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"Welcome Class I will be your Combat Class professor from now on till the end of the year. My name is Professor Conrad.

" A man in a military uniform spoke in a stern voice; he was a strong built tall man at 6ft 2. He had a buzz cut and a scar running down his left eye, leaving it closed.

nJace looked at me scared like he was going to fail this class.

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"Don't worry you'll be fine, believe in your training.

" I whispered, making his shoulders drop relaxed.

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"I want all 30 of you in a straight line now!

" he shouted and we all rushed into a straight line. He paced up and down studying our faces.

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"Now step forward if you have any combat experience.

" More than half of the class stepped forward, including Jace and I.

nThe room we were in was spacious and had lots of weapons and punching bags, as well as a ring at the edge of it, for sparring and fights.

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"Okay that's about more than half of you, good. Get back in line. As this is the first day of your combat class, I will teach you basic defense and attacking.

" He got himself into a fighting pose, putting one leg in front of the other and keeping both of his clenched fists near his face.

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"This is the basic fighting stance I want you to implement. When defending, I want you to block your face and head using your arms as cover. Add head movement and slips to make the other opponent miss.

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"Actually, I need someone to help me with a demonstration. Someone who's got decent combat experience. You, come to the front.

" he pointed at Jace, who gulped in fear. He pushed me forward, trying to show that the professor pointed at me and not him.

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"Not you eyepatch, the other one behind you. Come to the front, you raised your hand before.

" he said pointing his index finger at Jace and issuing him to come to the front of the class. Some students sniggered as they thought Jace was weak.

nIn fact during our break he hadn't missed a single day of training. I drilled the basics and fighting instincts into him so now he could probably take care of himself and his crush.

nThe incident of his 'berserk unconscious' state also didn't happen again (that's what we decided to call it after discussing its features) which didn't help in identifying why it happened or what triggered it.

nI smiled at Jace and pushed him forward to the front of the class. He looked at me scared but when he faced the military professor head on his face became serious, I taught him to always stay calm before confronting your opponent and observe.

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"Okay, now I want you to defend while I throw what's called a jab. The jab is a basic and core punch that helps you determine distance and the timing you should use your dominant hand.

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"Ready kid?

" Jace nodded and got into a southpaw stance, keeping his right hand at a right angle below his stomach and keeping his left hand near his face.

nThe professor gave a wry smile before throwing a rapid succession of jabs, they whistled through the air with speed.

nJace looked like a blur as he shoulder rolled some and blocked other ones, he managed to evade them all. Then at the end he threw his own counter jab making contact with the professor's face. He stumbled back holding his cheek.

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"I'm so sorry professor, it happened on instinct.

" Jace apologised.

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"Good punch kid. Never apologise for being better, remember that kids. There's no space for feeling sorry on the battlefield.

" As the professor said that he looked around to teach the kids a lesson, Jace turned his head towards me and gave me a smile of accomplishment.

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"Good Job kid, get back in line. Now I want you all to find a partner, one of you will defend the same way this kid just did here, slip, dodge or block, practise them all, while the other person will practise the jab. Is that clear?

"

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"Yes sir!!

"

n**

nJace's jabs were sharp, the whistles in the air even made heads turn to admire his skill, I dodged them successfully with my hands in my pockets, of course I had to flex a little.

nI honestly did not want to be in this boring class and the sooner I got kicked out the better.

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"You with the eye patch, come here.

" Everyone stopped to look at the professor.

nI approached him and stared at him in a standoff.

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"What's your name?

" he asked sternly, not backing down from my condescending stare.

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"Zeref Amara.

"

nHe paled for a couple seconds before breaking the silence with a series of coughs, he was part of the military so he knew who I was.

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"It's an honour to meet you young hunter.

" he offered to shake my hand and I did.

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"Do you mind if we have a light spar, I know you must be bored by these basics. I've always been intrigued by your inhuman battle prowess. If you manage to beat me I'll let you skip these combat classes; Now pick a weapon.

" He proceeded to unsheath a katana blade. So this guy was a combat freak, Great.

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"Whilst for the rest of you, you can choose to watch and learn or continue your training.

