As those words left Gabby's mouth, the others were caught slightly off guard, their attention instinctively shifting toward Liam. He, however, remained as calm and unreadable as ever.

"Now this is about to get interesting," Dylan muttered under his breath to Max, a grin already forming on his face.

Meanwhile, Liam's gaze stayed fixed on the first-year in front of him, silently taking in her request.

A brief stretch of silence followed before he finally spoke.

"Are you, by any chance, the ranked one among your peers?" he asked calmly, his tone even, his eyes still on her.

The question made Gabby flinch ever so slightly.

'How did he know?' she wondered inwardly, her composure wavering for just a second.

"Y–Yes… I am the first-year ranked one," she answered, a faint stutter slipping through despite her effort to stay composed.

"I see," Liam murmured.

There was a small pause before he continued.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I refuse your request."

He said it plainly, without hesitation, without emotion, and that alone made Gabby's eyes widen.

"What…?" she muttered under her breath, almost not believing what she had just heard.

"I believe you heard me the first time," Liam replied. "So if you'll excuse me, I have something more important to deal with."

With that, he stepped forward, walking past Gabby and her friends without sparing them another glance, heading straight toward the dorms.

Dylan and the others watched him for a moment before Dylan spoke again.

"Well… there goes my entertainment," he said with exaggerated disappointment. "You gave it a shot, though." His eyes shifted briefly toward Gabby, who still stood frozen in place.

"See you around," he added casually before following after Liam, with Max trailing just behind him.

Ariana lingered for a second longer, glancing at the three girls. She hesitated, clearly wanting to soften the situation.

"I guess… you girls have a good rest of your day," she said gently, though the attempt did little to ease the tension.

Then she turned and walked off as well.

As their figures disappeared into the distance, Anna stepped closer to Gabby, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I know you're disappointed, Gabby," she said calmly. "But honestly… I'm kind of relieved he didn't accept. I don't even want to imagine what would've happened if he had."

"Same here," Sasha added quickly. "Just standing in front of him felt overwhelming. If he had actually agreed… I don't think I would've stayed sane watching it."

"See? Even Sasha is making sense for once," Anna said with a small smile. "Come on, let's just forget this ever happened and go."

"Screw that," Gabby muttered under her breath.

"Huh?" Anna blinked, caught off guard.

"I said screw that," Gabby repeated, louder this time, her tone sharpening. "Like hell I'm just going to let him walk away like that."

That alone made both Sasha and Anna tense.

"Hey, Gabby," Sasha said carefully, trying to calm her. "Let's not push this any further, okay? Let's just go."

But her words fell on deaf ears.

Gabby stepped past them, turning her full attention toward the direction Liam and the others had gone.

"Guess you're just a damn coward," she called out, her voice carrying clearly across the open space.

Sasha exhaled heavily, her shoulders dropping.

"Oh stars… we're dead," she muttered in defeat.

As Gabby's voice echoed, Dylan came to a halt and turned back toward them, his expression lighting up with interest.

"Whoa… guess she's not taking 'no' for an answer, Liam," he said, clearly entertained.

Liam slowed, then almost stopped, his gaze shifting slightly over his shoulder.

Seeing that she had his attention now, Gabby took a step forward.

"To think, after everything I've heard about you," she said, her voice steady despite the tension, "you'd be afraid of a junior. A girl, at that."

Her eyes didn't waver.

"All that talk about a dark mage being remorseless…" she continued. "Guess it was all wrong."

There was a brief pause, just enough for the weight of her words to settle.

"You're nothing more than a coward."

As those words left Gabby's mouth, Liam finally came to a complete stop.

For a long moment, he said nothing. He didn't turn to face them, nor did he glance over his shoulder like before. He simply stood there, still and composed, as if weighing whether the moment was even worth acknowledging.

Then, eventually, he spoke.

"If I accepted every challenge thrown at me by someone trying to prove a point," he said, his voice calm and even as he remained facing forward, "I'd never have time for anything that actually matters."

His tone carried no heat, only quiet dismissal.

"And if your first instinct is to provoke instead of understanding why I refused…" he continued, his voice lowering slightly, the edge in it becoming more defined, "then you're not asking for a spar."

A brief pause followed before he turned just halfway, his gaze finally settling on Gabby.

"You're asking for validation."

Gabby fell silent instantly.

For a brief moment, the weight of his words settled over her, pressing against the lingering heat of her earlier outburst. The sharpness in her expression faltered—not completely, but enough to show that what he said had reached her. Her jaw tightened, and her hands curled slightly at her sides, not just from frustration, but restraint.

Sasha and Anna watched her closely now.

This wasn't the same reckless push as before.

There was hesitation… real hesitation.

Then, after a moment, Gabby exhaled slowly, steadying herself.

