Chapter 202: The Other Freshmen

The invitation arrived during lunch.

Noah was halfway through his meal when Damien placed a folded sheet of paper on the table.

"What’s that?" Noah asked.

"An announcement from the freshman coordinators."

Eric immediately leaned forward.

"Please tell me it’s another tournament."

"Read it yourself."

Noah unfolded the paper.

The announcement described an upcoming Freshman Squad Exercise, a series of supervised training matches intended to help students improve their teamwork and combat adaptability. Squads could register for practice sessions against other teams, with instructors providing feedback afterward.

It wasn’t an official tournament.

There were no permanent rankings at stake.

But the winning squads would receive priority access to several advanced training facilities for the following week.

Eric’s eyes practically lit up.

"Now we’re talking."

Sophia took the paper from Noah.

"It’s optional."

"Why would anyone make something like this optional?"

"Because some people have other responsibilities," Damien replied.

Eric ignored him.

"We should register."

Noah leaned back.

"We’ve only just started fixing our formation."

"Exactly. This is how we test it."

Laura considered the announcement.

"He has a point. Training against the same people every day won’t prepare us for different fighting styles."

Luna nodded.

"I want to try it."

Sophia looked at Noah.

"Your decision."

Noah reread the announcement.

He wasn’t interested in chasing every opportunity to prove himself. He had already learned how quickly ambition could become recklessness.

But this exercise offered something useful.

Experience.

"All right," he said. "We’ll register."

Eric raised both fists.

"Yes!"

"One condition," Noah added.

Eric lowered his arms cautiously.

"What condition?"

"We train properly beforehand. No rushing into matches just because you want to win."

Eric sighed.

"You’re ruining the celebration."

"Good."

The registration office was located on the ground floor of Valhalla’s administration building.

By the time Squad Seven arrived, several other teams were already signing up.

Noah recognized Maria Billu near the counter. Zelen Kane stood beside her, while Zane Nomid and Torino were discussing the available training sessions.

Maria spotted them.

"You’re registering too?"

Eric grinned.

"Obviously."

"Good. I was hoping we’d get another match."

Zelen folded his arms.

"Don’t assume the result will be the same."

Eric pointed at him.

"That’s exactly what someone says when they’re worried."

"That’s exactly what someone says when they have nothing intelligent to contribute."

"See? You’re already nervous."

Zane stepped between them before the argument could develop.

"We’ll settle it in the arena."

Torino nodded toward Noah.

"Looking forward to seeing how your formation develops."

"So are we," Noah replied.

The two squads completed their registrations.

As they left the office, Noah noticed several unfamiliar squad numbers on the registration board. Squads from across the freshman group had signed up, including teams that hadn’t participated prominently in the earlier evaluation.

It reminded him that Valhalla was much larger than the small circle of people he had become accustomed to.

There were other students with ambitions, abilities, and reasons for being here.

Some would become friends.

Some would become rivals.

And some might never interact with him beyond a passing greeting.

That was simply how an academy worked.

Later that afternoon, Noah found Elias near the central staircase.

Elias was carrying a stack of books when he noticed the registration slip in Noah’s hand.

"Freshman Squad Exercise?"

Noah nodded.

"Looks useful."

"It is, provided you treat every match as a lesson rather than a verdict on your abilities."

Noah smiled.

"Everyone seems determined to give me advice lately."

"Then perhaps you should start charging for listening."

Noah laughed.

Elias continued down the staircase, leaving Noah to join his teammates outside.

The exercise would begin in two days.

Squad Seven had time to prepare, refine their formation, and study their potential opponents.

For the first time in a while, Noah was looking forward to a challenge without feeling that failure would cost him everything.

It was just another opportunity to improve.

And that was enough.

The first thing Noah noticed about the freshman training hall was that nobody seemed particularly interested in following the schedule.

A group near the entrance argued over who had forgotten their equipment. Two students were comparing their mana readings, while another squad had occupied an entire bench despite having only brought enough food for half its members.

