Chương 41: Beneath the Capital

The following morning began without ceremony. No alarms. No explosions. No ominous announcement from the academy. Only the ordinary sound of footsteps passing through the corridors and the distant ringing of bells announcing the beginning of another day of the Arcane Convergence. Yet Leo had already been awake for nearly an hour. He stood beside the window of his room, looking down at the capital. The city had changed overnight. Or perhaps he was simply seeing it differently.

Yesterday, the capital had looked magnificent. This morning, it looked enormous. There was a difference. The first made a person admire it. The second made a person wonder what could be hiding inside it. Leo rested one hand against the window frame. That strange pulse from beneath the city had returned twice during the night. Neither occurrence had lasted more than a few seconds. He had felt no immediate danger. That was precisely what bothered him. Danger that announced itself was usually easier to understand.

Danger that remained silent was another matter. A knock interrupted his thoughts.

"Leo?" It was Amon. Leo opened the door. Amon stood outside with Masha, while Alice waited a few steps behind them.

"We're going to be late," Amon said.

"We still have eleven minutes." Amon stared at him.

"How do you know that?" Leo pointed toward the clock. Amon turned.

"…Right." Masha sighed.

"You woke him up just to tell him we're late."

"I was trying to motivate him."

"You were the one who was almost late."

"That is unrelated." Alice smiled.

"Come on. Gareth said today's schedule would be different." Leo closed the door behind him.

"Different how?"

"He didn't say."

"Then why are you excited?"

"Because he didn't say." Leo gave her a brief look. Alice's smile widened.

"Sometimes not knowing is more interesting." They began walking. The Royal Academy was already crowded when they arrived. Unlike the previous day, the students were not gathered in the main hall. Instead, they had been directed toward one of the academy's largest training facilities. The building resembled an enormous circular fortress. Its outer walls were constructed from dark stone, while dozens of glowing runes covered the entrances. Inside, the arena was divided into several sections.

Some contained artificial terrain. Others were filled with magical barriers. At the center stood a massive circular platform surrounded by observation balconies. Hundreds of students had gathered there. Professor Gareth stood at the edge of the platform. When the four approached, he noticed them immediately.

"You're here." Amon looked around.

"What's happening?" Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

"Assessment." Leo glanced toward the arena.

"Combat?"

"Not exactly." Gareth turned toward the students.

"Today's exercise will test your ability to cooperate with people you have never met." Several students exchanged confused looks. Gareth continued.

"You will be divided into mixed teams. Each team will receive a simulated objective. Your opponents will not necessarily be students from another academy." A student raised his hand.

"What will they be?" Gareth smiled faintly.

"You will find out." A murmur passed through the crowd. A series of crystal plates suddenly descended from the ceiling. Each plate displayed several names. Leo looked up. His name appeared. Team Seven. Underneath it were four others. Leo. Alice Veruna. Marcus Hale. Selene Arkwright. Amon looked at his own plate.

"Team Three." Masha was assigned to Team Five. Amon frowned.

"We're separated?"

"For the exercise," Gareth replied.

"You are not being graded as friends." Amon crossed his arms.

"That seems unnecessary."

"It is precisely why it is necessary." The barriers around the arena began to glow. Gareth raised his voice.

"Your objective is simple. Enter the designated zone, retrieve the marked crystal, and return it to the starting point." A student asked,"How do we know what we're fighting?"

"You don't."

"And the rules?"

"Do not kill another participant." Gareth paused.

"Everything else is your responsibility." The gates opened. Leo entered the training zone with Alice, Marcus, and Selene. The environment changed almost immediately. The stone beneath their feet disappeared beneath artificial grass. Trees rose around them. Mist drifted between the trunks. The illusion was remarkably convincing. Selene looked around.

"This is supposed to be a training ground?" Marcus rested one hand on his sword.

"Royal Academy has some impressive facilities." Alice studied the surrounding forest.

"Where is the crystal?" Leo crouched beside a patch of disturbed soil.

"North." Marcus looked at him.

"You can tell that from this?" Leo pointed toward the ground.

"The grass was pressed down recently." Selene approached. She examined the marks.

"You're right." Alice looked toward the northern side of the forest.

"Then we should move." Leo stood.

"Wait." Everyone stopped. A faint sound had reached him. Not footsteps. Something else. A low mechanical vibration. He turned toward the trees. The branches moved. A creature emerged. It looked like a wolf. But it was made of black stone. Blue runes covered its body, and a crystal embedded in its forehead emitted a cold light. Selene immediately raised her hand.

"That's not a normal training construct." The creature lowered its head. Its jaws opened. A circular magical pattern appeared inside its mouth. Leo stepped forward.

