"Hufff… Hufff…."
Gasping for breath, Callius struggled to steady himself in a dimly lit room devoid of people.
Combat Training Building.
A place for those that wanted to test themselves and train their mastery.
The usually bustling space was now eerily quiet, showing something was amiss…
As it was still early in the morning.
Actually, it would be inaccurate to say that it was early in the morning because the sun had not yet risen, and the sky was still dark.
"The difficulty is still a bit high."
With a tired mutter, he acknowledged the difficulty of the challenge.
"But, my control over my element is improved a bit. Even if it is a small improvement, it is better than not seeing anything."
Adding with a determined tone, he saw the improvements in his control, which made him want to go on.
Squinting through the darkness, he was able to catch a glimpse of two silhouettes that were rather huge to identify as humans.
/TOK/ /TOK/
As they got closer, with the sound of something hitting the floor, their body that was hidden in the darkness revealed.
Sturdy frames filled with burnt marks showing the battle that had just unfolded, two golems for training purposes appeared.
Despite the burn marks, they didn't seem to have any dysfunction at all, showing the effects of burning couldn't pass through the surface.
/SWOOSH/
In a sudden burst of movement, the golems dashed towards him with their huge metallic fists raised to the sky.
/SWIRL/
Callius swiftly punched to stop the approaching threat, his hands ablaze with fire, and redirected the attack with a fluid motion.
/FOOSH/
He used the flames to extinguish the momentum of the fists coming towards him as the flames followed his command.
/SWOOSH/
However, time was tickling as the other golem moved following its pair.
To stop the movements of the golem, Callius repositioned himself as he felt the threat.
Taking the posture of martial art, he controlled the fire mana around him, increasing the density of fire mana around his palms.
/BOOM/
As he threw a palm strike filled with fire mana, an explosion of destruction occurred, filling the place with smoke.
/TOK/
Even if his vision and sight were limited, Callius stood there, knowing that he successfully deflected the attack.
'The mana consumption is a bit too high…. It looks like using fire for the defense is not a good option for now.'
Though inside his mind, he was not satisfied.
/DRIP/
Sweat dripped from his brows, mingling the heat radiating from his flames as the temperature was raised high.
'My body is tired, and my focus is nearing its end, as well.'
Thinking that it was enough for today, he decided to quit.
/SWOOSH/
"Stop."
As soon as he commanded it, the golem charging toward him came to an abrupt halt as the training room was constructed to facilitate such actions.
"Let's leave the place."
As he recited the incantation for [Clean], he watched as the sweat and dirt from his training session vanished from his body.
Getting out of the training room he was doing, the scene that welcomed him was pretty familiar.
'Gym, huh?'
A place that has a wide array of tools to stimulate and enhance specific muscle groups or perform exercises that target particular movements.
A place for modern people to shape their bodies and a place for people to become fit.
'I can drop maybe later.'
Even though his body was pretty good-looking, and he didn't need to do many exercises to remember how it felt to lift weights, he put a timer in his mind to visit this place later on time.
As he observed the students in training, he noticed a group of individuals with well-defined muscles and bulky physiques.
'The Senior Knights, huh? Their presence is truly intimidating... It's as if an aura of strength and authority surrounds them…..'
Feeling the natural pressure coming from them, he thought.
'Amongst their ranks, there appear to be formidable warriors, their muscles rippling with power. It's quite an awe-inspiring sight, different from the outside world. Academy truly meets the expectations.'
Comparing the outside world, he had observed so far, he had to admit that the Senior Knights possessed an undeniable air of dominance.
'But, it seems they are a bit of a muscle freak, huh?'
The thought passed his head, seeing the scene where two boys were touching each other's muscles as they were training before the 'dawn.'
"COME ON!"
"YOU CAN DO IT!"
With their screams of encouragement filling the room.
'Though, I guess I am not that different.'
Making his way to his room, he thought.
'But, I needed to clear my mind….'
Since last night was quite long and was filled with something that differed from his normal routine, Callius needed to clear his head from the temptation of doing more.
In the end, he was a human too, which made it natural for him to feel strong emotions from time to time.
/CREAK/
Reaching his house, he directly went to the bathroom since he was feeling a bit dirty after the training.
Even though he knew [Clean] spell did its work, it was more of a physiological need.
/WHOOSH/
"Hisss…."
Dropping himself into the cold bath, he opened the panel of the bracelet that was given by the academy, while he released a moan.
'Hmm…. Let's order a special meal, for today…. What should I choose?'
Looking at the panel that was showing the choices for the meals to be delivered, he thought.
'Let's go with the Elixir Oats.'
Choosing the meal that had the effect of increased body recovery as well as increased mana flow rate, he pressed the button and ordered it.
'It seems, the academy is a bit harsh for poor students, huh? What are these prices?'
Even though this meal was a bit rare to find outside, the price of 150 points was still a bit much for normal students.
'Not that it matters to me.'
As he thought, he started getting ready for the classes of today….
------------------------A/N-------------------
The exam yesterday hit like a truck to be honest, though I think I nailed it.
Now, I have the last 3 exams then, I can pick up the pace, finally.
Hope you liked the chapters, so far….
