The three of us headed inside to grab a training room and start another cultivation session.

“So, Elric,” I started, tilting my head toward him, “since you finished your last system quest by torturing me, have you gotten anything new?”

He shook his head, that annoyingly angelic smile creeping across his face. “No, not yet. But I’m sure when I level up my abilities more, they’ll come. So let me keep torturing you.”

There it is again—that smile. It’s like a puppy trying to convince you it didn’t just destroy your couch.

He continued, “You two are Late Bloomers, right? Any idea when you might get your systems?”

“No clue,” I said with a shrug.

Thea chimed in, “I should get mine in a couple of days, hopefully.”

At the training desk, I paid this time, dropping my total down to 180.

Once inside, Thea turned to Elric. “How’s your cultivation progress coming along?”

“I’ve finished the first reservoir in my solar plexus, so nine to go. I think I’ll focus on my lower body next since I don’t plan on fighting anytime soon.”

Thea nodded approvingly. “As long as they stay connected from the focus point, I don’t think you need to rush into the shoulders and fists just yet. Peter and I formed ten reservoirs, and honestly, I don’t think there’s much point in going beyond that.”

She then explained the transformation Elric would undergo once he completed all ten reservoirs—the heightened senses, improved strength, and enhanced reflexes.

“You mean… you’re physically transformed? Better senses, speed, and strength?” Elric asked, his aquamarine eyes wide with interest.

“That’s right,” I said, stretching my shoulders slightly. “But now, we’re in uncharted territory. Since we are the reservoir, and we can completely fill our body with energy, there’s not much point in focusing on improving circulation anymore. Instead, I’ve been thinking—what if we find a way to make the energy more powerful where we need it most?”

Thea crossed her arms, her expression thoughtful. “We could try exploring ways to fuse it into our bodies to refine them, but honestly, that idea feels impossible to me. The Grand Channel is… it’s like its own organ. We can use it like a muscle—it flexes, it contracts—but we can’t just merge it with our bones or our skin. It doesn’t work that way.”

I nodded slowly, the same frustration gnawing at me. The idea of permanently fusing our internal strength into our physical body felt like trying to grip smoke. No matter how hard we focused or how much energy we pushed, it just wouldn’t stick.

“It’s like…” I paused, trying to find the right words. “It’s like the Grand Channel is a dam, holding back a lake of energy. If we draw water from that lake and pour it over a patch of dry ground—like, say, our arms or legs—it’ll soak in for a moment, but eventually, it evaporates. It doesn’t stay. The energy needs the channel to remain stable. Outside of it, it disperses.”

Thea spoke next, “Well, for now, we can just focus on completing the Energy Gathering phase. We’ll think about other techniques while cultivating it.”

And so that’s what we did. Elric practiced his reservoir formation, while Thea and I focused on cultivating—gathering energy into our bodies until they were full. The same routine repeated: spar, consolidate, cultivate again. By the end of the hour, Elric had completed another reservoir, and Thea and I had increased our personal energy in the channel to around twenty percent, filling the rest with world force as an emergency reserve.

While walking around afterward, a thought struck me. “So, do you think we should get some weapons or tools? Honestly, the arena fights are starting to feel pretty unfair when everyone else has them.”

Elric didn’t stop walking as he answered. “If you join a guild, they usually provide equipment for a monthly fee. But to buy one outright? It’s incredibly expensive. I mean, a basic metal club might not cost more than a couple hundred points, but a magical tool, like a crystal ball…”

He trailed off, his voice fading slightly. The unspoken weight of those words hung between us. It wasn’t just about the price—it was about access. He wouldn’t get one, not after being kicked out of the guild. And, honestly, I couldn’t blame him for feeling bitter about it.

“Alright, we probably have enough points, but it’s best to hold onto them. We need to make sure you can drop out of fights if needed,” I said, nodding toward Elric. “Speaking of which…” I glanced at Thea cautiously. “We’re much stronger now, and we can hold more energy. I think we can stand our ground against bottom-rankers—”

Thea’s sharp glare stopped me mid-sentence, freezing the words in my throat. But then she sighed, her expression softening slightly. “I think you’re right. We should be able to hold our own against fighters and tanks now.”

