The Academy's air felt different on Saturday morning.

It was almost like the Academy was a never-stopping train that was always in motion, driving towards a certain destination and finally, after five days of non-stop travel, it finally slowed down for refueling.

And in this context, refueling was the weekend.

It felt like Nexus Academy had a total servicing, cleansing it of all the old oil and grease, and replacing it with new gears and machinery.

On Saturday, the first of the two weekend days, Nexus Academy gave the freshers a breath of fresh air.

Gone was the rigid cadence of weekday bells and professor lectures.

Instead, the sprawling courtyards thrummed with scattered excitement, nobles striding with smug confidence toward their gleaming electives, commoners rushing nervously in small clusters, and the scholarship survivors moving in silence, still carrying the shadow of the massacre.

They had just finished their first lecture week since getting admission into the best and highest rated martial Academy of humanity, and now, they were about to experience their first weekend since lecture started.

There was a saying in Nexus Academy- Weekdays are for Professors, Weekends are for Electives.

"Finally, electives!" Mira muttered excitedly at Kairo's side, adjusting the strap of her dagger holster. "You ready?"

Just like Kairo, she also choose the dagger subclass. Afterall, from the beginning, she was always a dagger user, a perfect foil to complement her dual abilities as an Awakened.

And unlike Kairo, she didn't need Professor Elara's urging to choose dagger as her first elective course.

As soon as Mira asked, Kairo grunted, rolling his shoulders. His body was still thin from constant hunger, but his steps carried a rhythm of expectation. "Let's just see what this Kaelith guy's got".

"I still like what he taught us during the last class when Professor Elara made us choose our electives, I want to see what we'll do today".

"Hopefully, Professor Elara was right".

All around them, nobles preened.

Some bragged about choosing Arcane Blade Dancing, others sneered about Beast Taming, and more than a few whispered and chuckled as Kairo passed.

"Slumrat thinks he belongs in a specialization hall?"

"Heh, he'll get eaten alive".

"I still can't believe that country bumpkin actually beat Valek".

"He didn't! He must have cheated, or how else can you explain it? Valek has a God grade ability!"

"You're right, he must have cheated".

Kairo rolled his eyes. At first, he tried to ignore them. Afterall, he'd heard worse and lived worse. But then, feeling mischievious he suddenly paused as soon as the last fresher spoke, before turning slowly and menacingly looking in his direction.

"…"

The freshers froze.

Kairo smiled. "Where you talking about me?"

The fresher frantically looked around as if looking for who was being addressed.

"Yes, you, I'm talking to you," Kairo grinned.

"M-me? Of course not, n-n-no, I was talking about myself".

"Good," Kairo smile widened.

Seeing what he did, Mira chuckled as he shook her head. "I think someone is beginning to develop some pride".

"What? I earned it," Sam shrugged with a smug grin on his face. "I beat their champion afterall".

They continued towards where the dagger hall awaited them.

There, a familiar long and narrow hall with low-hung lamps and dark wood greeted them. The atmosphere was different from the bright weapon arenas; it was tighter and quieter, like it was meant to squeeze every breath out of its students.

At the far end stood Instructor Kaelith.

Lean and just as tall as Tuesday, his eyes were as sharp as drawn steel. When the last student shuffled in, Kaelith's voice cut the silence.

"Welcome back to Dagger Mastery".

"Daggers are not for glory, they are for survival," he started.

He let the words hang, his gaze piercing each student like a scalpel.

"Last time was the introductory class. This time, we're diving deeper into the intricacies of Dagger Mastery".

"If you came here to shine, leave. If you came here to live, stay".

The hush was absolute.

Kairo's lips twitched. 'Sounds like he's been in the slums too, or maybe, is that battle experience speaking?'

Kaelith lifted a dull training dagger as he started demonstration. He didn't flourish, he didn't pose, he just moved.

First a blur, a step, then a twist.

Swish!

The practice dummy before him convulsed with wooden groans as pressure points were stabbed, joints twisted, and the throat crushed in less than three seconds since Kaelith moved.

Gasps erupted; a noble girl whispered. "I didn't even see him move…"

Kaelith straightened, looking at them as he let that sink in. "A longsword wins you battles, but a dagger ends them before they even begin."

The next two hours became a crucible.

Kaelith went even harder this time compared to the first class as he stripped them of pretense, forcing students into grueling repetitions… off-hand grips, reverse stabs, wrist locks, low feints into upward cuts.

Every step he taught them was designed for efficiency, not elegance. Every move was aimed at survival.

Sweat poured as the nobles who thought daggers were beneath them stumbled, wrists aching. Some were already beginning to regret picking this elective course.

But Kairo moved differently.

His instincts from a life in the slums, dodging gangs and surviving alleys sharpened each drill. His footwork wasn't textbook, but it was effective. His feints were crude, but unpredictable.

And just like his first class, Kaelith's eyes flicked toward him more than once. This time, he said nothing, but his silence was heavier than praise.

"Enough drilling," Kaelith finally barked. "Pair up. Just like the last time, it's time for combat practice".

"You don't get better by just learning to swing a dagger, you must have a target to direct your ire and skills at to truly grow".

"Don't strike to wound," he reminded. "Strike to survive."

As soon as it started, wooden daggers clacked across the hall as students lunged at each other.

Kairo was paired with a noble boy. He sneered, saying, "This'll be quick," but Kairo could hear the slight trepidation in his voice.

Well, it was quick, but not like the noble boy thought.

The reverse was the case.

The noble lunged, his confidence shallow and form rigid. Kairo saw through it easily as he sidestepped, angled his wrist, and used the boy's momentum to lock him off-balance. One sharp reverse grip strike landed against his exposed neck.

The noble froze, wide-eyed, before Kaelith called. "Point. Again."

They fought thrice, and Kairo won all three times. The last time, he disarmed the boy so cleanly it felt insulting.

Two hours later, the hall reeked of sweat and aching wrists as the students slumped, panting for air.

Kaelith stood tall, unbothered. "What I teach is not elegance, it is efficiency. If you survive three years with me, no battlefield will surprise you."

His gaze lingered on Kairo, steady and unreadable.

"Especially you, boy. The dagger already lives in your hands".

During the last class, Instructor Kaelith also praised Kairo but it was private. This time though, the praise attracted envious gazes from the other students.

Kairo didn't pay them any attention though.

He just thanked his instructor and at the end of the class staggered out of the hall, drenched in sweat, chest heaving.

Inside though, his heart burned with something sharper than exhaustion. The whispers of 'slumrat' were truly beginning to fade into the background. For once, he didn't feel like someone pretending to be a warrior.

He felt like someone walking the path.

His fists clenched tight, knuckles whitening. "One step at a time…"