Before he could swing it, a figure appeared above him.

Adam stood high above their opponent. He was using Thought speed at the moment. His splitter minds each taking care of his muscles, organs and nerves respectively. The last split mind diligently optimizing his nerves. The moment he got into position, he made his telekinesis into a single flexible limb ending in a round ball that was spiked with sharp telekinetic protrusions which he snapped onto Richard's head. The moment the limb touched his head, it snapped back, trembling in recoil. Adam felt pain he had never felt before at this moment as he plummeted down. It felt like he had just been scalded by hot oil as he grasped his head. The culprit, the faint scarlet flame that now wreathed Richard in its fold. The attack by Adam countered just like that.

Richard fist didn't pause at all as it collided with a muscled palm. Zero's left hand.

The action produced no shockwave whatsoever as Richard's fist was wrenched to the side and his face punched once, twice and again. The first punch dispersed a section of the scarlet flames, the second blew out all the flames and the finale blasted him into the desert.

The card behind Zero had already changed.

Major Arcana card. Strength.

A lion's hide complete with it's menacing head hung on his shoulder, its tail wrapped around his waist as his muscles looked terribly ripped. His hair had grown wild and into long locks.

He swiftly landed on the desert floor with a loud thump as he strode with large bounding strides towards Richard's falling figure that failed to halt itself midair. When he finally managed to halt, his vision was occupied by a hulking mass of a man that looked high on steroids punching his fist out in an uppercut.

Again he crashed into the desert floor.

The environment melted as the scenery became that of a gymnasium minus the equipments.

Zero reverted back to normal as the illusion of the card behind him faded.

Adam on the other hand had recovered, different thoughts going through his mind as he realized for the first time that his telekinetic limbs could be hurt if made into a physical construct. He wasn't interested in keeping this weakness whatsoever.

Richard looked at the newbies in admiration. Adam's attack at that moment made him feel that he was going to take damage, albeit little as his flames activated unconsciously to protect him from even the slightest harm.

And Zero? Well, he was embarrassed at being beaten by a newbie as he avoided the former's gaze.

They were located in Richard's room, upgraded to the point where he could change the environment into whole different ecosystems as large as continents.

"You know what upgrade your soul needs", he said to Adam who seemed mired in thought.

Reluctantly he looked at Zero "You sure change tactics quickly, don't you?" Zero face remained expressionless as his hand was outstretched. Give it here, it says.

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"It's my loss this time," he admitted as a thin booklet appeared in his hand. They had made a bet before. A one sided bet to be honest as Richard had told them he would beat them both to submission with five percent of his full strength, that five percent was almost as strong as the desolate fiend which Adam fought with the help of the amplification from the Ethroine's blood and Ikar.

The bet was that Richard would give them something that would improve their skills if they managed to thrash him before the time limit. True to his words, he produced a yellowed and failing stack of parchment paper bonded at the spine with thin strips of rope.

"The Soulcraft manual for Beyonders?" Zero read out aloud as he received the book, his expression changed as he flipped through it, it soon morphed into awe the more he read until finally he closed the book on the second page.

"Something good" Adam asked having watched his fellow batch mate's expressionless face change rapidly.

The book must be astoundingly precious.

"Yes, almost too good" He raised his gaze to look at Adam as he added, "you can also save your essence points, this would be a better alternative."

Richard clapped his hands twice, interrupting them as he chased them out, he didn't forget to remind them of another training in the next twenty for hours. They still had thirteen days before the next dive and Richard would make sure to make them ready before then.

Yan held a blood red cleaver above her head with both hands, then brought it swiftly to the side in a cutting motion, again and again she repeated the motion.

It wasn't flamboyant but the repetition bore a beauty of it's own.

Slowly she would bring it high and suddenly cut down. Her heart at peace, all her worries and problem gone, forgotten at the moment.

Before here, she was an accountant in a big firm, her life behind desks bored her and she wished for a change. A change that almost claimed her life.

For hours on end she practiced, seemingly not getting tired at all as she maintained the pace of the motion. Like a well oiled machine.

When she finished hours later, she dropped the cleaver on the floor, the impact a resounding thud. Then she reached her hand into the fruit sack. The fruits were almost gone as she had mostly devoured it all. They were not ordinary fruits, some increased stamina, some strength, others regeneration although the effects on her were almost insignificant, she made sure to always consume them every time. After eating some she took out her diary and started writing. Her actions have been repetitive, training, eating and writing.

For days, Richard had taken to sparring with the newbies and he bore witness to their improvements.

He had been beaten twice more over the course of ten days.

Adam had shored up on his weakness as he found a way to both make his ability stronger and at the same time remove it's substantiality. What this implies is that he could achieve the same effect a psychic construct would but without actually forming a construct. Thanks to the Soulcraft manual instructions, he found a way to make a tool that can turn his telekinesis into an higher form, effectively being in total control of his environment at the cost of having his range halved.

But he couldn't deny the versatility and invincibility it lent to him.

The manual's effect on Zero made him able to reduce the physical manifestations of the Arcana cards on his body. His ability allowed him to assume something's fate, he had taken to assuming the major Arcana on a deep level. His points spent on precious metals and techniques that improves the strength squeezed out of those fate he assumes. Whenever he assumes a cards fate, he becomes that card In a certain sense complete with a power set and appearance. With the manual, he found a way to reduce the manifestations. Now if he used the strength card, he would not look like a body on steroids, he would still look normal with his muscles slightly puffed and a pauldron designed into a lion head instead of a lion's hide on his shoulder.

Although he also used the minor Arcana cards, he used less of them and did not deeply assume them. The implications were that it's power was not as impressive and its manifestations were mild.

On the twelfthday, they stopped training as they rested.