Succubi Chapter 32. I Know You Hate Me, Now Watch Me Thrive
[Shadow Slash] has been modified to [Shadow Blade]
[The user conjures a weapon forged from condensed darkness—typically a blade, but adaptable to the user's intent. The weapon can phase through armor and deals heavy critical damage. If charged, it absorbs nearby shadows to enhance its form, doubling its power and increasing attack speed for a short duration. It can create a high-speed slash of condensed darkness, capable of phasing through armor and dealing heavy critical damage.]
I blinked. "Wait—wait, did I just—?"
Elise raised an eyebrow. "Don't stop. Here comes more."
And with that—three fireballs launched in my direction at once.
I didn't think. I didn't hesitate.
I grabbed the shadow blades hovering around me and threw them like darts.
The first collided with a fireball mid-air.
-BOOM!
A sharp explosion burst with a shockwave that rippled through the air.
The second blade followed right behind—BOOM!
Another fireball obliterated in mid-flight.
The third came from a bad angle, but I pivoted on my heel, whipped my arm, and nailed it—BOOM!
All three fireballs gone.
Mid-air. Instant detonation.
The sound was loud enough to silence the muttering Arcana students nearby.
Heads turned. A few students from the Valor arena literally stopped mid-spar to look.
Even someone tripped over a dummy in the House of Titan area and shouted, "What the hell was that?!"
Elise stood there, hands behind her back, like this was totally expected. Her only reaction? A slight upward twitch of her lips.
"Good. Keep going."
I didn't even have time to respond because she threw five more. And they were faster now.
"Goddammit!" I hissed, conjuring more of the Shadow Blades.
The darkness responded faster this time—it wanted out. Like the shadows around me had been waiting for me to get serious.
I grabbed two in each hand, spun on my heel, and let them fly.
-BOOM! BOOM! WHOOSH! BOOM!
The fourth one curved wide—too wide.
"Oh no you don't—" I grabbed another blade mid-forming and leapt, physically throwing myself into a twist as I flung the fifth one like a discus.
-BOOOOM!
The explosion was almost cinematic.
Smoke curled around me, the scent of scorched air sharp in my nose, my chest rising and falling as I stared through the lingering haze.
The training ground was silent.
Even the background noise had died off.
For a second, it felt like every damn person in the entire academy was staring at me.
"Ohhh my gods…" someone whispered. "He just… made a spell mid-fight?"
"Did he create a skill?"
"Is that allowed?"
"Wasn't he the one who dodged all the fireballs earlier?!"
I slowly turned my head toward Elise. "Sooo... do I get my smoothie now?"
She just looked at me. Cool. Composed. Amused.
"…You get a smoothie," she said, finally. "And a weekly monitoring appointment."
I blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Nothing," she said, already turning away with her clipboard. "We'll talk after class. Keep refining that. You'll need it."
And just like that, she walked off, casually noting something down.
I stared after her, still catching my breath.
The Shadow Blade skill continued to flicker in the corner of my system, glowing with that fresh new upgrade energy.
I could still feel the mana it took—yeah, it wasn't free, but it didn't burn through me like Death Wave did. It was like my system was evolving with me. Reacting to my intent.
And that?
That was freaking exciting.
So I stretched my arms behind my back, cracked my neck, and whispered to myself.
"Smoothie and combat upgrades. Not a bad day."
I grinned, dusting soot off my sleeves as the shadow blades dispersed into black wisps around my hands.
This system was better than I thought.
And just as I was about to revel in that high for a bit longer…
I felt it.
That sharp, cold-as-hell gaze.
The kind that could freeze lava. The kind that didn't even need a glare emoji to get the point across. My whole body stiffened like I'd walked into an invisible spike trap made of petty hatred and unresolved testosterone.
I already knew who it was from.
I turned, slowly, my smirk already forming like a reflex. 'Alright, come on Ares, gimme that fury-face—'
But the moment my eyes landed on House of Valor's training ground, the smirk paused.