I grinned, silently celebrating her permission like I’d just been handed the keys to a sports car.

“But,” she continued, and my grin froze in place, “you have to be extremely careful against mages. I’ve heard they cause the most accidental deaths out of anyone.”

Elric nodded, his voice calm but serious. He was quickly becoming my go-to encyclopedia for anything related to the Hall. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had done some serious research before arriving here.

“It depends, really. I mean, it’s hard to cure an icicle spear through the heart… or a bad case of ‘charred beyond recognition.’” He gave a small, dry chuckle. “Some magic is more dangerous than others. But low-rank mages shouldn’t be too deadly. Painful, sure—but deadly? Less so. Then again, ‘fire hurts’ isn’t exactly surprising news, right?”

“Well, let’s get it over with then. We can train more, shop, or—most importantly—eat after the match,” I said as we reached the battle registration desk.

Thea tapped her orb against Elric’s, her points dropping to 195 while his rose to 5. The difference was a little amusing.

Elric stayed behind as Thea and I registered for our fights. He’d wait until we were done before entering his match—or more accurately, surrendering.

We sat in silence until Thea’s name was called.

“Good luck,” I said as she stood.

“Thanks.”

And just like that, she was gone, leaving me alone with Elric in the increasingly stale waiting area.

“Man, this is taking forever,” I groaned, leaning back against the cold stone wall. “I wish we could watch the fights.”

“Oh, we can!” Elric said brightly, like he’d just revealed a hidden treasure map.

“Oh, sweet! Then—”

“For a price.”

Of course.

I sighed and trudged over to the attendant desk. “How much to watch a bottom-rank fight?”

“Thirty points,” she replied curtly, not even looking up.

I turned right around and plopped back down next to Elric.

“Too expensive?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

“No, I’m sitting down because the prices were reasonable,” I deadpanned.

He let out a light chuckle, and despite everything, I couldn’t help but smirk.

I heard my name called, and soon I was stepping onto a rocky plateau arena. Jagged spires of stone jutted out at uneven angles, the air sharp with dust and the faint scent of iron. Across from me stood my opponent—a wiry girl clutching an obsidian disk. Her expression was sharp, focused, but beneath it, there was something else. Fear, maybe? Uncertainty?

“Status!” We both called out.

“Confirmed: Mage Class. Blessing: One with Stone. Confirmed: Late Bloomer. Begin.”

A stone mage. In an arena like this? My odds didn’t look great. I remembered the commander’s advice—observe, wait, don’t rush in—but the ground beneath my boots felt far too unstable for patience.

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The girl didn’t move. Instead, she lifted the obsidian disk. From this distance, my enhanced sight picked up faint ripple-like etchings carved into its surface. Patterns. Not random scratches—designs.

Should I approach? Would charging her give her less time to set up whatever she was planning?

Before I could decide, glowing brown orbs of light manifested around the disk. They hovered like suspended droplets before streaming toward the etchings, racing along the patterns until they reached the center. As they traveled, they accelerated, like water rushing down narrowing grooves.

When the disk’s center flared with light, the girl slammed her free hand into the ground.

The disk went dark.

And the earth screamed.

A jagged stone spire erupted inches from where I had been standing, slicing clean through the air as I dove sideways. The shockwave hit me like a hammer, rattling my bones.

Patience is a luxury I don’t have here.

I roared and charged, energy coursing through me like molten steel. Either she’d need time to prepare another attack, or I’d die trying to stop her. She wasn’t prepared for speed. My tackle hit her square in the chest, and we crashed to the stone ground. The disk skittered away, landing a few feet to our left.

She screamed—raw, terrified—and her hands shot up in a pitiful attempt to shield her face. My fist was raised, ready to strike, but I froze mid-swing.

Tears streaked her dusty cheeks, her lips trembling as she let out a small, choked sob.

This wasn’t a hardened killer. This wasn’t some adrenaline-pumped warrior. She was terrified.

“Surrender,” I said firmly, my voice sharp but steady.

She shuddered violently. “I can’t. I don’t have any points left.”

I let out a long breath, feeling the anger bleed out of me. Pushing myself off her, I stood and turned to the unseen sky above us.

“The match is over! She can’t fight anymore!” I shouted.

