Chapter 246: Miho’s Challenge Issue - 2 Chapter 246: Miho’s Challenge Issue - 2 In all Tier-1 fights, no one had been able to gather any truly valuable intel on the students, as most of them still preferred to play conservatively. They hid their trump cards, tested the waters, and avoided unnecessary risks. The only students the spectators and faculty had complete knowledge of were Ronan, Marco, and Lyra. Ronan’s case was obvious—he had fought so many matches that there was little left to hide. As for Lyra, she had been forced to go all out during her clash with the 6th-ranked student, Marco, leaving no room for ambiguity. Marco himself didn’t seem to belong to any noble family. His combat style revolved entirely around a tanky mammoth beast, one that won matches through sheer resilience rather than finesse or burst power. Blow after blow had failed to bring it down, and opponents simply exhausted themselves against it. Surprisingly, Marco had managed to secure the 10th rank through this method alone and would receive rewards for it. Leo had already taken careful note of these three. Aside from Uraan, he didn’t consider anyone else a real threat to Lily. As for himself, the thought of losing never even crossed his mind—at least not to anyone other than Leon. And even then, he was confident that he could manage a fight against him. They had planned to relax on the 8th day of the competition. None of the people they knew were scheduled to fight, and the matches that day were only meant to shuffle rankings within brackets. They weren’t particularly important. But then, Miho’s phone rang. Ting! >Name: Miho >Rank: 890 >Congratulation! You have been selected for a chance to up your student ranking. >Selection Professor: Katherine >Opponent: Aina >Rank: 690 >Time: 10 AM, 8th January, 500 >Special note from professor: >Win the match using your katana, and I might consider taking you as a student. The rest of them leaned in and stared at the notification. The surroundings fell silent for a brief moment before Lily broke it, her brows knitting slightly. "Aina... isn’t she one of the girls who tried to extract information from us?" Leo nodded slowly. One of the girls back then had indeed been named Aina. "She might be the same person," he said after a moment. "But I can’t be sure." Leo then turned his gaze toward Leon. Leon met his eyes and immediately understood what was being asked of him. "Alright," Leon said calmly. "I’ll cast [Lion’s Heart] before she goes into the match." The last thing they wanted was for Miho to feel drowsy in the middle of the fight and lose. That would be embarrassing—and worse, it could completely cut off her path to being taken as a student by Professor Katherine. "Miho!" Lily called out, already on her feet. "Come to the territory quickly. You need to train as much as possible, and I’ll sew you a new Beast Core Holder!" Miho nodded without hesitation, her eyes burning with resolve. She was determined to win using her katana. Victory would mean training alongside Lily, and as her little sister, that was the best thing she could hope for. That night, Miho trained alongside Leon until late. Steel rang again and again in the quiet territory, the air filled with the sound of footsteps, controlled breaths, and the sharp whistle of practice swings. By the time she was completely exhausted, her arms ached—but her grip was steady. When dawn came, Lily presented Miho with a new Beast Core Holder. It was a hand strap fitted with special compartments running along the length of her arm up to the elbow. With both arms equipped, Miho could hold a total of 8 beast cores—enough to cover the most important elemental combinations. A waistband wasn’t viable for her; although the cores interacted with her body, siphoning energy through her waist was far more difficult than through her arms. Lily had sewn the holder carefully, ensuring it hugged the arm snugly without restricting movement or disrupting her attack flow. As for her katana, Leon had used his own credits to purchase a Peak Green-tier weapon for her. The blade had a sleek, lightweight build, forged from sturdy black iron metal. It felt balanced in the hand, neither too heavy nor too light. Any higher in grade, and Miho wouldn’t have been able to handle it properly. Unlike higher-grade natural treasures, which could be consumed by a low-ranked being, tools and weapons needed to align closely with a person’s professional and strength level. In that regard, Miho was a High 2-star being, capable of handling High Green-tier equipment. A single higher grade might temporarily boost her strength, but it would also strain her body. Even so, she was already very close to the top tier of the High 2-star range. Tavian Gridfall used equipment way higher than his strength could allow, but he had meticulously trained himself mentally and professionally to handle the overload, making him strong. With all that in place, Miho was ready. When the day of the match arrived, they quickly finished breakfast. Leon spent another half an hour giving Miho pointers—how to deal with archers, how to close distance, and which elemental combinations worked best when counterattacking other elements. As they headed toward the arena, Leon stayed with Miho until the very last moment before her match. He even followed her into the preparation room. When a guard tried to stop him, Leon calmly displayed his current student ranking. The guard froze, then looked Leon up and down, his eyes widening in astonishment. Leon was among the 3 students who had yet to properly show their faces to the academy. The guard stepped aside immediately, knowing that a 3rd-ranked student wouldn’t cause trouble—and even if he did, he’d be forgiven. That was the privilege of high-ranking students. Moreover, the 8th day of the competition was considered a relief period, so any incident wouldn’t escalate too far. Just 5 minutes before Miho’s match, Leon gently placed his hand on top of her head. Miho’s face flushed scarlet at the contact. His trained, rough hands felt impossibly smooth to her, and her heart skipped despite herself. Then Leon’s expression hardened. His pupils constricted, and his irises burned a bright orange, like miniature suns, as the last trace of dullness vanished. "[Lion’s Heart]," he said quietly. A wave of clarity washed over Miho. Her thoughts sharpened, her breathing steadied, and a powerful sense of confidence surged through her veins. Any lingering fear vanished completely, replaced by a single, unwavering intent—to win. Her focus shifted away from uncertainty and toward victory alone. Leon gave her a few final words of encouragement before leaving the room at the last minute. As he took a seat beside Leo, the host’s amplified voice boomed across the arena. "Our next match is between 2 girls at the higher end of the Tier-4 bracket! They’ve been personally selected by Professor Katherine due to their similar talent abilities! And for those who don’t know who Professor Katherine is—she is the beloved wife of the man we know as the ’Storm’!" At the nickname, cheers erupted like a crashing wave. "Ohhhh! The hero of our academy!" "The best friend of Pyro Pervert!" "One is loyal, and one is a scumbag!" "Wooooo!"