent take a step outside of the rectangular stage made of chalk or make them admit defeat. But do remember, this exercise is primarily for you guys to familiarize yourselves with the new spells and acquire combat experience. Don't think about just winning, but as a reason to train."
"You may pick your sparring partner yourselves. I'll give you five minutes to decide amongst yourselves. If there's a gap in people in rounds, I'll call out for two to partner up randomly. With that said, you may choose your pair."
Jinto had thought about who his sparring partner could be. In all honesty, he really didn't care about who it could be.
Mainly, he wanted to spar with Melissa or Paul, people who he was familiar with.
Jinto already knew Paul's line of thinking; he only wanted to spar with one person—Gent!
The provocations from yesterday still lingered in his mind. He wanted to take the smugness out of him. Furthermore, he had sneak-attacked them. In his eyes, this was too dishonorable and not how magicians should fight.
Paul didn't need to look amongst the crowd, his eyes were locked onto his target.
To his surprise, Gent was approaching the trio step by step.
Jinto and Melissa looked towards the direction Paul gazed.
"Undoubtedly, he came to pick us out," Melissa analyzed.
Jinto added: "It's no surprise, especially after the scuffle of yesterday." The trio wasn't surprised at Gent's initiative; he had said himself that he wouldn't take this lying down. Now he was taking proactive measures.
Gent smiled: "Hello, Fang friends, why don't we measure each other's skill and train together? Today is the perfect opportunity."
Paul scowled: "Alright bastard, since you asked, I'll take you on."
The problem of his headache had presented itself. As a gift, Paul would naturally unravel it.
Gent shrugged: "It is of no importance who comes first, as long as the main dish will eventually come." As the last sentence left his mouth, he looked towards Jinto.
Jinto smiled: "Saving me as the main dish? Like a delicacy you must savour? Brother Gent, I'm sorry to inform you that I don't partake in such activities with men."
Gent frowned, going to clarify himself, but Paul interrupted.
"Haha, I see now. Brother Gent must have a romantic attraction to Jinto."
Gent's expression began to sour.
"You think—" Before he could finish, he was interrupted once again.
Melissa covered her mouth with one hand with a cheeky expression: "No wonder, I knew something was a little different about you, Brother Gent. Now everything makes sense! Unfortunately, Jinto doesn't feel the same way. May you find a future husband!" She took extreme pleasure in barraging these claims toward Gent due to the multiple advances he had made towards her.
Gent was left speechless. He had a certain talent to trash-talk the target without being too prudent if insults came his way, but for some reason, whenever the perpetrator was Jinto, it left him with few words to counterattack.
"Damn you all! Jinto! Let's spar, you and me." After taking the barrage, Gent no longer wanted to fight against Paul but against the source of his headache that he had for many years.
Paul interjected: "Coward, weren't you going to fight against me? Don't tell me you're running away. What would people think if they knew you were a man who went against his word?"
Melissa added maliciously: "Brother Gent, it may be hard to control those raging feelings inside your heart, but please gain some clarity."
Jinto nodded up and down agreeing with their claims.
Gent, with a displeased tone, said, "Fine, I'll take on this muscle-brained idiot. Hmph! Make sure to volunteer for the first round. If not, I'll take you back down." With that said, he left the trio.
"Another scuffle between the Fangs and Gent? They truly are like oil and water," Aldering thought as she overheard their conversation.
Saro thought to himself: "Will the Fangs be able to escape unscathed this time?" By using his insults and causing Gent to suffer backlash, Jinto was able to defeat him. Surely now, Gent had learned from his mistakes, not allowing that to happen again. He wondered how the trio would get over this obstacle.
Dylan didn't contain his laughter, saying out loud: "Haha, it seems like another fight between Gent and the trio. I've got my money on the Fangs—who wants to bet against me?"
Dylan looked around, but no students met his gaze. They actively avoided him. They remembered the last time they wagered, Master Hector interrupted, putting it at its end. Furthermore, there was a hidden meaning behind his words that time, that was clearly to keep any distractions out of the academy.
Seeing no students reciprocating, only giving him side-eyes, Dylan felt a little embarrassed as he cleared his throat: "Well, I guess we'll leave it at that…"
"Now who will be my partner..?" he quietly muttered, actively looking for a suitable sparring partner.
Melissa sighed: "He finally left. Paul made sure to crush him. Let's see if he has the ability to act so rampant."
Paul nodded seriously.
"Let's hope he doesn't bring out his full potential," Melissa muttered in her mind.
The world had made clear distinctions between those with lower-rank fissures and those with higher rank. She truly hoped for Paul's win, but who knew what methods Gent would bring forward.
Ever since it was announced that Gent had a Diamond fissure, it only brought her a big headache. At most, she had expected for him to have a Gold fissure.
Truly, one can't peer into heaven's plan.
Jinto glanced at Paul and said, "Don't get too impulsive if he starts to provoke you."
"I know."
From the corner of Melissa's eyes, a figure approached.
It was Olsen!
Melissa gave a helpless smile. It was only about time before Olsen came to her. She had bested him in front of the youths in the proficiency test. It would only make sense for this youth, who held disdain for the rest of the students, to come and seek revenge.
Melissa was already prepared for once the day came.
