The air in the training room hung thick and heavy, smelling of sweat, old iron, and the faintly metallic tang of blood.

The light filtering through the grimy, arrow-slit windows was a sickly, grey smear, casting long, distorted shadows across the stone floor.

Grey marched back and forth, his steps were measured and relentless, accompaniment to his monotonous counting.

He wore simple, dark clothes, but his presence was a palpable weight in the room.

Stretched out on the cold stone, four figures struggled through a brutal regimen of push-ups.

They were Aeron, Blaze, Zenon and Lenore, their faces flushed crimson and contorted in silent agony.

Their breath coming in ragged, whistling gasps, but they were clinging to the rhythm with a stubbornness that belied her size.

"Two-hundred and ninety-five," Grey's voice was a low, gravelly drone.

"Two-hundred and ninety-six. Keep those backs straight, Aeron! You want the ones from the S class to laugh at your sloppy form? Two-hundred and ninety-seven. Lenore, you're slowing down. Two-hundred and ninety-eight..."

Each number was a hammer blow. Muscles screamed in protest, arms shook violently, and tiny pools of sweat dripped onto the stone. Their heavy breathing was the only sound besides Grey's count.

"...Two-hundred and ninety-nine... and THREE HUNDRED! Stop!"

The word was a release. The four of them collapsed instantly, their bodies hitting the stone floor with dull thuds.

They lay sprawled out, chests heaving, sucking in great, desperate gulps of air as if they'd been drowning.

They made no attempt to move, utterly spent.

A soft, almost imperceptible shush of fabric announced the arrival of Elena. She materialized silently beside Grey, a striking contrast to the grim surroundings.

Her movements were fluid as she watched the exhausted ones on the floor with a faint look of concern.

"Grey," she said, her voice a low, smooth melody, "three hundred is a monstrous number, even for seasoned men. Aren't you perhaps going too hard on them?"

Grey didn't even turn his head, his cold eyes still fixed on the gasping forms on the floor.

"It was they who asked to be trained so as to grow strong, Elena," he stated, his voice flat.

"This world is a graveyard dressed in shadows. Dealing with the eclipse beasts and the horrors of war is not a matter of skill, it is a matter of sheer, unrelenting physical endurance. If they fall short here, they will fall to the Shadows outside. I will not send weaklings to their deaths."

"Still, this is too much! You were ignoring them earlier as if it was no concern of yours if they trained or not. But now...it's like they growing strong has certain advantage to you." Elena said, her eyes glaring with suspicion at Grey.

Grey was surprised, taken aback by her accurate deductions. "Man! she's sharp!"

"Like hell I'd want to waste my time training them. It's all because of the fucking system."

This sudden transformation in Grey was all because of the system mission. After the three of them had awakened to their bloodlines, the system had thrown a mission at his face right after, and he couldn't even reject it, since it was an associated mission for the main storyline.

[Main storyline associated mission: Win your Bet with headmaster Hamdal.

Prepare a team of five including yourself for the final year examination. Win the team events and achieve 1st place overall.

All the members of your team should achieve a ranking within the top ten of the individual battle rankings.

Make sure to train them and boost their growth. Help them achieve level 30 before the start of the first year final examinations.

Daily mission for all the members:

-300/300 push-ups

-0/300 sit-ups

-0/300 squats

-20/20 km running

Reward: Follower system unlocks, level= +5, Doom gauntlets

Penalty: Exp gain reduces 80%, all skills locked for a month, 1st main storyline mission will be scraped

Note: You cannot refuse this mission]

"What would I gain if they grow strong? I'm doing this because they asked this of me themselves. It's not like I'm forcing them." Grey said sternly, lying without a flicker of change in his expression.

"Why are you here though? Do you wish to be trained with them too?" Grey asked in an annoyed tone.

Before Elena could formulate a reply, the heavy iron door of the training room scraped open.

A young, nervous-looking student, his face pale and eyes wide, rushed in.

"E-Elena!" he stammered, catching his breath. "P-Professor Flint is calling for you."

Elena gave a polite, measured nod. "Thank you for the message."

