Cling-
Clack
Boom-
Swing-
"Ugh."
I was once again blasted away and crashed into the wall, feeling the impact reverberate through my entire body. The robot's C- ranked prowess was far beyond anything I'd encountered before.
The difference between a G and an E ranked individual was already significant, but the leap from C- to higher ranks was on an entirely different scale.
As you moved up the ranks, the gap widened, and progress became increasingly challenging. It wasn't just about raw strength; it required mastering advanced techniques and refining every aspect of one's combat skills.
Given my abysmal talent grade, the climb was even steeper. My natural aptitude for mana and combat techniques was far from exceptional, making each advancement a grueling ordeal.
I knew that to overcome these limits, I needed to address my shortcomings swiftly and adapt quickly. The relentless training was my only hope to bridge this gap and transform my weakness into strength.
I drank my potions and launched towards the robot again.
But over and over again, I've only managed to get on average three to four hits in.
'This isn't working, I need to stall a B- ranked person long enough but I've been struggling against a C- ranked prowess for the past 20 hours. It's becoming clear that just enduring the training isn't enough. I need a new strategy, something more effective to accelerate my progress and build up my strength faster.'
I've definitely grown stronger for the past 20 hours but the improvement is minuscule.
As I kept thinking about ways, a sudden thought came crashing into me.
'I've never tried to combine [Shinra's Steps] with [Distant Slash] have I?'
Back in the game itself, one can combine both moves if one succeeded in pressing the keys in a certain pattern but also doing it in a second.
'This means I can probably do that here but how?'
It is much different as this is a physical body of mine and not on a monitor, being controlled by a keyboard and mouse.
As my mana capacity grew larger, I can now support a much broader range of actions now.
With a deep breath,I immersed myself in the world of [Shinra's Steps] but also channeling enough mana to activate [Distant Slash].
The moment when both skills were activated, I can see a thin light connecting to the neck of the robot, right above the star.
My instincts took over me, with a flash, I arrived with my sword in contact with the bot and finally I managed to land a solid hit in.
I quickly dodged the next fist and stepped away.
"Phew.. that was challenging. Now I have to incorporate that feeling into every attack I do."
Sweat streaming down my face and mingling with the air of the training room, my muscles ached from the constant strain. Despite the fatigue, I continued to challenge the robot relentlessly, pushing myself to the very limit.
------
Liora's Pov
Today was a hectic day, I just spent six hours sparring with Ryder and Aldric for the past two days now. We ended our sparring session early since we are going on a trip tommorow, but he seems a little off ever since the incident.
His glaring eyes have cooled down a little bit but it's still here. Just not as much as a week ago.
It took me by surprise that the calm Alyssa has such a fierce demeanor. Usually she will just take a beating from anyone, but ever since that day, where she arrived disheveled. She changed.
The cold-noble Alyssa now seems detached from everything and more aggressive ever since that day.
"Ha.. Ryder, why do you always spar with both Aldric and me?"
"Yeah, Ryder. Why are you so anxiously trying to grow stronger?"
"Cause I want to."
"What? You're so boring."
I continued the conversation.
"Hmm, don't you think there's a more pressing matter to think about?"
"..."
Both the boys remained quiet. I continued once again.
"Alyssa changed. It was an abrupt one too. I ordered my subordinate to investigate what happened. Only to find out that on the day of the midterms, around midnight, she took a Skylan train to station R-8."
"Isn't that the slums? Why would she go there? With her personality, she should be miles away from that place. Especially during midnight."
"..."
Ryder still remains quiet.
"That's what your job is. To find out what happened to Alyssa, Aldric."
"Huh, why me? Shouldn't Ryder go take a peek at her and not me?"
I smacked his head.
"Ow, what was that for?"
"Are you stupid? Ryder and Alyssa aren't exactly on friendly terms. Especially since he is obsessed with the rank 1 spot. But now it's his for his taking. But remember how brutally he beat Alyssa up during the entrance exam?"
".. Right. I forgot about that. Hehe"
"..."
Ryder still remains silent.
".. I will go and visit her."
"Huh?"
"Ha?"
Both Aldric and I remain shocked. That was the most absurd thing this guy has ever said. To visit her?
"Are you in your right mind today, Ryder?"
"..."
He shrugged it off and began walking away.
"What a crazy person."
"Yeah.."
"You too."
"Hey what was that?"
I quickly walked away, drying myself with a white towel after the sparring session.
---
Professor Verron's Pov
"Haaa.."
Ever since that incident, I've been dealing with the backlash from Alyssa beating up Ronan. The Diaz family, along with numerous other nobles, have voiced their concerns and criticisms. The general sentiment is summed up in questions like:
'I thought the academy ensured the students' safety?'
'What happened to the academy that allowed a student to be beaten up so severely?'
The uproar has been relentless. Many nobles have joined in the outcry, demanding answers and accountability. As a result, the Headmaster has burdened me with all the responsibility of addressing these concerns, given that I am in charge of Class S-1.
'I've been trying to meet up with Alyssa these past days to talk about her rank.'
From rank 1 to rank 37 is a huge drop but Alyssa stayed in her room for the past two days.
"I shouldn't worry about her, she should be fine on the day we depart for the trip."
---
Aldric's Pov
"Mhhhmm, this cupcake is truly the best!"
