Max sighed, rolling his shoulders as he holstered his daggers for the final time that day. His hands ached, fingers sore from hours of repetition. It was monotonous, sure, but necessary.
“Wrap it up for today. I’m happy with what I saw from most of you… most.” Isabell’s voice rang through the training grounds, sharp and carrying a hint of amusement. Then, after a beat, she added, “Some need to put forth a little effort.”
Max immediately felt eyes locking onto him. A few students snickered under their breath. Others whispered. He didn’t need to turn around to know he was the unspoken target.
‘Nothing I can do about it now. Guess I’ll just have to deal with the stares,’ Max thought, exhaling through his nose. ‘Progress is progress, though. I can confidently say I’m close to achieving the first step.’
Without another word, he turned on his heel and made his way toward the exit. The other students were still gathered in small groups, chatting, comparing techniques, or discussing their weapon choices.
Max stepped out of the training grounds, his body aching from repetition. His shoulders slumped slightly, exhaustion settling in as he made his way back to the dorms. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows across the academy’s steel and glass buildings.
Just as he entered the dormitory, a voice called out.
"Hey, you had some cool moves back there. You care to share them?" The sarcasm in the boy’s tone was blatant, and a few chuckles followed.
Max barely spared him a glance before continuing forward.
"I didn’t know they let idiots into Nexus," another chimed in with a sneer.
Max kept his expression blank, his steps unfaltering as he reached his door and unlocked it. He'd dealt with worse before. This was nothing.
Stepping inside, he shut the door behind him and let out a deep breath. The dorm was quiet. No taunts, no stares—just silence. He peeled off his training clothes, tossing them into a corner, and made his way into the shower. The warm water hit his skin, easing the tension in his muscles.
'It's only the first day, and people are already watching me, ' Max thought, running a hand through his wet hair. ‘I’m already failing my plan…’
He dried off and threw on some comfortable clothes before collapsing onto his bed with a tired yawn. His body wanted to sleep, but his mind felt restless. To distract himself, he pulled out his phone and opened a simple mobile game. The bright screen illuminated his face in the dim room as he tapped away, zoning out.
Minutes passed, and then his eyelids grew heavy. His grip on the phone loosened, and before he realized it, sleep overtook him.
…
Max rubbed his eyes groggily as he stared at the screen of his phone. The soft light from the display illuminated his tired face, and the time registered in his mind.
Thank god I didn’t sleep all the way into the night... he thought, stretching his arms above his head. He could feel the lingering fatigue, but he pushed it aside. Guess I could train a little more, I still have time.
With a soft grunt, Max swung his legs off the bed, the cool floor against his feet grounding him as he shook off the last traces of sleep. He didn’t bother changing back into his training clothes—he was sure the halls would be mostly empty by now. Grabbing his shoes, he slipped them on and headed for the door.
As Max walked through the quiet halls of the academy, the low hum of the building seemed to amplify the distance between him and the rest of the world. The students who passed him gave him barely a glance. He didn’t mind—he’d long gotten used to being ignored.
But as he turned a corner, he saw them.
Five students came walking toward him, and as they did, a clear path seemed to open up for them. The others, students and faculty alike, instinctively stepped aside, pressing themselves to the walls. Max automatically flattened his back against the stone of the hallway, not wanting to be in the way.
"Geez, everyone is getting out of our way like we have a plague," Skylar remarked with a sharp grin, her voice carrying through the quiet space. She sounded almost amused by the treatment.
"Guess we’re some big shots," she added with a casual laugh.
"Yeah," Collin agreed, his voice calm and easygoing as he nodded. "I didn’t expect to get treated like this just because we’re high-ranked."
Takahiro laughed, a smug edge to his tone. "Please, it’s because I’m here."
Ophelia, walking a few steps behind Takahiro, subtly distanced herself from him, her expression one of slight annoyance, clearly not fond of his boasting.
Evelynn, ever the stoic one, walked silently beside them, her face as unreadable as always.
Max glanced up at them briefly as they passed, but kept his head low to avoid being noticed.
Collin, however, seemed to have noticed something. "Did anybody else see that guy in the corner, the one practicing his daggers? We just passed him."
"Daggers?" Skylar scoffed. "Oh, that one guy in the corner who kept taking his daggers out and putting them back... I think he might have a mental problem or something."
"Yeah... him," Collin said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, unsure of what to make of the strange behavior.
"Yeah, what was his name again?" Skylar asked, her voice trailing off as if waiting for someone to provide the answer.
Nobody responded. Nobody knew who he was.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Takahiro rolled his eyes and sighed. "He’s just a loser anyway. Let’s get some food. I’m starving."
"Wait a second," Skylar called out, but Takahiro was already walking ahead, not bothering to listen as he headed down the hall toward the cafeteria.
Max remained in the corner, barely visible as the group continued their conversation. They seemed to have forgotten him already, their attention shifting to more important things. Yet, Collin looked back for just a moment, his gaze lingering on Max in the hallway.
The guy in the corner—the one with the daggers, the one no one knew. Max had stepped aside for them, made space without a word, just like he always did. It was nothing to Max, but something about the situation made Collin pause.
He quickly shook the thought off. ‘Probably nothing’, he told himself.
Takahiro's voice broke through, dismissing the moment entirely. "Come on, we’ve got better things to do."
…
Max pushed open the door to the training ground, relieved to find it empty. The quiet, open space stretched out before him, the sound of his footsteps echoing slightly on the polished floor. No distractions, no prying eyes—just the perfect setting to finally test the first step of Nightstalker.
