Crash—!
"Akh...!"
With no room to even retaliate, Brandon was sent crashing towards the mountain's jagged cliffside.
For the past few days, he had been sparring with Androxus.
But sparring seemed to be a bit too far fetched.
To say the least.
It was nothing but one–sided massacre.
He had just broken through S–rank, yet reality seemed to slap him immediately.
Against actual strong beings, Brandon was nothing.
He wasn't even close.
Crossing his arms, Androxus narrowed his eyes and frowned, looking at Brandon as he went on to exclaim.
"It's been two, and this is all you're capable of!?"
"Haaa.... I've been telling you this whole time, I'm injured."
"I expected more from someone who claimed to have taken down a new–born wyvern."
"...."
Brandon had already explained his circumstances that led to his injuries. Thankfully, the fact that he had killed a wyvern didn't irk Androxus in any way..
According to Androxus, new–born wyverns were more or less artificial. Born under the influence of mana in this world, they were a far cry compared to a wyvern who had been born centuries ago.
Wyverns who emerged from a different realm.
Not wanting to divulge more information, Androxus' explanations trailed off from there.
"Get up."
"Huu...."
But despite Brandon's complaints, he appreciated the first–hand training experience.
Brandishing his sword forward, magic power began to coalesce around Brandon. His body enveloped a pulsating purple hue, and he felt the tension in his legs flexed.
Swoosh—!
Kicking the ground, Brandon launched forward. His attacks connected one after another, but Androxus had no thoughts of letting him break through his defenses.
All Androxus needed were his fists to completely repel Brandon's attacks unharmed.
In the first place, it wasn't like Brandon could even harm him at all.
Clank—! Clank—!
Each time his sword collided with Androxus' knuckles, a metallic sound seemed to ring in the air.
His skin was as hard as diamond. Much to the point where Brandon felt the vibrations intensify through the sword—connecting to his arms.
"Too slow."
"...."
The entire ordeal seemed nostalgic for some reason.
"Too weak."
"Give me a break."
"Too obvious."
Bang!
Unable to track Androxus' attack with his eyes, in an instant, Brandon felt his stomach twist, colliding with something that was akin to a bullet train, and was sent hurling away once more.
"Ukh!"
Down on both knees and massaging his stomach, Brandon coughed out blood.
"Stand up."
"Ho–ld.... on."
Brandon hoarsely responded, clinging onto his sword which was impaled on the cold hard ground.
Giving him no time to rest, Androxus' voice rang out once more.
"Again."
***
December 11, 2149.
Amelia was currently training. Sweat trickled down her forehead as she held her sword forward.
"Huu....."
Drawing a few breaths in, Amelia focused on the targets ahead of her. At the moment, she was inside the simulation room.
——[Status]——
∟ STR: A+ —[2%]
∟ MP: A+ —[43%]
∟ DEF: A —[21%]
∟ AGI: A+ —[11%]
∟ INT: B+ —[44%]
∟ CHA: SS —[55%]
[AVG: A+]
———————————
She now had twelve storage capacity for her magic swords—relative to her innate skill.
[Gate].
Now, she could summon twelve weapons at the same time.
But that much at once strained her neural senses. She could only keep up with so many weapons at the same time.
For that reason, Amelia needed to be proficient with it.
Activating the simulation again, Amelia got into a battle stance once more.
She had just finished her physical training.
Now, she had to focus on her ability.
One day left before the examinations.
***
The entire week, everyone focused on training. The training facilities bustled with activity, as cadets engaged in their own type of training, helping one another, while some opted for solo training.
There were separate training facilities for everyone, depending on what they needed.
This was the main reason why Imperial Academy was highly regarded as the best academy currently.
Rachel, who had decided she had studied enough, opted for the same training as Claire's.
To isolate herself in a chamber that contained an abundance of mana—relative to her affinity.
The entire chamber was frozen solid, to the point that Rachel had a hard time concentrating.
According to Claire, exposing mana to the bare skin was the most efficient way when undergoing this type of training.
'Easy for her to say.'
Claire's affinity was lightning, while Rachel's base affinity was ice.
If she were to expose her skin as much as Claire did, she would most probably freeze to death.
"Huuu....."
At least, that's what she initially thought.
But seeing Claire's sudden growth, especially in her efficiency and body structure....
"Huuu.... Damn it...!"
Rachel had to try.
For that reason, she had exposed much of her skin under the sheer coldness.
Currently, she had stripped herself, leaving her bra exposed, but due to her embarrassment, she wore a skirt to cover up her underwear.
"Cold.... cold.... cold...."
For the next few hours or so, those were the only words that left her mouth. Occasionally, she added a few curses.
"Shit.... shit.... shit...."
She started wondering why she even did this.
But as she started getting used to it, Rachel's mind was at ease—completely resonating with the cold mana.
"Huu....."
Her breaths were steady, and gradually, her hair started turning white, crawling from the strands, all the way to the crown.
"Huuu...."
.
.
On the other side of the room.
Amy too had undergone the same training.
But if she had to be honest, she was having some difficulty.
"Guuu...! I'm drowning...!"