7 days passed in an instant as Ace felt himself getting accustomed to the ways of living his childhood once again.
A week felt like a dream where he spent more than half of his days cultivating, trying to increase his strength.
Due to his 100 hour training within those seven days, he found himself at E- Rank.
Moreover, he had already finished assimilating his aura, accustomed his mana to his previously rigid mana channels, and learnt how to augment himself using mana, growing more and more comfortable while engaging in combat.
Due to his untrained body, he had had some trouble dealing with muscle soreness, but practicing his new SS Rank skill, [Sword Saint] helped a lot.
Currently, Ace sat on an old plastic chair as he listened to his History teacher, Mr. Lawrence explain the origins of the Earth.
It was repetitive knowledge, but he couldn't classify it as 'boring'.
He was fascinated by how people lived in the early 2000s and when the mana calamity struck the Earth, taking a turn on humanity's lifestyle.
"In 2026, scientists discovered a new substance in particular parts of Earth, which they eventually named mana. They found the substance to be excessively pure and overly thick, enough to put honey to shame.
Soon, a certain scientist accidentally leaked the fluid-like substance into open air, causing it to assimilate with Earth's atmosphere. While they couldn't do anything about it, they could very well investigate what it caused.
In about a year, species that took thousands of years to evolve started evolving at a rapid rate. Animals turned rogue and aggressive, the air seemed to get thicker and thicker, and humans started breathing in mana.
Eventually, animals were classified as beings now known as 'beasts', and humanity also discovered a translucent blue screen that appeared before them, naming it the 'System Interface'.
Earth changed drastically.
20 years later, people started to become accustomed to the change and started forming their own groups and factions.
Soon, two contradictory factions were born, as they enveloped the entire planet.
They were the Conscientious Faction and the Iniquitous Faction."
As Ace listened to Mr. Lawrence's explanation, he had the sudden urge to glance at his new nemesis, Leo Kadz.
Slowly turning his head around, he saw the figure of the lanky-armed individual named Leo.
Leo also turned his gaze to face Ace, baring his teeth while waiting for a chance to pounce onto Ace like a predator waiting for its prey.
Having received these expressions all the time in his previous life, Ace only stuck his tongue out while maintaining an indifferent expression, which looked extra creepy, at the punchable face of the former King of Strength.
"Mr. Ambrosia, would you mind actually paying attention for once?"
As soon as Mr. Lawrence's voice entered Ace's ears, he quickly turned his head back around only to notice the former barely half a feet away from the latter.
"Well, it's nice that you actually got your eyes off of Mr. Kadz over there. Perhaps you have a romantic interest in Mr. Kadz!?"
He gasped sarcastically while spitting like there was no tomorrow.
Everyone chuckled as they heard Mr. Lawrence's sarcastic remark.
Leo made an astonished expression as he brought his hand to his chest sarcastically, letting out a chuckle afterwards.
However, Ace's face remained indifferent as he gazed at Mr. Lawrence.
"Well, Mr. Lawrence. I suppose you still have some work to do on your severe case of hypersalivation? I swear, I can see a boat-load of excess saliva in there."
Mr. Lawrence's eyes narrowed as he fake-coughed to hide his ears, which were turning beet-red.
"Well, Mr. Ambrosia. I suppose you will be staying in for detention after class today. I hope you have a good time!"
Mr. Lawrence said as he spat once again, handing a pink piece of paper to Ace.
"Why thank you, Mr. Lawrence."
Ace thanked as he received the paper slip. Most of his classmates looked at him with uncertainty of whether Ace was mentally ill, or just plain stupid.
Time passed in an instant, as the class ended.
Everyone started heading back to their dorm except one person.
Ace Ambrosia.
Having gotten detention, he had to stay in after classes being guarded by a Mr. Lawrence. Currently, the teacher had gone outside the classroom to get something, and that's when the lanky-armed individual struck.
"Hey, Ace."
Leo greeted with a polite smile as he waved at Ace from behind.
Ace turned his head back with an indifferent expression as he waved back.
"You know, I've been meaning to ask you something. Why is it that your expression is always so… indifferent?"
"It's probably because I don't wanna show my emotions to you snobs."
Having survived four years with Leo, Ace knew every single tactic to get the former riled up.
The sooner he got angry, the faster his plan would progress.
And, as expected, Leo spat on the floor as he crushed the saliva with his foot. Gazing up at Ace once again, he sent a cold stare, which resulted in Ace waving his arms, sarcastically.
"Boohoo, I'm so scared. Y'know, I've been wondering something. How the hell do you use that 'Berserker' skill with those lanky arms of yours. I mean, can you even fight with those malnourished skinny bones?"
