Chapter 78: Logan’s Fight

For a brief moment—

Silence filled the classroom once more.

Then several students frowned instinctively.

Confident?

After everything they’d just witnessed?

Even Kaizen, who had personally experienced Selene’s overwhelming strength, looked at Logan as though he was insane.

Meanwhile, Selene simply stared at him quietly.

Without warning—

She tossed the black sword toward him.

The blade spun rapidly through the air.

Logan raised his hand calmly.

Clang.

His fingers wrapped around the handle effortlessly.

The moment he held the sword—

Something subtly changed.

Several students unconsciously narrowed their eyes.

Even Ethan’s expression shifted slightly.

Logan’s stance wasn’t particularly special.

Nor did he release any overwhelming Origin fluctuations.

Yet strangely...

The moment the sword entered his grasp—

He suddenly felt dangerous.

Like a calm predator quietly waking up.

Selene noticed it too.

A faint glimmer appeared within her crimson eyes.

"Interesting."

Logan casually tested the weight of the blade once before lowering it beside him.

There were no flashy movements or unnecessary poses.

Just complete comfort.

As though he’d held a sword countless times already.

Which made no sense.

Most awakened individuals focused entirely on developing their Origin Abilities.

Weapon mastery required absurd amounts of time and dedication.

Very few young people bothered walking that path anymore.

Yet Logan’s movements carried none of the stiffness expected from amateurs.

Then suddenly—

Selene moved.

BOOM.

The arena beneath her feet exploded instantly.

Several students’ pupils constricted.

Too fast.

Her sword tore directly toward Logan’s neck without the slightest hesitation.

Unlike before, she wasn’t testing him.

She was genuinely attacking.

The pressure alone made several nearby students feel suffocated.

Yet Logan’s eyes remained calm.

Clang.

A sharp metallic sound echoed throughout the classroom.

Selene’s blade stopped inches away from his throat.

Blocked.

The expressions of the surrounding students froze instantly.

Even Selene’s eyes narrowed faintly.

Because Logan hadn’t merely blocked the strike.

He’d done it perfectly.

Minimal movement.

Minimal force.

No wasted energy whatsoever.

And from beginning to end—

His feet never moved even once.

For the first time since entering the classroom—

Selene’s expression shifted slightly.

Not shock.

But interest.

A genuine one.

The surrounding students, however, were far less composed.

"He blocked that...?"

"No way..."

"Wasn’t that too clean?"

Even Kaizen’s expression changed faintly.

Only after personally facing Selene did one understand how terrifying her speed truly was.

Yet Logan had intercepted her strike almost casually.

As though he’d predicted it beforehand.

Selene’s crimson eyes locked onto Logan from only inches away.

"You’ve trained before."

It wasn’t a question.

Logan calmly held her gaze.

"A little."

Several students nearly twitched hearing that answer.

A little?

Blocking that attack was considered "a little"?

Then suddenly—

Selene smiled faintly.

It was small.

Barely noticeable.

Yet for some reason, the atmosphere inside the classroom became even heavier the moment it appeared.

BOOM.

The arena beneath her feet cracked once more.

Her sword blurred violently through the air.

Faster than before.

Clang!

A violent metallic shockwave exploded outward.

Logan’s sword tilted slightly as he redirected the strike instead of blocking it head-on.

The movement was smooth.

Natural.

Almost effortless.

Selene’s eyes narrowed faintly.

Interesting.

Before the surrounding students could properly process what happened—

She attacked again.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The classroom echoed endlessly with deafening metallic collisions.

Sparks erupted repeatedly across the arena.

The speed of the exchange became increasingly absurd.

Several weaker students could no longer follow the movements properly at all.

All they could see were fleeting afterimages and violent shockwaves exploding across the platform.

Yet throughout everything—

Logan remained calm.

His breathing never changed.

His expression remained indifferent.

Every movement of his sword was precise.

Minimal.

Efficient.

No unnecessary flourishes.

No wasted strength.

Even Selene gradually noticed it.

Logan’s swordsmanship wasn’t flashy.

But it possessed an unusual sharpness.

Like every movement had been calculated beforehand.

Then suddenly—

Clang!

Their swords collided once more.

This time, Logan’s wrist shifted slightly.

His blade slid directly along Selene’s sword before abruptly twisting at an impossible angle toward her shoulder.

Several students widened their eyes.

Too smooth.

The transition felt strangely natural.

Selene herself seemed mildly surprised.

But only mildly.

Her body leaned backward slightly.

The blade narrowly missed her uniform.

Then—

BOOM.

A terrifying pressure erupted from her body instantly.

Logan’s pupils narrowed slightly.

The next second—

His entire figure was blown backward several meters across the arena.

His shoes screeched against the metallic floor before finally stopping.

Silence filled the room.

Several students stared blankly.

Selene slowly lowered her sword.

