Sophia crossed her arms, leaning casually against the wall. "I've got nothing to do," she said flatly. "So I just came along with Lila."
Alex raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. He could see right through her. Lila had probably begged her to tag along.
Lila, standing nearby, looked away sheepishly, her cheeks reddening. Alex didn't push, but the way she nervously fiddled with her fingers gave it away.
"Well, whatever," Alex said, brushing it off. He turned to Lila. "Have you ever used a gravity room before?"
Lila tilted her head. "A gravity room? No, never."
Alex smirked. "Alright then. Let's fix that."
He pulled out his phone, tapped a few buttons, and the entire room shifted. A sudden weight pressed down on everything, increasing the gravity threefold. The shift was instant and brutal.
Lila's knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground with a sharp gasp. Her body trembled as she struggled even to lift her head.
"W-what the hell?!" she choked out, her voice strained.
Sophia glanced down at her, unimpressed. "Wow. That's embarrassing."
Lila glared at her, but the weight of the gravity kept her pinned. It wasn't just the pressure—her body wasn't trained for this kind of strain. Her chest heaved as her heart raced unnaturally fast. Blood pumped wildly, her veins bulging as the pressure threatened to overwhelm her.
Alex noticed immediately. "Damn it," he muttered, striding over. He crouched beside her, his hands glowing faintly as mana poured out, surrounding her like a protective shield.
"Calm down," he said firmly. "Use your mana. Push against the gravity with it. That's the only way you'll survive this."
Lila looked at him, panic flashing in her eyes. "I-I don't know how!"
"Figure it out," Alex said, his tone sharp but not unkind. "Feel your mana. Let it flow through you. Wrap it around yourself and push outward."
Desperate, Lila closed her eyes and focused. She gritted her teeth, the strain evident on her face. Bit by bit, she felt her mana respond. It was faint at first, like a flickering flame, but then it began to grow. Slowly, she formed a shield around herself, deflecting the crushing force of the gravity.
When she managed to sit up, sweat dripping down her face, Alex nodded in approval. "Good. You've got it. But your body's still way too weak. You need to fix that."
Lila groaned, still catching her breath. "So… what's my training?"
Alex crossed his arms, his expression firm. "Your training is simple: you'll train your body while maintaining that mana shield until your mana is completely drained. Push yourself to the limit every time."
Lila's eyes widened in horror. "Wait, what?! How am I supposed to do that?!"
Alex pointed at Sophia, who stood calmly under the high gravity as if it were nothing. Not even a strand of her hair was out of place.
"Ask her," Alex said simply.
Lila's jaw dropped. "Her?!"
Sophia smirked, stepping forward. "You heard him. I'll show you the exercises. But don't cry about it later when you can't move tomorrow."
Lila shot her a glare but said nothing. Alex chuckled, crossing his arms. "This should be fun to watch."
Leon approached Alex, his expression serious. "Alright, so what's my training? What do I need to do?"
Alex, cracking his knuckles. "Oh, it's simple. You just need a good beating."
Leon blinked, confused. "Wait, what? What does that even—"
Before he could finish, Alex's fist shot toward his face. Leon barely managed to cross his arms in time to block the hit. The impact was like a freight train. A loud boom echoed through the training hall as Leon went flying backward, skidding across the floor until he hit the wall with a groan.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Leon shouted, shaking his head as he stumbled to his feet.
"That's lesson one," Alex said casually, rolling his shoulders. "Always be ready."
"Be ready for what?! Getting sucker-punched?!" Leon yelled, brushing dust off his pants.
Before he could catch his breath, Alex was already charging at him. Leon's eyes widened. "Oh, come on—"
Wham!
Leon ducked under a kick, barely missing it by a hair. He scrambled to the side, trying to put some distance between them. "Hey, can we talk about this?!"
"Nope," Alex replied, grinning as he closed the gap.
Leon threw up his arms to block another punch, but Alex's sheer strength sent him staggering backward again. "Why are you so damn strong?!"
Across the room, Sophia was watching the chaos with her usual expression. "This is just sad," she muttered.
Lila, however, looked genuinely worried. "Should we… stop them? Leon might actually die!"
Sophia gave her a sideways glance. "Nah, he'll be fine. Probably."
"Probably?!" Lila gasped, clutching her hands nervously.
Back in the ring, Leon was desperately trying to dodge Alex's relentless attacks. He managed to avoid a kick, only for Alex to sweep his legs out from under him in the next second. Leon hit the ground with a loud thud.
"Alright! Alright! I get it!" Leon groaned, trying to push himself up.
Alex crouched next to him, looking far too smug. "Oh, we're just getting started."
Leon's face paled. "Wait—"
Before he could finish, Alex grabbed him by the collar and flung him across the room like a ragdoll. Leon crashed into a stack of training dummies, sending them toppling over in a heap.
"Alex! You're gonna kill him!" Lila shouted, stepping forward, but Sophia held her back.
"Relax," Sophia said, stifling a yawn. "This is the training."
"What kind of training is this?!" Lila cried, her eyes darting between the two men.
"Effective," Sophia replied with a smirk.
Leon, now half-buried under the pile of dummies, groaned as he tried to sit up. "I-I think I'm good. Training complete. We can stop now, right?"
Alex shook his head, his grin widening. "Not until you're too tired to run."
Leon's eyes widened in horror as Alex charged again. "Oh, come on!"
For the next few minutes, the room was filled with the sounds of punches, crashes, and Leon's increasingly dramatic protests.
"Stop aiming for my face!"
"Can't… we… just… spar?!"
"WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?!"
Eventually, Leon was lying flat on the floor, completely exhausted, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. Alex stood over him, hands on his hips, looking satisfied.
"Lesson two," Alex said with a grin. "Never give up."
Leon weakly raised a hand. "I'm giving up…"
Sophia chuckled. "Finally, some quiet."
Lila rushed over to Leon, kneeling beside him. "Are you okay? You look like you've been hit by a truck!"
"That's because I was," Leon groaned, glaring at Alex. "A human-shaped truck named Alex."
Alex shrugged. "You'll thank me later."
Leon groaned again, throwing an arm over his face. "If I survive…"