Because it wasn't just Ares staring.
It was… everyone.
The whole Valor squad was facing my direction. Like full-on paused mid-combat and turned their attention toward House of Arcana's humble murder-corner. Even their instructor stood with arms crossed, brows slightly raised, watching me like I was some weird glowing puzzle piece that suddenly broke their strategy board.
Well… among the four houses, usually the most boring is the training from the House of Saints—lots of healing spells and moral lectures, bless them. Then comes Arcana, which is like a magical math class with explosions if we are lucky. The most exciting, obviously, is the House of Titans. Big weapons, bigger muscles, and lots of shouting. But the most important? That's the House of Valor. They're the heroes. The showrunners. Every student looks to them like they're the main cast of some war movie protagonist.
And yeah, somehow I managed to make the House of Valor stop what they were doing to stare at our training ground.
I should get a trophy for this.
I blinked. "Huh."
Yeah, I'd expected Ares' usual "I will end you and your future children" face.
But not… this.
Curiosity. Fascination. A sprinkle of concern. A pinch of "what the hell is that guy?"
It was like watching cats discover the existence of laser pointers for the first time.
And right in the middle of that crowd…
Leon.
The bastard was waving at me.
Big, dumb grin plastered across his face like he'd just won the lottery and got adopted by a rich elf princess at the same time.
I squinted and whispered, "Why are you like this?"
On his other side, Evelyn stood calm, posture perfect, not a hair out of place. She didn't wave. She didn't react. Just that subtle nod of acknowledgment like, yes, that was neat, no I'm not surprised, now continue being impressive.
And then…
Ares.
His eyes locked with mine. No smile. No blinking. Just that intensity, that sheer vein-popping, teeth-clenching rage that was barely held together by social expectations and some poor instructor probably going "Don't kill your classmates, Ares. Again."
He looked at me like I'd personally insulted his sword, stepped on his boots, and then spat on his family crest.
Oh, and also kissed his dog.
If looks could kill, I'd already be ash.
So naturally, I responded the only way a reasonable, responsible student of the arcane would.
I ran a hand through my half-damp hair—still kinda sweaty from dodging literal fire moments ago—tilted my head ever-so-slightly…
And gave him that smile.
That one.
The "Yeah, I know you hate me. Now watch me thrive" smile.
The "Are you mad? You look mad. You want a juice box?" smile.
It was glorious.
Ares' jaw twitched. His knuckles whitened around the hilt of his sword.
From across the arena, I could almost hear the crack of his pride fracturing.
He took a step forward.
His instructor snapped something at him, probably along the lines of "stand down or so help me I'll bench you until graduation."
I didn't hear it. I didn't need to.
Because this wasn't about words anymore.
This was war.
And I? I was rocking the stage.
"Okay, you need to stop provoking him," Elise muttered beside me like she was reading my thoughts—which, rude.
I glanced at her. "I didn't even say anything."
"You didn't have to. Your face said everything."
"I have a very expressive face," I offered helpfully.
She rolled her eyes, scribbling something on her clipboard again.
"And what is it this time? 'Evan smiles too hard, might trigger rival house brawl?'"
"Something like that," she replied, annoyingly neutral.
She looked over at the Valor squad again, then at me. "You've attracted a lot of attention."
"I noticed."
"More than usual."
"I'm just naturally charming," I said, brushing some ash off my coat like a dramatic diva.
She raised an eyebrow. "Charming like a low-yield explosion."
"That's the best kind," I said, beaming.
Elise did not look impressed.
"Now resume your training."
I let out a breath that was so obviously exaggerated, it probably registered as a light breeze. "Fine…"
Still grinning to myself like an idiot with a new toy, I turned and started walking back toward the training zone—specifically to where Adrian was standing, clutching a practice staff like it was a security blanket.
His face lit up when he saw me. "Dude! That was insane! You totally—"
Before I could fist bump him, a calm but very firm voice snapped in from behind me like a leash on a rabid dog.
"What are you doing?"
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