Grey couldn't help but feel his hand instinctively rubbing his cheek after the last punch landed.
"Bloody... hell," he muttered, still taken aback by the level of control and brutality displayed in the fight. However, He expected nothing less. After all, there no one would be pulling their punches in the limbo. Each fighter was deadly in their own right, and while one clearly possessed superior skill, Grey felt both combatants could effortlessly outclass the current him.
'I should really stop relying on movies,'
he sighed, realizing that the flashy powers depicted in films were far from the reality of this place. Real ranker fights depended on tactics, experience, and seamlessly blending one's fighting style with their powers. The abilities here lacked the flashiness of films, often requiring experience to even discern their usage. Of course, that didn't mean flashy powers didn't exist; Grey was aware that Lucius, for instance, had some kind of curse related to strengthening or manipulating a specific aspect of his body. However, he remained uncertain about Orion's abilities, and whether he utilized them during the fight.
Grey's train of thought abruptly halted as Nagi's voice rang out, drawing his attention. "Well done, Lucius. You've improved, but you're still too reckless. One of these days, it will catch up to you."
Lucius bowed respectfully, but a confident smirk played on his lips, clearly not bothered by the admonition. "Yes, master."
Nagi shifted his gaze toward Orion, who slowly rose to his feet, gingerly rubbing his bloodied face. His bow was unsteady, betraying his fatigue and injuries. "As for you, Orion, there's a difference between relying solely on your curse, and allowing it to aid you in battle. Take a page or two from Lucius. Also, improve your foresight; it's simply terrible."
Orion's response was muffled due to his swollen face. "Yes, master."
Shaking his head, Nagi issued his instructions. "Alright, go to the clinic. The wound isn't too bad, so you should be patched up in an hour. Jess,Jake, escort him."
Two figures dressed in white swiftly made their way to the scene, assisting Orion out of the ring with their shoulders. Once the three had left, Nagi turned his attention back to the students. "Alright, find your sparring partners and get started. We don't have all day."
The hall soon echoed with the clashing of wood against wood and occasional sounds of flesh meeting flesh. Grey finally lifted his gaze from the ground, looking at Ember beside him.
"What do you think of it?" he asked, curious about her impression.
"It's far better and more skilled than street fights. Really eye-opening," Ember replied, her attention focused on the fights.
Grey scratched his head, considering her words. "It makes much more sense than the movies I've watched."
Ember shot him a deadpan look before returning to fiddling with the window.
' Some people just lack a funny bone.'
Turning his attention back to the window, Grey's gaze settled on Lucius. He tapped the blue light enveloping the boy, causing a window to expand, revealing Lucius' information.
Name: Lucius Of Sterlin .
Rank: E
Courses completed: 25
"...a noble,"
Grey muttered, not really surprised by the revelation. He already expected to encounter many individuals of noble birth in this place, as they were more likely to be cursed. However, what intrigued him more were the number of completed courses. He had to have been here for at least six months to achieve such progress
"No wonder he's so in sync with his curse," Grey remarked to himself.
Suddenly, Lucius' head turned, his gaze fixating on the booth where Grey and Ember stood. Their eyes met briefly, Startling Grey, and making him bump into Ema.
Looking back at Lucius, He saw the boy had already shifted his gaze talking to the people around him.
"What happened?" Ember asked, bewildered by Grey's sudden reaction.
"Nothing... nothing at all," Grey quickly replied, trying to brush off the encounter. He patted down his trench coat, collecting himself. "Whew... His senses are sharp."
---------------
Grey and Ember continued watching the fights, finding most of them interesting. While all the participants displayed superior combat skills compared to Grey, none matched the initial fighters in terms of sheer spectacle. However, there was one exception—a girl who effortlessly overwhelmed her opponent, accurately predicting his movements before he could execute them. It was less of a fight and more of a one-sided beatdown. Unsurprisingly, she too turned out to be a noble.
He wasn't surprised by the nobles' superior combat abilities, considering many were trained from an early age in preparation for the inevitably that was the limbo. After all 95% of noble children become cursed.
Aside from the fights, there wasn't much else to see. Although everyone surpassed him in combat, the matches lacked the same level of awe as the initial ones. Observing Ember, Grey noticed that while she was interested in the fights, she didn't seem as shocked as him. It was as if witnessing such battles was commonplace for her.
'Life in the slums must be terrible,'
Grey mused silently, empathizing with Ember's apparent lack of surprise.
With some time remaining after class, they decided to head toward the physical training class. After all, technique meant nothing without sufficient strength.
Upon entering the room, Grey couldn't help but think of it as a gym on steroids. It housed an array of equipment, from weights to treadmills—every conceivable training apparatus money could buy. His eyes settled on the rooms along the gym's edge.
'According to the manual, the main highlights should be the gravity room and the recovery mist,' Grey recalled. 'Both are said to be the latest cursed tech prototypes. The recovery mist is an entirely different concept, allowing trainers to continually replenish their stamina and exercise for longer durations. This is my first time seeing cursed tech in action.'
He had only heard the name cursed tech before and knew little about it beyond its existence. The government tended to keep such things tightly under wraps.
However, both he and Ember spent less time in the training class compared to the initial class. Watching sweaty students train all day didn't appeal to them, after all, they weren't perverts. Plus, this supervisor seemed to disregard their presence. He didn't even teach, merely acting as a fitness instructor, assisting individuals with proper exercise techniques.
Survival class was the only essential course left, but Grey saw little point in attending at the moment. While he could comprehend the physical aspects of the fights and training, survival involved a significant theoretical component. It would be more practical to start the class at the beginning of the next month.
Walking along the path leading to the hostels, the sky began to darken, and a chilly autumn wind carried a hint of moisture. Grey took a deep breath, sighing as he gazed at his surroundings. It was his go to method for relaxing. Observing Ember's slight smile, a rare sight on her typically stoic face, he smiled, he wasn't alone in finding solace in the environment.