MTLNOVEL Chapter 8
Chapter 8: The Failure Returns (4)
At Lansed Academy, the monthly evaluation came to an end.
Shortly after, a notice was posted.
It listed the final rankings, combining the scores from the three tests.
“Where’s my name?”
“Hey! Don’t push.”
The cadets crowded around,
each searching for their own name first.
[37th Cadet Admission Performance Ranking]
⌜1st — Jaina Vaberin
2nd — Lorend Kite
3rd — Griselle Berion
…
…
23rd — Evan Lafard⌟
This month, first place belonged to Jaina once again.
She had ranked high in the first two tests, and her perfect score in the written exam played a significant role.
Meanwhile, Evan, with scores swinging between first and last, ultimately fell to 23rd.
But even so, he was still in the upper ranks, meaning he had achieved his goal.
‘Escaping the pigsty is enough to satisfy me. Though I’m not in the same dorm as Jack.’
Jack was in the mid-tier ranks and assigned to a dorm one level below Evan’s.
This was thanks to Evan stealing a sandbag for him in the second test.
“Young master, thanks to you, my rank went up a lot! I guess if you’re smart, your body doesn’t have to suffer! Or… is it the other way around?”
“Uh…”
But their rise in rank meant someone else had to fall.
Especially Dale and Branco, who botched the second test, saw their ranks plummet, and both were assigned to the humiliating pigsty dorms in the lower ranks.
“That bastard, I won’t let him get away with this.”
“Hey, Dale. Are you just gonna stand there and take it?”
“Then what?”
“We make those guys pay. They dared to do that to us.”
“I’d love to, but once Evan’s in his dorm, we can’t drag him out.”
The top-tier cadets’ dorm, the Tower, had a special rule.
Cadets ranked below 100 were restricted from entering.
When Dale mentioned this, Branco shared a plan he’d thought of.
“Idiot, if he won’t come out, we make him come out on his own.”
He said this while glaring at Jack, who was laughing beside Evan.
***
In the upper levels of the Tower,
Evan, now in a single room reserved for top cadets, finally savored some peace.
“Phew.”
A rare moment of comfort.
Though his body had been at ease as a minor count, his mind had not.
The life of a noble felt like wearing ill-fitting clothes, binding him.
Especially since it wasn’t even his own life.
So, while he’d come to Lansed Academy to survive threats,
entering this place, where nobles and commoners weren’t distinguished, brought a comforting sense of nostalgia.
‘It reminds me of my gladiator days, but this place is different.’
As a gladiator, death was always by his side.
But here, it wasn’t that extreme.
The worst outcomes were serious injuries or expulsion for lack of talent.
‘Still, I need to prepare. To survive here.’
Even if it was less intense than a gladiator training camp, this place was no pushover.
Moreover, Evan had already faced life-threatening situations.
Rather than resting, getting stronger faster would benefit him.
‘Especially if I want to keep the Fire Dragon Orb.’
A national treasure.
He didn’t know how many coveted it, but they wouldn’t be easy to deal with.
To protect it, he resolved to grow as strong as possible while under the Academy’s protection.
Strong enough that no one in the kingdom could touch him easily.
‘To do that, I need to build my body first.’
His current body could barely handle a tenth of his past life’s movements.
Even slight exertion made it creak, like moving underwater while chained.
To fully unleash his skills, he needed to strengthen both his body and inner power.
‘The body will improve with the training here. Just looking at it, the regimen is intense. But Qi is another matter.’
Qi.
If a mage’s mana created the unreal,
Qi was the power to push reality to its limits.
It was essential for reaching realms beyond common sense.
For the Weapon Master and gladiator Evan of his past life, Qi was the final piece in forging his body to its peak.
‘I wonder if this Academy will properly teach how to harness Qi. Even if they do, it’s not something you master instantly.’
Seven out of ten couldn’t even sense the Qi within their bodies on their own.
Evan, too, hadn’t felt Qi during his early gladiator days as a child.
Not until he met the champion known as the Blood Warrior.
‘If I use the method he taught me, I should be able to do it even with this body.’
The king of the arena, undefeated for over a decade,
a warrior from a tribe destroyed by the Empire.
That warrior, until his death, treated Evan like a son and passed down everything he knew.
‘In a way, he was my first master.’
Evan closed his eyes and entered a quiet meditation.
He breathed deeply, transitioning into instinctive breathing.
“Phew… phew…”
He felt the mana near his heart.
Evan let the mana spread throughout his body.
The mana flowed through his veins, from his head to his toes.
But instead of returning, it was absorbed into the area just below his heart,
the so-called “core.”
“Phew…”
The absorbed mana continued to flow into the core, where it was converted into Qi.
However, this young boy’s body didn’t have much mana to convert into Qi.
‘Knowing the method earlier than in my past life is fortunate, but I’ll need to meditate often. Or maybe consume some elixir.’
With luck, the latter could lead to faster growth.
After all, he was a noble, and this was an Academy.
