Ashern City - Reinhart Institute of War, 1st of Brightforge, year 315 UC

Bryan stood at the display panel, scanning through the various training modes available. The screen's soft blue glow illuminated his plain black training attire as he tapped through the options.

"So this is what Rebecca meant."

He muttered, remembering the receptionist's explanation.

"Training modes, difficulty scaling... quite extensive."

The menu offered multiple configurations: number of opponents, creature types ranging from humanoid to magical beasts, and various difficulty settings. An automatic scaling option caught his eye, though it required an initial assessment to gauge the user's capabilities.

'Better start with something simple.'

He thought, selecting five humanoid opponents. While the system didn't display their relative strength, it seemed prudent to test the waters first.

He confirmed his selection, and five blue-tinted holograms materialized in the center of the training room. A countdown appeared on the display: 5 seconds.

Bryan rolled his shoulders, recalling the ring's assessment of his abilities.

'Focus on physical enhancement. No need to rely on spells yet.'

He reminded himself.

The countdown hit zero.

Two holograms immediately broke formation, spreading out while the others maintained their position. Bryan channeled ether through his pathways, focusing on enhancing his muscles and reflexes. The familiar warmth spread through his limbs as he settled into a defensive stance.

The first hologram attacked, its arm moving in a slashing motion. A crescentlike energy burst cut through the air where Bryan had stood a moment before. He weaved to the side, analyzing the attack pattern.

'Similar to wind magic, but different.'

Another hologram launched what appeared to be a fireball – pure energy shaped into a sphere. Bryan ducked under it, feeling the heat pass overhead. The holograms moved with fluid grace, their attacks coordinated to limit his movement options.

Bryan pushed more ether into his legs and darted forward, aiming for the gap between two opponents. One released a burst of lightning-like energy, forcing him to adjust his course. He spun away from the attack, using the momentum to close distance with the nearest hologram.

He rarely used his ether to augment his physique considering he had ranged abilities to and focused more on his magic shielding. There were not many people who focused solely on melee, and most mages had some sort of ranged spell in their arsenal.

The difference between body augmentation and spells in general was that the former used ether to increase a person's physical abilities. Increased strength, more durability, quicker reflexes. It would not protect you from a fireball to the face, but it gave you more time to dodge and it could help offset some damage taken from physical attacks.

As for spells, they used a supply of ether to work. Some more than others, and magic shielding was not any different. What made it better in most cases compared to body augmentation was that it protected you from magical attacks but not physical ones. Although a mage with more firepower could break your shield.

Each attack the shield blocked took a bit of the caster's ether and they were unable to move when the shield was up. However, the shield was normally instantly cast so there was that.

But you could only use one of the two at a time. Body augmentation or magic shielding, not both. Which is why he focused more on shielding than worrying about his physical prowess.

His enhanced strength let him strike hard and fast – a quick combination of punches that connected solidly with the hologram's midsection. The feedback felt real enough, though the hologram simply absorbed the impacts without showing pain.

A wave of energy resembling water forced Bryan to disengage, jumping back to reassess. The holograms regrouped efficiently, maintaining pressure without leaving obvious openings.

'So, we have wind, fire, and now water. Wonder what the other two will be.'

Bryan circulated more ether through his system, maintaining his physical enhancement. While not exactly tired, he could feel the strain of sustained enhancement. The ring's assessment of his Body Augmentation score made more sense now – this type of continuous exertion required specific conditioning.

He dodged another series of attacks, noting how the holograms adapted to his movement patterns. Each time he avoided an attack, they adjusted their formation to cover potential escape routes more effectively.

'The programming is impressive.'

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He thought, sidestepping an energy burst that looked like an ice spike.

'Ice, now one more.'

Using his enhanced speed, Bryan managed to catch another hologram with a solid kick, following through with an elbow strike. The hologram flickered but remained active, retaliating with a close-range energy pulse that caught Bryan's shoulder as he pulled back.

The impact wasn't painful, but the training system registered it as a hit. A small display in the corner of his vision showed the contact point in red.

Bryan continued weaving through attacks, landing hits when possible while focusing on maintaining his physical enhancement. The sustained practice helped him get a better feel for channeling ether through his pathways and understanding how minor adjustments affected his performance.

After several minutes of continuous exchange, Bryan called out, "Status."

Time elapsed: 8:57

Targets destroyed: 0 of 5

Accuracy: 95%

Evasion: 86%

Damage accrued: Damaged right shoulder, damaged left calf

He hadn't eliminated any holograms yet, but he'd maintained consistent performance throughout the session. More importantly, he'd gained practical insight into his physical enhancement capabilities.

The holograms reset their formation, energy gathering around them for another sequence. Bryan adjusted his stance, ready to continue. This was exactly the kind of practice he needed.

