When Zac and the others reached the medical building, they found Marty unconscious on a bed inside one of the closed rooms, with his armor and shirt removed.
Bloodied wounds covered his body, dark bruises spreading across his skin, while a healer stood beside him with both hands glowing with soft healing mana.
Nearly fifteen minutes passed before the healer finally stepped outside.
Kelly was on him immediately. "How is he?"
The healer let out a tired breath. "He’ll survive. But he needs rest, so don’t disturb him." With that, he walked away.
The six of them entered the room and gathered around Marty’s bed. "Is he really going to be okay?" Kelly asked.
Daniel glanced at her. "Didn’t you hear what the healer said?"
"I did, but..." Her eyes returned to Marty. "If he’s really okay, why does he still look like this?"
"His body is recovering," Shobin explained. "Healing mana can repair his injuries and the damage to his internal system, but it can’t erase exhaustion."
For several minutes, no one spoke. They simply stood there, watching Marty sleep. Eventually, Shobin glanced toward the door. "We should prepare for the noon matches."
One by one, the others nodded and began leaving. Sabrina glanced at Zac, then at Marty before stepping out. Kelly was the last to reach the door.
Before leaving, she turned back. "I’ll stay for a while," Zac said.
Kelly looked as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only nodded and closed the door behind her.
Zac remained beside the bed, staring at Marty’s unconscious face. "You look strangely unfamiliar without your stupid remarks and endless chatter."
Memories began surfacing. Fragments of childhood. Years spent together. All the moments Marty had been there beside him.
Before Zac realized it, a single tear slipped from the corner of his eye.
"It seems you really care about him." The voice came from behind.
Zac recognized it instantly. His hand moved across his face, wiping away the tear. "Why are you here?"
Armani stood near the doorway, silent as a shadow. "A friend of my nephew is injured. Why wouldn’t I be here?"
"When did you become a good Samaritan?"
"Don’t act tough. I know, or perhaps, I should say your mother told me, how deeply you care about the people you love."
"You know nothing." Zac’s voice dropped. "You only appeared in my life a few months ago. Don’t talk like you know everything about me."
Armani walked over and stopped beside him, her gaze settling on Marty. "Then tell me."
Zac released a slow breath. "I don’t remember many things about my life before we moved to Mellow City. All I remember is Mom working two jobs at once while we lived modestly."
He looked down at Marty.
"She gave me everything she could, but there were still things only rich families could afford. I never cared about any of that, but the school she sent me to was one of the biggest in Mellow City."
"Most of the rich kids there made fun of me. My plain clothes, my family, having no background... everything."
His expression softened slightly.
"But when I think back to my childhood, Marty was the only person who showed me kindness without expecting anything in return."
"He came from one of the rich families in Mellow City, but he never once looked down on me. Not even when I awakened with trash potential."
Zac paused. "Even when someone I loved cheated on me, he was still there, worrying about me."
"So when I finally had the chance, I wanted to repay that kindness. That’s why I asked you to enroll him in this academy with me."
"I thought studying at one of the top five academies would give him a better future." His eyes returned to Marty’s battered body. "But look at him now."
"You did nothing wrong." Armani’s voice remained calm. "You’re being overly dramatic. Those are minor injuries. He’ll be healed soon, and after a full night’s sleep, he’ll be back to normal."
"That’s not what I’m worried about." Zac shook his head. "What worries me is that this is only the first time."
"Marty isn’t usually like this. He is someone who always takes easy routes. But today, he endured all of that just to prove he could stand among us."
"He knows his potential, and everyone around him has S-rank or SS-rank potential while he only has A-rank."
Zac’s jaw tightened. "He knows that with what he has now, he might never truly stand among us. Sure, everyone can praise his willpower and tenacity. And they should. What he did today was incredible."
"But I’m his friend. I don’t want him to keep enduring things like this. I wanted him to have a happy, easy life."
Armani waited until he finished. "Do you remember the three days I trained you?"
Zac nodded.
"In those three days, I put you through literal hell. I nearly killed you more than a hundred times, and you could’ve walked away whenever you wanted."
Her eyes settled on him. "But you stayed and endured everything. Why?"
"Because I..."
Before he could finish, Armani continued. "Because you wanted something badly enough to bleed for it."
"You had a goal. You wanted to become strong, and you were willing to crawl through hell if that was the price."
"If that’s your resolve, then who are you to choose a comfortable life for him?"
Zac went silent.
"Just like you, he wants something. Whatever it is, he’s willing to endure all of this to reach it. And no one, not even you, has the right to tell him to stop."
Armani looked back at Marty. "We walk the path we choose, even when that path cuts our feet open."