Leo bared his teeth as he prepared to attack.
'Yes, attack me!'
Ace cheered inside his mind as Leo put his weight on his knees while preparing a punch.
At that moment, Mr. Lawrence walked in, witnessing the awkward position Leo was in.
"Um, what is going on here?"
He saw Leo Kadz, the model student for anyone to look up to, threatening a troublemaker with his fist.
Seeing Mr. Lawrence entered the room, Leo frantically tried to explain everything, even though he didn't possess an explanation in the first place.
Not minding this behavior a bit, and feeling betrayed, Mr. Lawrence handed Leo a pink paper slip, akin to the one he handed Ace before.
"Detention, Mr. Kadz."
"But–"
"Now!"
Leo groaned while glaring intently at the boy who casually wrote down notes on a lined piece of paper.
'Yes, yes, yes, yes! My plan worked!'
Unbeknownst to everyone in the classroom, namely Leo and Mr. Lawrence, Ace was cheering inside of his mind, celebrating the success of his plan.
The reason he had gotten a detention was so he wouldn't meet Leo outside the classroom.
Of course, he was sure that he could defeat Leo now that his ankle had healed and he had learned new skills, but he didn't want unnecessary conflict as he had already defeated Leo once.
So, he devised a plan to punish Leo without engaging him in combat, namely, detention.
As Ace heard the noise of gritting teeth, he decided to ignore it as he smiled inwardly.
After spending more than two hours in detention, Ace used [Flurry Steps] to quickly head back to his room, causing Leo to question what just happened.
He hadn't even seen Ace move, but he had already disappeared.
*
*
*
The next day, Ace and Leo sat in a different classroom, listening to the instructions for the upcoming Dormitory War.
Their mana arts teacher, Mr. Crimson explained the rules and regulations of the war, along with the rewards.
Well, it technically wasn't a war. The Dormitory War was like a one versus one tournament, in which the people who came in the top five received access to Dormitory A, the most luxurious Dormitory on the campus.
"While the top twenty-five receive access to Dormitory B, the top hundred receive access to Dormitory C. Then, everyone excluded from those numbers receives access to Dormitory D, the one you all have been staying in currently."
Mr Crimson explained.
"The matches will be organized and conducted in a civilized manner, as they will be simple one versus one duels. Of course, there will be no killing allowed, nor can one give another a fatal wound such as a stab to the heart.
Also, it is not allowed to damage one's nerve cells, because they are the most difficult cells to regenerate because of their tendency not to reproduce. Due to certain circumstances, the process converting stem cells to nerve cells has become more difficult due to inadequate equipment supplied to the Academy, so–"
Before Mr. Crimson could finish his sentence, he was bombarded with a mixture of "Boo!" and "We don't want a science lecture!"
This caused Ace to chuckle inwardly as he gazed at his classmates who kept criticizing their teacher.
If only they knew who Mr. Crimson actually was…
Ace swore that they would be pissing their pants by now if they knew his secret.
"Um, Mr. Crimson!"
A certain student called out as Mr. Crimson pointed to a lanky-armed individual.
"Yes, Mr. Kadz?"
"Is it possible for one to cut off someone's arm during the Dormitory War."
"Of course. It is permitted and quite frankly, encouraged. The reason for that being preparing the students for real-life circumstances."
"I see, thank you."
As Leo uttered those words, he sent a cold glare towards Ace, who shrugged it off like it was nothing.
Other students who had watched their duel chuckled while praising Leo indefinitely.
"Any other questions?"
'Damn, I have no comebacks.'
As Ace accepted his defeat on this one, Leo's chuckles became more and more apparent, causing Mr. Crimson to shoot a cold stare towards the latter.
"Mr. Kadz, do you perhaps have the pseudobulbar affect?"
Confused by Mr. Crimson's complex words, Leo shrugged.
This is when Ace finally struck.
"It means excessive laughing, you dolt."
Ace said as he stayed still, not even bothering to turn around and look at the person he humiliated.
Soft chuckles were heard around the room while Leo's ears became redder and redder.
"Yes, thank you for your explanation, Mr. Ambrosia. I truly hope that Mr. Kadz can expand on his vocabulary."
"I agree, Mr. Crimson."
Soon, everyone in the classroom except Leo, Ace, and Mr. Crimson started laughing, causing some to choke on their own breath.
Leo wanted to bury himself in a hole after being double-teamed by his teacher and his supposed rival.
When he looked up, he saw an awkwardly smiling Ace and an indifferent Mr. Crimson.
