The next few days felt like a haze; it started when Iza left, and he was alone. He didn't know how he got to bed that night. But the fight with that air user had done quite a bit for him. First of all, his classmates treated him with a bit more respect. Nobody attacked him anymore, although they still spoke behind his back when they thought he wasn't listening. Not that he cared; he rarely had a hard time caring.
The teacher smiled when he showed up the next day after fighting him, but she didn't comment. He had similar days, Growing his storage and getting tossed around like a pebble by Fang. The only issue he could complain about was his body locking up occasionally. He could only assume the bond was responsible, but it shouldn't still affect him.
He was beginning to worry his body was breaking down, but he did find a workaround. He didn't have to worry about his joints and hands locking up as long as he moved slowly and methodically. It made him suffer at the hands of Fang a lot more often, but it also helped him grow as he began to waste fewer movements with his attacks.
When it happened, he was in his room; he had decided not to spar with Fang that day and focused entirely on increasing his storage. It turned out to be the right decision, as, around the evening, he experienced sharp pain in his body whenever he tried to increase his storage.
He seemed to have reached his limit; he dropped back on his bed. He should have been happy but filled with nothing but worry. He kept opening and closing his hands. Occasionally, he struggled to open them, making him frown and grit his teeth. He was beginning to regret the soul bond quite a lot; how was he supposed to fight if this got worse?
The only way to stop the effect or at least alleviate it was to use his Chi to strengthen himself. At worst, it might be time to try to destroy the Chestplate. He already got most of what he wanted from it. He was hesitant; he didn't want to destroy his work so quickly.
He rubbed his face and got up. He was planning to head to the field; he hadn't gotten to practice, so he might as well train on his own for a bit. It helped him clear his head and decide his next move. The month was almost over as well, so he had that to worry about as well.
The moon hung overhead as he arrived at the field; everyone seemed to have left. He got into his stance and began slowly practicing. He threw punches at a slow pace, as well as kicks, before slowly speeding up. His knee locked up as he tried to throw a kick, and he fell onto the ground; it took him about twenty seconds before it settled down enough for him to move it and stand up.
He did the same thing as before, trying to find the right speed to go. He locked up several times until he eventually found the right speed. It felt so slow compared to what he was usually capable of; it made him anxious. He was sturdy, but if he couldn't land an attack on anyone, he would eventually crack and get beaten. It was enough for now, considering the others weren't that much ahead. He had to find out his power, and soon, that would at least give him an edge.
He spent a few more hours training himself before sitting down against a tree. He was sweating quite a bit, and his clothes were dirty. This time, though, they weren't covered in cuts, so it was a nice change of pace.
As if God had heard him celebrating, the same student with whom he had fought was seen walking towards him. He had a scowl on his face as he approached him. Charlotte sighed as he slipped the gauntlets and got up.
"I'm not here to fight; if I were, I would have brought my sword. I already paid dearly, underestimating you. Do you have any clue what my reputation is like now?
His tone was hostile before he calmed himself. He noticed that Charlotte lifted his guard. He cleared his throat and tried to wave off the tension.
"Anyway, I am here to make a proposition you will love and agree to. The monthly competition is starting, and I'm sure you will fight me again and try to take my place. After all, you beat me once; surely, the second time will be just as easy. Am I right?"
Charlotte doesn't lower his guard, but he quietly nods.
"Well, it won't; I hate to break it to you. As much as I'd love to prove it, someone else wants a piece of you first. If you beat them, I'll fight you here after the competition and prove it. Now, someone named Haze wants to take a stab at you first. Of course, as a little motivator, I bring this."
A bag was tossed at Charlotte; he carefully caught it and looked at him skeptically before opening it. It was filled with gold coins, and each one of them was a gold coin. His eyes widened as he carefully checked to ensure it wasn't just the top layer. This was quite the motivator, but he wasn't about to let money cloud his mind. Besides, it was useless in this school.
"This is nice, but isn't it useless in a place like this? How would this be a motivator? Besides, isn't this too much money just to be tossed around so easily like this?"
He laughed as if Charlotte's comment was the funniest thing he could have heard.
"This is chump change to us, maybe not to you...but we are all from noble families, clans, or even kids of the emperor. This is nothing to us but a motivator for someone like you. Even if we get breaks and time to get out of this school, some money would be nice during that time. After all, you didn't show up with anything but the clothes on your skin, armor, and gauntlets."
His attitude was bothering Charlotte, but the money was tempting. He could at least regain all his hard work from spending his life savings on his little soul bond. Besides, either way, that Haze had to be above him, and taking his place would advance him ahead anyway.
"Fine...as for that fight between us, I'll think about it."
He grinned and turned away, waving him goodbye, which somehow pissed him off more. But he didn't care right now. He smiled and put the bag of coins into his pocket. He had at least gotten to his second step.