But I wonder where Alyssa is? She's usually here ordering cupcakes to enjoy but I haven't seen her for the past three days.
"Ah who cares, she probably went to another cupcake store."
---
Alyssa's Pov
BOOOOM-
I quickly moved out of the way, and returned an uppercut then kicked the robot away. Readying up my stance, I jumped towards it and slashed the robot, finally managed to scratch it
"Hehehehehe. Hahaha."
I think I might go mentally insane but it's all for the benefits of surviving. Well I hope.
I continued to spar against the robot whose power is now actually C+!
I managed to stall someone with the prowess of C+, but that doesn't mean I can defeat it. I doubt I can even defeat a D+ ranked person let alone a C+.
Being distracted by my thoughts, I got kicked and fell down.
"Goddammit."
"It's not good to swear, student Alyssa."
"Uh, stop nagging about it. What else could I do if I met someone with ur power beating me rentlessly?"
".. It is what you requested, student Alyssa."
"Ugh, whatever you robot. You know what. I should give you a name instead of calling you a robot. How does Iris sound?"
"Yes Iris sounds good."
"Alright Iris."
I checked my bracelet as I swallowed my last set of 3rd grade potions.
'Ugh how painful, not only physical pain but also my wallet's pain.'
The current time is [ 8:20 Am ] I have nearly 2 hours to get ready before an announcement is made.
"Iris, you can stop attacking me, my training is over."
"Yes, student Alyssa."
I took a glance around the room, while Iris cleans everything up. Stains of fresh blood to dried up blood basically splattered everywhere.
I ate my last endurance ration and took out a [ Cleaner Towel ]. A towel that if you quickly wipe around your body, it removes all the bad smell from your body!
If I hadn't used this for the past 70 hours, I wouldn't have lasted long without me puking by smelling my own body.
"Thank god they have this here or else I probably die from being so smelly."
As I finished wiping my body, I heard someone walking towards my door.
Ding Ding Ding DIng Ding Ding
"Ugh, who is this bastard ringing my doorbell so fucking loudly?"
I slammed the door open and found myself face-to-face with a young man dressed in a blue Lumi uniform, adorned with five black stripes on his sleeves. His golden eyes shone with an almost otherworldly brilliance, contrasting sharply with his flowing black hair. His pale white face and strikingly handsome features made him even rival K-pop stars back on Earth.
Then a name tag that reads
'Ryder Valken | Rank 1'
"..."
I slammed it shut. At least that's what I thought I did.
---
Ryder's Pov
"Phew."
I had just finished my daily morning training with the sword. I dried myself off and dressed myself up.
I looked at myself in the mirror, dressed up neatly in the school uniform. I double checked if there are any faults in myself. Seeing there was none, I quickly glanced around to see if I had packed everything I needed for the trip.
I headed out of my room, closing the door behind me, and made my way toward the girls' hallway.
I walked towards Alyssa's room, number 05001.
Unaware, I clenched my fist behind my back as I rang the doorbell to her room. I kept pressing it repeatedly, just in case that girl couldn't hear it.
"- this bastard ringing my doorbell so fucking loudly?"
'Huh?'
I was startled for a second. That tone of speech and her words didn't match up with how Alyssa usually talked. But this voice was undeniably hers.
The door opened and it quickly closed.
But I quickly stepped forward, blocking the door with my foot to stop it from closing.
I was startled again, with shock, I looked at Alyssa. The face was unmistakably Alyssa's, but everything else felt off. Her posture, her tone, the expression in her eyes was like looking at a stranger.
And the most surprising part is how dirty she is.
She was covered in dried blood, from her shoes all the way to her head. Intense black bags under her eyes indicated she hadn't been sleeping well. Her clothes were torn in places, and she looked like she had been through a battlefield.
"You.. Why haven't you washed the filthy monster blood off of you?"
".. What? You think this blood came from those hideous beasts? You have quite a problem with your brain. Their blood is slightly purple."
'...'
"Then whose blood did it come from? Perhaps another human that you managed to kill with your puny powers?"
"This is my own fucking blood."
---
Alyssa's Pov
'Woah, he looks very shocked from what I just said. I mean, it is the truth, but why look so shocked?'
I wondered, noticing his wide eyes and open mouth.
"You.. just what did you do to yourself?"
"Do you need to know?"
'Tsk'
What an annoying bastard. I promised myself to stay away from him but how did I even manage to catch his attention for him to walk into my room?
"Can you leave now?"
"No, I need to come in."
Ah this stubborn kid, don't you know it is improper to walk into a lady's room?
But then again, he has no common sense.
"Ugh, fine, find a spot and I will bring you some tea."
I quickly went to the kitchen to find some dried leaves to make tea. Honestly, I had no idea how to make tea, so I just dumped some leaves into a pot and added hot water, and called it a day.
Damn, the heating process is so quick. In an instant, the pot was at boiling temperature.
After a minute, I drained the water into a cup and headed out to give it to our main character.
"Here is some tea."
"..."
He took the tea without saying thank you?
Ugh, I can't wait for him to be taught by his lovely friends about common sense in part 6.
"Let's spar."
"Huh?"
Why does he even want to spar with me? Wait, does he want to beat me up? What did I ever do to you? I cried inside.
"Wait!"
He opened the door to the training room.
'No! Iris hasn't cleaned up everything yet!'