"Good luck with your training. I'll leave now." She turned to leave, but Grey's voice cut across her path.

"Professor Flint? Why is that research drowned book worm calling for you?"

Elena paused, a slight smile touching her lips. "I've been asking him a great many questions about the more esoteric theories of aura manipulation. He finally promised me a private lesson. I wish to grow strong and catch up with you too, you know!" She said with a mischievous smile.

"Why is he calling her this late? Has the time arrived for that phase?" Grey's face twisted with worry.

He had been preparing himself for the arc of his death during the academy invasion, but he didn't knew in which year the incident had happened.

He was getting a feeling that it was nearing. But without any assurance, he couldn't do anything except wait.

Grey let out a soft, understanding grunt. He nodded, a grudging acceptance in his eyes. "Be careful though. The missing cases of girls has been on the rise recently."

"I will," Elena replied. With a final, sympathetic look at the groaning figures on the floor, she swept out of the room.

Grey watched the door close, then turned back to the four of them, who were just beginning to gather their strength. He cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp and ominous in the sudden quiet.

"Right," Grey said, his tone devoid of warmth. "Let's start the next set. Three hundred more."

A chorus of ragged, desperate shouts erupted from the floor.

"What?!"

"Grey, have mercy!"

"My arms are detached!"

"Why are you doing this? Don't turn my love into hate!"

"That was just a warm up. The real training begins now!" Grey roared, his voice suddenly loud and commanding. "Get up! Now!"

The shouts of protest died in their throats, replaced by groans of utter despair as, with painful effort, the four of them began to struggle to their feet.

*******

Kael and Roric were escorted through the main halls by a stiff, impeccably dressed official, their Enforcer leathers and Kael's residual scent of black ichor standing out sharply against the polished marble floors and glowing, crystalline sconces.

The air here smelled of ozone and ancient parchment, not decay.

Roric's tension was palpable. The connection he'd traced from a demon to this revered institution was treasonous simply to think about.

He kept his eyes averted, watching his reflection move on the blindingly clean stone.

"This way, Enforcers," the official said, her voice dry and formal. "The Headmaster is unfortunately away at the moment."

Kael stopped abruptly. "The Headmaster is not here? We were told this matter needed to go to the very top. This is an official Guild mandate."

"I understand, sir. However, his absence was unplanned. And the Vice Headmaster, Lady Rowena, is also not here. Both of them are on a trip to the frontlines."

Kael's jaw tightened. "Then who is in charge? Who speaks with authority when both are gone? We need to brief someone now. The matter is urgent and demands immediate attention."

Before the official could reply, a figure emerged from a side corridor, a corridor lined with heavy wooden doors marked by complex runic sigils.

This was Professor Thorgar.

He paused, observing the uninvited guests and the official's flustered state. "Is there an issue? These gentelmen...they are.."

Kael, sensing a window of opportunity, strode forward, planting himself squarely in front of the Professor.

"I am Enforcer Kael of the City Watch's Special Investigations Unit, and this is Apprentice Mage Roric," Kael stated, his tone dropping the usual Enforcer aggression for stark seriousness.

"We were dispatched by the Guild Captain regarding the missing girls from the Bone-Splitter sector. Our investigation just led us to a confrontation involving a creature bound by powerful and restricted spells."

Kael paused, letting the weight of the next sentence fall.

"The magical trail we traced from that creature leads directly here. To the Veridian Academy. We need to speak with the highest authority available immediately."

Professor Thorgar's composure did not break, but his eyes narrowed. He looked from Kael to Roric, whose blue eyes betrayed the truth of the tracing spell.

"That is… a gravely serious claim, Enforcer Kael," Thorgar said, his voice surprisingly calm.

He dismissed the official with a silent wave.

After the headmaster, vice-headmaster and elder Zarnak, he was the most trusted, even the elders who were higher in authority then him, were not involved in the matters of secrecy, and the official had a slight understanding on this. So, she didn't protest, she simply nodded and left.

"A claim of this magnitude cannot be discussed in a public hallway."

He turned, indicating a large, imposing door nearby. "My office is private. Please. You have my attention. We will discuss these accusations now."

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