Silence.

I waited, but there was no response—not from the mechanical voice, not from the arena staff. Nothing.

“She’s done!” I barked again, frustration bubbling up like bile. “What, am I supposed to beat her bloody just so you sick freaks can get your entertainment?”

The silence that followed felt heavy, oppressive. Then, finally, a voice—not mechanical, but resolute and cold—echoed down from somewhere unseen.

“We will determine when she is unable to fight.”

The girl’s small frame trembled as she clutched her arms to her chest, but she didn’t move.

I turned back to the sky—or whatever cameras were watching me from above. “She’s obviously lost! What, do you want me to break her bones? Crush her spirit? Are we training soldiers or monsters here?!”

The metallic clunk of an elevator filled the silence. Its stone doors opened, and a tall man stepped out. His stride was deliberate, his expression unreadable. He approached the girl first.

“Pick up your tool,” he said flatly.

She scrambled for the obsidian disk, clutching it tight like a lifeline.

“Leave through the exit.”

She did. Without hesitation, she fled through the stone archway, leaving just me and the man alone in the arena.

“So… do I win?” I asked, my voice uncertain.

He didn’t answer. His gaze remained locked on me, expression as hollow and cold as stone. And then—

He moved.

One moment he was ten feet away, the next he was inches in front of me. His fist slammed into my stomach like a piston. My vision shattered around the edges, my lungs convulsed, and I staggered back, clutching my abdomen.

“What—what are you—”

Before I could finish, a black baton appeared in his hand, a blur of motion arcing downward. It connected with my ribs in a meaty crack. The force buckled my knees, and I collapsed to one side, choking on a strangled gasp.

I didn’t have time to recover before his hand closed around my jaw. Fingers like iron clamps locked me in place as he slammed my head against the rocky ground. Stars exploded behind my eyes, static filled my ears, and the world twisted into something surreal and unrecognizable.

For a brief, fleeting moment, there was silence.

My head lolled to the side, my cheek pressed against the cold stone. But then his voice cut through the haze, sharp and biting.

“If we say fight, you fight.”

His boot connected with my ribs—again. Something deep inside me shifted, a jagged pain radiating outward from the impact point like splintering glass.

Another kick.

Another crack.

Every nerve in my body felt raw, exposed, like live wires stripped of insulation.

By the time the punishment stopped, I couldn’t tell if seconds or hours had passed. My breath came in shallow gasps, my chest hitching painfully with every inhale. Darkness clawed at the edges of my vision, but consciousness clung to me stubbornly, refusing to let go.

The last thing I remembered was the sharp sting of gravel digging into my cheek, the distant echo of the elevator doors sliding open… and then silence.

When I came to again, the world was sharper this time—still hazy around the edges, but shapes and colors started to settle into something familiar. Above me, the leaves swayed gently against a sky painted with streaks of orange and pale blue. My ribs ached deep and dull, and every breath was tight, but at least I could breathe.

“Peter?” Thea’s voice came softly from beside me, careful and trembling around the edges. Her face hovered into view, her storm-gray eyes filled with worry that she wasn’t even trying to hide. Her hair was a mess, a few loose strands stuck to her forehead, and her lips were pressed tight together as if she’d been holding back tears.

“You’re awake.” Relief softened the tension in her shoulders.

“Barely,” I croaked, wincing as my throat scraped out the word.

“Don’t talk too much,” she said, glancing over her shoulder. “Elric’s almost ready.”

I turned my head slightly—it felt like trying to move a sack of stones strapped to my neck. Elric was kneeling nearby, his palms glowing faintly with pale light as he muttered something under his breath. His expression was pinched with focus, beads of sweat trailing down his temples.

When he finally looked up, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Peter, I’m going to start now. It’s… it’s going to hurt, but I promise, it’ll help.”

There was something in his voice—a faint tremor, a hesitation. I realized then that the sight of me laid out like this had shaken him.

Elric exhaled slowly, steadying himself before he pressed his glowing hands gently over my chest. Warmth spread outward—not the comforting kind, but sharp, invasive warmth that dug deep into every fracture, every bruised ligament and cracked bone. It was an ache that didn’t flare so much as it spread, pulling at the edges of each wound, stitching them together with deliberate, agonizing care.

