Humbled

All the students in Kaito’s group were in the colosseum stands. There were even some other students who arrived after hearing that a mock battle was happening. The fight between Evona and Clenn was happening.

“Ugh, why is he like this!” Kana complained in the stands, sitting beside Iori and Kaito.

“I don’t know. He seemed kinda insufferable, so this was bound to happen,” Kaito analyzed the situation. “Plus, Evona said she didn’t mind.”

“But still…” Kana replied.

A teacher was overseeing the battle and acting as judge. Giving the signal to commence, the fight started.

“If I’m going to be like Ace, then there’s no way I’m going to lose to you,” Clenn announced as the battle initiated.

Evona started with a direct approach, rushing towards Clenn on all fours. Clenn responded by firing off two small fireballs from each hand. The attacks landed, sending Evona back slightly, but as they weren’t that strong, Evona shook them off.

“Oh, I wasn’t expecting him to be a magic user,” said Kaito.

“Yeah, Clenn’s is a Buccaneer, though he’s still in training just like me,” Kana stated.

A Buccaneer is a magic user who fights more in close-quarters combat. They often use magic guns and focus more on maneuvering around while attacking, though Clenn doesn’t have his own yet.

Evona continued her approach, but this time she got in closer while circling Clenn.

Clenn had a distressed face. It seems like he was struggling to adapt to Evona’s speed. He would fire off some fireballs occasionally, but none hit Evona. Evona was closing in, and he felt like he needed to do something.

Clenn started gathering flames together to create a large fireball. When it was big enough, he held it up and waited for the right moment.

Evona didn’t want to let him charge up an attack, so she rushed directly to him, but when she arrived, he was already done.

“GOT YOU!!!” Clenn yelled, slamming the fireball down in front of him where Evona was.

Clenn breathed heavily, waiting to see the damage he had done to Evona. The flames dispersed, and to Clenn’s surprise, Evona was not there! She had pivoted behind Clenn and was charging up an attack of her own.

Activating her Body Enhancement skill, she struck Clenn’s side with a wide swing. It sent Clenn spiralling, hitting the ground occasionally mid-launch.

Clenn was down but not out. He got up as quickly as he painfully could, only to be greeted by Evona, who was in range for another strong attack.

Evona's leg swept the slouched-over Clenn, sending him to the ground. In quick order, Evona then slammed her fists down on Clenn’s stomach.

“OOoooohhh…” voices could be heard in the crowd. Everyone felt that one.

“Evona wins the match!” the teacher ended the one-sided battle.

From the crowd, Iori started clapping, while Kana facepalmed at Clenn’s failure. Kaito smirked as the humbled Clenn got what he deserved.

“Good job, Evona!” Iori yelled from the crowd.

Evona, whose attention was drawn to Iori, waved happily.

It was an eventful first day, but it was short-lived as another theoretical class had snuck up on Kaito. It was the next day, and their class was about the races in Taelesta. At least this time, Kaito found it interesting due to one specific race. He found himself humbled as he thought he wouldn’t get invested in a lesson.

*            *            *

There are four categorized races in Taelesta. The Sapiens, Beastfolk, Elves, and Demons:

The Sapiens include all the humanoid races that lack the distinct features or skills of the other races. Some Sapiens include Humans, Dwarves, and Giants.

The Beastfolk come in a large variety, but they are all grouped by their resemblance to animals. Examples of beastfolk races include the catfolk, wolfmen, lizardmen, and harpies.

The Elves are similar to the Sapiens, with their defining difference being their aptitude for blessings. These blessings can give birth to new skills, as well as unique, hereditary skills. As others try to abuse their power, they all live ostracized from the other races.

The Demons are similar to the Beastfolk but are different since they bear resemblances to monsters. They tend to succumb to monsters’ violent instincts, causing them to be banished to their own realm.

*            *             *

The race that caught Kaito's interest was the demon race of the Dragonkin.

They were one of, if not the strongest, races known. That explained why he got, well, mauled by Mauld, who was undoubtedly one of the Dragon Generals. The stuff on his body that was thought to be black armor was scales.

“I wonder what the Dragon Generals are doing now that the relic has been destroyed,” Kaito thought.

There was also the fact that Kaito literally owned a baby dragon. Sure, it hasn’t hatched yet, and Rachael was still taking care of it, but one of the strongest races was right in front of him.

“Maybe the dragon egg could single-handedly take out the Dragon Generals,” Kaito continued to brainstorm. “Is that what it’s supposed to do when it hatches?”

Kaito’s thoughts were immediately impeded by his wanting to see his baby again. He started smiling giddily as if he were coddling the egg from within the classroom.

“Kaito…” a voice called out to him. “KAITO!!!”

Iori finally got his attention, snapping him out of his daydreaming.

“Class is over,” Iori informed Kaito. “Let’s go! I want to work on more skills!”