Lukas continued pushing his body to its limits within the gravity chamber. His muscles ached and his lungs burned, but still he persevered. After half an hour had passed, beads of sweat covered his brow, and his limbs trembled with exertion. Yet he did not stop.
The observers outside watched in amazement. This scrawny first-year was enduring far beyond what anyone expected of a novice. His endurance clearly exceeded what his physique suggested.
After 45 minutes had passed, Lukas began to falter. His legs shook violently under the strain, and he dropped to one knee, panting heavily. But still he did not quit. With gritted teeth, he forced himself back up and continued his exercises, refusing to back down despite his body's protests.
By the one-hour mark, Lukas was near exhaustion. His vision swam, and dark spots danced before his eyes with each pounding heartbeat. Yet he pushed on, unwilling to show any weakness.
Outside, the observers began to murmur in awe and respect. "Who is this kid?" they wondered. "His endurance is off the charts for a freshman." Even the seniors were impressed by Lukas' sheer determination and willpower.
Finally, after an hour and fifteen minutes had passed, Lukas stumbled out of the room on shaking legs. He was met with thunderous applause. He looked up in surprise to see nearly two dozen students gathered, observing him with expressions of disbelief and admiration.
"That was some show, mate!" called out a burly blond boy. "An hour and fifteen in the level one chamber - that's bloody unheard of for a firstie!"
A tall, dark-haired girl stepped forward, her eyes appraising Lukas keenly. "What's your name, freshman?"
He straightened with effort. "Lukas."
She raised an eyebrow. "Well, Lukas, that was quite an impressive display. I'm Amelia, a third-year. You did some training when you were young, didn't you? Your family really did a good job."
Before he could respond, another student pushed through the crowd - a stocky boy with a hooked nose. "Tch, endurance ain't everything, newblood. Let's see how you handle yourself in the arena," he sneered.
Amelia shot the boy a look. "Back off, Gaston. He just finished over an hour in the chamber. Give the boy a rest. Oh, don't tell me you're planning to challenge a first-year while being in the third year... Hahaha."
Gaston glowered but backed away. "So what? I will teach him some pointers. In a real battle, the enemy won't spar with you for being a junior."
Lukas was still catching his breath as he nodded in response to Amelia's question. Of course, he wouldn't tell the truth. "Yes, my family trained me from a young age. Endurance exercises were a regular part of my training back home."He glanced at Gaston, who still eyed him hungrily, clearly itching for a challenge. Lukas didn't know what to say. If he were in his past life, he would never turn down a fight. But now, he felt like a newly born chick at strength. It felt weird seeing the dude who wanted to fight him.
"I welcome the opportunity to learn, even against an upperclassman like senior, but I may have to take some rest now."
Lukas was indeed exhausted after his grueling session in the gravity chamber. As he spoke to Amelia and Gaston, he had to lean against the wall for support just to remain standing.
"Well said, well said," a voice came from the side. The dude had a well-developed body and was wearing a sleeveless leather jacket. Behind him were two twin swords. He was also wearing a red dragon badge.
Lukas looked at the dude's face, who seemed quite old, just like his brother.
He smiled before taking out a small card and throwing it at him. "Here, take this."
Lukas grabbed and looked at it. The card was golden in color and had well-decorated corners.
And on the card, bold letters were present.
"Blood Steel Legion."
He smiled, seeing him looking at the card. "Feel free to join our faction. You just have to turn it in at the credit center. They will register you."
Lukas was taken aback by the offer from the Blood Steel Legion representative. Before he could respond, another voice called out.
"Hold on a moment, I think the Sky Knights would be a better fit for this lad."
Turning, Lukas saw a statuesque blonde woman approaching, flanked by two girls wearing purple badges. She wore armor etched with swirling clouds and carried an ornate wooden staff.
"The Legion focuses too much on brute strength alone," the woman continued. "With his obvious talents and endurance, Lukas has the makings of a fine aerial combatant. He would thrive under my command in the Sky Knights."
Gaston scoffed. "The Knights are all flair and no fight. This pup needs proper training, not dancing through the clouds."
As Gaston scoffed at the Sky Knights, another voice called out from the back of the crowd.
"I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss them, Gaston."
The students parted to reveal a tall, broad-shouldered male. His dark skin and shaved head glistened with sweat from his own training. Two ornate daggers were sheathed at his waist, marking him as a member of the Shadow Assassins faction.
"Jared of the Shadows," Amelia said respectfully. "Always a pleasure."
Jared nodded to her. "The Knights have more skill than brawn alone, as your display proved earlier," he said to Lukas. Turning to Gaston, his voice hardened. "We Shadows focus on speed, stealth, and tactics. Not every fight is won through brute force. Dismissing any faction shows ignorance, not strength."
Gaston flushed but held his tongue. The Shadow Assassins were not a faction to anger lightly. Jared turned back to Lukas. "You've piqued my curiosity, first-year. While the Knights would help develop your talents, consider all your options before deciding. My blademasters are always looking for agility and endurance over size and bluster. You've more than earned the right to consider all factions fairly."
The woman from the Sky Knights nodded respectfully. "Well spoken, Jared. The choice is yours, young man. But know that a place is open for you with the Knights, should you wish to learn aerial combat and push your limits even further."
Lukas didn't know if he should answer truthfully or not. Yes, he has mana now. He can easily surpass his old self now with just being a warrior. But he didn't want his Soul Gear to be basically for magicians. But he also didn't want to abandon the warrior path. Thus, he wanted to become something in between them.
After a second of thinking, he decided not to tell his background. He will do so when he can consider more. He needed allies after all. He can't do everything alone.
"Thank you, seniors, for thinking so highly of me. I have to consider this. May seniors excuse me; this junior is tired now."
The leader of the Shadow faction nodded his head before he gazed at everyone. His intentions were simple: Don't disturb Lukas.
Lukas didn't stay here any longer. His tummy was begging for some food already.
[To be continued...