My jaw clenched tight, and my hands dug into the earth beneath me, but I didn’t make a sound. Through the haze of pain, I felt Thea’s hand on my shoulder tighten slightly as if she were trying to share even a fraction of the weight.

Elric’s hands trembled slightly as he worked, the glow pulsing faintly with every deliberate motion. He was careful, impossibly so, his breaths shallow with concentration as he guided the energy where it needed to go.

Eventually, the pain ebbed—not gone, but duller, manageable. My ribs felt wrapped in something heavy, almost like an invisible brace. I let out a shaky breath, feeling air move freely through my chest for the first time since the beating.

“It’s done,” Elric said softly, leaning back on his heels, his face pale from exertion.

Thea helped me sit up against a nearby tree, her hands steady but her expression tight with concern.

“What happened?” she asked quietly. “I walked out and saw a knight dragging you out of the Hall.”

Elric filled in the gaps. “They pulled him out of the elevator. Then they showed him off, yelling about ‘not following the rules.’”

I took a deep breath, wincing as my ribs protested, and explained everything—the girl, the obsidian disk, her fear, my refusal to beat her when she was clearly unable to fight.

When I finished, silence settled over us, heavy and uncomfortable. Thea’s storm-gray eyes were clouded with thought, her brows drawn together in a tight line.

Finally, she spoke. “Peter, we have to follow the rules. When we join the military, we’ll have to follow orders. If they wanted you to continue, you could’ve just knocked her out. Someone would’ve healed her after—”

“That’s insane!” I snapped, cutting her off. “She couldn’t fight back, Thea. She was helpless. And what? Just so whoever’s watching can confirm I can ‘follow orders,’ I have to beat some defenseless girl into the dirt? No. Absolutely not.”

Thea flinched slightly at my tone, and I immediately regretted snapping at her. But I couldn’t bring myself to apologize—not yet. The raw edge of my anger was still too sharp.

“The answer is no,” I said firmly. “I refuse to do that.”

Silence settled again, only broken by the faint rustle of leaves above us.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Elric, how many more days of treatment will I need?”

Elric hesitated. “I—I’m not sure. You’ve recovered way more than I expected. Maybe your transformation helped more than just your senses and physical attributes. I think… maybe one more treatment tomorrow morning, and you’ll be fine.”

I nodded, feeling some relief at the prospect of not spending more days in pain.

“One more thing,” I said, shifting the topic. “Elric, do you know anything about a disk-like tool for magic? Black, kind of obsidian-looking, with spiral etchings?”

He shook his head, looking apologetic. To my surprise, Thea spoke up instead.

“It’s used to accelerate the flow of magic,” she said, her voice clear and confident. “It’s made from a rare material that acts as a conduit for elemental energy—which is different from world energy and internal strength. The spirals etched into it form a lattice that controls the flow.”

I stared at her, mouth slightly open. “How do you know that?”

Her gaze flickered away for a moment. “My mom was a magician… Anyway,” she continued quickly, “you gather energy onto the disk, and it runs along the grooves. The shape of the spirals speeds up the flow, focusing it toward the crystal in the center. From there, the mage can draw it into their body or release it outward as a spell.”

I couldn’t help but grin as an idea sparked in my mind. “Thea, the grooves… their shape. The magical energy flows through them like water and speeds up. If inner strength circulated faster, what would happen?”

She froze, her eyes wide as realization dawned. “If you circulate it quicker, you could diffuse more energy into your body at once. That would mean bigger stat boosts—more strength, more speed, everything.”

“Exactly,” I said, feeling excitement bubbling in my chest.

“But…” she added, her voice hesitant, “if you circulate it faster, you’d burn through your energy much more quickly.”

“That’s true,” I admitted. “But right now, how long would it take for us to recover if we used up most of our internal strength?”

She thought for a moment, her brows furrowed in concentration. “Well… if you used everything, you’d probably die. But if you used most of it, it would recover naturally over time. If we eventually filled the entire Grand Channel with internal strength and used it all in one burst… maybe it would take an entire day to recover fully.”

I nodded thoughtfully, leaning my head back against the tree bark. The idea was taking shape in my mind