I think I finally understood why Lucia kept her distance from others.

I looked down at the droplets of blood falling to the floor and let out a bitter smile.

This was why Lucia was afraid to form relationships.

She knew how abnormal it was to constantly hurt herself, and she was terrified of someone finding out.

Maybe, despite her twisted preferences, she still felt emotions like any normal person.

Then again, considering she once walked around naked with only a collar and coat because Eugene insisted she at least cover herself, maybe she wasn’t so normal after all.

But I’m not like Lucia.

I’m much more rational than she ever was.

This isn’t self-harm—it’s training.

I’m just performing a self-discipline exercise early in the morning.

Completely normal behavior for an academy student.

And it’s already paid off!

While poking at my wounds, I figured out how to control my ability.

Lucia’s rapid regeneration was, after all, under her control.

She could slow down the healing process or speed it up at will.

I’d been disappointed earlier when wounds healed too quickly, but now I didn’t have to worry about that anymore.

Learning from yesterday’s cleanup disaster, I made sure to do my training—no, my “exercise”—in the bathroom this time.

Cleaning dried blood was a nightmare, so I was careful to avoid making another mess.

Thanks to that, cleanup was quick, and I managed to change into my uniform and finish getting ready for class in no time.

Growl.

Oh, right. I still hadn’t eaten.

I ended up skipping dinner yesterday too.

I really should grab something to eat, but—

I checked the time.

If I didn’t leave immediately, I’d be late for class.

Well, guess I have no choice.

I’ll just have to endure the hunger.

Let’s call it a diet.

Growl…

The hunger pangs twisted my stomach.

…Weirdly enough, it felt kind of good.

“Alright, I’m heading out.”

Even though no one else was in the room, I said it anyway before opening the dormitory door.

◈

Dawn’s Blade unfolds around a simple premise.

Monsters from another dimension—the Beasts of the Beyond.

Impossible to reason with.

Impossible to negotiate with.

To resist these creatures, humanity established the academy.

Only those with supernatural abilities could fight back.

That’s why every single supernatural ability user was required to enroll in the academy.

Of course, the academy also taught regular subjects—

Language, math, science, history…

But those weren’t the main focus.

The most important part of the curriculum?

Combat.

In the end, the academy’s top priority was training students to be stronger fighters.

Most morning classes, like today, were practical combat training.

“Hey! No chatting. Focus!”

A sharp voice rang out, silencing the chattering students.

The speaker was a stunning woman in a red tracksuit—

Angelica, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-A, which I was part of.

The day before I possessed Lucia was the entrance ceremony.

Classes had ended early after brief introductions.

Yesterday was all theory.

But today was different.

Today marked the real start of academy life.

“This is just a simple ability assessment, so don’t get too nervous.”

Angelica spoke while chewing on an unlit cigarette like it was gum.

She wasn’t actually smoking—

Smoking during class was against the rules.

But Angelica was such a chain smoker that she couldn’t focus unless she had a cigarette in her mouth.

She pressed the tip of her practice sword into the dirt.

As a teacher at the academy, she was, of course, also a supernatural ability user.

With that simple motion, her ability activated.

The ground trembled, and something rose from the dirt.

A massive wolf statue, sculpted from earth and stone.

Angelica’s ability was Stone.

More specifically, Dominion over the Earth.

Creating a wolf statue—no, a wolf golem—was effortless for her.

“Your task is simple.

Destroy my golem.”

Her voice was firm.

“This is just to evaluate your basic combat abilities.

If you slack off, I’ll crack your skull open.

Not that any of you would dare slack off.”

“Now, Number 1. Step forward.”

Despite her harsh words, Angelica actually cared deeply about her students.

But I was the only one here who knew that.

The others were visibly tense.

I glanced around.

Who was Number 1?

“Number 1—Eugene.”

Of course.

The protagonist.

Eugene stepped forward confidently and faced the wolf golem.

He carried a sword in his right hand.

“Once again, there’s no need to be nervous.

I’m not expecting much from you at this stage.

Just show me what you’ve got.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Angelica locked eyes with Eugene as she spoke.

Eugene nodded briefly in response.