" Of course they wouldn't want to miss out on such an important demonstration they gathered around the ring, that we stepped in. It was huge, a 10 metre by 10 metre box.

nI pulled out Rakeria's enchanted dagger from my dimension ring and spun the beautiful black dagger around my fingers, earning some 'OOooo's and 'AAAhh's.

nI didn't care if I looked arrogant or whatever, I never planned on going to school. If not for my mother I wouldn't even be here.

nThe sergeant shouted a battle cry as he swung down with his Katana. I dodged effortlessly and stepped around him. I wrapped around him like a snake and pointed the black dagger against his neck.

nHe broke my grip by elbowing me in the stomach. I retreated back to a safe distance, Sweat poured down the professor's face like he had tasted death.

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"You weren't hesitating to kill young hunter.

" he said, panting and wiping his sweat with his collar.

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"No sir.

"

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"Good! Now this is a fight!

" he laughed hysterically and charged at me like a madman. What a weirdo...

nI dodged his swings swiftly, then roundhouse kicked his head as a perfect counter. He stumbled back and fell to the floor, this didn't stop his momentum as he picked himself up immediately like he had done it millions of times and charged at me again.

nI kicked the blade out of his hand making him unarmed, then quickly grabbed his right arm and shoulder rolled him to the ground. He tried to get up but I kept him down by jumping on top of him; I lined the black dagger against his throat and stared at him with my one eye.

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"I surrender.

" the sergeant tapped my arm.

nI could hear a couple 'Boo's' as the students were disappointed with how quickly it ended and how bad the professor looked compared to me, they wanted a show and what I gave them was a 1 round finish.

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"Thank you for sparring with me Professor Conrad, I shall take my leave.

" I smiled, dragging Jace with me as we left the classroom.

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"Nice job, you even held back. Where are we going?

" Jace asked.

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"To Xanxus's office.

"

n**

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"Come in, come in kids.

" Xanxus gestured us to come inside. The principal's room was quite plain, Xanxus sat behind a darkwood desk and antique glass windows let light in through the back.

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"Rakell you can leave, attend to the remaining paperwork.

" he ordered and Rakell - his assistant - left the room hugging her clipboard tightly.

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"To what do I owe this visit?

" Xanxus asked, playing with a small ice ball in his hands.

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"Xanxus, I need a private chrono chamber facility to train.

" I said.

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"Wait, what? Firstly, it's Principle Xanxus to you and secondly, are you out of your mind?

" He looked at me with annoyed eyes.

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"I left the combat class because there was no challenge, it's an utter waste of time. I'm only staying here till the year ends, then I'm moving, so I need to utilise my time correctly.

"

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"What do you mean you're staying here till the year ends?

" Xanxus was about to speak but Jace asked first, almost at the edge of his seat.

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"Yeah, I've already planned it all. I'm going to travel to different kingdoms for experience. The Elven kingdom is next on my list; I'm not going to waste my time being trapped here serving the royal family blindly.

"

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"What… What about your mum? What will she say?

" Jace asked glumly, he knew there was no talking me out of it.

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"I'll think about it when the time comes, but for now only you two know about my plan. I don't want the others to worry yet.

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"Back to what I was saying I need a chrono chamber asap plus I need you to remove some lessons from my timetable. Mana manipulation class is a waste of time and so is combat class, if you could remove them and leave me with gap periods that would help a lot.

"

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"Anything else you want sir, maybe a 5 star ensuite or a diamond coated bed. Who do you think you are, making all these demands? Watch yourself young man, I may be scared of you half of the time but I have a role to play as the principal.

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"Do you think it will be fair If I treat you special and differently from the other kids. Zeref I respect you but don't go past the limit. You're only a student here, You're not a king. Lastly, 300 points will be deducted from you for your insolent behaviour.

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"I'll allow you to skip Combat classes, but attend every other class. I made a promise to your mother to help you study. Don't make me break my promise and as for your plan, I recommend you think it through for the sake of your mother.

" Xanxus's speech was long but it hit me hard.

nI thought he'd listen and understand my situation but it turned out differently.

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"Jace, let's go.

" I said walking out of the door.

nI guess he was right. I'm not a king anymore, I should lose the arrogant attitude.

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