BOOM!!!!
Kaen was inside the isolated training room.
Obviously testing his abilities and trying to get as used to his power as possible.
Even if he looked lazy to others, since the day he had arrived in that world... he hadn't taken a single day off.
He trained every single day inside those rooms, without fail.
At that moment, he was in the middle of a fight against two training dummies at the same time.
One was at level 1 and the other at level 2 difficulty.
Even though they were average, those levels would already be considered insane in regular magic academies.
But this was Veyhart, which made everything worse.
Kaen dodged a frontal punch with a movement so fluid it looked like the classic Matrix scene.
Which made him wonder if he should buy a long coat and some sunglasses...
As his body leaned back, the other dummy tried to kick him from behind.
Kaen smiled.
"I was already waiting for you!"
It was like he had planned it from the start.
In that instant, a repulsion wave exploded behind him, throwing both dummies away.
'Push everything... repel everyone... this technique is literally my Deva Path.'
The level 1 dummy flew far away, while the level 2 landed on its feet and was already preparing for a new strike, but before it could do anything... Kaen appeared right in front of it.
With a punch powered by vector force, the dummy was launched against the wall.
Before the limp body could hit the floor, Kaen pointed his fingers as if firing a wave of invisible pressure.
THOOM!
The blast hit the dummy hard. It was enough to shut it down completely.
The level 1 dummy, thrown farther, was approaching more slowly.
"Level 1s really lost their charm..."
Kaen had already gotten completely used to that level of difficulty.
"Come at me, chrome dome."
The dummy tried to hit him, but a repulsion zone appeared in front of Kaen, deflecting the blow with ease.
But in that moment... a light tremor ran through his body.
He looked at his hands.
'They're shaking... looks like this really is the limit.'
He then stepped forward with a firm step, gathered the remaining mana into his fist, and struck the dummy square in the chest.
The impact created a short repulsion wave that burst in the air with a muffled crack.
THRAM!
The dummy was thrown back, crashing into the wall with a dull thud.
The impact was strong enough to knock it down and shut off its systems completely.
Kaen lowered his arms, breathing slightly heavily. His hands were still trembling a bit. He let out a slow breath, as if releasing all the week's exhaustion with it.
"...Looks like I'll have to go back to the forest."
His mana reserve in the Inertia Core was almost empty.
He had been overusing his abilities these past days. And after being used as a test subject in Professor Aeryn's exam, he ended up spending more energy than planned.
Without stored mana, his repulsion force became unstable. And worse... the side effects started to show up more easily.
"Looks like accepting Yenne's offer was a good choice in the end."
He then remembered the conversation with her in the cafeteria. She wanted help to better control her mana.
At first, he had refused.
But then she mentioned an item.
At first, he thought it was some kind of magical steroids.
But when he let Yenne explain better, he understood what it really was — the Vitality Condenser.
Kaen knew that thing very well. What made him think it was something else was the fact the name hadn't been chosen yet.
In the game, it already had a definitive name: Vyralis Core.
In the community? Everyone called it the Big Tank Gem.
Because it made any character tougher than a raid boss. A walking tank.
"If I can get a few of those... maybe my body will hold out longer."
He knew that in that world, uncontrolled use could mess up his mana circulation. But the chance to reinforce his weak body, even just a bit... was too tempting to ignore.
"Looks like in the end I really will have to help her."
CLACK... CLUNK...
Kaen heard a strange sound behind him. The kind of muffled mechanical noise only a broken dummy trying to stand up would make.
Slowly, he turned his face, already with a tired look.
The level 2 dummy, the one he was sure was already out of commission, was dragging itself toward him, with a crooked posture but still active.
To enter the isolated training rooms, students had to wear bracelets that served as danger indicators.
If the student passed out, the dummies would stop functioning immediately.
If the student took them off, the dummies would also stop.
Since Kaen was tired and nearly drained, the ideal would be to stop there.
But being him... maybe that wasn't going to happen.
He slowly raised his head, staring at the dummy still coming toward him.
He was annoyed, sweaty, exhausted, and even so...
Kaen took a deep breath and shouted loudly, with a deep, mocking voice:
"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!"
The scream echoed through the metallic room.
