The Academy's Male Dormitory was quiet at night, but inside Eno's room, a serious discussion was taking place. Gathered around a table were Eno, Lily, Lance, and Eric—the four students who would be entering the upcoming tournament. The air was tense, filled with anticipation as they analyzed their potential opponents.
Eno leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Alright, guys. Let's talk about the tournament," he began, his tone steady but serious. "Specifically, two threats—Ryder Ashford and Robin Liang."
Lance, arms crossed, immediately chimed in. "I think we should start with Ryder first."
Lily nodded in agreement before speaking up. "Here's what we know," she said, her voice calm but firm. "He's a hand-to-hand combat fighter, highly skilled. His ability allows him to create a sword that he can control through the air. But here's the most interesting part—there are rumors that he has a specialty."
The moment she said that, the atmosphere shifted. Everyone's eyes widened, processing what they had just heard.
But the one who reacted the most was Eno.
As someone who possessed a specialty himself, he was curious about them, so he researched all about it so he knew just how powerful they could be. A specialty wasn't just an enhancement of an ability—it could completely change the way an ability functioned. Some were minor upgrades, but others? They were game-changers. And if Ryder really had one…
Eno exhaled, trying to steady himself. "A specialty…" he muttered, still deep in thought.
Lily noticed his reaction and turned to him. "You fought Ryder before, right?" she asked. "What did you discover?"
Her words snapped Eno out of his thoughts. He looked up at the others before answering. "Ryder was holding back the whole time."
A moment of silence followed.
From the outside, their fight might have seemed like a battle between two skilled hand-to-hand combatants. And that's exactly what Eno had assumed at first.
"But there was something off about his fighting style," Eno continued. "His martial arts were perfectly trained—every movement precise, every strike calculated. But that's all it was—trained."
Lance raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Eno leaned back slightly. "It was obvious—he's never been in a real fight before. At least, not the way we have."
That statement made the others pause. If Ryder had never truly fought before, then how was he so skilled?
"At first, I thought it made sense given his background," Eno admitted. "He probably grew up training under strict instruction, always practicing, but never actually experiencing real combat. But then… something didn't add up."
Eric frowned. "Like what?"
"His combat instincts."
Lily's expression changed as realization dawned on her.
"Exactly," Eno nodded. "Even if he had never fought before, his instincts were perfect. Almost too perfect. Every time I made a move, he reacted instantly. He always knew exactly what to do, even in unexpected situations."
That wasn't something that could be learned just through training. That was something innate.
Eno clenched his fist. "That's when I realized—Ryder isn't a hand-to-hand fighter at all. He was just making it look like he was."
Lance's eyes narrowed. "Then… what is he really?"
Eno took a deep breath before revealing his theory.
"He's a swordsman."
The room fell silent.
Lily, Eric, and Lance all stared at him, processing his words.
Then, as if a switch had flipped, Lily's face turned serious. "Wait… are you saying—"
"Yes," Eno interrupted. "Ryder was extremely skilled at controlling his sword through the air. And if I'm right, then that means—"
"He can create multiple swords."
Lance's jaw dropped. "You have got to be kidding me."
He turned to Eno. "You barely managed to deal with his one sword! And now you're telling us he might be able to create more?! How the hell are we supposed to fight that?!"
"Lance, calm down," Eno said, raising a hand. "This is only a possibility. But if it's true, then it's better to prepare for it now rather than be caught off guard later."
Lily nodded in agreement. "Right. If we can come up with countermeasures for his ability before the tournament, we'll have a much better chance at winning."
Eric exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Damn… and we still have to talk about Robin.
So, about Robin," he began, "I don't think there's much we need to say. Unlike Ryder, he didn't hold back at all. He revealed his ability clearly and showed us that he has a complete darkness-based power."
Lily nodded. "Normally, I'd assume someone like him would be keeping a trump card hidden, either to intimidate us or to mislead opponents about his full capabilities. But given his attitude and the information I've gathered, I don't think that's the case. Robin is just… lazy. He didn't bother holding anything back because he simply didn't care to. He just wanted to get the fight over with as quickly as possible."
Eno turned to Lance. "You were the one who actually fought him. Do you have anything to add?"
Lance exhaled sharply, folding his arms. "His darkness is powerful, no doubt about that. It's destructive, but at the same time, it's slower than I expected. Sure, it could move faster if he really focused and pushed more energy into it, but that takes effort."
"Effort he doesn't like putting in," Lily added dryly.
"Exactly," Lance agreed. "And then there's his fighting style—he's a controller through and through."
Hearing this, Eric leaned forward. "A controller?"
Controllers are fighters who rely almost entirely on their abilities instead of using martial arts or weapons. Think of them like the wizards in games and shows—they use their power as their primary means of combat rather than supplementing it with physical skills."
Becoming a controller isn't mandatory; it's a choice. Eno and Lily could have trained to fight like that, but they didn't."
"Not all controllers have elemental abilities either," recalling a past match. "Take the guy Arthur fought, for example. His ability was cloning, but instead of fighting head-on, his entire strategy revolved around staying hidden while sending a steady stream of clones to wear down his opponent. It was actually a smart plan—just not suited for an open arena like this tournament."
"Right," Lance continued. "And Robin's fighting style is completely controller-based. His darkness does all the work. He doesn't bother moving much himself, relying on his ability to attack and defend. That makes him dangerous, but also predictable in a way."
Hearing this, everyone nodded, absorbing the information.
"Alright," Eno said, shifting gears. "Now that we've covered the two biggest threats in the tournament, let's go over the other six competitors. We still have time to come up with counter-strategies."
For the rest of the night, they stayed up discussing the strengths and weaknesses of their remaining opponents, analyzing battle footage, and formulating tactics. The tournament was drawing closer, and they intended to be as prepared as possible.