Ch 51 - The Continental Union Championship
At first glance, repeatedly activating and deactivating his sigil looked like the easiest and safest exercise on Zephion's daily training schedule. The reality was far different.
Zeph usually started the exercise as soon as he woke up, before heading out for his morning run. It only took a few minutes, just ten cycles of activating and deactivating his sigil. Even so, it left his head spinning, his stomach churning, and his whole body feeling strangely unsteady.
It often reached the point where he completely lost the strength and motivation to continue with his running or physical training. Simply sitting in meditation, trying to follow the flow of mana and the way his sigil functioned, then repeating the process over and over again proved far more exhausting than he had ever expected.
At first, he could only manage around twenty repetitions a day. Even that required him to force the exercise into the gaps between his running schedule, his Blacksmith Club duties where he had to complete at least a thousand hammer strikes, and the classes he still had to attend every day.
After a week, his progress finally began to show. He had pushed himself to the point where he could complete a hundred repetitions in a single day. Even then, by the end of each session, his concentration would completely fall apart, and the quality of his perception would become noticeably worse than when he first started.
Despite everything on his schedule, Zeph still made time to visit Meriel whenever he could in between their responsibilities. It was no surprise that, as a fourth-year student, her schedule was far more packed than he had imagined.
Sometimes they only had thirty minutes to talk before they had to return to their own responsibilities, and after that, they would not see each other again for another three days.
"You're a really responsible mentor, Senior Meriel," Zeph said that day after they finished another training session, one that had lasted almost an hour this time.
Meriel let out a quiet laugh before leaning closer, bringing her face just inches from his.
"We've only been doing this for three weeks, and you're already hoping to see me every single day, Junior Zeph?"
"You're the one who said we'd be doing this every day. I need the progress."
"Your progress is already impressive, okay? You're just impatient. Most people need at least three months, sometimes even five, before they reach the level you've already achieved."
"I still have to rank up at least once every year. That's the standard the top students at this academy are expected to meet, isn't it?"
The two of them gathered their things and left the training room together. Since they happened to be heading in the same direction, Meriel walked beside him as they made their way outside.
"No, not really," Meriel replied with a small shake of her head. "Most students graduate after spending five years at this academy while only reaching Rank 3 Master. That's already considered an exceptional achievement. And if you're talking about someone like Jester, who's already a Rank 5 Grandmaster..."
She paused for a moment before continuing. "Well, yes. People like him are incredibly rare. In an entire academy intake, you could count them on one hand."
"Oh, so he's really that famous?"
"I'm actually surprised you don't know more about him after joining that club."
"I don't really stay around to chat with everyone. I usually head straight back to my dorm once I'm done with my work. That's because Instructor Elaine and you keep giving me extra training."
Zeph shrugged with a faint smile. "Well... I guess I should make more time to hang around and have a few meaningless conversations every now and then."
A little while later, they stepped outside and continued chatting as they crossed the academy grounds. Meriel walked beside Zeph on his right when he spotted a small group waiting ahead. They were all people he knew.
Meriel reached over and took Zeph's right hand without warning. Still holding it, she led him straight toward Suki and the other two.
"Oh, Zeph. Do you know them?" Meriel asked.
"Yes. They're my classmates. Suki, Malon, and Hugh," he replied.
"Zeph, you told us you've been busy training privately with a senior," one of the three spoke up. "This isn't exactly what I imagined."
Unsurprisingly, it was Malon.
"I never expected to hear something like that from you, Malon," Zeph replied. "Looks like you picked the wrong moment to be curious."
"Yeah, Zephion!" Suki added. "From where we were standing, it looked more like you two were on a date. And why were you even holding hands?"
"Oh!" Meriel exclaimed. Still holding Zeph's hand, she pressed her free hand to her forehead and let out a dramatic sigh.
"I'm so sorry. Zeph's been training me so hard that I'm completely exhausted. My legs are still trembling, so he insisted on holding my hand because he was worried I'd fall over."
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"Meriel," Zeph said with a helpless sigh. "You're the one who grabbed my hand first. You did that on purpose."
"You didn't seem to mind," Meriel replied with a soft giggle. "So don't complain, okay?"
Suki let out an annoyed huff and looked away.
"I can't believe we waited for this playboy," she muttered. "Come on, Hugh. Malon. Let's go eat without him."
Without another glance back, she turned on her heel, looking every bit like she was ready to leave.
Meriel laughed again before finally letting go of Zeph's hand.
"Looks like I've made this little miss angry. In that case, I'd better get going too."
She gave Zeph a playful wink.
"See you tomorrow. We'll work up another sweat together... and have a little more fun. I do enjoy it when you push me to my limits."
"You really need to stop saying things like that, Senior Meriel," Zeph replied with a tired sigh.
Meriel only giggled before waving at the others.
"Bye, Malon. I've heard a lot about you. And Hugh, you're even bigger than I imagined. As for Suki..." Her smile turned teasing. "You're adorable."
With that, she gave everyone one last wave.
"See you."
Then she turned and walked away.
Zeph remained where he was for a moment, watching Meriel as she walked away. It was impossible not to notice how many eyes followed her wherever she went.