A small smile tugged at his lips. ‘This is good, I wanted to try the first step.’ he thought. Max adjusted his grip on his daggers, ready to see if the speed he’d worked on would finally come through.
Max took a deep breath.
He had spent hours working on the basics, preparing for this moment. The first step of Nightstalker—the very essence of speed—was now within his reach.
‘Okay... let’s try it,’
Max thought as he planted his foot, feeling the familiar weight of his blades. In one fluid motion, Max propelled himself forward with everything he had.
BOOM.
The force of his motion echoed through the training ground, sending a shockwave across the space. Max's body was already halfway to the far wall before he even realized what had happened. The gust of air and the sound of his shoes scraping the ground were all he heard as he skidded to a stop, panting lightly.
‘What... what?’
Max blinked, looking around. The distance he'd covered was impressive—10x more than he expected. His heart raced with a mix of surprise and excitement.
‘Does that mean my speed stat is separate from my sword manual?’
Max glanced back at where he had been standing just moments ago. There was no denying it. He had moved faster than he had ever imagined possible. The realization hit him like a wave, and a broad smile spread across his face, followed by a short burst of laughter—genuine, unguarded laughter.
‘Finally. I caught a break.’
Max stood there for a moment, catching his breath, savoring the small victory. It was the first tangible sign of progress he’d felt in a long time. He looked around, still alone in the training ground, the space echoing with the last remnants of his movement.
Max planted his foot once again, the anticipation buzzing in his veins. His heart raced as he prepared to test his newfound speed, to push himself even further.
Crack.
The sharp sound of his foot hitting the ground rang out, and Max shot forward, propelled by the force of his own body. His mind was focused, adrenaline coursing through him as he moved faster than before, but this time, there was a slight shift in his perception.
The moment he reached the spot where he'd started, he felt a wave of fatigue sweep over him. It wasn't as if his body had failed him, but more as if his energy had been drawn out too quickly.
He stumbled slightly, feeling the drain on his mana. His breath came in shallow bursts, and he could feel the weight of his efforts pressing against him.
‘Half my mana’s gone…’
Max winced but didn’t let the setback discourage him. He took a slow, steadying breath, focusing on the progress he'd just made.
He stood there for a moment, catching his breath, giving his body a brief respite. The success of the first attempt filled him with a renewed sense of purpose.
“Progress is progress,” Max muttered to himself. He knew there was still much to learn, but this felt different. This felt like the first real step toward mastering the Nightstalker style. And that was something worth celebrating, even if only for a moment.
Buzz buzz.
Max’s phone vibrated in his pocket, pulling him out of his thoughts. With a sigh, he glanced at the screen.
“Mom…”
Act natural. Focus. Normal, normal, normal.
He didn’t even bother looking up at the training ground as he answered, slipping the phone out of his pocket.
“Hello?”
“Why haven’t you been answering my texts?!” Max’s mom’s voice rang out.
Max had seen her texts but hadn’t responded, not really knowing why he’d avoided it... well, he kind of did. He was afraid and anxious about it.
“Oh, uh… I’m sorry… just been busy with Nexus,” Max said, his words slower than usual.
“Okay… okay, just don’t do it again,” she ordered, her tone softening.
“Hey, can I talk to Maxy?” a little voice in the background piped up.
Max’s heart skipped. “Your sister wants to talk to you,” his mom said, and Max froze.
The phone shuffled, and then her voice came through, small and soft. “Maxy?”
Max blinked, feeling a mix of emotions—this was it, the first time talking to his sister. “Hey…” He hesitated, the weight of the moment sinking in. “Hey… Octavia.”
“I learned that the sky can be different colors! Like when it’s orange and purple, it means it’s time for sleep! And there’s lots of big, big clouds that float like cotton candy!”
Max smiled, feeling a warmth he hadn’t realized he needed. “Orange? Purple? Oh, you mean when it gets late and the sun sets.”
“Yeah!” Octavia exclaimed. “I wish I could grab one of those cotton candy clouds!”
Max chuckled. “I’ll grab one of those clouds for you next time we see each other. Can’t say it’ll be as big as the clouds, though—I can’t carry that much.”
“Promise?” she asked, the excitement in her voice undeniable.
“Promise,” Max said, his voice a little steadier than before.
“Thank you!” Octavia giggled, the sound bright and innocent, before the phone shuffled again.
“Well, now I’ll have to explain why she can’t eat clouds. Thank you, Max,” his mom’s voice said, a bit exasperated but amused.
“Sorry,” Max mumbled, smiling at the sound of his sister’s joy.
“You’re fine. Anyways, I was just checking in, making sure everything’s okay.”
“Thank you,” Max replied, his heart lighter than when he’d picked up the phone.
“Before I let you go, have you been eating on time?” she asked, her voice a little more serious.
“Yeah, I have,” Max said, trying to sound confident.
“When was the last time you ate then?” she pressed.
“Oh… uh… this morning…” Max winced, realizing he hadn’t eaten much since then.
“MAXIMUS AUGUSTUS!” his mom’s voice rose in exasperation. “GO EAT SOMETHING RIGHT NOW.”
Max winced. “Okay, okay, I will…”
“Maxy is in trouble!” Octavia’s voice squealed from the background.
Max smiled, shaking his head. “Okay, okay, I’ll eat. I promise.”
“Good. Well, we’ll let you go. Love you,” his mom said, her voice softer now.
“Love you, Maxy!” Octavia chimed in.
“Love you guys too…” Max said quietly, the words feeling a little more natural this time.
Max hung up.
'This isn't so bad,' he thought.