For Jude, the eight months leading to the academy’s yearly assessment had been monotonous.

He focused on one thing only: training.

Stat growth was the least of his concerns. From a certain perspective, so was combat experience. He had a thousand-odd years of fighting stored in his brain, and with his trait [Level Up], he had no reason to worry about either.

But a feeling had been growing — cumbersome and oddly easy to dismiss. Using his trait.

In the long line of his life, it would be an inevitable facet of his existence. He could take a "vegetarian" route, a no-kill lifestyle. But that would be detrimental to himself and outright stupid. And despite how self-important he might sound, the destiny of an entire world rested on his shoulders. Billions of lives, and billions yet to be born, depended on him.

So Jude did not allow himself naive thoughts. He simply wanted this semblance of peace to continue. To him, taking advantage of his trait meant the war had begun. Not the war of the First World, but the war for his own world’s survival. He could care less about this one. Everyone and everything here was merely an avenue to facilitate the growth of his group — and his own.

The other reason he trained was to get used to his body and abilities. He had a thousand-odd years of combat lodged in his head, but he had to adapt that knowledge to his current form. According to the theory he, Anton, and Michael had developed — backed by Anton’s regressor knowledge — everything in the Tower’s trials beyond their objectives was random, shaped by the trial taker’s own knowledge and perception.

For Jude, thanks to the countless fictional works he had consumed, the trial had taken on a distinctly novel-like feel. His ability usage in the trial had not conformed to the real world’s framework. His experience with his abilities remained what it had been when he entered the Tower. The only things he carried out of the trial were trauma and combat experience.

It had given him a head start. And that head start, he had applied diligently.

That was why, of all the combat arts, he focused most of his attention on magic. Although he had an amazing trait in [Level Up], his ability catalogue was abysmal, especially compared to the many broken abilities he had encountered. One cannot have everything, and to break the deadlock, he chose to focus on magic. He had considerable talent in it — SS-ranked.

He had read through almost every catalogue of magic spells in the academy’s library. For every domain he had affinity with — elemental, deviant, and their methods — he had studied. He had the strongest affinity with fire magic, a byproduct of his innate ability. But learning and using other elemental natures came easily to him. For deviant magic, his strongest affinity was with buffs and debuffs.

The methods he had trained in were incantations, gestures, runes, and thought-based casting. By the end of his training, he had reached S-rank in magecraft — a master mage. He could only perform S-ranked spells using the incantation method. He could achieve the same with other methods, but he would have to sacrifice lethality for a "quick-draw" cast. His preferred method for that was thought-based casting.

---

On one occasion during his training, he was "ambushed" by the three kings — or, per Jude’s distinction, one queen and two kings. As far as Jude could tell, Khan had dragged them along to meet the new addition. Especially since Elijah had been a no-show. After his loss to Jude, Elijah had shut himself away from the academy; even his sycophants had barely seen him.

Jude barely had time for his own friends. Why would he make time for other people? At least, that was what he thought — until he saw the kings’ training grounds. A separate facility from the normal students, capable of taking more damage, with better equipment. It was very different from the "exhibition grounds" where Khan and Kenshin had fought. A revelation that surprised Jude — yet did not surprise him. The fact that they had fought was unsurprising, but the way the fight had gone down, from what he had been told, was quite the revelation. Khan, to Jude, was dangerous — the most dangerous of the kings. But he was not as dangerous as Kenshin. To Jude, that meant he would have to reevaluate the smiling child.

Once he began using the training grounds his new ascended position granted him, he saw the kings more and more. At first, he had thought Khan was pestering him again. But when he arrived late on one occasion, he found the trio training separately: Khan and Eden each practicing sword katas, Kya conjuring and trading spells.

He stood aside and watched.

Before now, he had seen the trio in his classes. In the combat class where Eden and Khan were present, he hardly noticed them — that was the only class he, Aaron, and Kai shared. He and Khan shared an ability class together. There, Khan was as calm as he ever got. Well, up until Jude became a king.

