Shadow Author

Seeing the determination in my eyes, Miss Smith believed me and stopped laughing.

"Good, you need to have that kind of mindset if you want to survive in this world."

I understand where she was coming from as I knew all the evil that would be coming our way.

Changing the subject back to my analysis Miss Smith continued to explain the last bits.

"Although there is a higher chance of losing your life when you throw yourself into your enemy there is also a higher chance of survival."

"Because you disregard your own safety?"

"Exactly, if you already know you are going to die, why not try to take them down with you? And who knows maybe just maybe you will be able to live through it."

Taking in everything Miss Smith said I learned more than could have ever hoped to. After all, knowledge was power.

"I have one more question."

Miss Smith seemed surprised but smiled nonetheless.

"Oh, what is it?"

"The second point when I mentioned, where making the best of each situation was important?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"Well can you help me with it? As you know I have a skill that allows me to restore part of the energy I expend. So if I had a way to make use of it I could catch my enemies off guard."

Miss Smith seemed to agree with my thought process as she fell silent for a few moments.

"Okay, I don't know how much help I can be since your skill is so individualized but I can teach you all the counterattacks I know and maybe one of them will fit your style?"

"That would be great!"

Getting help in that specific area would be a huge boost to my prowess. The reason being is that if my opponent believed to have defeated me I could spring up once Mana Breath was complete and surprise them.

"However, I think we should put that on the back burner."

"Why is that?"

I was curious as to why Miss Smith wouldn't want to focus on something that could be my greatest point of strength.

"Well, will your current skills last long enough to be able to make use of your skill?"

"…"

She was right, although it stung, if I couldn't survive the first minute I would have no way of making use of Mana Breath in the first place.

Miss Smith smiled and raised her sword to point at me.

"Alright, enough talk let's get back to it!"

Suddenly with our conversation coming to an end, I raised Nightfall to prepare for our next battle.

.

Laying face down on the floor I stared up at the ceiling. During the past three hours I had seen so much of it even when I closed my eyes I knew of every little mark.

While I was dazed from being knocked down on my ass for the gazillionth time Miss Smith calmly walked toward me.

"Did I even make you sweat?"

She laughed before coming to a stop and towing over me.

"I had a lot of fun beating you up."

I sighed during the last couple of hours Miss Smith and I went back and forth until I was knocked down. Then she would explain my shortcomings and tell me where I went wrong.

This continued for the remaining three hours we had left and during that time I felt more comfortable around her.

"I bet you did, but it won't be like this for long so you better enjoy it while you can."

She smiled before outstretching a hand.

I grabbed it and in one fell swoop Miss Smith pulled me up to my feet.

'She's so strong.'

I had to be honest with myself, although she was much higher in rank compared to me I never expected her stamina to be so high. It was as if she was a machine that would never stop running.

"Alright, that's enough for today. I need these last twenty minutes to make preparations for my classes."

"I understand, thank you for your guidance."

With a final goodbye, I was more than happy to get out of there.

It was true that after each clash we had I got better but it still wasn't fun to be knocked down so many times. Not to mention I was drenched in sweat and sore beyond belief.

While leaving the classroom I began having thoughts of how great it would be to take a hot steaming bath.

I made my way through the empty hallways and eventually left the building before heading toward my dorm room.

Moving to the right where the boy's rooms were I placed my watch on the scanner and waited for the runes to check it.

After five seconds an error popped up.

This confused me as it was something that had never happened before.

[You cannot sign in between midnight at 7 in the morning]

Reading the message I realized my mistake. It was still before 7 which meant I couldn't sign in until then. However, by that time classes would start and I would be pointless to try to get in.

I cursed myself for forgetting such a thing.

I specifically added that restriction to the novel for a scene later on where Elijah would be out too late and unable to get back in time. Therefore he spent the night with a girl.

'A damn romantic scene is fucking me over.'

The restrictions also served as a way to make sure all the students weren't staying out late. For if they missed the check-in time they would have to find lodging somewhere else.

Most would just sleep outside and learn their lesson but this screwed me over.

It wasn't like I was out late partying, rather I was training to be strong and for that, I was being punished by not being granted access to my room.

'So unfair!'

By this point, I had been awake for 24 hours, had an extremely long day (literally and metaphorically), and spent the last couple of hours pushing my body beyond its limits.

All I wanted to do was take a calm and relaxing shower before having to sit through more boring classes.

As a result, I didn't second guess pulling out my watch and sending a message to a certain girl.

[Can I come over?]

I figured there was a chance she was still sleeping so I began walking over to a nearby tree to relax.

It was apparently the designated spot to stay if you get locked out because there were already two other boys laying under it.

Thankfully the campus was secure enough and protected from the outside world so no one had to worry about leaving themselves defenseless. Otherwise, the academy wouldn't be allowed to lock us out.

However, after taking my fifth step a buzz shook my arm.

A smile appeared on my face as I realized I would in fact be getting that bath because there would be no one else that would take that short of time to respond.

Pulling it up I read the message:

[B21]