Days passed by in a flash and now there is only a week remaining before classes start.

The routine these past weeks have been,

Wake up, eat, go to the training center to practice, then when noon comes, grind my art and get extra bells from the mountain.

Currently now though,

*CLANG*

The unshaken metal from before was pierced through.

"Good job, Troi," Bernard was nodding at me.

"Couldn't have done it without you, man" I say while I rest my body back onto the bench filled with sweat.

"Don't get mushy with me now, your form is still lacking, but at least your aura won't be a waste anymore."

Bernard then sat next to me and gave me a bottle of water.

I drank it instantly to recover some of my strength.

"Anyways, class is starting a week from now, and I forgot to ask, what class are you in? no wait, let me guess..."

"Honor Class?"

I almost spat out my drink,

*Cough* *Cough*

"How'd you know?"

"I mean it was obvious, that blue aura at a young age, you are sure to be put to Honor Class because of that,"

"Aren't you just a year older than me?"

"Yeah, exactly!, right now, I'm only at D-Tier, even after countless training, life is so unfair man," Bernard now had a pitiful face as he sat next to me.

My mind then flash back to the countless hurdles that I had to endure,

My first encounter with the wolf, the pain of my shoulder almost being torn apart, the suffocation of the sea, and the scarlet beast that reminded me of a memory long deep forgotten.

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I put my hand around Bernard,

"Hey man, I had a saying that my grandma used to tell me,"

"Never wish for things that someone has, as you don't know what they did to get it, and what they're doing to keep it,"

Bernard then nods,

"You're grandma was a wise woman,"

"Thanks, now as you said earlier, let's stop getting mushy with each other, we should be training!" I say as I stood up from the bench.

"You b*stard, alright this time, I'll teach you how to block properly, ready your sword!"

"WAIT! NO!"

******

My body was now laying on the marble floor, each part of my body was exhausted.

"Damn you, Bernard,"

Soon I forced my beaten body onto the bench.

"Well, this session could be called a success," He said while occasionally chuckling at me.

I gestured my middle finger at him as I lay on the bench.

"This might be the last time we met here, class is starting a week from now, and I got things to prepare before heading back,"

"But don't be shy when we meet at the academy, me and the other seniors will gladly teach you the ways of the academy,"

"I'll pass, thank you,"

"Who said, I was giving you a choice?"

"Screw you,"

Bernard chuckled once again,

"See you at the academy, junior,"

"Yeah, yeah, just go,"

I then hear his footsteps slowly fade away from me.

Slowly, I raise my body up from the bench after resting for some time.

Class is about to start but more importantly, that will also be the point, that this novel will officially begin.

The countless more hurdles that I have to overcome,

The villains and monsters I would have to kill,

Will I be able to do it?

A sigh left my body.

Soon, I swung my sword at the training dummy.

*CLANG*

And, again.

*CLANG*

And, again.

*CLANG*

I swung to the point that my feeble body was on the verge of passing out.

Yet, my hand still moved the blade.

I no longer cared for the proper form and mindlessly swung my sword.

*CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG*

The achings of my body silenced the doubts in my mind.

I have to do it, to get back to my world, to get back to my family and friends.

To survive this damned novel.

*CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG*

I will do it,

*CLANG*

*****

The training area was full of grunts and groans occupied by the sound of steel hitting metal.

It was a place full of people all working on their respective auras.

But some of them occasionally gaze at a man who was training diligently.

He was swinging his steel sword with such resolve and determination.

His body was nearing its limit but he paid no mind to it and merely swung his sword.

The metal dummy was repairing itself at tremendous speed yet there was not a single moment passing by that there was not a cut apparent on its body.

The young man kept swinging which made some of the onlookers silently acknowledge him.

A man who was a couple of feet away from him soon spoke,

"That kid sure is going ham,"

"Man is fighting his inner demons,"

"Then that could only mean one thing," The man turned his head towards his friend and so did his friend at him.

Being best friends for almost their entire life, they instinctively knew what they were about to say to each other.

"Must've been a girl"

"Must've been a girl"