The following day, Kazi planned a training session at Gate 5. Barring David, who was doing errands for him, and Aisha who was busy with her other group of friends, everyone else arrived in their canoes. Elena brought over homemade snacks. Szarlotka (Polish apple pie that was juicy yet not overly sweet), peanut butter sandwiches, cupcakes, and drinks branded by the Blue Sapphires.

When it came time to train, Marta groaned. She stood on her canoe, balancing on it with her hand on her head. “Ugh, I think I’m hungover…”

“You went out drinking?” Elena frowned in disapproval. She sat between Kazi and William, her boxes of lunch set out. “That’s no good, Marta. You should be a little more thoughtful.”

Marta scratched the collar of her armour. “Sorry…”

“Don’t worry, it wasn’t too excessive and she got to let loose for once.” Kazi clapped his hands together. “Anyway, chop, chop! You got this.”

Marta shook her head, trying to snap herself out of it. Her staff in her hand, she chorused, “Super Shadow Bolt!”

“Again!”

“Super Shadow Bolt!”

“Now hop to the other canoe!”

Marta hopped and nearly fell over. Once she found her balance, she sent out another Super Shadow Bolt. Floating above the waters, the ball of darkness would explode after ten feet of travel.

“Hop!”

Another hop and this time she toppled into the canoe and caused it to tip over. “Oh shi—Super Magic Barrier!” While the canoe tipped over and momentarily plunged into the water, Marta remained afloat within her large orb. Sighing, she waited for the canoe to return to the surface.

“You should wear actual magic robes instead of armour,” William suggested. “You already lack mobility.”

“Kazi says I shouldn’t,” Marta replied as she got onto the canoe. “He says if I can be mobile in armour, then I’ll be super mobile in mage robes. It’s a form of training.”

“What, is everything you do training?” William joked.

“Gotta cover all bases,” Kazi replied. “Just because magic exists doesn’t mean a person can go from nothing to something in an instant.”

“Basement dwellers always have to have it hard,” Marta muttered. With that said, she fired her last Super Shadow Bolt. “Phew! That’s it, that’s all I can do. Five is my maximum.”

Over a thousand points worth of damage concentrated in a sharp ball of darkness the size of a basketball. Its sheer intensity would have taken any player aback, even Kazi. However, there were four issues: the MP cost, the charge-up time, the range, and the lack of mobility.

“You can’t seem to activate your barrier and attack spells at the same time,” Kazi stated. “Why?”

“Why? What do you mean? I tried to do it once and my spell blew up inside the barrier,” Marta replied.

“Strange. I don’t have that problem. I can activate my barrier and use my spells no problem.” Kazi hopped onto Marta’s canoe and brushed past her. A semi-transparent magical barrier appeared yet he summoned a well of magical power with no fear. “Observe. Fire Dart!”

All eyes followed the trajectory of the concentrated fire dart that shot forth from his pointed finger, slipping through the barrier as if it didn’t exist. The dart streaked across the distance, covering over thirty feet in a fraction of a second before sizzling away.

“See that? It went right through.”

Marta was gobsmacked—at least for a second. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. So, any tips for me?”

“Remember what I always say: don’t rely on the System. This magic is yours, Marta. There’s no reason why your own magic could interfere with itself. You need to be one with it. Try with a simple spell like Fire Ball.”

“That sounds deep but also kinda hard?” Marta nervously glanced over to where he had sent the Fire Dart. Closing her eyes, she summoned the Super Magic barrier and lifted the Shadowshade Staff. Her eyes and fingers twitching, she was very clearly attempting to do what he did but failing to find a foundation.

“Become one, become one,” Marta repeated. She huffed and opened her eyes. “It’s like looking left and right at the same time. It’s harder than you make it look, Kazi.”

“Fair enough.” Kazi’s gaze flickered from the lake to Marta. “Alright, we can save that up for next time then. Rest up and recover your mana.”

He went back to his canoe, to where William and Elena were, and tossed Marta a sandwich. He yoinked one for himself and bit into it, his thoughts wandering. He wasn’t thinking about Marta. No, this whole time, his thoughts had been elsewhere.

Stolen novel; please report.

‘An amulet, a mask, Jack, the darkness, the world between the tower, the cipher codes, and the belt…’

The last on the list was something he received at Chichen Itza. Kukulcán himself gifted it to Kazi as thanks, or so the System said.

[ Equipment Name: Kukulcán’s Champion Belt

Rank: A

Magical Might: 150

Strength: 50

Decrease the effectiveness of all darkness element attacks by 80%. ]

He hadn’t equipped the belt because of what he saw on the train—because of Jack. Jack was there with them, and if he saw the belt, there was a chance he would discover its anti-darkness properties.

‘It’s like Kukulcán made it specifically so I could go up against Jack. Why me? Likely because I treated the witches with respect. That implies that the gods aren’t entirely onboard with their creations being here. After all, shortly after I left, there were whispers that the sponsored god had pulled out. Timeline wise, it goes like this: Jack kills the witches brutally, Kukulcán is watching, sees me helping the witches, and then watches me kill the jaguar boss. The gesture of kindness towards his people convinces Kukulcán to personally give me something.’

The logic followed up till a certain point. That begged the question—if Kukulcán was watching the Heavenly Games, then who else was?