Eventually, he had to bury his own feelings and decided not to respond.
After the class ended, Ace fled the classroom using [Flurry Steps], deciding not to engage in a conversation with the person he humiliated.
Knowing what would happen if they met, Ace decided to take the easy route.
After a while when he was sure that Leo wouldn't ambush him, Ace headed to the Public Training Room.
It was 9 PM when Ace arrived at the Public Training Room.
He looked around and found no one. Believing it to be completely empty, he unsheathed his black long-sword as he started swinging.
'I hope I can achieve the Beginner Level Mastery soon. I want to achieve the first move too, but that might be too much of a long shot.'
Believing himself to be average in terms of talent, he gave up on achieving the first move for the time.
Reaching the Beginner Level Mastery would allow him to breakthrough, which would mean his strength would rise by a tremendous amount as the gaps between ranks enlarge as it goes higher.
An example would be; the difference between an A Rank and a S Rank would be much larger than the difference between a C Rank and a B Rank.
That's why, even though an F Rank has the strength of a regular human, S Ranks can perform stunts like lifting the foundation of an entire city, or making a crater as large as the Grand Canyon with only their fist.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
As the sounds of swinging swords resounded inside the Public Training Room, Ace heard footsteps approaching him to which he suddenly turned around.
When he did so, he wished he hadn't.
"Leo…"
Ace said. However, the person in question didn't respond.
His body didn't sway even a bit when he walked, and an intense killing intent was exuded from his body.
The air around him turned crimson while his face became more and more ugly.
His expression was distorted, his head was tilted, and his eyes were lifeless.
To Ace, he looked like a demon.
However, it was a cute demon due to the fact that Ace wasn't even fazed by this appearance.
He believed in the strength he had gained over the past week.
And…
'Look, he regrew his arm. Pity I didn't notice it in class. I could have teased him a bit more.'
A devilish grin emerged on Ace's face as he imagined something strange.
"Ace Ambrosia!"
A shout echoed throughout the entire hall which startled the boy lost in his thoughts.
"Did you finally go insane, Leo? I wasn't aiming for that, but I guess that's fine too."
Ace gave Leo a toothy grin, which should have looked incredibly awkward due to his indifferent face.
However, this time, only his eyes stayed devoid of emotions.
Leo's state was beyond repair. His eyelids were lifeless and his body was barely surviving off of instinct. It seemed like he was physically hurt too, as one could clearly see gashes and scars on his arms which weren't there before.
Ace wondered if someone had beat him up for letting Ace humiliate him in class, but quickly shrugged it off due it seeming unreasonable.
"What's going on, Leo?"
He asked, his voice getting deeper. His tone even carried a tinge of concern for his classmate.
Even if he was a bully in his previous life, he didn't bully Ace in particular.
Besides, he had started anew now. There wasn't a need to hold grudges, right?
'Well, I can hold some grudges, but not too many.'
"Leo?"
He asked again, expecting a response this time. However, none came while Leo kept on approaching.
At this point, Leo was barely ten meters away from Ace, which caused the latter to back away, not wanting to hurt the former.
'Okay, that's it.'
Bonk!
The sound of something hitting a hard surface resounded throughout the room as Leo lay on the ground.
Ace had used the blunt edge of his dark blade to knock Leo unconscious.
'Now, hopefully he'll be sane when he wakes up.'
Not minding the interference at all, Ace returned to swinging his sword around mindlessly.
After a few hours, it was midnight. Ace could finally feel himself achieving the Beginner Level Mastery.
5!
4!
3!
2!
Suddenly, a pained scream entered Ace's ears as his breakthrough was very rudely interrupted, causing a little bit of backlash.
Gritting his teeth, he clenched his blade hard enough for his hand to drip blood.
"Couldn't you have woken up a second later!?"
As he turned around, he witnessed a lanky-armed individual covered in blood. His wounds didn't seem fatal, and he wasn't badly injured, but a specific gash had a tremendous amount of blood leaking out.
"What happened over there?"
Ace said as he pointed over to the gash, causing Leo's to look down and clench his teeth.
However, the former kept insisting…
"It was my dad's fault, okay!?!?"
Leo finally admitted as he screamed. The bloodcurdling tone of that voice sent shivers down Ace's voice. Even though it wasn't filled with strength, he could still feel the pain in the tone of his voice.
"I–I see…"
Ace stuttered while trying to process what Leo had just said. His previous thoughts were filled with revenge, but now…
'How come I never knew this in my past life?'
"And, just so you know, he didn't beat me because of your taunts."
Leo muttered as he started walking towards the exit.
"Could you at least explain what insanity pill you ate before coming here?"
