....
Liam's eyes snapped open as he calmly took in the view of his room. After waiting for a while, he took off his VR Launcher and stood up from his bed. A glance outside told him it was already night in the academy.
He looked around, feeling weird as if something had happened without his knowledge. Trusting his gut, he summoned his system runes:
[Liam Bright]
[Aspect Ability - Ruler's Authority]
[Aspect Rank - Epic]
[Affinity - [Earth] [Wind] ]
[Realm - Dormant]
[Rank - 1]
[Relics - [Rouge Armor] [Mercenary Blade] ]
[Spirit Beasts - ]
[Flaw - Uncontrollable Care]
Then he froze.
'Wait. What?! I broke through?!'
Looking at his rank, he saw that it had increased from 0 to 1 which was totally unheard of. It hadn't happened for a Dormant Human to advance in rank before taking the Awakening Trial.
'I see, that's why I felt stronger.' He thought as he clenched his fists— power coursing through his veins.
Eager to test his increase in strength, he bolted out of his room and rushed to the Training Facility as fast as any mundane human could go.
When he entered, he quickly booked a room and entered, feeling excited. Looking at the metal dummy standing motionlessly, his expression cooled— eyes narrowed.
"Level 3: Basic"
Speaking softly, he addressed the AI which immediately activated the dummy and put it on the required level. Normally, what a regular student could fight against was a Level One dummy while the top students could fight against Level Two dummies.
However, since his strength had surpassed the regular threshold, he was ready to test it against stronger opponents.
A sword weaved into his hands as he quietly took a stance, poised and ready to strike— like a venomous snake.
The dummy took two steps forward— something even a top student wouldn't be able to follow. It then brought down its cleaver with harrowing precision.
'Art of Combat: Apathy'
Immediately, the dummy's movements slowed down to a crawl and in that brief moment, Liam had zoomed past it with his sword drawn once and returned into its sheath.
Clang!
The dummy's torso fell to the ground with a low thud, leaving both the AI and Liam stunned.
Destroying a level 3 dummy in one strike was unheard of.
'Was it supposed to be this easy?' Liam thought, feeling confused.
"Training paused. Please register into a new room while this unit is being repaired." The AI said in its mechanical voice.
Sighing, Liam exited the room and decided to stop training before he broke more dummies.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
On his way out, he was attracted by the sound of flesh hitting metal continuously. Peeping into the room, he spotted a familiar figure fighting against the Level 3 dummy with harsh fervor.
He wasn't backing down, but it was clear— he was getting wrecked. The fight had transformed into a street brawl with both participants exchanged punches crudely.
'Is he crazy?'
Liam's brows twitched as he watched Logan suffer.
For every punch he could get in, he was receiving four in return.
'That idiot's going to kill himself.'
....
Logan had been feeling very frustrated lately. The loss to Mitchell. The trap in the VR that got him killed. One humiliation after the other.
'Hah? That's coming from a loser. I'm flattered' Jose's words kept ringing in his head reminding him of those unpleasant moments.
[Logan Fang]
[Aspect Ability: Primordial Beast]
[Aspect Rank: Mythic]
[Affinity: [Primal Flames] ]
[Realm: Dormant]
[Rank: 0]
[Relics: [Slave Gauntlet] [Carapace Armor] [Rotten Dagger] ]
[Spirit Beasts: [Crow] ]
[Flaw: Sacred Ire]
'Fuck!!! I need to grow stronger!'
Screaming internally, he decided to go to the Training Facility to blow off some steam.
When he entered, he registered the dummy as a level two then began fighting it. They seemed equally matched but with his frustration boiling, he fought without caution and forced to AI to increase the dummy to level three to avoid its destruction.
"Training Dummy has been increased to Level Three. It is advised to stop training" The AI warned.
However, its words fell on deaf ears as Logan continued fighting the dummy.
Boom!
His arms trembled as he blocked a blow by crossing his arms. Without hesitation, he grabbed the dummy's arms and pulled it closer— then headbutted it.
Bang!
The steel dented a little while his own forehead turned red. Before he could shake off the slight dizziness however, the dummy freed itself and delivered a crushing punch to his face— slamming him hard into the concrete.
His eyes widened as he hastily rolled away, dodging a stomp that would have turned his head into pulp.
'For real?!'
He moved back as he felt like he was fighting a true enemy and not a dummy.
A spark of irritation ignited in his chest as he rushed at the dummy, his Slave Gauntlet glistening in the lights.
Bam!
The punch hit it clearly in the head as its head moved back exaggeratedly, almost snapping off its neck.
However—
Bam! Bam! Bam!
— before he could follow up— three brutal punches crashed into his ribs. Blood spurted from his mouth as he felt two of his lower ribs crack, his internal organs rattled.
He distanced himself from it then spat out the blood clogging in his mouth.
'This is so frustrating...' He growled as he wiped his lips. 'Very...'
"FRUSTRATING!"
With a wild roar, he lunged at the dummy, his red eyes turning crimson like fresh blood. His arms grew a layer of silver fur as claws tore through the fingertips of his gauntlet. The side of his face also grew fur while his canines elongated. All this pointed at an evolution.
[Bloodline Unlocked: Lycanthrope]
Oblivious to all the changes on his body, Logan clawed at the dummy — slicing through its armor while his teeth clamped shut on its shoulder.
Bang!
The dummy tried to punch him but he caught the fist perfectly.
A wild grin appeared on his face as he hit it squarely in the chest— denting a large portion of its breastplate.
From outside, Liam's eyes widened in disbelief.
'He has a bloodline of the Lycanthrope Family!'
He wasn't really shocked about the bloodline itself but— how? The only known clan of Lycans had been wiped out by the Hawkins Family who declared them as cursed beings.
So how the hell was a descendant of a dead clan still breathing?