He needed one of them to break ranks, to overextend just enough to create an opening. If that failed, he'd have to take the fight to them directly – a risky proposition with only physical enhancement at his disposal.

Two holograms rushed forward, mirroring their opening strategy.

'Same approach as before.'

Right on cue, a crescentlike wind burst sliced through the air. Bryan's eyes flicked to the remaining three holograms, still maintaining their triangular formation, before focusing on the second approaching hologram. This one showed signs of their previous exchanges – slight flickering in its projection where he'd landed solid hits.

Bryan quickly calculated the distance between the flanking holograms and their position relative to the main group. The spacing was deliberate, designed to maintain coverage while allowing for quick support.

'Time to switch things up.'

He surged forward toward the hologram that had launched the wind attack. The second hologram, the damaged one, immediately moved to intercept – but something was different this time. It pushed further forward than in previous exchanges, taking an extra step away from its support.

'Eight feet. Perfect.'

The gap wasn't large, but it was enough. The main formation would need a fraction of a second longer to respond, and that's all Bryan needed.

He circulated his ether differently now, concentrating it heavily in his legs instead of maintaining an even distribution. In a sudden burst of speed, he pivoted away from his original target and shot toward the overextended hologram.

The hologram began forming another energy attack, but Bryan was already inside its guard. His enhanced speed carried him forward as he unleashed a rapid combination – right cross to the midsection, left hook to where the ribs would be, finishing with an uppercut to the jaw.

The hologram's form flickered violently before dissolving into particles of light.

A small notification appeared in his peripheral vision: Target eliminated: 1/5

'First one down.'

Bryan immediately jumped back, avoiding the retaliatory attacks from the remaining holograms. They quickly adjusted their formation, closing ranks to compensate for their lost member.

He continued fighting them without using any spells and solely focusing on using his ether to augment his body.

Before he knew it, he was sitting on the ground hands behind him as he was breathing heavily.

Time elapsed: 15:42

Targets destroyed: 5 of 5

Accuracy: 89%

Evasion: 83%

Damage accrued: Damaged right shoulder, damaged left calf, damaged right rib

Bryan wiped the sweat from his forehead, still catching his breath.

'Five minutes. Then we go again.'

He pushed himself up from the ground, muscles protesting slightly from the extended workout. The next round would be better – he had a better grasp of the holograms' patterns now, and his body was adapting to the sustained ether enhancement.

For forty minutes, he continued pushing himself, cycling through different combinations of opponents and scenarios. Each round taught him something new about his physical capabilities and the limitations he needed to overcome.

Finally, satisfied with his progress, Bryan left the training room. The hot shower helped ease his tired muscles, washing away the afternoon's exertion. As he dressed in fresh clothes, his thoughts turned to food – the workout had left him surprisingly hungry.

'Wonder if anyone's still at the cafeteria.'

He doubted his teammates would still be there after an hour, but the space might not be empty. Other students could be getting late lunches or early dinners. At least he knew exactly where to go – Rebecca had been particularly thorough with her directions, marking every turn and shortcut with enthusiastic detail.

She'd also mentioned something about two new arrivals at the dormitory, but Bryan hadn't paid much attention to that information. New students weren't his concern, unless they proved relevant to his mission.

'Might as well get something to eat while my body's loose.'

He headed toward the cafeteria, already planning his next training session.

Walking toward the cafeteria, Bryan spotted Farrah seated on the edge of a fountain. She was gazing up at the sky. As if sensing his presence, she looked down, meeting his eyes with a soft smile.

'What's with her?'

Bryan continued walking, but Farrah waved him over. He kept his original course until Zoltan's words echoed in his mind.

"Try not to be all too distant from the others..."

Bryan closed his eyes and sighed before changing direction, heading toward the fountain.

"You missed quite the party."

Farrah said, her bright green eyes studying him.

"Should have joined us."

"Don't recall you being so friendly."

Bryan replied.

"From what little I've observed, you seemed more the quiet type."

Farrah's smile widened slightly.

"Not quiet. Just observant – like you."

"Uh-huh."

Bryan crossed his arms.

"What did you want?"

"Nothing really. Just wanted to say hey."

Bryan nodded once. "If that's all, I'll be on my way."

"Hey."

Farrah called as he turned to leave. When he looked back, her expression had grown more serious.

"Why are you so distant?"

"I just prefer it that way."

Bryan responded.

"Even if I wanted to interact with everyone, it'd be pointless."

Farrah leaned forward slightly.

"If that were truly the case, then why come over when I called? You could have ignored me and kept walking."

Her eyes seemed to see right through him as she added.

"Maybe you're not as cold as you think you are."

Bryan stood silent for a moment, uncomfortable with her insight. Finally, he turned his head away.

"I'll be seeing you around later."

As he walked away, he tried to convince himself he'd made an effort.

'Well, I tried. Guess socializing just isn't for me.'