When she spoke again, her voice had changed.

Less force.

More control.

"…You're right."

That alone was enough to make Dylan's grin flicker, while Max's attention sharpened just slightly.

Gabby lifted her chin, not in defiance this time, but in resolve.

"I was trying to provoke you," she admitted, her eyes remaining fixed on Liam. "But not because I wanted attention… and not because I needed you to prove anything to me."

She paused briefly, deliberate in her words.

"It's because I needed to prove something to myself."

That landed quieter—but carried more weight.

Her fingers tightened for a moment before relaxing again.

"I know I'm ranked first among the first years," she continued, her voice steadying as she went on, "but that rank doesn't mean much if I don't understand where I actually stand beyond my own year."

She took a step forward, not aggressive, but purposeful.

"I've heard about you. Everyone has. Not just your strength… but how you fight. How you think."

Her gaze sharpened, focused now with intent rather than emotion.

"I didn't come to you because I thought I could win," she said. "I came because I know I can't."

That admission shifted the atmosphere in a subtle but undeniable way.

"I want to see the gap," Gabby stated plainly. "I want to feel it. Not hear about it from others, not imagine it—I want to understand what it actually means to be at that level."

She didn't step closer again, but she didn't retreat either.

"And if you still think that's just me looking for validation…"

A faint breath left her, controlled and steady.

"Then fine. You can treat it like that."

Her gaze never wavered.

"But I won't learn anything standing here."

A brief silence followed, and almost instinctively, everyone's attention shifted toward Liam, waiting to see how he would respond.

Meanwhile, Liam remained still, his gaze fixed on Gabby, sharp and calculating. The longer he looked at her, the more a faint sense of irritation crept in, something he didn't particularly care for.

'I honestly have no reason to entertain this girl,' he thought. 'But for some reason… I feel obligated to accept her request.'

The thought itself annoyed him.

He held her gaze for a few seconds longer before finally speaking.

"How quickly can you recover in three days if you're thrown into a survival situation?" he asked plainly.

The question caught Gabby—and everyone else—off guard.

"What?" she muttered, confusion slipping through.

"I'll give you this information for free," Liam continued. "The academy is going to throw a major test at you within the next few days, and I need to know…"

He paused briefly, his tone steady.

"How well can you recover before that happens?"

Another short pause followed.

"I don't plan to spar with you only for you to end up incapable of participating in that test."

Gabby blinked, clearly taken aback as she tried to process everything at once.

"We… have a test coming up?" she muttered, more to herself than anyone else.

"Uh… I wouldn't go around saying that out loud," Dylan said lightly, a hint of amusement in his tone. "But yeah… you do."

That only pushed Gabby deeper into thought as she began piecing together what Liam was actually implying.

'So… he's agreeing to spar with me… but at the same time, he's making sure I don't miss the test?'

The realization left her both confused and slightly surprised.

'Does he plan to seriously injure me during the spar or something…?'

She lingered in her thoughts for a moment longer before finally speaking.

"Honestly… I'll be straightforward," she said, keeping her eyes on Liam. "If we spar, I doubt I'll be able to recover in time to be in top condition for the test."

"Good," Liam replied immediately. "Then don't bother me with this again until the test is over."

With that, he turned and began walking toward the dorm blocks again, just as before. Dylan and the others quickly fell in behind him.

"Later, Asher 2.0," Dylan called out casually as he walked off.

"Asher 2.0…?" Gabby muttered under her breath. "What is he even talking about?"

Before she could think further on it, she suddenly felt a sharp hit on her shoulder.

"Ow—dammit, Sasha, that hurt!" Gabby snapped.

"It was supposed to," Sasha replied with clear satisfaction. "That's for making me feel like I was about to witness your death and your funeral on the same day."

"I have to say," Anna added, crossing her arms slightly, "you're pretty lucky, Gabby. Thank the stars he isn't as quick-tempered as people make him out to be."

She paused briefly, her gaze lingering in the direction Liam had gone.

"He was… a lot calmer than I expected, especially after what you said."

"Yeah," Gabby admitted, still looking ahead. "I was sure he'd attack or something. I guess most of the rumors the second-years spread are exaggerated."

"Yeah… but not all of them are false," Sasha cut in, a grin creeping onto her face. "He's still hot, just like the senior girls said."

"Ugh," Anna rolled her eyes, with Gabby doing the same.

"Can you not think about guys for one second?" Anna said flatly.

"Please don't insult me like that, Anna," Sasha replied dramatically. "I only admire the attractive ones—and he definitely qualifies."

"C'mon, Gabby," Anna said, already turning away. "Let's leave this one behind and go get something to eat."

"Hey—don't leave me!" Sasha called, quickly rushing after them. "I'm hungry too, you know!"