"I know that." Zac’s gaze lowered. "But you can only walk so far down a path if there actually is one."
"Who said there isn’t?"
For the first time, Zac fully turned toward her and met her in the eyes. "There is a way to raise his potential?"
"Yes. It isn’t known to the public because the knowledge could cause chaos, but there is a way."
"Then why don’t we try it on him?"
"Because it’s expensive."
"Money isn’t a problem. I have enough."
"I’m not talking about money."
Armani’s expression turned serious. "The process requires resources beyond the reach of ordinary wealth. Raw materials that are extremely difficult to obtain."
"And the only person with the authority to approve their use is the association chairman."
"Even if approval is granted, success isn’t guaranteed. The process is dangerous, and there’s a high chance the person undergoing it could become savage and lose their humanity."
"So that’s a no."
"I never said that."
He looked at her again.
"He proved his willpower today, but that alone isn’t enough. He needs merits and achievements."
"He has to prove that he’s worthy of the resources required. Only then can the academy request approval from the association."
Zac slowly exhaled. "Fine. At least there’s a way."
"One more thing." He looked at her. "You must never tell him about this."
"Why?"
"It’s one of the rules set by the association chairman."
"That makes no sense."
"I agree. Even I don’t completely understand why he insisted on it." Armani’s gaze grew distant. "He only said one thing."
"’One must cross the darkness without knowing there is light ahead.’"
"He believes people reveal their true selves when they’re surrounded by complete darkness and see no way out."
"If they continue walking even then, only then does their will truly mean something."
Zac frowned. "So it’s some kind of test."
"Something along those lines."
"Fine. I won’t tell him."
Armani nodded toward the door. "Now go. You still have a tournament to finish."
Zac gave Marty one last look before leaving the room.
Once the door closed behind him, Armani remained beside the bed and looked down at Marty.
"I’m jealous of you, kid.He cares about you that much."
The noon break passed quickly.
By the time the group returned to the arena, the atmosphere had shifted again. Even more people had filled the stands while they were gone.
Matilda stepped forward on the upper platform. "The fourth round will begin now. Only eleven students remain, so five matches will be held, with one student receiving a free pass."
She gestured toward the center of the arena. "To make things a little more interesting, we won’t be using the academy system to shuffle the matches this time. We’ll go with the classic method."
A large bowl had been placed beside the stage. "Inside are five pairs of matching numbers and one free-pass lot. Come forward one by one and draw."
The remaining students approached in turn. Zac also took a lot, unfolded it, and saw the number one in it.
Once everyone had drawn, the tournament board above the stage lit up, displaying the results one after another.
Free Pass: Daniel Martel
Then came the first match.
Zac Dellencore vs. Kelly Carter
Kelly’s body froze. Her eyes moved from the board to Zac, then back to the board.
"Friend against friend again," Adrian sighed. "This tournament appears to have developed a taste for cruelty."
"This is unfortunate..." Kelly clasped her hands together.
Sabrina immediately grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. "Kelly."
"What?"
"You have to beat the hell out of that guy."
Kelly stared at her. "Me?"
"Yes. You."
Adrian glanced over. "Whenever Zac is involved, your savage side really does come out."
Sabrina’s eyes slid toward him. "Do you want me to freeze you, Blondie?"
Adrian wisely fell silent.
Sabrina turned back to Kelly. "Listen. You want to make the top three, right?"
"Yes."
"Then you need to beat him. For a few minutes, forget he’s your friend. Think of him as your worst enemy."
Kelly gathered what little resolve she had and nodded firmly. "Yes. I’ll do it, Snow."
"Good. You have to."
[What a touching friendship. She gave the girl confidence and homicidal intent in the same speech.]
Zac ignored the system and looked back at the board.
The remaining matches appeared beneath theirs.
Sabrina Snow vs. Felix Arden
Shobin Shoji vs. Corbin Harley
And finally,
Adrian Von Ainsworth vs. Ravena Voss
The moment the final pairing appeared, murmurs spread across the arena.
Adrian’s expression also changed. "Ravena Voss?"
Across the contestant area, Ravena stood alone beneath the board, her dark hair falling down her back. She glanced at the matchup and then looked away with no surprise, concern, or even much interest.
Adrian, naturally, reacted enough for both of them. "To think the heavens would arrange a meeting between radiant nobility such as myself and a gloomy embodiment of misfortune like her."
He placed a hand against his chest. "I can’t decide whether it’s strangely poetic or deeply inconvenient."
Shobin glanced at Daniel. "He’s going to lose it, isn’t he?"
"No doubt."
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