Nexus Academy was one of the famous and most influential grounds in the human domain, ho to a lot of story books, comics, and romance dramas.
Despite the fact that he had never stepped foot inside the Academy, Kairo knew its layout like the back of his hand.
That aside, it was always a busy spectacle close to the gates of the academy. Considering the caliber of figures that visited the Academy, Arcanum Nexus residents saw it as a business opportunity and started a mini market there.
Now that the annual entrance tournant was about to start?
The market blossod.
Kairo saw different stalls selling different goods, from edibles like fruits to weapons like swords and spears. He even saw a stall where the rchant sold storage rings, storage rings!
As a child, Kairo and his sister had always fantasized about having one of their own. He didn’t approach the stall though.
This was because from the comic books that he had his sister read, he knew that storage rings were not for slum rats like him. They were f*cking expensive.
Right now, all he had to his bank account was:
[Bank Na: Arcanum Nexus Bank]
[Account Na: Kairo Vale]
[Account Balance: 4 Arcanum Credits]
Yup, his current net worth was 4 Arcanum Credits. That was not even enough to get a proper al in this market. Of course, he could use it to get sothing to eat in the slums, but not here.
It was still 7 days more to the event, but in the public training ground that was built around the Academy wall, Kairo could already sight a few hundred applicants just like him hunting for the scholarship.
’All these guys would beco my rivals soon,’ he thought as he approached.
As soon as he entered the yard, eyes turned toward him, and then...
"Hmmm, I think I recognize that guy. Is that not him?"
"Yeah, it’s the athead who awakened only 1 ability, it was muscle sothing or so. What is he doing here? Does he think he was a chance with such a shitty ability?"
"Poor bastard, he’s suffering from delusion".
"Is it only , or is he taller now?"
They laughed.
Ignoring the whispers that were clearly directed at him, Kairo entered the training yard and walked straight to the weighted chain station.
He had no intentions to waste ti. He awakened just a few days ago. He had an idea about how tough the entrance tournant would be. If he wanted to stand a chance, he needed to train and get used to his ability as best as he could.
On the weighted chain station, there were five rusted plates, each one weighing 40kg each.
The record for most pulled was two and half plates, barely lifted by a dual-ability Awakened nad Kael. Unknown to others, he had used a support skill to cheat his way through, but it was still an achievent.
"What’s he doing?" More whispers ca.
Ignoring them all, Kairo grabbed the chain and pulled...
His muscles tightened like steel cables as he felt the strain, but it was not unbearable yet. One plate lifted, then two.
"..."
The crowd went silent.
Three. Four.
Instructors designated to the training ground turned to look.
And then... five.
The whole stack rose off the ground.
And Kairo held it for so ti. He felt his whole body tighten, his muscles stretched taut like steel for a few seconds before he dropped it.
BAM!
Dust exploded in its wake.
Silence. The whole yard stared, shocked.
In the silence, Kairo heard the familiar voice of the system.
~----~
[Efficient Weight Training: 0.3%]
>Pain Adaptation: 1% boost to recovery speed.
~----~
And then a mocking applause broke the silence.
A tall boy wearing cheap but clean armor stepped forward. He had wavy blonde hair, and a smug grin that reeked of delusion on his face.
"Hey muscle boy," he called, smiling. "The na’s Rusk. You think lifting those makes you special?"
Kairo just stared at him.
"What? Are you dumb? Can’t speak?" he chuckled. "Well, I’m a dual-awakener with an Epic-grade ability. Bet you’ve never heard of sothing like that, have you, Slumrat?"
The crowd chuckled.
But the chuckles barely lasted when Kairo retorted.
"Pot calling the kettle black".
"What did you say?"
Kairo stared into his eyes defiantly. Due to his awakening, he was no longer short, he was almost at the boy’s height.
"I said if you were not a slumrat like , you won’t be here trying to get a scholarship. You’d have entered Nexus Academy the right way".
"Bet your parents don’t have the money, huh?"
"..."
"Oops, did I hit a nerve?"
A vein popped on the boy’s face. "Bastard, I challenge you to a duel!" He scread in rage, spittle spraying from his lips.
Kairo dodged deftly.
The last thing he wanted was to get soaked in soone else’s spit. Thinking over the offer, he smiled and replied. "Accepted".
"You dare accept my duel? Good, good, I’ll teach you a lesson".
Kairo’s decision to accept the duel wasn’t an impulsive one. Afterall, to him, it didn’t matter if he lost or won. What mattered was entering Nexus Academy.
Unlike the thugs that he beat yesterday, all the teenagers here were Awakened just like him. Rationality told him that if he wanted to get stronger and get used to his ability, the best way would be to spar against other Awakened.
This was why he agreed.
Both boys stepped into a circle. There was no official referee, but with so many people watching, it was more or less self-officiated.
The match began without warning.
Brandishing a heavy wooden blade, Rusk charged in, swinging strong but predictable as he unleashed a vertical slash. "Let’s see you flex against this!" Rusk growled as he went on the attack.
Just like Kairo expected, as an F Rank like him, Rusk was fast.
Kairo tried to dodge but Rusk was too fast, as the wooden sword grazed his shoulder. With a grimace, he staggered backward.
Rusk laughed. "Not so tough now, are we? Are you..."
BAM!
Kairo’s fist connected clean with Rusk’s abdon as the boy folded like paper, barfing all his stomach acid out.
Yes, he graced Kairo with his sword but while Rusk was preoccupied with celebrating his small victory, Kairo was focused on winning the war.
He staggered backward, but only two steps. He was still within punching distance and so while Rusk gloated, he activated Hypermuscle Charge.
One punch to the gut and it was over.
Rusk gasped, struggling to breathe as he wheezed in pain.
And once again, the crowd was shocked.
Kairo leaned in closer to his opponent who was on the floor and said coldly. "Next ti, don’t gloat before victory, fool".
After that, Kairo trudged off.
And just like that, Kairo left off his first impression in the public training ground. The muscle freak surely had a hot temper to go with it.
...
That night, Kairo stood on the rooftop of one of the makeshift buildings arranged outside the Academy walls to temporarily house the tournant applicants.
He stared at the towering walls of the Academy.
The wind seed to whisper to him, and he whispered back.
"I’m coming".
"My na is Kairo Vale".
"And I will beco strong enough to make this world rember it".
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