chapter 42

Two weeks flowed by.

Lukas wasn't idle during this time. He practiced non-stop, his whole focus was on improving and making his body regain its old senses back to its peak.

During this time, many completed their first circle in his class. Making him realize how frightening the academy is.

One usually takes two to three months to complete their first cycle. But to think around twenty of them completed theirs, some even broke through to the second circle.

Among them was the girl Mia. Turns out she was a genius. Along with Levia and, of course, the Owsdins, there were a total of eight people.

And for those that completed their first circle, it was around fifteen. Well, the truth to be told, if he practiced magic he should have broken through too. His sole focus was on swordsmanship and increasing endurance and stamina in the gravity chambers, and learning some basics from Professor Oaken.

-------

Beads of sweat dropped from Lukas's forehead as he continued to endure the pressure in the gravity chamber.

He had finished the first level and it was his second day on the second level. The pressure had increased around fourfold on the second floor, but it wasn't enough to make him struggle much. As his body grew stronger, so did his endurance, strength, and stamina.

After enduring and meditating for two hours, he exited the chamber. As usual, seniors and even some first and second-year cadets made remarks about how fast he was growing and how he would become a great warrior in the future.

Of course, this kind of flattery was for him to join their factions. He ignored them and headed for his destination: the Arena!

He was stuck at the tower, as there was no way he could defeat eight of them with his current strength. Cutting off his source of income, he still didn't want to sweep the floor and sit in a receptionist post for credit points.

Leaving him with only one choice: the Arena.

Students were allowed to bet, and the odds increased depending on performance.

Entering the colossal arena, he registered himself.

"Lukas Owsdin, class: Swordsmanship."

He decided to put his practice to the test. For magic, he didn't focus on using the normal wand, as his power came from his soul gear.

Like hell he would waste time using the normal wand when in the future he would fight with his soul gear.

He wanted to hide his name for obvious purposes. But the academy didn't allow it. And thus, here he was, standing in front of his opponent.

Lukas stood across the arena from his opponent, sizing him up. The boy appeared to be around 13 years old, a bit taller than Lukas but more slender in build. He carried a wooden practice wand in one hand, indicating he was a magician in training. A first-year, just like him.

As the countdown started, Lukas drew his saber smoothly. There was no need to fear hurting each other here, as there's a thick invisible coating covering each body, which will stop any harm that's life-threatening or too harsh.

The magician boy twirled his wand idly, a cocky smile on his face. Lukas felt a flash of irritation - he would enjoy wiping that grin away. As the signal was given, the boy thrust out his wand and took out his elemental essences before a sigil formed quite fast and was almost ready to cast.

Seeing this, Lukas rushed forward, as if he would give him the time to cast his spell and wait for it. He rushed forward, closing the distance between them swiftly. He couldn't use his aura, as it's unheard of for someone at his age to use it. Thus it took a moment before he reached him. Truth to be told, it was quite fast, but it was still slow. The spell activated.

A fire bolt rushed towards him just at the time when he was a few feet away from the dude.

Lukas saw the fire bolt rushing towards him but remained calm. He had trained extensively to fight mages and knew avoiding spells was key. At the last moment, he dropped into a roll to the side, feeling the heat of the flames as they passed by.

The magician boy looked surprised that his target had evaded but had no time to cast another spell. Lukas sprang up from his roll and closed the remaining distance between them in an instant. His saber flashed, tapping the boy on his chest and neck to indicate "hits". He didn't have to worry about actually killing him, as the protection activated right away.

And as expected, the strikes were blocked, but the numbers above the dude's head turned from one hundred to zero.

And he slowly disappeared from the arena, still in the process of realizing what just happened.

Lukas felt delighted, seeing such a face, and looked to the right side where a blue screen floated.

[Name: Lukas ver owsdin

•Wins: 01

•Losses: 00

<First year>

Viewers: 03 bets: 00]

"Not bad," he muttered and stood his ground.

The rules were straightforward, like a normal arena and the betting system. The winning side takes all. He gains 20%, and 80% gets distributed to the winning bidders.

Lukas nodded in satisfaction at the results screen hovering beside the arena. One win, and no losses - a strong start. He knew word would spread after this first match, drawing more viewers and bets for the next round.

Stepping back to the center of the arena, Lukas took a moment to stretch and relax his muscles. Though the first fight had been easy, he didn't want to grow overconfident. His opponents would only get stronger. As he waited to be called for the next round, his mind wandered back over his training these past weeks.

The gravity chambers had truly pushed his body to new limits. Where before spells may have slowed him down.A chime rang out, signaling the start of the next match. Lukas turned to see his opponent entering the arena. This one carried a sword - a warrior, then. A smile touched Lukas's lips. His training was about to be put to an even greater test. Gripping his saber hilt, Lukas steeled himself for the coming battle.

[To be continued...]