William and Galeion stood facing each other inside one of the specialized training rooms built exclusively for students of the World Academy.
The chamber was wide and reinforced, its walls were layered with runic formations designed to absorb massive impacts and suppress excessive energy fluctuations.
These rooms existed for one purpose only, to allow students to fight seriously without destroying half the academy in the process.
William removed his coat and vest, folding them neatly to the side before rolling his shoulders and cracking his knuckles one by one.
His movements were relaxed, but his eyes were sharp, already focused on the fight ahead. He needed to vent and distract himself, and he believed he had already found a source.
Galeion stood near the control crystal embedded in the wall, his large frame was facing the crystal as he adjusted the room’s parameters.
Streams of faint light flickered across the crystal as he selected the terrain settings, eventually choosing a plain, open space with no obstacles.
The suppression formation activated a moment later, locking both of their cultivation levels down to pure B rank.
This room could only withstand attacks up to B rank at most, and this was the highest available to first years, the formations under the room automatically suppressed the combatant’s cultivation.
William watched the runic patterns emerge across the walls and floor with a faint, charged glow of mana.
"I need to get runic affinity as soon as possible," he muttered under his breath, his gaze lingered on the glowing inscriptions.
[ding!! cultivation suppression formation detected, negating...]
"Stop the negation," William instructed immediately.
The system complied, halting the interference. William had no intention of bypassing the room’s restrictions.
He shifted his attention back to Galeion, who had finished setting the room and was now stretching his arms and shoulders.
The titan youth rolled his neck before looking at William with an easy grin.
"So," Galeion said, flexing his fingers, "which weapons are you proficient in?"
"Bows and swords," William replied calmly.
"So typical," Galeion chuckled, clearly amused.
"Well, they’re enough," William said with a small smile.
He tilted his head slightly and added, "What about you?" even though he already knew the answer.
"Well," Galeion replied, his grin widening, "yours truly knows staff and gauntlets. But bare hands are what I enjoy the most."
"What a coincidence," William said, his smile mirrored Galeion’s as he looked into his eyes with flaring battle craze. "Me too."
The atmosphere shifted subtly as both of them leaned forward.
Swish
Boom
They exploded from their starting positions at the same time and closed the distance between them in an instant.
Their fists collided at the center of the room, and the impact echoed like a cannon shot as compressed mana detonated outward.
"So no spells?" Galeion asked, his arm locked against William’s.
"Yeah," William replied evenly, "and no weapons."
"Pure mana it is," Galeion said, pulling back his free arm and striking again.
William ducked under the blow and drove his fist into Galeion’s midsection.
The impact twisted Galeion’s massive torso slightly, forcing him down onto one knee with a grunt of pain.
William followed through without hesitation, launching a sharp kick toward Galeion’s face.
Galeion reacted instantly, his large hand snapping up to catch William’s leg mid-strike.
His eyes sharpened, and focus returned fully as he used William’s momentum to his advantage.
With a powerful heave, he lifted William off the ground and threw him upward.
William twisted midair, using the spin to redirect his movement.
He attempted to bring his heel down toward Galeion’s head, channeling mana through his leg to amplify the strike.
The blow landed against Galeion’s crossed elbows as he defended, the impact sent a shockwave rippling through the room.
Both of them reinforced their bodies with mana, so every clash produced pressure waves and sharp, concussive sounds that bounced off the reinforced walls.
William pushed off and created distance between them, landing lightly as he slid back across the floor.
Galeion didn’t waste the opening and charged forward immediately.
He threw a punch with his left hand straight and fast while William raised his guard, preparing to block, but suddenly midmovement a thought flashed through his mind at the last second.
Why the left hand, he thought?
Galeion held his spoon with his right hand, and he also struck the first ever punch with his right hand. That meant his right arm was dominant.
The realization came too late.
William tried to shift to the opposite side, instinctively anticipating a follow-up strike from above. However, he wasn’t using his spiritual senses, relying purely on instinct.
And his instincts weren’t sharp enough when compared to Galeion’s, it seemed.
The last time they had been honed properly was years ago, back when Old Man Kaiser had trained him in hunting and survival. Since then, William had relied far too heavily on overwhelming power, techniques, and spells.
That weakness came back to bite him now.
Galeion’s real strike came down from above, his dominant arm crashed into William’s shoulder.
William was sent flying backward, his body skidded across the floor before slamming into the far end of the room.
Pain flared briefly through his shoulder before fading away, dulled rapidly by his absolute adaptation.
William pushed himself up and looked back at Galeion, his expression was no longer casual.
"I want to spar with you daily," William said with his voice steady.
Galeion, already advancing again, nodded without hesitation.
He broke into a charge, his heavy footsteps pounding against the reinforced floor like a charging beast.
They exchanged blows continuously after that.
Fists collided with forearms. Elbows met ribs. Kicks were blocked, redirected, or barely dodged.
Mana surged and receded with every exchange, both of them stopped holding back their strength eventually and started fighting seriously.
Time blurred as they fought.
Nearly an hour passed before William finally spoke again.
"Let’s get this over with for today."
He sprinted forward, pouring everything he had into his movement. Galeion did the same, both of them committing fully to a final clash.
This time, William didn’t restrain his strength.
Even under suppression, he gathered every bit of power he could muster at B rank and channeled it into his strike.
BOOOM.
The collision was explosive.
The shockwave slammed into the walls, dust and fragments scattered as the reinforced surface cracked under the pressure.
As the dust settled, William’s breath caught.
Galeion’s massive body was pinned against the wall, and the surface behind him was caved in deeply from the impact.
"Cough... cough..."
Galeion pushed himself free from the cavity and coughed heavily as he straightened.
William approached quickly and placed a hand against Galeion’s shoulder, activating Luminous Embrace to stabilize and heal him.
The damage to Galeion’s body was minimal, far less than William had expected. The wall, on the other hand, was visibly wrecked.
William couldn’t help but wonder if Galeion’s body was harder than the academy’s reinforced metal structures.
Galeion’s coughing subsided as he looked at William and spoke. "You win."
He paused, then added with a grin, "For today."
William chuckled. "Sure. Don’t hesitate to come back tomorrow. I’ll kick your ass again."
Galeion laughed loudly, firing back with his own threats as they exchanged playful insults about who would beat the shit out of whom the next day.
After a few minutes, they parted ways, each heading toward their respective dorms.
William’s expression grew serious as he walked.
"I need to train," he muttered. "My instincts are dull."
[Yeah, it’s good that you realized this, but your instincts will only sharpen if you fight raw without relying on high-tier spells that one-shot enemies like you’ve been doing for so long.]
"You think so too?" William asked quietly. "Why didn’t you tell me earlier?"
[It’s better when you realize it yourself], the system answered. [Besides, you’ve been dealing with everything too easily. There was never a reason to push you.]
William exhaled slowly.
"Even if I don’t need it right now," he said, "recent incidents have made me a firm believer in Murphy’s law. I am feeling the urge to train recently."
He clenched his fist slightly.
"So I’m going to start binge training daily."
[Binge training???]