Martial Demons Ascension

The next morning, the mountain village was buzzing faintly with gossip No one had seen the duel between Nero and Rhyka, Emmet had kept it out of sight, but rumors spread like wildfire anyway The strange noble who had appeared days before, the "magicless" boy who had somehow built a dojo outside the village, and the way both of them were seen returning late into the evening with dust still clinging to their clothes Everyone wanted to know what had happened

Rhyka, however, was unconcerned He sat in the yard outside his dojo sharpening the edge of his curved blade with a piece of whetstone, golden eyes calm, movements precise He didn't need to explain himself to the villagers, they weren't the ones who mattered

The crunch of boots on dirt drew his attention

Nero approached, his pale complexion as unreadable as ever, his dark cloak brushing softly behind him He didn't waste time on words His hand slipped inside his cloak, and when it came out, he was holding a small leather pouch The sound of weight shifting inside was unmistakable, coin

Without ceremony, Nero tossed it forward The pouch landed with a heavy clink at Rhyka's feet

Rhyka looked down, then up again, his smirk tugging faintly at the corner of his lips He picked up the bag, testing the weight in his hand, and couldn't stop the brief flicker of satisfaction in his golden eyes

Nero's voice was low, steady, carrying the clipped edge of someone used to command

"Consider it an advance," he said simply "For your time For your effort And for what comes next"

Rhyka let the bag rest in his palm, his thumb running along the seam of the leather He didn't ask how much was inside, he could already tell it was far more than most villagers would see in a year

The two locked eyes for a long moment

"Later," Nero said, breaking the silence "We'll speak properly There's more to sort out More to decide"

Rhyka's smirk deepened, but his reply was casual, controlled

"Fine by me"

The golden light in his irises flickered faintly as he tucked the pouch away

Plans were already forming in his head

When Rhyka stepped into the classroom that morning, the atmosphere shifted immediately

Dozens of heads turned toward him at once Conversations cut short, whispers broke into silence, and for a moment all that existed was the weight of every stare pressing against his frame

He didn't flinch His stride was steady, his posture loose but purposeful, and the faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips made it clear he was completely aware of the attention, and unbothered by it

The reason for the stares became obvious almost immediately

Emmet, arms folded at the front of the room, had already told them About the duel About how Rhyka, the boy with no core, no mana, had gone toe to toe with Nero, the sixteen year old noble sitting at the cusp of Rank 3 About how he had not only survived but impressed him

The class had been left reeling

For weeks they'd been coming to terms with Rhyka's difference His precision, his martial instincts, his overwhelming display against Eto, it had already put him above the rest of their age group They had begrudgingly accepted that he was the strongest among them, even if his path wasn't magic

But Nero was another story

A noble A prodigy A Rank 2 nearing Rank 3 at only sixteen Someone who had traveled through the mountains, fought real battles, and carried himself with the arrogance of earned superiority someone who was already capable of fighting mid Rank stage mages

And Rhyka had stood against him

The whispers were still buzzing when he entered, but now they surged louder as the students tried, and failed, to keep them hushed

"He fought Nero Really"

"Emmet said it himself They sparred yesterday"

"Then… what happened"

"Apparently Nero was impressed Actually impressed Can you believe that"

Some of the kids glanced at Rhyka with awe, others with open envy

If Nero was gathering companions to leave the mountain with the caravan, then suddenly, Rhyka wasn't just a boy who had embarrassed Eto, he was someone who had the noble's recognition Someone who would almost certainly be included in that group

And that meant freedom Escape A chance to leave the mountain early, years before most of them would even dream of it

They wanted it

But they also knew it wouldn't be theirs

Most of them didn't even dare to ask outright, but the question hung heavy in the air, would Nero take others too Could they go

The jealousy gnawed at them quietly, resentment buried beneath thin admiration

Eto sat stiffly, her hands tight on her desk, her jaw clenched She still hadn't forgotten the humiliation of being beaten so thoroughly by Rhyka in front of everyone Seeing the class look at him with recognition she used to command left her stomach twisting

Rinnte leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable as always, though his eyes flicked toward Rhyka with quiet calculation

Loretta looked thoughtful, not jealous, her lips pressed together as though already imagining what this meant for her own path

Millis and Hella scowled, their whispers sharp and biting To them, this wasn't just unfair, it was intolerable

But Rhyka

He ignored the whispers Ignored the stares He walked with casual ease straight to his usual place, set his things down, and leaned back slightly as though nothing at all had changed

Inside, though, a faint spark of satisfaction burned

They're jealous Good Let them be

The whispers pressed harder until someone finally spoke

A boy near the middle of the room blurted out, "So, is it true You and Nero did you really fight him"

Dozens of eyes locked onto Rhyka Even those who hated him leaned in unconsciously, waiting for his answer

Rhyka let the silence stretch for a beat, his smirk tugging faintly upward as if weighing just how much to share Then he leaned back, arms folding loosely across his chest

"Most of you already know," he said evenly, golden eyes sweeping across the room "Nero wasn't impressed with you Any of you"

A ripple ran through the class Some faces flushed, others turned away, teeth grinding They all knew it was true, Nero had been polite, but he hadn't hidden his disdain He'd looked them over like livestock, unimpressed with their mana cores, their spells, their progress For all their pride, none of them had matched his standards

Rhyka's smirk deepened

"But with me…" he continued, letting the words hang deliberately, "…we're having a discussion So who knows"

That single phrase landed like a hammer

The students stiffened, the implications ringing in their ears If Rhyka was talking privately with Nero, if Nero saw him as worth negotiating with, then he wasn't just a rival anymore He was a gate A possible key to the only path out of the mountains

Eto's hands tightened around her desk, her knuckles white Jealousy and shame burned through her chest She had tried to convince Nero to let her group in, and he had brushed them aside without hesitation Yet Rhyka Rhyka was already in talks

Rinnte's eyes narrowed slightly, but he gave no reaction beyond that Loretta frowned faintly, her mind clearly already turning over the possibilities

Millis scoffed loudly, muttering, "Discussion More like Nero's humoring him" Hella snickered beside him, but neither dared raise their voice enough for Emmet, or Rhyka, to call them out

The rest of the students were left restless, caught between envy and a faint hope that somehow, through Rhyka, they might still have a chance

Rhyka, for his part, said nothing else He leaned back, casual as ever, letting the tension he'd stirred settle across the room His words had been vague, carefully measured Enough to confirm Nero's disdain for the rest of them Enough to hint at his own special position But not enough for them to know what was actually being planned

And that was exactly how he wanted it