Valhalla’s freshmen were apparently united by one thing.

Nobody wanted to admit they were unprepared.

"Remind me why we’re here early," Eric muttered.

"Because you complained that we weren’t training enough," Sophia replied.

"I complain about a lot of things. You don’t have to listen to all of them."

Noah laughed as they entered the hall.

The Freshman Squad Exercise was scheduled to begin in two days, and the academy had opened several practice arenas for registered teams. Squad Seven had decided to use the opportunity to observe other freshmen before their own matches.

It was a sensible plan.

At least, it had been until Eric spotted Maria.

"Squad One!"

Maria turned from a nearby equipment rack. Zelen, Zane, and Torino were with her.

Eric approached them immediately.

"Ready to lose your second match?"

Zelen looked up from adjusting his gloves.

"Do you ever speak without challenging someone?"

"Not when the opportunity presents itself."

"Then this must be difficult for you."

Eric grinned.

Noah caught Damien shaking his head.

"Those two are going to give us headaches," Damien said.

"They already do," Sophia replied.

Before the argument could continue, a whistle sounded across the hall.

An instructor stood on the central platform.

"Registered squads may use the practice arenas in their assigned time slots. Do not interfere with another team’s session, and remember that these are training facilities, not tournament grounds."

His gaze lingered on Eric and Zelen.

"That instruction applies to everyone."

Both boys suddenly found something else to look at.

Noah smiled.

They moved toward an available arena, but a nearby group caught his attention. Four students were gathered around a practice dummy, arguing over the best way to approach it.

One girl had tied her hair back and was explaining something with increasingly animated gestures. A tall student beside her appeared unconvinced.

"We can’t keep attacking from the same direction," she insisted.

"Why not? It worked yesterday."

"Against one opponent. The exercise has three."

The remaining two students exchanged a look that suggested this wasn’t the first time they’d heard the argument.

Noah watched as the girl demonstrated a different approach. Her teammates hesitated, but eventually followed her instructions.

Their first attempt failed.

Their second was better.

By the third, they had managed to surround the dummy without leaving an obvious opening.

"That’s interesting," Laura remarked.

Noah nodded.

"They’re learning to adjust."

"Everyone here is," Damien said. "That’s the point of the exercise."

They continued observing the hall.

Some squads relied on overwhelming offensive power. Others moved cautiously, prioritizing defense. One team appeared to have excellent individual fighters but struggled whenever their formation broke apart.

Noah recognized that problem.

Squad Seven had faced it only days earlier.

Watching other teams struggle made their own progress feel less unusual. They weren’t the only freshmen still learning how to work together.

They were simply further along in some areas and behind in others.

"Let’s train," Noah said.

Eric immediately raised his sword.

"Finally."

Their session began with a simple exercise.

Each member had to respond to an unexpected change in the formation without waiting for Noah to give an order.

The first attempt was messy.

Luna moved too early, Damien covered the wrong opening, and Eric nearly collided with Sophia.

They stopped.

Eric stared at the others.

"I’m beginning to think this formation has a personal grudge against me."

"It doesn’t," Sophia replied. "You’re just predictable."

"That’s worse."

Noah laughed, then raised his sword.

"Again."

They repeated the exercise.

And again.

Gradually, their movements improved. Noah stopped trying to direct every decision and focused instead on recognizing when the formation needed his intervention.

It was harder than he expected.

Giving orders was easy.

Trusting others to make the right decision without him was more difficult.

But each successful attempt made the process feel a little more natural.

When they finally stopped, Laura looked satisfied.

"That’s the best we’ve done so far."

Damien nodded.

"We’re improving."

Noah glanced toward the other arenas, where the remaining freshmen continued training.

Two days remained before the exercise.

They weren’t ready for everything Valhalla could throw at them.

But they didn’t need to be.

They only needed to keep learning.

And, for once, Noah was content to do exactly that.