"Oh, that's interesting," said Lisa.
"Is one of them from a family you know?" asked Clément with curiosity.
"Actually, both of them," she replied. "Kim, the girl, comes from the Blim family. They're a mid-tier fighting family—not particularly famous—but her grandfather was quite remarkable. He reached Rank 4, and people used to say he could almost hold his own against Rank 5 fighters. On the other hand, Jason is from the Miles family. Now that's a renowned lineage. Almost every member of that family has an affinity with the water element. Their reputation started to soar about a hundred years ago, when one of their own reached Rank 6. And you know who I'm talking about—James Miles."
Of course, at the mention of the name Miles, everyone immediately thought of James Miles. He was considered a legend in Asturies, often regarded as the strongest Rank 6 fighter in recorded history. His name alone carried immense weight. He was also well-known for having fathered many children, and some people even said that was the reason why there were so many water-element users across Asturies. The elemental affinity was known to be highly heritable, more so than weapon affinity, and far more than power rank. Fighters with a talent rank above B+ were often seen as genetic anomalies. In most cases, their children wouldn't inherit the same high potential.
Jason and Kim now stepped into position.
Frank, the instructor, raised his hand and announced the start of the match.
Without hesitation, both fighters charged straight at each other. They both went for a straight punch, but Kim was just a bit too slow. Jason's fist connected first, landing a clean hit, while Kim's strike missed entirely. She staggered back a couple of steps, but Jason gave her no time to recover. He spun around and delivered a devastating spinning kick directly to her face. Kim crashed to the ground.
Before she could get up, Jason closed the distance, clearly intending to end the fight with a brutal diving elbow. But Frank swiftly intervened and stopped him just in time.
"The winner is Jason," announced the instructor as he knelt beside Kim to help her back up and guide her toward the spectators.
"Well… that was quick," Clément muttered.
"Well, Jason is expected to become the next head of the Miles family," Lisa commented. "He's considered the most talented of his generation."
In Asturies, family leadership wasn't passed down based on seniority or bloodline alone. It was determined by strength. The child of the previous leader rarely inherited the title unless they could prove themselves as the strongest among their kin.
The following match wasn't particularly noteworthy.
Arthur went up against Sarah. Neither of them came from a wealthy or prestigious fighting family.
"He's probably the strongest student in our year… if we don't count Darian," Clarck whispered to Lisa.
Clément already knew this. Unlike most students, he had taken a genuine interest in Arthur from the beginning. Unfortunately, the fight wasn't very entertaining. Sarah was completely overwhelmed by Arthur's speed and strength. She had no choice but to assume a purely defensive stance and endured a flurry of blows for twenty agonizing seconds before collapsing.
"Poor Sarah…" murmured many in the crowd with sympathy.
"Next up… Phoenix versus Isabelle," Clément announced, watching the two step confidently into the arena.
"I wonder how strong you actually are, Phoenix," Élio thought to himself, filled with curiosity and anticipation.
The two fighters quickly got into position.
Frank, as usual, signaled the start of the match.
Isabelle was the first to make a move, opening with a series of jabs. Phoenix responded shortly after, managing to gain the upper hand, but...
"Wait a second… why is he performing so poorly?" Élio thought, eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.
"Well, I guess his technique doesn't quite match his ego," Arthur commented, which made most of the students laugh.
Phoenix heard the laughter. He knew very well they were laughing at him. Over the past few weeks of classes, he had carried himself with a constant air of superiority—placing himself above everyone else except Darian, whom he saw as his only true rival.
"He is the son of a wealthy merchant, after all. Probably a bit too spoiled," Clarck remarked casually.
"That's alright. We all have to start somewhere," Clément responded in a calm, reassuring tone.
Despite everything, Phoenix still managed to win his match. Isabelle, like Kim before her, wasn't exactly a skilled fighter either. The match lacked technical finesse on both sides, but Phoenix's physical advantage gave him just enough of an edge to claim victory.