Chapter Seventy-Two: No Pain, No Gain

  When Alice was called, nerves flickered across her face, but Jace gave her a reassuring smile and a quick nod. She took a deep breath, her fingers brushing the sapphire shard glowing faintly at her chest. The Chimera growled, its eyes narrowing at her approach.

  Alice walked slowly, cautiously, every step deliberate. Blackwood, ever the taskmaster, waved her forward. “Come on, Alice, no time for a stroll. We’ve got a long line of people waiting to face certain death.”

  She shot him a look that could’ve turned him to stone, and Blackwood raised his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright, proceed at your own terrifying pace.”

  Jace smirked. She was definitely getting more comfortable here. It wasn’t that long ago she would’ve frozen under the pressure, but now she glared at teachers like it was just another Tuesday.

  As Alice neared the Chimera, its chains rattled and strained, the beast inching forward. Her nerves were obvious—her hands trembled slightly, and her breath hitched. But then something changed. Jace saw it in the way she squared her shoulders, in the shift of her posture. Fear melted away, replaced by something calmer. More certain.

  The Chimera lunged, its massive jaws ready to tear her apart. But Alice didn’t flinch. Instead, she stretched her arms wide, palms out, her body language a strange mix of surrender and defiance. The Chimera froze mid-charge, its head tilting to the side like a curious dog. A few snickers broke out from the students, but Blackwood silenced them with a sharp gesture. Literally. The room fell into an eerie quiet—Blackwood’s Affinity for Silence working its magic.

  Then, Alice did something no one expected. She began to move her arms in slow, fluid motions, almost like she was performing some kind of interpretive dance. She tucked her head to the side, swaying gently as she circled one hand in the air like a snake. And then, to the confusion of the entire arena, she sat on the floor and kicked out a leg.

  The Chimera approached, so close now it could’ve taken her head off in a single bite. The entire class held its breath.

  But it didn’t attack. Instead, the beast mirrored her movements, lowering its massive head and shifting its body in time with hers. It was bizarre—Alice was lying there, moving in this strange, quiet rhythm, and the Chimera was… following her lead.

  Minutes passed, and the beast seemed to lose interest. With a snort, it turned and padded back to its cage, sitting down with a huff as if the whole affair had been too boring for words.

  The arena was dead silent. Even Blackwood was speechless.

  Slowly, Alice stood and walked back to her spot, dusting off her clothes. She was nearly seated when the applause erupted, loud and chaotic. The Chimera, not a fan of loud noises, snarled and tugged at its chains again, but the moment had passed.

  Alice plopped down next to Jace, shrugging as they stared at her, dumbfounded.

  Jace finally broke the silence. “Care to explain what in the Doctor Doolittle that was?”

  “Oh, I love that movie!” Dex chimed in. “My dad watches it on holos every Christmas.”

  Ell rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but I want to hear Alice’s version.”

  Alice sighed, her gaze lingering on the softly glowing sapphire shard. “You all know my Word of Power is Secrets, but using my spellbook wasn’t an option. It takes too long. I’ve added so much to it, but I barely understand a fraction of what’s in there. The ability makes me gather hidden knowledge, which unlocks new pages. Then I have to decipher them, practice, and actually understand the thing. It’s a slow grind, so that wasn’t going to cut it this time.”

  She paused, her fingers brushing the shard as if testing its pulse. “When I approached it, I got this prompt.”

  Arcane Detection has gained a new aspect: Creature Lore

  Increased perception of creatures, improved communication abilities with monsters born of Chaos, and deeper insight into magical beings.

  Creature Lore has evolved into Creature Intuition

  You don’t know why, but you just know. 10% increased chance to gain unique defensive knowledge when being attacked by creatures that drastically outrank you.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  You are doing great, and I felt this ability would be fitting for you. Use it wisely. The world is a wild place, and you, my Chosen and Hunter of Secrets are my scout and eyes in this mad world.

  “When I got this,” Alice continued, “it triggered with the Chimera. I just… knew it didn’t want to hurt me specifically. It wasn’t malevolent, just irritated. Don’t get me wrong—without the chains, it would’ve killed us all for sport. But at that moment, it was willing to back off once I established myself as a neutral party.”

  Dex tilted his head. “And the weird hand motions?”

  “A sort of acknowledgment,” Alice said with a smirk, “like saying, ‘Hey, I won’t attack you if you don’t attack me.’ It was also a bluff. If it came to it, I’d have fought. But the Chimera respected the gesture.”

  Jace’s mind wandered back to a line from the old poem: A Sapphire for the Scholars’ eyes, quick of wit and mind. Alice might’ve just proven that more than any battle ever could.