"Ha, I can only pray that this grandson from an elder won't take it too far," Melissa helplessly thought.
"Sister Melissa," Olsen called out.
Prompting the trio to look over at guests who had arrived before them.
Melissa was the first to speak. "Yes? Brother Olsen, what's the matter?"
Olsen met her eyes, he said amicably, "I was wondering if Sister Melissa was willing to compare techniques with me?"
Melissa smiled in turn: "It would be my pleasure."
Olsen laughed happily: "Okay, just signal to me when you want our round to start." With that said, he left.
Melissa had kept a respectful air around Olsen due to his status. She couldn't be the same way as she was to Gent, who she had clear grievances with.
Her and Olsen's relationship wasn't sour by any means. Sure, she had bested him and ridiculed him a bit, but she had made sure it wasn't heard by anybody else except the two of them. There was room for it to be repaired. She knew that if Olsen grasped victory, the stain Melissa had left behind would wash away.
In truth, even if she could, she would not have won against Olsen. His status alone made it impossible for her to do so. She could get away with it in the proficiency test, for it could be chuckled up as having more aptitude in a certain aspect of magician life, but it would be different if he was bested in actual combat.
For that reason, she had already decided to give up before the match started.
Master Hector had said to view these matches as grounds for training their spells, but how could the young clansmen not view it as a real battle against their classmates? It was a good environment to train, and also to peer onto who were the most powerful in the class.
"Rest in peace, Melissa," Jinto said with an exaggerated praying pose.
He knew of the nuance that Olsen's proposition came with. If Melissa resisted, that only meant being on the bad side of someone who wasn't only going to be a 3rd-circle magician, but also someone who was a direct descendant of an elder.
Paul sighed: "Us small characters must tread carefully when faced against those who were fortunate at birth."
"Anyway, that leaves Jinto without anyone to spar with." Paul glanced at him.
Jinto said sarcastically, "Oh yeah, you took on Gent and Melissa took on Olsen. Well, thank you guys for leaving me with no partner."
"Yeah, now choo choo, go look for someone." Melissa waved as if he were a bug.
Paul smiled: "Good luck out there."
Jinto, not bothering with the two, looked around. About half of the students looked like they'd found their match. Others wandered in search of someone. He approached some people, but he was rejected.
"I guess my reputation is still not good…" Jinto felt a little bitter, but he understood. Why would anybody try to spar with somebody who caused a student to receive backlash?
"Friend, do you want to be—." Before Jinto could finish, a student replied:
"Uhh, I'm sorry, until next time, Brother Jinto." Then the student walked the opposite way.
Jinto grumbled to himself: "It looks like I'll end up being the odd one out."
Jinto, drowning in pessimism, noticed something that drained the pessimism out of him.
It was another person, likewise to him, he had no partner.
Vitus!
Nobody had partnered up with him. They were too afraid of him. He was somebody who held an Amethyst fissure. Who would dare challenge him? The only one who could rival him now was Olsen, but he had gone to challenge Melissa instead. No youth wanted to battle such a monster.
Apart from Vitus having such a fissure, there wasn't anything noteworthy that Jinto thought of him.
"But that is for now. What about the future?"
Jinto knew that with his Amethyst fissure, his future was limitless.
"Sigh, If only I had such a fissure." In truth, Jinto was bitter and jealous of him. He wished to be granted such a gift, but it had been given to somebody else instead.
"Perhaps, I should try befriending him." Jinto thought that It wasn't a bad idea to establish alliances early. Olsen and Gent had done it. Vitus's potential was immense. If he were to be on his good side, it would bring tremendous benefits to him and his family.
In the moment of thinking, he thought that maybe, he could be a key to stop the calamity the Jotos would bring on his family in the future.
He stopped thinking and approached the lone boy, who walked aimlessly, but was rejected respectfully time and time again.
Jinto inhaled, ready to pitch himself. He thought that since they were both being rejected left and right, he had a slim chance of Vitus refusing him.
Jinto walked to Vitus' side and once he was close he said, "Brother Vitus."
"Hm?" Vitus looked at him.
"Want to be sparring partners?"
Vitus looked at him up and down, thinking about the question Jinto just posed.
Standing there with no answer, Jinto felt awkward being examined by Vitus from head to toe. After all, since that incident with Gent, he grew slightly infamous amongst the youngsters.
"Just say yes or no…" Jinto awkwardly grumbled in his brain.
He tried to keep a smile up, to appear amicable, but he didn't know if it was working or not.
"Sure."
"Huh?"
Vitus raised an eyebrow. "I just agreed."
"Ah, yes yes." Jinto was too caught up in his thoughts. It came as a shock to him that Vitus had actually agreed to him.
He continued as he maintained his smile: "Alright, Brother Vitus, whenever you want to participate just let me know."
"The second round should be good."
With a nod, Jinto left his side to join the rest of the Fangs.
On his way, he thought about things: "Me sparring with an Amethyst fissure? Has my ego grown too far for me to battle someone like him? Hm, at the very least I can use this as a guise for friendship whilst I eat the dirt…"
"Wait no, I can't think like this! So what if he has an Amethyst fissure? As long as I make him step out of the stage, then it will be my win. No need for me to overpower him."
Jinto firmed his resolve, ready to tackle this lad, this genius within his generation, with all his might.