With a burst of motion, Kaen launched himself at the dummy with a look of pure disgust, like he was about to teach someone a lesson for not knowing their place.
"You can't even fall properly, you walking piece of junk!"
===
16:34 in the afternoon....
"So, have you recovered from the other day?"
"That was weeks ago, Iris."
Iris approached, handing a drink bottle to Elena.
The two were in an open area of the academy, enjoying the break. And, as always, Iris had that teasing little smile.
"I just want to know if you're completely okay. After that little runaway of yours."
"Runaway? You attacked me from behind."
Iris raised her hands in surrender.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist."
'That snake disguised as an angel...'
Anyone looking at Iris would think she was pure sweetness. But those who truly knew her...
Iris Vaellen, daughter of the Emperor of the Black Sea, had inherited the worst of her father.
"Well, at least I got 178 points."
Elena smiled.
Despite everything, she knew Iris was a sore loser.
"You only got that because that idiot Rayden helped you."
"I could've finished it on my own."
"Yeah right... train more so you don't lose next time."
Iris turned and walked away waving like she'd just won a war.
And the worst part?
She actually managed to piss off Elena.
"Hmpf..."
'What am I doing? Getting mad at a brat...'
Elena looked at the bottle.
She opened it without even looking at the label, brought it to her lips, and took a sip.
"..."
The taste was horrible. Bitter, strong, with a slight touch of despair.
"KOFF! KOFF!"
She choked a little, making a face.
When she finally turned the bottle to see what it was, she read in small, flowery letters:
Thunder Root Tea with Glacial Fire Extract – Stimulates magical circulation, strengthens mana veins. May cause temporary loss of taste.
"That brat..."
She looked up at the clouds.
"If you're going to give me something to drink, at least make it alcoholic."
Going back in time had its perks...
But putting up with everything again? Brats, provocations, and lukewarm tea?
Now that was enough to make her want to give up.
She then stood up in a quick step, shaking off all the laziness that clung to her body, heading toward the training fields.
'It's almost time. I need to be ready.'
The first act was coming. And Elena wanted to be more than prepared.
It was only natural that she knew a good part of what was going to happen.
And a big problem would show up right at the beginning of the academy's classes.
More specifically, during Alchemy class.
As she walked through the academy's halls toward the training fields, Elena let her thoughts take over.
"..."
"...."
If she could just tell everyone everything, she would lift the weight off her shoulders and let the academy handle the problem.
But that was impossible for her. She had already tried doing that while talking with Lyra. Every time she tried to say something about the future, her head would hurt like it was about to explode.
It had become more than clear that this was a secret she had to carry alone.
'Maybe I should do like him... live in the now?'
But as if the heavens had heard her thoughts and wanted to mess with her...
While she was walking through the corridor of the isolated training rooms...
Kaen came out of a room up ahead.
'He's really been coming here every day?'
Kaen looked exhausted.
They still had one last class before ending the day.
Wearing himself out like that was pointless... but if she considered the fact that he always slept through classes, maybe it wasn't that strange.
Kaen walked past her.
Despite being out of breath, he looked satisfied, with a slight smile on his face.
In the isolated training corridor, she walked past the rooms. Several students were training, even in pairs or groups of three...
But what caught her attention was the room Kaen had just left.
The screen on the door displayed a red warning: "Mana Maintenance – Room unavailable for the next 30 minutes."
Curious, she stepped closer to the glass wall and gently pressed her face against it, trying to get a better view inside. The glass was slightly fogged from the inside, but she could still see part of the damage.
One of the dummies was lying on its back against the wall, completely powered off.
The other...
Looked like it had been brutalized.
It was lying on the floor, torso leaning to the side, head twisted at an unnatural angle, and impact marks scattered across its metal body.
The protective paint that mimicked synthetic skin was peeling in several spots, and there was still a faint electric hiss coming from inside.
'...He really had personal business in here?'
Even for an isolated training room, that was unusual.
Elena frowned slightly.
On the screen beside the door, a small technical message flashed:
Estimated time for full regeneration using room mana: 00:29:48.
She narrowed her eyes, and a thought crossed her mind like an arrow.
'What the hell did those dummies say to him?'