  When it was Jace’s turn, he felt the arena’s gaze upon him. Each step toward the ring felt like a step into the jaws of fate, his heart pounding a rapid cadence in his chest. The Chimera’s eyes fixed on him. It lunged, claws slicing through the air with deadly intent. Jace braced himself, trying to summon his power, to feel the familiar surge of energy, but it faltered.

  The Chimera’s blow struck him hard, the impact like a sledgehammer against his body. The force of it knocked the breath out of him and sent him sprawling to the ground, pain exploding through his chest. A moment of silence followed, the arena holding its collective breath. Jace struggled to rise, his vision swimming. The chains around the Chimera clanked ominously, their enchantments the only thing holding the beast’s true power at bay. Even in its restrained state, the Chimera was a force to be reckoned with, a reminder of the ancient giants that once walked the earth, their echoes still haunting the present.

  Dark energy surged through him, covering his wounds. Tendrils of shadow wove through his flesh, knitting the injuries with an eerie efficiency. Embarrassment burrowed into Jace as he stood, every eye on him. The monster attacked again, and this time he braced, letting it hit. The claws tore at him, but again the dark energy mended his injuries almost as quickly as they were inflicted.

  Ability Unlocked - No Pain, No Gain.

  The first rule of fight club… you get hit a lot. Pow, right in the kisser.

  Rate of health regeneration increased by 5%.

  A Hidden Attribute Facet Been Discovered: Health Regeneration.

  Heath Reg will now be added to your Traveler’s Handbook and available for inspection.

  Health Regeneration

  This statistic determines the rate at which one regains their Health.

  Health Regeneration is calculated based on the following Attributes: 70% Constitution, 30% Spirit.

  Current Score: 24

  Blackwood watched, a critical edge in his gaze. “A punching bag, are we? Perhaps more of a pincushion. Looks like you have less of a defense and more of a recovery ability. Those can be fairly powerful at high ranks, but tough to rank up. I don’t envy your path forward.”

  Determined, Jace repeated the process, letting the Chimera strike him again and again. Each blow sent pain lancing through his body, but the dark energy within him surged in response, healing his wounds. The other students looked on, bewildered and awed. Despite the pain, a sense of accomplishment filled him.

  Blackwood stared at him appraisingly. Jace had spent more time recently working on upping his Rank and was currently, one of maybe a dozen Rank Threes in the class.

  He looked closer at his new ability. With each rank, his healing rate increased by 5%. It wasn’t much yet, but Jace could sense the potential simmering beneath the surface. If fully ranked up, even without boosting his Constitution or Spirit Constitution, this ability might shift the balance in ways he hadn’t quite grasped yet. His recovery would be quicker, sharper, especially when paired with his Soul Mend. He could only hope the scaling would reward him later; otherwise, it would remain useful—just not the game-changer he craved.

  The arena buzzed with a chaotic mix of emotions—disbelief hung thick in the air, disgust curled some lips, but there was admiration, too, tucked in the corner of a few gazes. Each hit the Chimera landed had twisted his body in painful, grotesque ways, but with every wound, the dark energy stitched him back together faster, more seamlessly. Bruises faded into nothing; deep cuts shrunk into thin scars. It was as though his flesh had learned the rhythm of destruction and recovery, becoming a more efficient machine with every brutal strike.

  The sight went from amusing, to strange, to macabre.

  Jace channeled his stamina into his aether, fueling his healing, but the effort came at a price. A wave of dizziness hit him, his vision blurring as his aether reserves plummeted.

  And when his health hit rock bottom, when blood pooled beneath him and the spectators’ faces paled, Blackwood’s voice sliced through the tension. “Enough.” The command wasn’t loud, but it rippled through the arena like a shockwave.

  The Chimera snarled as it was pulled back to its cage, a feral beast still hungry for more. Jace stood there, swaying slightly, battered but still standing. His pulse hammered in his ears, but beneath the ache and exhaustion, a deep current of power stirred.

  He blinked as the world came back into focus. The passive healing from Soul Mend had stopped, his aether too drained to sustain it, and now the sharp sting of pain crashed over him. Had his healing been numbing it this whole time? He downed a healing potion, feeling the last of his stubborn wounds reluctantly stitch themselves closed.

  He sat back down. No applause followed—just muffled conversations and lingering stares.

  “Why’s everyone looking at me like that?” His voice was raw with aether drain.

  Alice attempted a smile, though it came with a grimace. Ell shook her head. Dex was the first to break the silence. “You’re an odd one, you know that?”

  Then the next name rang out, hitting Jace like an unexpected jolt, harder than the beast’s blows. He scanned the area, confusion swirling with a flicker of hope.

  From the far end of the arena, a small figure emerged.