The next few days went by pretty quickly with the only thing of note being the spar Robert and I had the next day in our Combat class. When we arrived, Robert and I naturally took charge. Robert’s commanding tone and steady presence helped focus the group, while I moved among the students, encouraging and reassuring them. Together, we kept the energy organized and efficient, ensuring everyone gathered quickly while we waited for the last arrivals. Once everyone was there, we lead them in the run Robert at the front trying to set the pace with me in the back motivating those who were falling behind to try and do better.

We had decided to do another workout on our own in the evenings to push ourselves and use the time in class to help our classmates. Madison and Evelyn both were toward the back of the group and struggling, so I decided to see if using a cadence would help them push themselves.

As I sang, I just made a bunch of random jokes about things like Instructor Remy being as wide as he was tall, or Robert having no brains, or my looking like a purple lamp. The group started laughing hesitantly at first, but as the jokes kept coming, their laughter grew louder, and I could see the tension melting away. Their steps became lighter, more in sync, and it felt like the rhythm of the jokes carried us forward. It wasn’t just about lifting their spirits—it created a shared moment that pulled us together as a team, making the exhaustion easier to bear.

Once everyone was finished Instructor Remy was there and guiding us through stretches and a workout. Before getting ready to split everyone up to groups for sparring. When that happened Robert spoke up, “Instructor, Jace and I were thinking that maybe we could have a spar before we split everyone up. Most of the students here only know that we are fast and that you say that we are strong, but we thought a full on match between us would help them see how much we might be able to help them.”

Instructor Remy gave it some thought before nodding, “Not a bad idea your highness. Alright everyone! You heard the Prince, circle up and watch these two have some fun.”

As the class did as they were told, Robert and I went to get our respective weapons. Once I had my shields I walked to the center of our portion of the arena, “I know you were holding back last time Robert, I want everything you got, and I will do the same.”

Robert smirked and nodded his head, and then we waited for Instructor Remy to say go. “While this is technically just a spar for the two of you, feel free to go all out. If I see something that is going to cause either of you to get hurt, I will stop it. Begin!”

As soon as he said begin, I used Arcane Armor knowing I would not have long before Robert was on me. As I suspected, as the skill popped on Robert was there swinging his sword at a downward angle. Trying to cleave me in two from my left shoulder to my right hip. I swung the shield on my left arm to block the sword strike, while bringing an uppercut with my right shield toward his chin.

Robert, anticipating my block, seamlessly redirected the momentum of his swing to spin like a top. His movements were precise and fluid, each step carrying a controlled yet explosive energy, as if rehearsed a thousand times. The air seemed to ripple with the force of his spin, and the sound of his blade slicing through the air sent a sharp thrill through the arena, keeping everyone on edge. Generating a ton of force to slam his sword into my right shield that was still coming up. This in turn made me spin, so I used the momentum of it to do a leg sweep, knocking Robert off his feet. As I finished the leg sweep, I jumped up and went to slam my shield down right on him only for him to back flip out of the way.

My shield slammed into the ground, digging almost a foot deep into the ground from the strength used. As I tried to lift the shield from the ground it remained stuck fast. Instead of wasting time trying to get it out, I just abandoned it. Moving back into position to face Robert once more.

“You lost your shield, are you going to be ok with just one?” Robert asked with a smirk, thinking he now had the upper hand.

Even though he could not see it I smiled and pushed my Arcane Armor using the skill itself to try and make a shield on my arm. The mana slowly started moving at first growing out and creating more of a small triangle above my fist that barely stuck out past my knuckles. When I stopped it there though I received a notification.

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Skill Gained: Arcane Manipulation

Once that happened, I was suddenly able to make the mana move like it was my own hand. I willed the shield to grow bigger and it did. I willed the point at the end to be sharper and it was. Arcane Manipulation was allowing me to control my mana so much easier than before.

Robert started laughing and just charged. There was no more real thought to our fight, just pure strength and instinct. When he swung his sword, it was with all his strength. I in turn responded in kind, meeting blow for blow. The power of our hits might not have brought down homes from the concussive force, but everyone around us felt the blows in the bones.

After ten minutes we were both sweating buckets, already having slowed down some from the beginning. It was at that point that Instructor Remy stopped the spar, saying we both needed to go get a shower before our next class.

As we walked off, we heard him speaking to the rest of the class, “Now, who thinks they could take one of those blows and shrug it off?”

When I got to the shower, I used my Inventory to pull my clothes directly off my body and jumped into the shower. Yes, this world has showers; they use a combination of a gravity system and magic to transport water effortlessly to where it needs to be, all while maintaining the perfect temperature. This ingenious blend of technology and magic highlights just how seamlessly everyday conveniences are integrated into the fabric of life here, offering both comfort and practicality. As I let the water rinse the sweat off, I pulled up my Status to see what had changed.

Name: Jace Obexis Talent: System

Level: 11

Class: Ascended Arcane Juggernaut

Experience: 29/2100

Profession: Relic Seeker

Experience: 32/100

Race: Primarch

Strength – 32

Dexterity – 27

Endurance – 33

Constitution – 30

Wisdom – 29

Intelligence – 43

Luck – 36

Abilities:

Inventory Treasure Hunter’s Instinct

Skills:

Identify – Level 1 Panoptic Sense – Level 2 Mental Reverie – Level 2

Shield Mastery – Level 2 Leadership – Level 2 Martial Arts – Level 2

Dodge – Level 3 Arcane Armor – Level 1 Arcane Manipulation – Level 6

The first thing I noticed was that my stats had increased some already. I knew they would also grow a lot more if I kept sparring with Robert. The fact that our spars lasted until we could no longer stand explained why my endurance grew so much.

The next thing I realized was that my Arcane manipulation was already level 6. That was why it felt so fluid moving my Arcane mana around. It also made me realize that, while right now, when Robert and I were only gaining stats through personal growth, once I started leveling again, I would grow much stronger than him quickly.

It made me debate adding him to the system, just to keep our rivalry going. Ascended classes were rare and incredibly powerful, granting unique abilities and unparalleled growth potential, but they required immense preparation and exceptional achievements to unlock. I suspected that, right now, Robert wouldn’t meet the criteria for such a class, which made me hesitate. Adding him prematurely might limit his potential, and I didn’t want to be the one to hold him back. I also knew that even though I wanted him to be able to stay my rival, I did not know him that well. He could turn out to be some evil mastermind bent on taking over the world.

Lastly, I knew that if he joined the system, his sister would find out and absolutely want to join. Evelyn’s curiosity and drive to excel were admirable, but they also added layers of complexity. Her analytical nature meant she would dissect every detail, potentially uncovering aspects of the system I had not thought about. Additionally, her involvement might shift the dynamic between us, introducing challenges I wasn’t prepared to navigate yet.

And, once again, I did not know her that well. If I choose to allow them to join it will do them both good to wait until they are as strong as possible. This will give them better classes and waiting that long will also give me the opportunity to understand them better and hopefully make a good choice. I also knew that if I waited, I would be able to talk to my dad and get his advice on if I should add them or not.

With those thoughts running through my mind, I finished my shower and continued toward my next class. Robert knew I was distracted but did what any good guy friend does. He ignored it and pretended he didn’t see anything.

Evelyn on the other hand, had to ask about why I was distracted. If she could help, how she could help and a million other things. I just kept telling her that I was fine and that she did not need to worry about me. I knew already that it would not be the end of it but hopefully by then I would have a better idea on how to handle it.