I'm Trapped Inside a Prince as the Most Powerful Entity-Chapter 181: Forging a Partnership

Monica walked over to stand next to Eric. Her movements were stiff. Each step seemed to be a battle against her own immense pride. The other students in the training hall watched her.

Their eyes were wide with a mixture of awe and curiosity. The princess of the Empire the most popular girl in the first year had been forced into a partnership with the most infamous boy. It was a development no one could have predicted.

She stopped a careful foot of space away from him. She did not look at him. She stared straight ahead at the instructor Leon her expression a mask of cold indifference. But inside she was a storm of conflicting emotions. Her cheeks still felt warm from her earlier embarrassment in the classroom.

The humiliation of being called weak by him of being distracted by his mere presence still stung her pride like a fresh wound. And yet here she was standing beside him.

Her partner for an entire year. A part of her was furious. But another part a part she refused to acknowledge was strangely... not displeased. The thought of having a whole year to prove him wrong to defeat him again and again was a powerful motivator.

Eric felt her approach. He could sense the tense hostile energy coming from her. He stood awkwardly trying to seem as small and unnoticeable as possible. This was a nightmare. He had followed the System’s instructions.

He had chosen Monica. And now he was stuck with an angry princess who hated him for reasons he didn’t fully understand. He wanted to say something to her. He wanted to apologize for whatever it was he had done to offend her.

But he didn’t know what to say. An apology would feel hollow because he didn’t know what he was sorry for. He just stayed silent.

The instructor Leon now moved through the rest of the class. He was pairing up the remaining students. His voice was firm and efficient. He called out names. Students moved to find their new partners. Some looked pleased.

They found friends from their own kingdoms or factions. Others looked disappointed. They were stuck with rivals or strangers. The entire vast training hall was filled with the low murmur of students finding their places. Soon everyone was in a team of two. The entire first-year class of Section A was now organized.

Then the instructor looked at all the students. His gaze swept across the newly formed pairs. "Listen up everyone," he said his voice loud and clear cutting through the chatter. "Your partner selections are now final. This team you are in now will stay together for the rest of this entire year. There will be no changes."

His words settled over the students. The finality of it was clear.

"You will train together in this class," Leon continued.

"You will do missions for the Academy together. Your grades on all team-based assignments will be linked. If one of you fails the other fails too. So learn to work together. It will make your life here much easier."

A new wave of murmurs went through the class. Students looked at their new partners with a fresh perspective. This wasn’t just for one day. This was a year-long commitment.

Monica and Eric both heard this. The thought of her grades being tied to this arrogant boy was another source of frustration for Monica. Eric for his part just felt another layer of pressure settle on his shoulders.

The teacher then spoke again. "For now I don’t want to see a display of your individual strength. That will come later in the year. Instead my goal for today is different. I want each team both students to recognize each other’s strengths and weaknesses. You need to know what your partner can and cannot do in a fight. A true partnership is built on understanding not just on power. You must learn to cover each other’s weaknesses and use each other’s strengths. For that," he said with a small smile "I have prepared this spare ground."

As he said this he gestured with his hand. And something amazing happened. The floor of the vast training hall began to shift and move. The sound of stone grinding against stone filled the air.

More than ten large circular platforms began to rise from the floor.

They were made of a dark polished stone. As they reached their full height a transparent energy barrier a clear dome shimmered into existence around each one. They were individual private training arenas.

Eric looked on in awe. He had never seen such advanced magic used so casually. This Academy was truly a place of wonders.

"Each team will take one training platform," Leon instructed.

"The sparring will begin on my command. Remember your goal is not to defeat your partner. Your goal is to learn about them. Now go. Begin."

The newly formed pairs of students started moving towards the platforms. Eric and Monica without a word walked towards the one closest to them. They stepped up onto the dark stone.

The moment they were both on the platform the transparent barrier around them solidified. The sounds of the outside world faded away. They were now alone in their own private arena.

An awkward silence filled the space between them. Monica still refused to look at him. She was staring at the weapon rack that had just appeared. Eric didn’t know what to do. The year ahead seemed very long indeed.

Leon pointed a firm hand towards the ten circular training platforms that now dotted the vast hall. "All teams will now go to their assigned training grounds," he commanded.

His voice echoed with an authority that left no room for hesitation.

"You will have a practice match with your new team member. I want you to understand how your partner fights. Learn their movements. See their power. The goal of this exercise is not to defeat your partner. The goal is to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. This is very important."

He paused letting the weight of his words settle over the first-year students. They looked at their new partners some with apprehension some with curiosity.

"Because starting from tomorrow," Leon continued his tone growing more serious "you will all have to accept missions to survive in this Academy. And those missions are crucial for your survival here. They are important for your team as a unit and for you as an individual student. Nothing in this Academy is free. You must earn your keep."

A nervous murmur rippled through the assembled students. They had heard rumors about the Academy’s mission system but to hear it stated so bluntly by a professor on the first day was sobering.

"The points you earn from completing these missions are equal to money here," Leon explained.

"You can use those points to buy anything you need. Better weapons better armor access to special training facilities private tutoring from professors even better food in the cafeteria. Everything has a price. If you do not earn any points then you can forget about surviving here. You will not be able to afford your own lodging or your books. You will be expelled from this Academy quickly. It does not matter who you are. It does not matter if you are a prince a princess or a commoner. No points means no place at this Academy."

After hearing this clear and harsh rule all the students looked at each other with worried expressions. The reality of their new life was setting in. This was not just a school. It was a competitive unforgiving world where only the strong and the smart survived.

Some students however were very excited by this news. They saw it not as a threat but as an opportunity. A chance to prove themselves to rise above their station.

Monica was one of those excited students. As she thought about the missions about the chance to earn points and prove her strength her earlier anger at Eric began to fade.

It was replaced by her usual determined competitive attitude. A fierce light entered her eyes. I will not be left behind no matter what, she thought to herself. I will be at the top of the rankings. I will earn more points than anyone else. Even if my partner is... him. She glanced at Eric with a new expression one of calculating assessment. She would use him if she had to. She would succeed.

The other students were also reacting to the news. The children of powerful noble families looked confident. They knew their families would provide them with good equipment and a head start. The students from humbler backgrounds looked more worried.

They knew they would have to work twice as hard to compete. The pressure was immense. Eric himself felt a familiar knot of anxiety tighten in his stomach. He had no money of his own no powerful family backing him here.

Everything depended on the [System]. And he had to trust that it had a plan.

The teams began to move towards their assigned platforms. The silent tension between Eric and Monica was still there. But now it was mixed with the new pressure of the Academy’s survival-of-the-fittest system.

They walked onto their platform. The transparent barrier shimmered into existence around them. The sounds of the other students faded away. They were alone.

Monica picked up a wooden practice sword from the weapon rack that had appeared. She looked at Eric her expression a mixture of her earlier anger and her new competitive fire.

"Let’s get this over with," she said her voice clipped and cold. She was ready to test him to see what he was really made of. And she was ready to show him her own strength the strength he had so arrogantly dismissed.

She would make him see that she was not weak. The first day of their partnership was about to begin with a clash of wills and wooden swords. And the entire year stretched before them an unknown path filled with challenges rivalry and the constant struggle for survival.

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