Hearing Ace's words, Leo halted.
Then, without replying, he walked out, leaving a bewildered Ace behind.
"Well, that was anticlimactic."
Ace rolled his eyes as he continued his training late at night.
After an hour or so, he clenched his fist while cursing at Leo who had gone back to his room.
"Because of him, it's gonna take a couple extra days for me to achieve Beginner Level Mastery!"
He was distraught at the fact that Leo delayed his sword mastery breakthrough.
*
*
*
The next day, Leo approached Ace in the Public Training Room once again.
This time, the former was geared up with new gauntlets strapped to the scarrabard he didn't need.
Seeing Leo enter the Public Training Room, Ace unconsciously groaned while sheathing his blade.
"Now what?"
He asked while baring his teeth at Leo. Because of him, Ace had lost a couple of days of progress, and wasn't going to go easy on him due to that fact.
Leo swiped his hair off of his face while unstrapping his yellow gauntlets. They looked metallic and were overly beautiful.
"I have come to challenge you once again."
Bewildered by this revelation, Ace tried to refuse firmly. However, Leo had already made up his mind, and he wasn't leaving without a proper battle.
"Why do you want a battle?"
"I want to end this charade of going back and forth, humiliating the other."
Hearing this, an amusing thought appeared inside of Ace's mind.
"Going back and forth? I'm the only one humiliating you because your plans don't work. Even Mr. Crimson foiled your plans to humiliate me."
Leo gritted his teeth while clenching his fist.
"Thats…"
"So, get out of the Training Room. If you wanna stay, then be quiet and train. Well, not that it matters now, since I'm already miles ahead of you."
"Oh, really?"
"Yep. You realize I fought you without using any of the basic skills back then, right?"
"Right, and you broke your ankle after that battle, too."
Silence descended upon the room as Ace widened his eyes, staring dumbfoundedly at the now smug face of the lanky-armed berserker.
"How–"
"I've got my connections."
Leo smiled gently as he approached the stunned figure of Ace.
The former poked the latter on the nose while whispering…
"Now, if you don't want me to reveal more, then duel me. This will be the last time, I promise. Of course, I can't prevent the inevitable circumstances, but I'll try my best not to fight you ever again."
Ace pondered for a while, trying to forget about the fact that Leo was most likely keeping tabs on him using spies.
After a short period of about two minutes, Ace finally opened his mouth…
"And if I do?"
Leo tilted his head, waiting for Ace to elaborate.
"If I do duel you, what do I get in return?"
Leo was astonished at the pettiness of the person standing before him, but decided to comply.
"What do you want?"
Ace stepped forward while deactivating [Indifference]. He finally realized the inconvenience and only decided to activate it during fights or when he's with multiple people he doesn't know.
"I want…"
*
*
*
Boom!
Bang!
Whoosh!
Boom!
Deafening noises were heard as two figures engaged in combat, putting their lives on stake to defeat the other.
"Are you sure you want that?"
Leo asked while performing a roundhouse kick. Ace used [Flurry Steps] to get away while augmenting his body for a split second to bend his knees and jump up.
He did several backflips before gripping his blade tightly and diving down onto Leo.
Boom!
Ace's blade hit the floor instead of its target, but he didn't waste any time. Instead, he quickly retrieved his blade and swung horizontally at Leo.
"Yes, I want that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other things to do."
Holding his sword with one hand, Ace lunged forward while using [Flurry Steps].
He swung horizontally once again before using [Flurry Steps] again.
Then, Ace appeared behind Leo, startling him. Not giving the latter any time, Ace swung vertically from down to up, cutting Leo's arm off clean.
"There we g–"
Ace tried to speak, but before he could finish his sentence, bloodcurdling screams reverberated across the entire hall.
Thankfully, the hall was empty, because someone might have mistaken Leo for a dying coat letting out its last bleats.
"Principal, Felix."
Ace said as he smiled, gripping his blade tighter.
Suddenly, a figure materialized out of thin air, startling the boy was on the floor, screaming.
"I'm surprised you noticed me, Mr. Ambrosia. Usually, it takes a S Ranker to notice my presence"
"To be honest, I didn't notice your presence."
"...huh?"
"There was no way you'd leave your precious little prodigy to die at the hands of nobody."
Felix's face darkened before a gentle smile appeared on his face.
"Well, you're the prodigy now, aren't you, Mr. Ambrosia?"
Ace let out a toothy grin as he exited the hall, leaving Felix to take care of the dying goat.
"That boy… he's something."
Felix muttered as he watched the broad back of the boy leaving the Public Training Room.
"He's going places."