Since then — and even before, the first time Jude saw them training — Khan would wave to him at the beginning and end of class, walk with him afterward, meet up with the remaining kings. Jude treated the interaction like a chore. To be honest, aside from Khan’s enthusiastic behavior, the others hardly cared for him — Eden barely sent a nod his way, Kya a cheerful wave. Still, he could not bring himself to be distracted by anyone outside his family. Since he had "neglected" his friends for training efficacy, he would maintain that discipline until he reached his goal: passing the academy’s assessment.

But the training changed him. Not emotionally — he did not open up. He simply realized that the fastest way to grow was to use every element around him, including the kings. He confirmed it by proposing a spar that day. He lost. But he saw more growth than he had achieved training alone.

That began his dedicated training sessions and his acceptance of the kings. A factor that played the largest part in his growth across all aspects. By the sixth month — the third reunion, the second since the first — he was even more enthused.

---

Now, looking back over the past eight months, Jude exhaled. The academy’s assessment had arrived. Time to blast past it and face the impending war. Pass the assessment and the trial tied to it.

A week remained. Training would do more harm than good. It was time to enjoy the last week of the academy with his brothers.

Speaking of which, he was in for a surprise. Well, a mild surprise. He knew he would be surprised — he just did not know the scale. That was what he looked forward to.

---

"So... when will I be seeing you again?"

Aaron smiled smoothly — he tried his best — as he addressed Eve.

"I have told you countless times—"

"One hundred and twenty-seven times." Aaron interrupted with a smile.

"One hundred and twenty-seven times, human emotions should not be applied to me. Do not ’catch feelings’ for me."

Eve enunciated catch feelings. She still did not understand how intangible things could be caught.

"I know. Taboo and all of it. Zeke told me about it." Aaron waved his hands. "Instead of you fighting an inevitable fight, just let it happen. Open your soul and be Aaroned."

He stretched his arms wide, smug.

"I have no interest in your theatrics."

"She loves me." Aaron mouthed.

"You are very bold for a talentless grunt."

A pebble flew toward Aaron from the direction Eve had walked. He dodged it.

"I’ll have you know, I’m no longer talentless." He pointed his finger dramatically. "Well, thanks to you."

He blew her a kiss as he bowed.

God, I’m shameless.

He shook his head, smiling, and walked back toward the busy section of the academy.

As he walked, he remembered the happenings of the past eight months. How he had gone from Aaron to Aaron.

If you looked closely, the second A had simply swapped places with the first.

He laughed internally at his own joke.

---

After the reunion, when he had returned to the academy, he had dedicated his training sessions with Eve to Eve. Before, he had held reservations, but after telling his family about her, he felt he could commit fully to growing stronger. To become better. Good enough for Eve.

He still did not understand his attraction to her. Logically, she was a "bad guy" — at the very least, an unknown known. But during his training sessions, he could not help but be as shameless as possible without coming off lecherous. He was not smooth like the others, nor did he have the mind for games. He would simply win her over by showing her Aaron, and she would be Aaroned.

That thought was pushed to the back of his head. His main focus was and would always be training — not the way her hair bounced or the way her stoic mask peeled off by an inch every day.

It was hard training with her. Unlike geniuses, he had a difficult time learning things: combat moves, applications for his abilities. Eve acknowledged the troubles he faced but cared nonetheless.

She drilled basic footwork into him, conditioned him physically — not only safe training within the academy. Outside, she took him dungeon raiding. Adventuring work where he fought people, not monsters.

His adventuring gigs were provided by Anton and Michael, mostly Michael, as he was tasked with protecting goods. Those jobs offered the most chances for human combat, which was Eve’s aim. Whenever he was overwhelmed and close to death — which, in truth, was not often — Eve would step in. Sometimes he was placed under a handicap, purely to refine his meager combat ability and survivability. They refined the skills he had gained from skill runestones back on his world: [Boxing] and [Armed Combat].

He did not love the process. He loved that it was her process.

—