"And… done."

Azel slowed to a stop as his foot crossed the finish line.

His breathing was calm like this was just a normal exercise, and the weight pressing down on his body suddenly lifted.

The unknown pressure that had been dragging his limbs felt like it vanished into thin air. His legs finally felt light again.

He glanced down at his watch. The glowing numbers on the display dimmed as the words appeared.

[Congratulations]

[You have been given 50 Points]

'Getting points this early is nice,' Azel thought with a small grin. These points were going to be useful soon enough especially once the Academy's testing arc began.

"Ah, Mr. Azel Thorne," came a familiar, booming voice behind him.

Azel turned, already recognizing that tone.

Professor Sebastian was standing right behind him with that same confident smirk plastered across his face.

"You finished this assignment," Sebastian said. "Just like I expected."

Azel blinked.

The man had been at the center of the field moments ago, yet here he was now, standing right behind him as though he'd teleported.

He didn't even bother to ask how Sebastian had closed the distance so quickly.

"I see?" Azel replied, brushing sweat from his forehead. "You had high expectations for me, then."

Sebastian chuckled deeply. "Naturally."

As if to prove his point, the professor bent slightly and lifted one of the massive boulders that had marked the starting line with one hand.

The students who were still crawling past their sixtieth lap froze with their jaws dropping.

"You are the son of the Sword Saint, after all," Sebastian said matter-of-factly. "I'd expect nothing less than physical training of this caliber from you."

Sebastian tossed the boulder lightly in one hand before letting it drop to the ground with a deep thud. They were a bit in front of the finish line so it hadn't changed much.

He then sat on it like it was a throne.

"I'm here to talk about that monstrous thing," Sebastian continued, resting his elbows on his knees. "That thing that eats skin."

Azel's eyes narrowed slightly.

"The professors have decided to name it 'Skinbutcher,' though I personally prefer 'Skinner,'" the man said with a shrug.

"Hm?" Azel tilted his head, Skinbutcher was clearly the better name though.

Sebastian crossed his arms.

"According to Grand Mage Luke, neither magic nor aura works on the beast. The binding chains he used on it contained a significant amount of aura, yet it didn't even flinch."

That made Azel raise an eyebrow. "I wanted to ask… how did he use aura? He's a mage, isn't he?"

"Oh, that?" Sebastian gave a small laugh. "He doesn't use aura. He gathers it."

Azel frowned. "Gathers?"

"Meaning," Sebastian explained, "the aura he combined with his spell wasn't his own. It was taken from the nearest available source."

Azel's expression darkened. "…You're telling me that aura came from me."

"Exactly," Sebastian said, snapping his fingers as if confirming a simple math problem. "You were the closest one to the Grand Mage when he cast the binding spell. That's where the resonance came from."

Azel exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down his face. "So he illegally stole my aura. Should I charge him to the Royal Court for that?"

Sebastian barked a laugh. "You could try. But considering who you'd be suing, I'd say it's a lost cause."

"Figured as much."

Sebastian leaned back slightly, his tone shifting into seriousness.

"Anyway, since both aura and magic are ineffective against it, the Academy's decided to focus on physical training."

Azel nodded silently.

"The goal," Sebastian went on, "isn't for the students to defeat Skinbutcher… they'd die trying. But at the very least, they'll be able to resist it long enough to escape if it ever attacks again."

Azel understood though he doubted they would be able to…

"For now though," Sebastian said, reaching into his pocket, "if you encounter it again, you can summon me using this."

He pulled out a small white bell, it was strangely cold despite the warmth of his hand.

"Just ring it once," Sebastian said as he handed it over. "Even if I'm on the other side of the world, I'll answer."

Azel examined the bell.

It was plain with no engravings or symbols, yet it radiated an odd presence.

"Okay," Azel said and placed it into his inventory. A small shimmer of blue light surrounded it before the item vanished from his hand.

"Good," Sebastian said, cracking his neck with a loud pop. "You can go change now. This class will take a while. I've borrowed the next period from the other instructor, so the rest will keep running until they're done."

Azel blinked. "Borrowed…? You mean stole."

Sebastian grinned. "Yes of course."

He waved lazily toward the far end of the field where Flare and Sylvia were still pushing through their laps.

"As for the people who haven't finished… this will be hell. Their watches haven't even hit the max weight yet."

Flare was practically staggering now but Sylvia still looked graceful, annoyingly so as though even exhaustion had to respect her royal posture.

Sebastian stood and stretched. "There are showers over in the locker rooms. You look like you could use one. Go on, hit the showers before your body cramps."

"Right."

Azel waved a hand in acknowledgment and began walking toward the building at the edge of the field.

When he reached the male locker room, he opened the door and stepped inside.

He walked between the rows of lockers until he spotted a smaller door on the side wall… a plain metal one with a faded "Showers" tag hanging crookedly above it.

"Here we go," he muttered, twisting the handle.

Steam wafted out as the door creaked open.

Inside was a large, tiled shower area… the kind meant for multiple people to use at once. Water droplets glistened on the walls, still running from the automatic pipes that cycled every few minutes.

Azel exhaled in relief. "I guess I can just hog it since no one else is done."

He began unzipping his tracksuit, pulling it off piece by piece until he was down to his boxers.

The cool air hit his skin, and he felt like his body felt like it could finally rest.

He turned toward the showers and then froze.

He could hear breathing…

Slow nervous breathing…

His eyes narrowed.

He glanced around the tiled room, scanning the corners.

Then his gaze dropped to the far side, behind the marble counter stacked with folded towels and soap containers.

Someone was crouched there, trying desperately to stay hidden.

Azel walked over quietly and leaned forward slightly.

"You know," he said calmly, "you're not exactly invisible."

The girl froze.

Slowly, she peeked her head up from behind the counter revealing a face that was bright red with embarrassment.

It was Esme.

She was still in her tracksuit, though her jacket was unzipped halfway, and her hair was tied into a messy ponytail.

Her hands fidgeted at her sides like she'd been caught doing something criminal.

"Eh… why are you here?" Azel asked bluntly.

Her face somehow grew redder.

"I–I was…" she stammered.

[Author's Note]

Second Bonus Chap...

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