Professor Hornet pointed at the ring as he spoke, a smile on his face as he watched both men walk.

Alice, on the other hand, watched more intently than others; her eyes narrowed as she thought, 'Yes, this is how I determine it. Maybe Valen is innocent after all.'

As Alice pondered, Alvin jumped into the ring with relative grace, while Mr. Valen got a bit tangled in the unfamiliar ropes, but he still made it in. The fight was about to begin.

"Begin!" Hornet yelled excitedly, prompting Alvin to assume a wider stance, both his arms up, balled into soft fists.

Mr. Valen did not take a particular stance; rather, he observed Alvin lazily, watching the man-

"Swoosh!"

Alvin closed the distance by a single, explosive stride, his form appearing closer in an instant, his fists rocketing toward Mr. Valen's face.

'Is that it?' Mr. Valen thought, raising his palm to intercept the blow, but then a chill ran down his spine as his instincts warned, 'Something's wrong-'

"Bam!" A heavy uppercut cracked into his jaw, sending Mr. Valen staggering back. Alvin had faked the first punch, slipping inside Valen's guard to deliver the real attack with his left hand.

"Whoosh!" His form shot back just as fast as though expecting a retaliation, but Mr. Valen was just too dazed.

"Hmm," Alvin grunted a bit when he sensed how hard Mr. Valen's face was against his fist, his eyes narrowed at the man who shook off his earlier attack. "You're Valen, right?"

Mr. Valen did not respond; rather, his expression transitioned from one of blankness to heavy focus.

"Whoosh!"

This time he was the one to close the distance with as much speed as Alvin, but not as much grace.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

He threw two piston-straight punches, which Alvin weaved through, before throwing a counter shot into Valen's cheeks.

"Bam!"

Mr. Valen ate the hit with his forearm and threw a controlled but vicious uppercut into Alvin's ribs, making full use of their close quarters.

"Bam!"

His strike drew a choked cough, sending Alvin staggering back, his vision blurring as he shook off the pain, "You're different," he rasped, his voice cracking as he began hopping, his foot bouncing lightly off the ground, "Now that's more like it-"

His form flashed before he even finished speaking, appearing in front of him mid-punch.

Mr. Valen felt all his hairs stand at their ends against that attack, his own fist flashing as he threw a desperate haymaker in flustered retaliation, the wind tearing as a loud slap echoed, both fists meeting each other in a violent collision.

"Bam, bam, bam," Both figures threw punches in rapid succession, the ground vibrating the ropes rippling at their force.

Alvin, (having realized Mr. Valen's superior strength) redirected most of Mr. Valen's punches, and Mr. Valen, in turn, having realized Alvin's' superior speed and technique, tanked the man's attacks.

The strength of their attacks continuously sent gushes of wind in all directions, leaving the class awestruck. Even Hornet couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Bam, bam, bam," Alvin suddenly changed tempo, slapping one of Mr. Valen's punches downward before stomping at his chest, the force sending him staggering back.

Alvin, sensing the opening, closed in and threw another punch at the disoriented Mr. Valen, who leaned back and dodged, the hit grazing his nose.

"Whoosh!" Mr. Valen then stomped at Alvin's core, but the man seemed to be expecting this, his figure flashing low.

His feet then swept the floor with an audible "swoosh," and in the next moment, Mr. Valen's legs flew to the side, his form flailing wildly as a hand latched onto his ankle, "What!?"

"Argh!" Alvin grunted as he threw Mr. Valen out of the ring by the ankle, and to his shock, Mr. Valen sailed over the ropes, his form twisting like a cat to regain balance, but too late.

"Bam!"

He hit the floor outside the ring, one knee down as he moved to rush back into the ring, but Hornet quickly snapped out of his stupor and moved to end the fight, "It's over, Alvin wins by ring-out!"

Meanwhile, 'he's the one,' Alice thought resolutely as she gazed at Mr. Valen's back, throwing away any doubt she had manufactured before.

The classroom erupted into rowdy chattering, students debating one another over the near supernatural speed and strength of both fighters.

"Hey, King," Hornet beckoned both fighters over, his earlier stern expression replaced by a look of intense appraisal.

Responding to his call, Mr. Valen and Alvin walked up to the Professor, their breaths barely disturbed as though the strenuous activity of just now had just been a warm-up.

"King," the old man began, his voice low as he spoke. "You have raw, untamed power, it's obvious that your physical strength alone is much vaster than Arino's. But you fight like a street rat, all instinct with no discipline. Your footwork is a mess, you leave your center exposed when you commit too much to a punch you're still holding back on. And you rely too much on being able to take a hit, which by your state and the attacks you took, seems otherworldly. Anyway refine that and you'll be fine."

The old man then turned to Alvin, who was watching them silently. "And you, Arino. You almost lost control of that fight because of your overconfidence, you assumed you were stronger than he was just because you what? Had help? In my eyes, you lost because he forced you to brawl, remember this."