"Move." The creature fired. Azure Fang. A concentrated beam tore through the trees. Leo moved aside. The attack struck the ground and carved a deep line through the artificial forest. Marcus drew his sword. Ironwind Step. He disappeared from his position and appeared beside the construct. His blade struck its neck. The impact produced a metallic clang. The construct barely moved. Selene immediately followed. Crimson Spiral. Three rotating rings of flame formed behind her and released concentrated streams of fire.

The flames struck the construct from three directions. The creature staggered. Alice raised both hands. Silver Veil. A translucent barrier formed around the team just as the construct released another beam. The attack struck the barrier. The entire shield shook. Alice gritted her teeth.

"It's stronger than it looks!" Leo watched the creature carefully. The runes on its body were changing. It isn't defending randomly. He noticed something. Every time Marcus attacked from the left, the construct turned its body slightly before responding. Every time Selene used magic from the front, it reinforced its chest. Its reactions were predictable.

"Marcus." The swordsman glanced at him.

"Take its attention."

"What?"

"Trust me." Marcus hesitated for only a second. Then he moved. Ironwind Step. He rushed directly toward the creature. The construct reacted immediately. Its forelimbs transformed into blades. Marcus narrowly avoided the first strike. The second followed. Then the third. He continued moving, forcing the creature to focus entirely on him. Leo looked toward Selene.

"Three seconds." She understood. Selene began gathering mana. The rings behind her rotated faster. Alice strengthened her barrier around Marcus. Leo stepped forward. The construct suddenly turned. Its attention shifted toward him. Leo's eyes narrowed. It had noticed him. The crystal in its forehead brightened. A beam began forming. Leo did not retreat. Instead, he moved directly toward it. Silent Meridian. His body slipped beneath the forming attack. For a brief moment, his movement seemed almost weightless.

He passed beneath the creature's jaw. His hand struck the center of its chest. Not hard. Precisely. A sharp crack travelled through the runes. The creature froze. Selene released her spell. Crimson Spiral: Third Ring. The three flames converged on the damaged point. The construct shattered. Fragments of black stone scattered across the grass before dissolving into light. Marcus lowered his sword. He looked at Leo.

"You knew where to strike."

"The rune controlling its movements was exposed." Marcus glanced toward the remains.

"I didn't see it."

"Most people wouldn't." Selene looked between them.

"So that's why you asked Marcus to distract it." Leo nodded. Alice smiled.

"You make cooperation sound suspiciously simple."

"It is simple."

"Only when everyone understands what they're doing." Leo looked at her.

"Exactly." A bell rang. The artificial forest began disappearing. The exercise had ended. Outside the arena, the instructors reviewed the teams. Several had failed. Others had completed their objectives. Team Seven had finished among the first. Gareth approached them.

"Good work." Selene smiled.

"Especially considering we had no idea what we were facing." Gareth looked at Leo.

"That was the purpose." Leo remained silent. Gareth's expression became slightly more serious.

"Your decision-making was particularly efficient."

"Thank you."

"You observed before acting." Leo nodded.

"Acting without understanding the opponent wastes energy." Gareth held his gaze for a moment. Then he smiled.

"An unusual answer from someone your age." Leo said nothing. Across the arena, Amon waved toward them. He was covered in dust. Masha stood beside him with an expression that suggested she had experienced something considerably worse. Amon pointed toward Leo.

"We lost!" Leo looked at him.

"Why?"

"Our opponent was a giant." Masha sighed.

"It wasn't a giant."

"It was giant enough." Alice laughed. For the first time that morning, Leo's expression softened. The strange feeling from beneath the city seemed distant. Almost forgotten. Almost. That evening, the students were given free time. Most returned to the residence. Some went into the city. Others gathered in restaurants and public squares. Leo walked alone for a while. He eventually stopped on a bridge overlooking one of the capital's central districts. Below him, hundreds of people moved through the streets.

The city was beautiful beneath the night sky. But beneath the bridge, far below the foundations, something pulsed. Leo felt it. Once. Twice. Then a third time. His expression changed. This time, it was stronger. He closed his eyes. The sensation spread through the ground like a heartbeat. Then— Silence. Leo opened his eyes. Across the street, an old man was staring at him. Their eyes met. The old man immediately looked away and continued walking. Leo watched him disappear into the crowd.

Something about that encounter bothered him. Not the man himself. The reaction. As if the old man had recognized something. Leo remained on the bridge for several seconds. Then he turned toward the academy. Whatever was beneath the capital… It was getting closer to the surface. End of Chapter 41.