"You’re skilled."

Her voice echoed calmly throughout the classroom.

"But your body can’t keep up yet."

Logan silently flexed his fingers around the sword handle.

His arms felt slightly numb.

As expected.

Selene Vale wasn’t someone the current him could truly contend with physically.

Not yet.

Still—

The fact he’d lasted this long already bordered on absurd for a first-year student.

Even Selene seemed aware of it.

Her crimson eyes lingered on Logan briefly before she finally turned away.

"Enough."

The pressure inside the classroom gradually faded.

Several students subconsciously released breaths they hadn’t realized they were holding.

The tension from the battle had become suffocating toward the end.

Meanwhile, Logan calmly returned the sword to the nearby weapon rack before walking back toward his seat.

Countless gazes immediately followed him.

Different from before.

Earlier, many students looked at him because of his SSS-rank potential.

Now?

It was because they’d personally witnessed how monstrous he truly was.

Even Kaizen no longer carried the same arrogance in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Ethan’s gaze darkened faintly.

The strange irritation within him had already intensified into hostility.

Selene calmly stood at the center of the arena once more.

"Remember this feeling."

Her voice echoed throughout the classroom.

"The helplessness you felt today."

"Because inside an Origin Gate..."

"...your enemies won’t hold back."

The students gradually fell silent again.

This time, however, the atmosphere had completely changed from earlier.

The arrogance many of them carried upon entering the classroom had already disappeared.

Replaced by tension.

Pressure.

Urgency.

Selene slowly swept her gaze across the students.

"Starting tomorrow, your schedules will officially begin."

"Combat training."

"Origin control."

"Survival exercises."

"Gate simulations."

"And ranking battles."

Several students’ expressions tightened instantly at the last words.

Ranking battles.

The academy clearly intended to force competition between students constantly.

Selene continued calmly.

"Your rankings determine everything."

"Resources."

"Authority."

"Privileges."

"If you want something..."

Her crimson eyes sharpened slightly.

"Take it."

No one doubted her words anymore.

This academy wasn’t interested in fairness.

Only strength.

Then suddenly—

The holographic screens around the classroom flickered once more.

A large schedule appeared above the arena.

[Tomorrow’s Special Class Schedule]

[06:00 - Physical Conditioning]

[08:00 - Combat Theory]

[10:00 - Origin Gate Survival]

[13:00 - Combat Practice]

[16:00 - Ranking Battles]

Several students immediately felt headaches forming.

The schedule looked brutal.

Especially the final section.

Ranking battles.

Every.

Single.

Day.

The academy clearly intended to pit them against one another constantly.

Selene glanced toward their reactions indifferently.

"You’re free to die during official ranking battles."

The classroom instantly froze.

One girl paled slightly.

Selene’s expression didn’t change.

"The academy medical division will intervene only if instructors deem it necessary."

"In other words..."

"If you’re weak enough to die..."

"...then die."

No one spoke.

Because they could tell.

She wasn’t joking.

Then suddenly—

Ding.

A soft mechanical sound echoed throughout the classroom.

The end-of-class notification.

Selene casually tossed her sword back toward the weapon rack before turning around.

"Class dismissed."

Several students remained frozen for a few seconds before finally beginning to stand.

The atmosphere felt strangely heavy.

Nobody spoke loudly anymore.

The earlier excitement surrounding the academy had already faded considerably.

Reality had finally settled in.

As Logan began walking toward the exit, he could feel numerous gazes lingering on him continuously.

Some curious.

Some cautious.

Some hostile.

Kaizen silently watched him leave.

The emerald-haired girl looked at him with obvious interest.

Meanwhile, Ethan remained seated quietly, his eyes fixed on Logan’s back with faint darkness hidden within them.

Logan naturally noticed all of it.

But he didn’t care.

His thoughts were elsewhere entirely.

This academy...

Was evolving exactly as he remembered.

A place where monsters devoured one another endlessly.

A place where weakness wasn’t tolerated.

And honestly?

The corner of Logan’s lips curved upward faintly as he exited the classroom.

He preferred it that way.

...

Author’s note:

Thank you all for reading and supporting the novel so far.

This arc was extremely important because it marks the point where the world truly begins opening up. Until now, many things may have seemed isolated: the academy, the awakeners, the hidden powers, the strange systems surrounding dungeons and abilities. But from this point onward, the scale of the story will continue expanding rapidly.

Logan’s development is also entering a very different phase. Strength alone is no longer enough. Intelligence, control, perception, and influence will all start playing a much bigger role moving forward. Some characters who appeared briefly before will also become far more important than expected.

I’ve been carefully planting seeds since the early Chapters, and many of those setups will begin paying off soon.

As always, thank you for every comment, power stone, review, and Chapter unlock. The support genuinely helps push the story higher and keeps me motivated to keep improving and delivering better Chapters every day.