"3, 2, 1 Fight!"

Ridge started the match between me and my classmate named Mattew.

We came at each other knives in hand exchanging blows hoping to land a killing strike.

Though we wouldn't get injured even if we stabbed each other in the head. A support mage was reinforcing our defences so the knives would only go skin deep.

We were also enhancing and reinforcing ourselves with mana constantly.

I was using my mana advantage to force him back. Though he was taller and bigger than me, my attacks were heavier and hit harder.

We were punching, kicking, and evading all in an effort to keep the other's weapon away while trying to land a clean hit on each other.

As we clashed, I could tell that I was gaining the advantage. Mattew realizing this, slowly started to forgo defense and started to become more aggressive.

He was getting desperate and his attacks were becoming wilder. I noticed his change in fighting pattern and smirked internally.

A fight was not only a physical battle but a mental one as well. We were trained to learn subtle changes in one's expression and movements. We were also trained to hide our intentions and conceal our attacks.

However, during desperate situations like this, it was far too easy to read my opponent. I pretended to make a mistake by stumbling and dodging too far.

Mattew took the bait and immediately attempted to stab me. If he was in the right state of mind, he would have noticed my feint.

I immediately grabbed his wrist, twisted it, and kicked the knife out of his hand. Mattew, noticing his mistake, attempted to kick my weapon away.

I used my other leg to backflip putting distance between us.

He was currently disarmed but I still had my knife. I had the advantage but I still had to be careful.

I went on the offensive, each attack leaving minor cuts. Mattew was forced purely on the defensive and I didn't allow him to regain momentum.

Eventually, I landed a killing blow and the fight was declared over.

I learned a lot over the 2 years of being at SUITE.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

My combat skills had increased drastically and we started incorporating knives into our fighting style.

Even though I was great at using a knife, I felt like it wasn't the weapon for me and it felt uncomfortable to use. I have asked Umbra Moria about it and he said that we'll get to choose our main weapon soon. He said that learning how to fight with a knife is essential as it is a great backup weapon to use in an emergency.

During the two years is that my also mana capacity increased drastically. It went from a measly 32R to 500R. I was surprised at the difference. An average mage candidate at this age would have a mana capacity of 100R.

When you are 10 years old, people can easily differentiate between a mage candidate and a non-mage. Non-mages wouldn't undergo a 'growth period' in which their mana capacity would rapidly inflate.

My 'growth period' was more exaggerated than the rest and I had gained a mana capacity surpassing my classmates in 13A.

Because throughout the year I noticed people changing classes, I soon realized that classes were arranged from A-Z based on their skill. I was still kept in the A class because I was younger than the rest and on the condition, I would catch up to the rest of my classmates.

The Mattew I just beat was number 2 in the A class. He was number 1 previously until I beat him a month ago and he's been challenging me ever since. So I was currently the strongest recruit in 13A. I did attempt to challenge some recruits in 14A but was I defeated by number 12.

I'd estimate my strength to be D rank and as strong as Alfred. But I still wasn't strong enough to defeat Carl.

After combat class, we were now learning science. Science was split into two parts, physical science, and mana science. Physical science dealt with the natural laws of the world while mana science dealt with how mana interacts and alters reality.

After science class, we had combat training again. Today we were learning a new mana technique. Mana techniques were techniques that used only pure mana.

"Today we are learning {Burst Step}. This technique will allow you to gain a burst of speed, allowing you to move short distances in an instant. It's a great technique to avoid attacks and land a surprise attack."

Ridge then showed us how the technique worked. All he was take a step and he was halfway across the room. I was barely able to keep track of him.

The technique worked by concentrating a lot of mana toward your legs, reinforcing and enhancing it. Afterwards, you would lunge forward covering a certain distance depending on how much mana you used.

This technique was easy to grasp but hard to master. If you reinforced your legs for too long, you would risk wasting a lot of mana. But if it was too short, you could risk injuring yourself from the impact of landing. The timing had to be perfect.

By the end of the day, I managed to cover a distance of 5m in an instant, though each time I used {Burst Step} I would consume 40R of mana, meaning it was extremely inefficient to use.

As I was walking toward my room I noticed a girl outside the gym watching the spars occurring. She had spring-green hair with dark blue eyes. She was around my age.

I at first thought she was one of the recruits that SUITE picked up this year since I didn't recognize her.

However, the amount of mana inside her body was comparable to mine. I would have noticed if a recruit had this much mana.

Though, I knew she wasn't an enemy as she would have long been caught by SUITE.

'Whatever, it doesn't matter where she came from. She's strong and I am interested in fighting her.'

I walked up to the girl. She also noticed me as well.

"Hello there, you seemed interested in the fights going on. Since you seem strong, do you want to spar?"

She smiled.

"I would love to."