While pondering ways to increase his Qi, Evan lay down.
―Knock, knock.
At the same time, someone knocked on the door.
Opening it, he saw a frail-looking cadet standing there.
“What?”
“I know it’s not my place, but…”
The cadet hesitated, then spoke as if resolved.
“I saw Dale and Branco dragging your attendant, Jack, away earlier.”
“What? When?”
“A while ago. It looked like they were going to beat him up.”
“…”
The cadet, wary of Evan’s reaction, quickly added.
“Don’t say I told you. I’m only saying this because I’m worried about Jack, not you.”
Hearing the truth, Evan was consumed with rage.
They dared touch my person?
***
Meanwhile, Dale and Branco had dragged Jack to a secluded spot.
They were stomping on him and hurling insults.
“Hey, is your master out of his mind?”
“Daring to mess with us? The Noble Society?”
―Thud! Thwack!
Despite the beating, Jack gritted his teeth and endured.
It wasn’t his first time, so he figured he’d get through it with a few hits.
―Thwack! Thwack!
But recalling Evan’s bold performance, something boiled within Jack.
“Stop it!”
He mustered the courage to swing a fist, but it was mere flailing.
They easily dodged and resumed the beating.
“You think we’d get hit by a punch like that?”
“Did this guy take the wrong medicine? You’re getting knocked out today.”
At that brutal scene, Evan appeared.
“You bastards…”
Seeing Evan alone, they sneered.
“What? Here for revenge?”
“You’re in for it now. We were just about to finish this guy and come for you—”
Before Branco could finish, Evan rushed forward and kicked him in the solar plexus.
“Gah!”
―Crash!
Seeing him fly, a startled Dale reflexively threw a punch.
“You think you can mess with us and walk away? Take this…”
Evan slipped inside his reach, dodged the punch effortlessly, and struck Dale’s jaw, knocking him out.
“Not even worth a single punch.”
“Young master, how did you find this place?”
“The guy next door told me. By the way, are you okay? You look pretty beat up.”
“I’m fine.”
Jack said so, but his eyes were bruised black and blue.
“Tch, fine my ass. Come on, to the infirmary.”
Seeing Jack’s state, Evan felt guilty.
If he hadn’t handed over the sandbag, Jack might not have gotten hurt.
So, Evan took Jack to the infirmary.
“Not too badly injured. But your training must be light if you’ve got energy to spare for this.”
Jack, scolded by the infirmary nurse, stayed quiet, looking sheepish.
“You can stay here or go back to your dorm if you want.”
The nurse, done with her tasks, yawned and left.
“You used to come here a lot too, young master.”
“You too, right?”
“Well, yeah. I had to stick with you.”
“Ha… maybe I should go back and beat them again.”
Seeing Jack’s faint smile, Evan felt even guiltier.
“Sorry. I can’t just focus on getting stronger myself.”
“It’s okay. I’m used to it. And after today, they’ll probably lay low for a while, right?”
“They’ll only be quiet in front of me.”
Evan patted Jack’s shoulder and said.
“No way. You’re getting stronger too. I don’t usually take disciples, but I’ll make an exception for you.”
“Huh?”
Jack thought Evan was joking and smiled.
But seeing his serious expression, he tilted his head.
“Are you serious? But we’re already training here.”
“That training won’t let you surpass others. You need special training.”
“What kind?”
“Have you ever heard of Qi?”
“Uh… no.”
As expected, the Academy didn’t teach first-year cadets about Qi.
And for a common attendant like Jack, it was even less likely he’d know.
“Let’s start with that. Special training comes after. Sit up straight.”
“Like this?”
“Stay like that. I’ll just check your potential.”
Standing behind Jack, Evan placed a hand on his back to gauge his mana.
‘Kids this age usually can’t sense mana without intense focus, unlike me.’
So, he intended to resonate his mana with Jack’s to help him feel the mana in his body.
‘Most people don’t even know how to sense mana.’
Just as he had in his past life,
just as the Blood Warrior champion had taught him,
Evan wanted to pass it on to Jack.
‘Hm?’
But as he felt the flow, Evan was so shocked he pulled his hand away.
“…What are you?”
“What?”
“Be honest. Did you secretly eat some elixir back at the count’s estate? Otherwise…”
The innate flow of mana was incomparable to his own.
At this age, such a mana capacity was likely unmatched across the continent.
A frail, unremarkable attendant from a count’s household,
a boy who seemed utterly ordinary,
possessed talent so extraordinary that even the Mage Tower would regret missing him.
“What’s wrong? Is something wrong with me?”
He just didn’t know his own talent.
“No, it’s not a problem—it’s a good thing. You’re really gifted. I was just going to help you sense mana, but let’s convert it to Qi while we’re at it.”
“How do I do that?”
“Close your eyes first.”
With such rare talent before him, Evan felt eager to teach.
‘If he can awaken his Qi, he’ll have no trouble at the Academy—whether in private life or training.’