Chapter 125: I thought It’d Be Boring Day Today. But That Boy... He Might Actually Be Fun

Words : 1073 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 125: I thought It’d Be Boring Day Today. But That Boy... He Might Actually Be Fun His eyes scanned the edge of the forest. No more movement. The fight was over. For now. Mei looked over at him. Her eyes didn’t hold surprise. Just quiet understanding. She didn’t ask anything. She just nodded once. And Ethan nodded back. They didn’t need to speak. Sera stepped closer, still catching her breath. "That... that was insane." The air still smelled faintly of scorched leaves and smoke. The ground was torn in places where claws had raked and feet had pivoted. But the lions were gone—some fled, others down. None remained to fight. Mei exhaled softly and turned away, checking the surroundings again like she didn’t trust the silence. But nothing moved. Even the wind seemed to have calmed. Ethan hadn’t relaxed yet. His body was still on edge, just in case. But somewhere behind the simulation... —In the real world— Inside the control chamber, Mr. Halden stood in front of a curved glass screen. Lines of data streamed down one side while the other half replayed what had just happened in the forest. He stood with his arms folded, eyes narrowed slightly. Behind him, the woman in white—the one who had arrived without announcement—watched the footage with her chin slightly tilted, one hand resting on her hip. Neither of them spoke for a while. The screen replayed the moment Ethan stepped forward, when he dropped his illusions and fought the lion head-on. Mr. Halden finally broke the silence. "That wasn’t in his profile." The woman smiled slightly. Not a full smile—just the corner of her lip twitching. "No, it wasn’t." Mr. Halden didn’t sound angry, more like someone updating a mental file. He adjusted a dial near the base of the console, rewinding the moment when Ethan’s fist met the lion’s chest. The impact wave, the precision, and control didn’t look like someone who relied only on illusions. It looked like someone trained for real combat. "He didn’t flinch," the woman murmured. Mr. Halden didn’t respond. He just rewound again, this time slowing it frame by frame. The woman took a small step forward, her heels silent on the floor. "Do you think he’s hiding his real rank?" "No," Mr. Halden said after a second. "That wasn’t a rank issue. It was instinct. Muscle memory. Timing. You don’t get that from a power awakening. That comes from practice." Her gaze didn’t leave the screen. "Then who taught him?" "No records," Mr. Halden replied, almost too quickly. "At least, none I’ve seen. Either he learned from someone off the books, or..." He trailed off. The woman waited. "Or?" Mr. Halden gave a small shake of the head. "Or he taught himself." The room fell quiet again. Outside, the simulation continued, but they weren’t watching it anymore. The only person on the screen now was Ethan, standing in the middle of the battlefield like nothing had happened. The woman finally turned away. "Interesting." Mr. Halden glanced at her. "That’s all?" She shrugged. "What else do you want me to say?" He raised an eyebrow. "You came here to evaluate someone else. Are you switching targets now?" "Maybe." She smiled, more openly this time. "I thought I’d be bored today. But that boy... he might actually be fun." Mr. Halden sighed and turned back to the monitor. He tapped a button, switching the view to diagnostic readings. Muscle strain, magical output, and heart rate patterns. All within normal range. Too normal. He rubbed his temple and muttered, "What the hell are you hiding, kid?" —Back in the simulation— The forest slowly returned to quiet. The smoke faded. The heat left behind from the lions started to cool. Ethan sat on a rock near the edge of the clearing, arms resting on his knees. His breathing had evened out, but his shirt was torn at the sleeve, and a thin line of dried blood was visible on his arm. Sera had already tried to patch it up once during the fight, but now she crouched beside him, inspecting the injury more carefully. "I’ll apply a full heal," she said gently. "You’re still bruised underneath." Ethan didn’t argue. He just nodded once. A soft glow spread from her glyphs again, soothing and warm. The pain faded in seconds. Mei sat nearby, sharpening one of the broken sticks with a knife she must’ve been carrying the whole time. She didn’t speak much, but her eyes kept darting toward Ethan. Eventually, Sera spoke again. She was quieter this time. "Back there... when you fought the talking lion..." Ethan didn’t look up. "...you didn’t use your illusions," she continued. "I didn’t need to," Ethan replied simply. Sera blinked. "But—" "I knew they wouldn’t work forever," he added. "Illusions are useful. But not against everything. Especially not something like that." Sera sat down fully now, folding her legs. "So you’ve been training?" Mei glanced up, finally speaking. "For how long?" Ethan leaned back slightly, letting his head tilt toward the sky. "A while." That was all he said at first. Then, after a second, he added, "Long enough to know that in a real fight, powers don’t save you if your body can’t keep up." Sera nodded slowly. "You don’t trust your ability?" "I do," he said. "But I don’t rely on it." Mei looked thoughtful. "Smart." Sera tilted her head. "You didn’t show any of that in class. Or when you fought against Lucas." "I didn’t need to then either," he said. "And showing off doesn’t help me." Sera opened her mouth like she wanted to say something more, but paused. Then she just nodded. "Makes sense." They sat in silence for a bit. The wind picked up slightly, brushing through the trees and carrying the scent of moss and burned leaves. It was calmer now. Peaceful even. The simulation hadn’t ended yet, but there was a sense that the worst part had passed. Mei stood and stretched her arms. "We should rest while we can." Ethan agreed. "We’ll move again in twenty minutes." Sera looked between them, then smiled faintly. "I thought you were just a quiet illusion guy." Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Disappointed?" "No," she said, shaking her head. "Not at all." He gave a faint smirk. Mei didn’t say anything, but she glanced his way again. Her expression didn’t change, but her posture did. Slightly more relaxed now.

Chapter 125: I thought It’d Be Boring Day Today. But That Boy... He Might Actually Be Fun

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