“Begin.”

With Angelica’s command, the motionless statue—or rather, the golem—sprang to life.

It let out a silent roar toward the sky before charging straight at Eugene.

Its speed wasn’t particularly fast.

It might’ve looked threatening to ordinary people, but only to that extent.

Supernatural ability users had enhanced physical capabilities by default, separate from their unique powers.

And Eugene, despite being a first-year, was already exceptional even compared to his peers.

To him, the golem probably looked like it was moving in slow motion.

Slash.

There was no need for flashy techniques.

Eugene’s sword, glowing red-hot, cut cleanly through the wolf golem’s neck in a single stroke.

“Impressive.”

Angelica’s eyes gleamed with interest.

It seemed even she hadn’t expected Eugene’s strike to be that sharp.

I didn’t even see it properly.

One moment, the golem was charging forward—

The next, its head was rolling across the ground.

But the test didn’t end with just one golem.

If Eugene had struggled with the wolf golem, maybe it would’ve stopped there.

But since he defeated it so easily, the evaluation continued without pause.

The next opponent appeared—

A beast with the head of a lion, the tail of a serpent, and wings spread wide on its back.

Wait, a chimera?

From a wolf straight to a chimera?

Isn’t this a bit of a difficulty spike, Angelica?

Was it like this in the original story?

I couldn’t remember the minor details.

Angelica was extremely perceptive when it came to evaluating students’ abilities.

Just from Eugene’s first strike, she’d already gauged his level and summoned an opponent to match.

But it seemed Eugene’s abilities surpassed even her expectations.

The chimera took flight, spreading its wings—

But Eugene didn’t hesitate.

He lunged forward and sliced through its wings with a blinding slash.

Not stopping there, he ignited flames mid-air to change direction—

And in one smooth motion, severed the chimera’s torso.

With only two strikes, he destroyed the chimera golem.

Then, as if asking what was next, Eugene turned to Angelica.

Recognizing his readiness, Angelica kept summoning more golems.

Three more chimeras.

After those, five golems including two gargoyles.

The numbers kept increasing until Eugene was facing thirteen golems at once.

And yet—

He didn’t falter.

His movements were precise and controlled, never wasting energy.

Flames danced along his sword as he cut through his enemies.

He used bursts of fire on his limbs to pivot mid-attack, shifting direction effortlessly.

Eugene’s supernatural ability was Pyrokinetics—the ability to manipulate fire with his mind.

His raw firepower ranked among the best in the academy.

Combined with his advanced swordsmanship, he was nearly unstoppable.

Even Angelica’s intentionally weakened golems, meant only for evaluation, couldn’t hold up against him.

Eventually, the final golem shattered into pieces and crumbled back into dirt.

“Good. That’s enough. Well done.”

With Angelica’s signal, Eugene bowed slightly and stepped back.

He was sweating a little but showed no signs of exhaustion.

I stared at the crimson-tinged sword in his hand.

A blade imbued with fire.

It didn’t just cut—it burned, searing flesh from the inside out.

The sword itself wasn’t magical.

It was a technique Eugene had developed through study and practice.

Getting slashed by that would hurt.

A lot.

Terrifying.

Just being cut by a blade is painful enough, but adding fire into the mix?

Burns.

I remembered reading somewhere that burns were one of the most excruciating types of pain a human could experience.

When skin burns and nerve endings are damaged, the pain can be so intense that people can’t even scream properly.

What would it feel like to actually burn?

I glanced at my arm.

Earlier, when I cut myself with the dagger, it stung and burned slightly.

But what about real fire?

What would it feel like to have my flesh charred and my nerves fried?

The thought sent a chill down my spine—

And yet, it also made my fingertips tingle.

I couldn’t take my eyes off Eugene’s sword.

As he flicked the blade clean and sheathed it, I finally snapped out of my daze.

No.

I need to be careful.

Eugene’s personality made it unlikely that he’d ever attack me.

But you never know.

Better safe than sorry.

Gulp.

Ugh.

Maybe skipping breakfast was a mistake.

My mouth kept watering.

I watched Eugene return to his seat, unable to tear my gaze away from his sword.