My Infinite System.

The walk back to the dorms was quiet at first.

The sun had risen properly now, casting long, sharp shadows across the Academy’s training fields. Mana lights flickered off as daylight took their place. In the distance, standard rank classes were gathering for their own drills. The murmur of hundreds of students spread across the grounds like morning mist.

Lucian walked a few paces ahead, hands in his pockets, coat fluttering lightly with each step. Evelyn walked beside him, clutching her satchel to her chest. Her eyes were distant, still reeling from what had happened during her turn. Reia walked quietly behind them, eyes down, thinking about her performance and what needed refining. Vyn moved in silence at the rear, head lowered under her long hair like she was walking alone.

Then, of course, there was Silas.

He strode in the middle of the group with wide steps, arms swinging, grinning like a kid who had just beaten a video game boss.

”Hey,” he said suddenly, his voice deep and echoing over the path. ”That was some crazy move back there, Lucian.”

Lucian didn’t turn his head. Didn’t even acknowledge him.

Silas continued anyway, his grin unbothered. ”Seriously, that spatial claw thing was insane. And the way you folded between those drones like—” he gestured wildly with his big hands, ”—like some ghost or something. Man, I wish I had spatial abilities.”

”Stop it, Silas,” Reia said, her voice quiet but sharp.

Silas looked at her, confused. ”Stop what? I’m just saying.”

”You’re too loud,” she said without looking up. ”And you’re bothering him.”

Silas blinked, then laughed, scratching the back of his neck. ”How am I bothering him? I’m giving him a compliment!”

”Just... stop,” Reia muttered.

But Silas didn’t. He turned back to Lucian, still smiling wide.

”Hey. You think you’re the strongest in Class Zero now, huh? Is that it?” He chuckled, elbowing Lucian’s arm lightly, though Lucian barely moved. ”Don’t get me wrong, man, you’re strong. Strong as hell. But I’m telling you... enhanced condition isn’t just muscles. My dad always said there’s no ability better in a straight fight. I mean, come on—speed, reflex, power, endurance, all boosted at the same time? I could punch a hole through a tank if I wanted.”

Lucian still didn’t answer.

Silas tilted his head, his grin faltering a little. ”Hey... you listening?”

Lucian’s eyes flicked sideways, sharp and cold, just for a moment before facing forward again.

That brief glance made Silas shiver a little, but he quickly shook it off with a forced laugh. ”Man... you’re so damn quiet. You’re the type that’s always thinking, right? Always analysing everything.”

”Or he just doesn’t like you,” Reia said softly.

Silas turned to glare at his sister. ”What’s your problem today?”

”You’re my problem,” Reia replied without emotion.

Silas clicked his tongue, then turned back to Lucian, his grin returning stubbornly.

”Anyway, like I was saying... If we really want to see who’s strongest in Class Zero, we should just fight it out.” He puffed his chest out, flexing his arms. ”Hand-to-hand, no abilities, just fists and skill.”

”No abilities?” Vyn’s voice cut through the conversation like a blade through silk.

Silas flinched, looking back. Vyn was staring at him, her long hair swaying as she walked, her violet eyes unreadable.

”That wouldn’t be fair,” she said calmly.

Silas frowned. ”Why not? Makes it equal.”

Vyn tilted her head slightly, strands of her hair falling over her pale cheek. ”Equal for who? You’re enhanced. Your ability is physical amplification. Even if you’re not using mana actively, your body is fundamentally stronger. That’s not a fair fight.”

Silas opened his mouth, then closed it again. ”Well... yeah, but—”

”If you want to test who is the strongest amongst us,” Vyn continued softly, her voice almost whispering but somehow carrying across the group, ”then it should be done with our true powers. Otherwise, it’s meaningless.”

Silence fell.

Evelyn looked between them, her grip on her satchel tightening. Lucian kept walking, his eyes on the Academy dorm tower ahead, its shadow stretching toward them like a beckoning hand.

Reia sighed. ”She’s right.”

Silas scratched his head, looking awkward for the first time. ”So... what, we just fight for real? Right now?”

”Not now,” Vyn said, her eyes lowering. ”But soon. It will be necessary to understand our hierarchy before live missions begin. Instructor Athena will likely force it regardless.”

Silas grinned again, his confidence returning like a tide. ”Then I’m in. Whatever. I’ll take any of you on.”

He glanced at Lucian. ”Even you, quiet ghost.”

Lucian finally spoke, his voice low and careless.

”Whatever you want.”

Just those three words, but they carried an edge that silenced Silas immediately. The bigger boy blinked, then chuckled under his breath, rubbing his nose awkwardly.

Evelyn looked at Lucian, her eyes worried.

”You shouldn’t fight him,” she said softly. ”And... there’s no point.”

Lucian didn’t answer. He just kept walking, eyes half-lidded, the morning breeze lifting the ends of his black hair.

Reia watched him for a moment, then turned her gaze forward.

”Whether there’s a point or not doesn’t matter,” she said, almost to herself. ”It’s already been decided.”

They walked in silence the rest of the way.

The Class Zero dorm building was smaller than the main dorm towers. Only five floors, with wide balcony corridors on each level overlooking the training fields. The interior was darker, older, the halls lined with mana-conductive stone to withstand training mishaps. It felt less like a student dorm and more like a combat barrack.

They entered the lobby together. The mana lamps buzzed softly overhead, casting faint blue light across the stone floor. A bulletin board near the stairwell displayed their timetables for the week, along with Athena’s simple note in clean script:

”Train. Sleep. Repeat.”

Silas chuckled when he saw it. ”She’s not wrong.”

Reia ignored him, scanning the timetable with quick eyes before heading upstairs without a word. Vyn followed silently, drifting like a shadow down the dark corridor toward her room.

Evelyn lingered beside Lucian, her hands clutching her satchel straps.

”Are you... going to fight them?” she asked quietly, her voice almost drowned by the low hum of mana generators in the walls.

Lucian didn’t look at her. ”If they make me.”

”Why?”

His eyes flicked to her, calm and dark.

”Because it’s easier to show them once than argue forever.”

Evelyn lowered her gaze, silent. Her chest felt tight in a way she couldn’t describe. She wanted to say more, to tell him that he didn’t need to prove anything. That he was already strong. That he didn’t need to be alone at the top.

But the words caught in her throat.

Instead, she just nodded.

”Okay,” she whispered.

Lucian turned away, walking down the hall to his room. His boots thudded softly on the stone, echoing down the empty corridor. He didn’t look back.

Evelyn watched him go until the shadows swallowed him.

She stood there for a moment, alone in the lobby, listening to the faint hum of mana circuits vibrating through the walls.

Then she turned and walked to her own room, her footsteps quiet against the cold stone floor, her thoughts louder than any shout.

Outside, the morning sun rose higher over the Academy towers, casting long beams of light across the training fields. Students gathered, drills began, and life resumed in the fortress-city that birthed hunters.