"Yes, sir," Alvin nodded, seemingly taking the advice to heart.

Though Mr. Valen listened to the advice, internally, he couldn't help but gawk in surprise when he thought about what happened. 'A human? Matching me? Is he even a human?' he spared a glance at the muscular young man, 'If he's a hellspawn then he knows I'm a hellspawn, but the Professor's reaction was so normal, he's a professional there's no way he could have missed the level of strength displayed, so is he also on it? Have I just exposed myself?'

He was sure of it, his physical capabilities were already beyond the human spectrum, and when he became one with the Shadowy Humanoid, his strength became double that.

Alvin Arino could not only withstand his blows but counter with such speed and skill...

In fact the only reason why both of them weren't severely injured was because of the sheer strength of their bodies and Hornet was discussing it all as if it were a mere matter of training and talent.

"Class is dismissed for the day," Hornet's booming voice broke through the room, ending the class before turning to Alvin. "Arino, from now on, you'll be King's exclusive sparring partner; you junkies will help each other grow."

"He..." Alvin seemed surprised by something the professor said, a reaction Mr. Valen quickly took note of, his eyes narrowing slightly.

'Junkies?' Mr. Valen thought as he watched Alvin walk away, periodically stopped by one student or another who envied his strength.

"Valen, come," Professor Hornet called Mr. Valen aside, his face expressionless as he observed the young man.

Walking up to him, Mr. Valen raised a brow, unsure of the reason he was called, but he did have a faint suspicion.

Hornet did not waste time, and immediately spoke, "Your last name is King, which means you're not from one of the noble families, which also means your parents are quite well connected to be able to get their hands on 'IT', and judging by the results I'd say it was a high-quality strain."

'What in God's name is 'IT'?' Mr. Valen thought in outright confusion, but remained calm externally, his gaze growing cautious.

"No need to look at me like that, kid," Hornet chuckled, his lips curling slightly. "I'm partly curious why you would take a physical course when you know it comes with the risks of being discovered. Do you want to go to jail?"

"I-I, please don't tell anyone," Mr. Valen stuttered or pretended to stutter, his form growing restless.

"I won't, as long as you never miss my class." Hornet shrugged, looking into the distance, his chest heaving as he began walking away, his voice trailing behind him. "Don't worry about Alvin, he's fine as long as you keep fighting him. See you around, kid."

As the professor left, Mr. Valen's eyes lingered on the man, not knowing what to think, 'I have to find out exactly what he knows.'

"Hey, Valen, right?" The sound of a female voice caught Mr. Valen's attention, forcing him to turn his head to see a beautiful, dark-skinned woman with short hair.

By her uniform, one could discern that she was a sophomore, one who had currently decided to speak to him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, just wanted to say your fight, it was so cool," the dark-skinned lady said before walking away, joining Trinity and a couple of other ladies.

The arrival of that girl was like the opening of floodgates, as several people, including his group of friends, formed a small crowd around him, throwing praises at him. "Incredible strength, man!" "Never seen anyone trade blows with Arino like that!"

"But I still won," a voice broke through in the end, silencing the rest, it was Alvin himself.

'I thought he left,' Mr. Valen thought as he saw this man, watching him extended a hand towards him.

"You're full of surprises, Valen King," his voice sounded out soon after, prompting Mr. Valen to receive the hand.

'Even his grip is stronger,' Alvin thought as he felt the strength of Mr. Valen's grip, his form pulling closer as he whispered, "And don't worry, I won't tell until I beat you fair and square."

"That won't happen again," Mr. Valen chuckled darkly, a wide smile appearing on his face. 'You and your professor will be long dead before then.'

"Let's make each other stronger," Alvin said, a faint, competitive smile on his lips as he pulled away, his form heading towards the changing rooms.

Watching Alvin leave, Mr. Valen suddenly took note of Vincent, who stood by his side, a certain kind of smile on his face, like he was plotting something.

His presence begged the question of how long he had stood in that particular position.

"What is it?" Mr. Valen could not help but ask, his tone probing, 'Did he overhear?'

"Why didn't you tell me you could fight, haha, I'm invincible," Vincent laughed causing Mr. Valen to roll his eyes.

His eyes then looked around. He saw that Sophie was walking towards the changing room, and Trinity seemed to be having a discussion with the sophomore girls, 'She has always been good at blending in, I do say, she is far more talented at it than I am, is it because she is a female, huh?'

Mr. Valen cut his train of thought short as he felt a gaze on him, forcing him to turn his head towards the source.

It was Alice standing with a sophomore guy who seemed to be engaged in a conversation with her, that is if one could call talking to an unresponsive statue a conversation.

Rather, she practically ignored him, her eyes locked on Mr. Valen, narrowed, 'It's that suspicious stare again, the problems just keep rolling in, don't they?' Mr. Valen thought at that sight before turning to Vincent, who was still talking to him. "So I haven't been to the dorms yet, care to show me the way?"

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