Livio trains until night.
"Sigh! I am beat. I haven't had time to eat anything this evening."
Livio lies on the ground, then remembers Athena's smile.
"Ahh! I should control myself. I already fell for a similar trick before, but is she the same? I can't doubt everyone because of a single person's betrayal. I should repay her for healing me, no matter what."
He wakes up and leaves for the palace.
"Hey there, Livio. By the look of you, I can tell you've been working hard."
Ethan eats spaghetti after saying that.
"What are you guys doing in the common room?"
Livio enters the room.
"We're chilling. After hard work, everyone deserves some free time."
Alaric brings a glass of beer with him.
"So, did your level go up?"
Sebastian enters the room while wiping his head with a cloth.
"No, I'm still at level one."
Livio rests his body against the wall.
"Really? You need more practice. Everyone here is level eight and higher."
Matteo looks at Livio.
"Sigh! I need to spend more time."
Livio then goes to his room.
"His level is low because he isn't doing combat training with players. Maybe he should fight one of us. That way, his level can improve."
Nicola looks at the ceiling.
"Leave him alone for a week. Then we can train with him."
Nitin leaves the room.
And just like that, the night passes, and as the leaves fall from a tree being punched by Livio, a week passes.
"Only level six? Really?"
Livio sits under the tree.
"Two more weeks until we risk our lives."
Livio holds his head.
"Hey, how's it going?"
Sebastian brings some food for Livio.
"We came to help."
Viktor follows Sebastian. Slowly, the whole group shows up.
"I'm level six now."
Livio looks dejected.
"Fight with us. That's the quickest way to level up. It'll help you understand how you compare to others in terms of combat, battle IQ, and your mastery of PBV. We're all level fifteen and above now."
Sebastian sits beside Livio.
Livio becomes a little confused and thinks to himself.
"Should I fight with them to improve? Come to think of it, I've never fought anyone. My whole life, I've been running from others, scared, looking for someone to protect me. He's right."
"So, what do you say?"
Viktor asks.
"Let's fight."
Livio stands up.
"Fine. I'll be the one fighting you. Don't hold back, and don't expect me to hold back either."
Oliver stands in front of Livio.
Tomasz puts his hand on Nitin's shoulder.
"Who do you think will win?"
Nitin sits under a nearby tree.
"In terms of strength, Livio is outmatched. But still, he trained hard. Let's see if he can compensate with his battle IQ."
A cold breeze carries a leaf, dropping it between Livio and Oliver.
They both activate their PBV, but Livio lags behind in speed.
Livio throws a punch aimed at Oliver's midsection. Oliver sidesteps and counters with a high kick. Livio ducks just in time, feeling the wind of the kick brush past his head. Without wasting time, Livio shifts his weight and sweeps his leg low, aiming at Oliver's legs. Oliver jumps, avoiding the sweep with ease.
After Oliver lands, Livio closes the distance, constantly using jabs and hooks to keep Oliver on the defensive. Oliver blocks each one, moving smoothly like water. Livio sees an opening and goes for a hard kick aimed at Oliver's ribs. But Oliver grabs his leg, using his momentum to spin him off balance. Livio stumbles and falls to the ground but quickly gets back on his feet.
As soon as Livio stands, Oliver is already on him. A rapid kick to Livio's side forces him to raise his arm to block, but the impact sends a shock through his body. Oliver doesn't give him time to recover, launching a spinning back kick aimed at Livio's head. Livio ducks and steps closer, trying to use Oliver's rotation to push him off balance, but Oliver quickly regains his footing.
Livio tries something new. He fakes a punch, causing Oliver to lean backward to avoid it, and then lands a kick to Oliver's thigh. It connects, making Oliver stumble a little, but Oliver uses the force to spin into a powerful elbow strike. Livio barely dodges but feels the pressure brush his cheek.
Oliver throws a strong punch, but Livio catches his wrist, pulling him forward and using his weight to spin him around, then going for a kick to the back. Oliver twists mid-air, using the force to flip and land smoothly.
All his friends are impressed. Nitin and Tomasz chew leaves while watching the fight.
Livio sees an opportunity and rushes forward with a punch aimed at Oliver's chest. Oliver sidesteps and grabs Livio's arm, using his momentum to pull him in and flip him over his shoulder. Livio crashes to the ground, panting, but quickly rolls to his feet.
Oliver closes the gap with a swift flow, delivering a roundhouse kick that lands on Livio's side with perfect precision. The force makes Livio stumble. Before Livio can recover, Oliver lands a punch to his head, finishing the match.
Livio lies on the ground, staring at the sky. His vision blurs. Oliver sits beside him.
"You're amazing!"
Oliver looks at Livio, who is smiling.
They continue sparring until night, pushing themselves to be better than before.
Another week passes, and all of them grow stronger.
"So, level sixteen. Not bad!"
Livio then plans to meet Athena.