More relevantly, who was Jack? Who was this man capable of causing the gods to help an outsider like him? Kazi was at the end of the day a Muslim. Look at every mythology and there was a strict pattern of bias from the gods. They were human in that regard. They blessed those that were faithful to them and disregarded those that were not. So why gift an item to someone of an entirely different religion?

‘It’s likely Jack is known to everyone. It’s likely he is a Ripper-like figure, an individual of great power and terror. It’s now even likelier that he was part of a previous Heavenly Game.’

Indeed, it was no coincidence that Kukulcán gifted him a belt that would specifically help him against Jack. Rumours were spreading that the sponsored gods of Gate 7 had pulled out and that Chichen Itza was devoid of objectives.

He thought about his odds against Jack. The tendrils of darkness which facilitated his long-range kit and his knife that was capable of overpowering Sun-young’s Majin-ken.

The attack stat was judged by the class equipped. If the Swordsman Class, then it was strength plus sword equipped. If it was the Mage Class, then magical might plus magical might of weapon equipped. Skills with percentages were not included in the calculation.

“Kazi,” William called out, wiping his mouth with his sleeve after eating, “can you teach me how to throw my axe properly? I feel as though I can do better with it.”

“Sure!”

William positioned himself on the unstable surface of the canoe. Ignoring the gentle sway of the water beneath, he drew back his arm…

“Like…look at this! Unh!”

…and hefted it above his head, mimicking the motion as if he were felling a mighty tree. His stance displayed confidence, yet as he prepared to throw the axe, a flaw in his technique became evident. Ignoring the subtle art of throwing in favor of a chopping motion, he swung the axe forcefully, aiming it toward an imaginary target across the water.

“Gust Slash Throw!”

The axe left William’s grip, spinning through the air with unrefined force. Instead of sailing gracefully like a thrown weapon, the axe rotated awkwardly, veering off its intended trajectory in a haphazard arc.

“Oof.” Before it plopped into the water, the dane axe magically returned to his hand. “See what I mean? It didn’t go far and my aim was trash.”

"Let's start with the grip," Kazi began, his voice carrying the measured cadence of guidance. "Hold the axe with both hands. Don’t be too tight. In your case, you have too much strength, even if it is a dane axe. You want control without straining."

William adjusted his grip as instructed, balancing the axe in both hands.

"Now, raise the axe straight over your head," Kazi continued, demonstrating the motion with the air. "And remember, check your surroundings before you throw. A quick glance. You ever driven a car? Do it like that.”

Kazi understood William’s plan. He wanted to perfect Gust Slash Thrown and gain long-term leverage. ‘Even in the moments where he doesn’t have his axe, William is able to lean on his boxing skills and fight. Pretty smart of him.’

William mimicked Kazi's actions as he lifted the axe, taking quick glances at their empty surroundings. It might not have been useful right now but the boy understood that wouldn’t always be the case. The sense of teenage invincibility was genuinely beginning to wither away. His battle against Goliath must have been a wake-up call.

"When you're ready to throw," Kazi instructed, "release the axe once your hands reach eye-level. Don't force it, let the momentum guide the throw."

With careful attention to Kazi's advice, William adjusted his stance, preparing for another attempt. Gripping the axe, he raised it steadily over his head, ensuring a balanced hold. His gaze swept the surroundings once more, ensuring a clear path for the throw.

“Gust Slash Throw!”

The axe spun through the air with improved grace, sailing in a more controlled trajectory and reaching over a hundred feet. Kazi let out a whistle.

“Get some practice in and you'll be fine,” Kazi said.

“Where did you learn to throw axes? Natural talent?” William joked.

Kazi merely laughed. Incorrect, he had participated in a couple axe throwing tournaments in New York and won soundidly. It was easy money. He watched William go for another attempt, this time making a tiny mistake in his grip. The following throw reached half the distance of his last one.

“Dammit. Kazi, could you show me again?”

“Sure.”

Jack the Ripper, wielder of a darkness no current player could comprehend and merciless in battle. He didn’t want to be mean but every single one of them was next to useless against him. William, Marta, Sun-young, they weren’t going to beat Jack. That responsibility had fallen to him—

“Kazi, Kazi!” Marta beckoned him over, staff waving. “I think I figured out how to do the simultaneous thingy! Could you watch?”

He smiled, crossed his arms, and nodded. “Show me what you got.”

Marta brightened up. Her blonde hair in a bun, she steadied herself and got ready. Inhale, exhale. A bright aura began to submerge her skin. The barrier went up and she muttered the words of her spell, “Super Shadow Bolt!”

The darkness was summoned and the bright barrier crackled against its existence. A flash of hesitation and fear crossed Marta. That was all it took.

“Oh no—”

The spell collapsed, a last ditch effort to mitigate damage and the incomplete ball of darkness collided against her own barrier.

Fail.

Boom!

The barrier dissipated and smoke erupted out. Elena was horrified, standing up, but Marta waved the smoke away.

“I’m okay, I’m okay!”

Physically? Yes. Mentally? No. The confidence had dropped from her soul.

Kazi shook his head and put on a smile. Marta might not be a genius or have a super hidden talent but he promised that he would help her. He promised to protect everyone.

He promised to be what he couldn’t be for his old family. He promised to help.