"Senior Meriel really is popular, isn't she?" Hugh said after a moment. "She's friendly, approachable, and everyone seems to know her."
"Popular?" Zeph repeated as they started walking again.
Suki was already several steps ahead of the group, still looking annoyed.
Zeph quickened his pace and caught up to her, falling into step beside her as he usually did.
"Senior Meriel is one of the eight members of the academy's Main Team for the Continental Union Championship," Malon explained from behind.
Zeph paused for a moment after hearing that.
The Continental Union Championship was a prestigious tournament held once every two years. Teams representing academies and cities from across the continent competed through multiple stages to determine the continent's strongest team.
"She's on the main team?" Zeph repeated in surprise.
Malon let out a small sigh.
"I guess it's not surprising you don't know that. You probably don't even know that Senior Jester is on the main team too. He's actually the vice-captain, and he's considered the second strongest member of the entire team."
"Damn..." Zeph muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I've seriously missed way too much information. Just what have I been doing this whole time?"
Malon continued explaining as they walked.
"The Academy Main Team is made up of the eight strongest students in the academy. Of course, raw strength isn't the only thing that matters. Team composition and individual roles are just as important. That's why Meriel was selected as one of the three fourth-year students on the team. And this year's Continental Union Championship is only a few months away."
Hugh nodded and added his own explanation.
"It's one of the most prestigious tournaments there is. We're not just representing our academy. We're representing our city, then our Union, and eventually competing on the continental stage. That's where the strongest teams from every Union gather."
Malon picked up where Hugh left off.
"The championship hasn't been just a competition to determine the strongest for a long time," Malon explained. "Every Union treats it as a chance to showcase its strength and the talent of its next generation. Politics plays just as big a role as the matches themselves. That's why influential figures from across the continent attend, even though the competitors are only academy students."
They continued walking toward the student cafeteria as Malon went into greater detail.
"And it's not uncommon for disasters to happen during the tournament."
"Two years ago," Malon continued, "half of Lumeris Academy's Main Team was killed during the championship."
"Killed?" Zeph repeated, his expression stiffening.
"Many people claimed it was nothing more than a tragic accident during the tournament," Malon said quietly. "But just as many believe it was no accident at all."
What Zeph had initially dismissed as nothing more than another tournament suddenly felt far more serious after hearing everything they had told him.
"Jester and Meriel are both members of the Academy Main Team," he murmured. "That means they aren't nearly as safe as I thought they were."
"No matter how much we want to believe otherwise," Malon continued, "there will always be people willing to do anything for power. We never really know what happens behind the scenes among those sitting at the top. The stronger the people involved, the greater the struggle over influence, authority, and the future of the Unions."
Their conversation continued as they made their way to the student cafeteria. Even after Lena and Madou joined them at the table, the topic lingered, although it was no longer nearly as tense once Madou decided to join in.
"I'll be on the Academy Main Team someday too!" Madou declared proudly. "Then I'll crush every opponent in the Championship and prove our academy is the strongest on the continent. No, the strongest in the whole world! Hahaha!"
"Why does this idiot always have to be part of our group?" Malon muttered under his breath.
Madou only laughed louder. "Malon, you just don't understand where my true genius lies!"
"Yeah," Malon replied without missing a beat. "The genius who lost at the very game he wouldn't stop bragging about."
They soon started eating, and the conversation gradually became more relaxed. Even so, the topic never drifted far from the Continental Union Championship.
"The academy will also be holding selections for the Academy Reserve Team this year," Malon said, bringing the discussion back to the tournament.
"That sounds exciting," Hugh replied. "I can't wait to see who makes it."
Malon continued, "The Academy Reserve Team is only open to students up to their third year. The whole point is to prepare them for the next Continental Union Championship two years later. It's a huge opportunity because everyone who gets selected receives special treatment and is personally trained by the academy's top instructors and members of the Main Team."
"That sounds amazing!" Lena said. "Let's all sign up. I'm sure all six of us can get selected for the Academy Reserve Team."
"Nah," Madou said with a grin. "Only me, Lena, and Zeph."
He pointed around the table one by one.
"Malon thinks too much. He's too weak, so nobody needs him. Hugh eats too much. He'd bankrupt the academy's food supply before the tournament even starts. And Suki..." He grinned. "If she and Lena both get selected, the team's going to have a lot of trouble. They'll be too busy fighting over Zeph."
Suki, who had been quietly eating at an incredible pace until then, immediately looked up.
"I'll get selected for the Academy Reserve Team too!" Suki declared. "I'll pick off every enemy from a distance with my bow, so don't underestimate me, Madou! Just wait until I rank up. I'm already Level 17!"
The table erupted with laughter as they continued joking with one another.
Zeph listened quietly.
He had been so focused on his personal training and the goals he had set for himself that he had completely missed information like this.
Should he enter the selection for the Academy Reserve Team as well?
He knew the competition would include every outstanding student from the first through third years. By now, the strongest among them should have already reached Rank 3 Master.
There might even be a few who had broken through to Rank 4 Champion.