“At the end, my body was left covered in wounds and split in half. If the cut had been just a couple of centimeters higher, I wouldn’t be here right now—you would’ve lost a rising superstar early.” I told the story of my fight against the anomaly. It all started with a simple question about how our vacation had been and gradually escalated until everyone around us stopped talking just to listen.

  The beginning of the party was normal. We greeted each other, exchanged a few gifts, asked how everyone’s vacations had gone. Susan brought up the time I wiped out several grade-four monsters and eventually asked what had happened with the anomaly. She knew about it because I’d mentioned part of it when I asked her for time off until I fully recovered.

  I heard a few shouts of amazement, some applause, and others were completely frozen as they processed my story. Fighting an anomaly isn’t something common, and it’s even rarer to meet a survivor of such an encounter. There are very few lucky ones.

  “I thought my vacation had been exciting.” Humyr laughed lightly with his hands clasped behind his head.

  “You can’t compare yourself to Maki. He’s just as strange as an anomaly.” Ogine’s words stung a little. At home they think the same—I’m seen as some kind of odd creature.

  “Yeah… he’s really weird. Maybe he has some kind of illness? I don’t know if it’s safe to be near him.” Shawu made a strange face and took a few steps back. Everyone at the party burst into laughter at his act. Brendu couldn’t hold it in either, her hand covering her mouth as she tried not to laugh.

  I rolled my eyes for a moment, but I couldn’t hold back my laughter either. His joke lightened the mood enough that I only had to answer a couple more questions. Some people wanted to hear more or ask something, but most decided to go back to their own conversations. I would’ve done the same—it’s probably awkward to bombard someone with questions at a welcome party.

  “You’re a natural disaster, always leaving destruction wherever you go.” Susan sat down next to me after a moment, her usual smile on her face.

  “Sometimes I really feel like trouble follows me wherever I go. At the very least, something strange always happens in my life.” I laughed at myself, thinking about how many stories I already had despite being under twenty.

  “At least your life never gets boring. How do you feel after being close to death twice?” Her tone was playful at first, but her expression changed completely as she asked. She was genuinely worried—eyes never lie.

  “It’s a strange feeling… I didn’t feel overwhelming fear of dying. In both fights, I reached a point where I accepted it. I didn’t care if I died as long as I gave it everything I had. Of course, I always tried to survive, but if I failed, that would’ve been the end.” I looked at my reflection in the wine glass in my hand. “You know, Susan… my thought was this: it’s better to die than to watch the people you love die. I don’t want to imagine how I’d feel seeing my loved ones die.” I swirled the wine slowly.

  I can’t imagine that situation—my mind refuses to picture it. I know I’m strong enough to endure it; I already lost my only family member in my previous life. I know how it feels to lose someone precious, and I never want to experience that again.

  “You know that protecting them is the only way.” Susan’s voice softened. “But don’t just run ahead blindly. Life loses its meaning if you focus on only one thing. You have a world of possibilities in front of you—just move at the right pace so you can enjoy them all. I’ve seen talented people obsess over strength alone, crash into walls, and waste their lives and potential. I don’t want that to happen to you.” Her words made me reflect.

  It would be dishonest to say I’ve never thought about dropping everything and training all day, every day. Strength and power instill fear in those who want to harm you—it’s a way to deter attackers.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  I looked directly into Susan’s eyes. She shifted her gaze toward the blonde in front of us. The princess had been talking with Areci and Ogine for a while; Shawu was chatting with Humyr, while the twins mostly listened and added casual remarks.

  Susan’s eyes settled on Brendu. When I looked at her, a sense of inner peace washed over me. She—and the other three girls—give me that same calm feeling. My affection for them has grown to levels I never thought possible. Living together these past weeks has been a new and pleasant experience.

  “They’re one of the reasons you need to control the pace of your life. Walk when you need to, and run when it’s necessary. You’re smart enough to understand what I mean—talking to you feels like talking to one of my old friends.” Susan grabbed the wine bottle and refilled my glass; at some point during the conversation, I’d finished it.

  “I understand. The problem is the Withered Tree group—that band of idiots keeps causing trouble.” Just thinking about them makes my blood boil. To normal people they’re just lunatics who occasionally cause destruction, but those with power and influence know the truth—they’re unhinged and plotting something.

  “They’ll stay quiet from now on. We shouldn’t hear from them for quite a while.” I looked at her, surprised. “That’s classified information, young man. I’m only telling you because you’re my protégé. You should be grateful for your teacher’s generosity.” I rolled my eyes, then immediately returned to normal—this was serious.

  “The lunatic captured in your territory wasn’t their only loss. Julio killed another diamond-rank, and Draxle humiliated and captured yet another. Losing three diamond-ranks is a massive blow to any territory or organization. They’ll likely lie low for a long time and rethink their plans.” Susan’s serious tone made me understand just how dangerous everything had been.

  “I hope they find the leaders’ hideout and wipe them out. Not everyone is evil… but in the end, everyone pays for the sins of a few.” Susan clearly knows a lot, but I won’t ask unless she brings it up. There are things I’m not qualified to know, even as her protégé.

  “I hope so too. It’s bullshit living with the thought that you could be attacked or have your life ruined because of those sons of bitches.” I couldn’t hide my disgust toward the group.

  I couldn’t get Susan’s earlier words out of my head: Not everyone is evil. That’s true—there are probably decent people within the organization. But now they’re all labeled as criminals.

  “Let’s not ruin the mood.” Susan raised her glass, and we clinked them lightly. “I heard the royal family of Juka officially accepted you—same with the other families. Congratulations.” She changed the subject abruptly, clearly tired of the topic.

  “How do you get information so fast?” I looked at her suspiciously. “Yeah… now it’s just a matter of setting a wedding date. I’m not in a rush—I’ll let things flow.” I glanced at Brendu, smiling happily, warmth filling my chest as the faces of the other girls crossed my mind.

  “It’s the bare minimum I should know about my protégé.” She looked at me seriously. “I’m sure you’ll be a great husband and father someday. If you’re not, I’ll beat you myself.” Her small smile sent chills down my spine—there wasn’t a hint of a joke in her eyes.

  I joked a bit more with Susan, then moved from group to group, chatting with everyone at the welcome party. Near the end, I learned something interesting: at the end of this semester, a small inter-school competition would be held, and this year the host would be Skyblue Academy.

  The strongest students from the empire, kingdoms, and independent territories would gather for this massive event. Compared to this, the opening tournament was a joke.

  Each school sends ten participants. Eight have already been selected, and seven of them were present at this welcome party. The last one is the son of another high-ranking noble, roughly at Shawu’s level. His only problem is his personality—he looks down on those of lower status or weaker than him, treating them like insects.

  The remaining three spots will be filled through a tournament. The podium finishers will join the team: first and second place directly, while third becomes a reserve in case one of the main members can’t participate.

  Everyone encouraged me to join the qualifying tournament—no one doubts I’d win. Susan even said I could join directly if I wanted; she has full authority over the school. In that case, only first place would join directly, with the other two becoming reserves.

  I don’t know what to do… participating in a tournament feels like a hassle. Maybe I’ll just join directly and ignore the complaints. I’m not sure—it wouldn’t be fair to have two limit-breakers on the same team. Areci and I are natural disasters compared to the others.

  Apparently, we won’t be the only limit-breakers—there’ll be a few more from other schools. That makes things more interesting. Now I’m seriously considering participating.

  The party ends a few hours later—everyone has work tomorrow. Brendu and I return to the apartment we’ve shared for months. It already feels like home.

  Now that my core is fully stable, it’s time to return to routine. This new semester promises a lot.