Chapter 37 (blade, brain and brotherhood)

They nodded at each other, then springed to their feet, dashing towards the golem's. Drake led the charge with Mark closed behind. The two golems also surged forward, both sides closing the distance.

From a few ranges away, Drake unleashed his attack. "Draconic mana: Aqua Dragon Roar (3 circle)." The pressurised water blast slammed into the first golem's head. The golem, however, pulsed, crossing its hands to deflect the attack and continued advancing.

Mark leaped from Drake's back and attacked the first golem. "Torrential Aura: Void Fist Technique, Wave Surge (2 circles), but the first golem took the attack head; its fist clashed with Mark's fist, and both were pushed back, sliding across the ground. The second golem leaped towards Mark to attack, but Drake did not give it's a chance. " Draconic Mana: Aqua Dragon Roar (3 circle)." This forcefully slowed down the second golem with a powerful water blast.

Drake stepped closer to Mark. "It, now or never."The two golems attempted to close the gap between them when Drake cast a barrier around them, which the golems leaped out, breaking through the barrier, but Mark had already leaped into the air waiting for them. "Torrential Aura: void first technique, Torrential Force (3 circle)."

This time he channelled his torrent of aura through his veins, compressing the force into a concentrated punch, making the strike like a powerful stream under pressure. He struck the first golem with great intensity, piercing through its defense. The aura influenced created a rippling effect, shaking the target on impact. The golem instantly exploded, with its body flipping around the floor. Mark also felt numbed, with his body drained from the effect of the fist and lack of sufficient aura.

During the collision, Drake noticed a visual sensor on the golems' necks that resembled that of human Adam's apple that glows whenever they attacked the golems or reacted to attack. To test his hypothesis, Drake cast his spell towards the sensor creating a barrier, obstructing their vision; this caused the golems to pulse and react, protecting it, similar to how humans shield their eyes from danger. This led Drake to conclude that the visual sensor was crucial to the golem's actions.

Meanwhile, Mark was still struggling to gain back his footing when the second golem charged towards him. Seeing this, Drake swiftly reacted and dove through the air, wrapping Mark in his right arm and pushing him out of the golem's path. But however, Drake was not completely cleared of the attacking range and was struck in his left waist, sustaining a minor internal injury.

The golem now turned its attention to Drake and Mark, who were still trying to stand. As the golem raised its fist to strike, the inspector intervened and shut it down.

"That enough for today's training." The inspector announced, and his voice echoed through the room. Freya approached her colleagues with tears welling in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I'm felt useless." She cried out, raising her hand above them. "Healing Water Aura: Aqua Restoration, Aqua Touch (1 circle)." A mid mana circle formed around her hand, releasing a healing aura energy that eased their burns and pain upon contact.

"You don't need to feel bad. You are already playing your part, and this is just the beginning." Mark said, patting her head. "We may need to rely on you in the future, so embrace yourself." Freya raised her head, looking at her comrade, smiling at her. She wiped off her tears. "I promise," she clenched her fist. "I won't fall behind." She said with determination.

They all emerged from the building. Freya waved goodbye as she headed towards her dorm, leaving Mark and Drake behind. "Sometimes, you give off a vibe of someone not from this world." Mark said. Drake looked at him. "Why did you say that?" his left eyebrow raised sceptically, his head tilted, and his lips pursed. "Sometimes you ask the most obvious questions," Mark said, crossing his arms. "And other times you do things in a strange way." This gave Drake hiccups. "That's not it. I'm just someone who stays always indoors, until recently," he said. Their conversation continued as they walked towards their dorms.

Back in the training room, the inspector who oversees Drake's team training, 'Inspector Gru', was about to leave the training room. "It seems you are done for today." A voice said to him. He looked up, surprised to see Professor Leo. "Leo, it's strange to find you here." Inspector Gru remarked. "I hope everything is alright." He asked. "Yeah, Gru." Professor Leo replied; he described Drake's appearance. "I heard you were the inspector overseeing Drake's team.I came to enquire about their performance." He exclaimed.

"Oh, you mean the recently formed team I supervised. Humm, well, one of them is strong, brave, and knows when to retreat; the second is quick-witted, tenacious, and has a good leadership Quality. And the girl with them is timorous, but her loyalty to her colleagues is unwavering. In short, it's just a matter of time before they become a great team."

The mastery training class continued each week. During his leisure time, with the aid of the Essence Sight Codex technique and Xena's guidance, Drake began to develop a deeper understanding of his own body. His physique was undergoing significant changes, and his basic sword control also improved. He also sparred with Mark sometimes after class, which significantly improved his skills and also helped Mark refine his stance and fist control. Freya, on the other hand, is training her healing skills and battle spirit. This training continued for the next two months.