The sun hung high over the Light Devils base, pouring golden light through the transparent alloy roof of the southern dome. After the previous day's demonstration by Captain Kylie — a spectacle none of them would forget — the base had quieted into routine once more. The tension she left behind still lingered in the air like static, pressing faintly on every conversation and movement.
For Mike and his squad, there were no missions that morning. Instead, David had ordered everyone to continue their individual training. The sound of fists and weapons colliding with reinforced training dummies filled the room like a steady drumbeat.
Mike stood in the center lane, stripped down to his undershirt, sweat glistening along his arms. The faint dark-yellow sheen of his aura pulsed around his knuckles as he took a fighting stance.
He drew in a slow breath — then launched forward.
His first strike cracked against the dummy's chest; his second, an upward hook, snapped its head back; his third, a sweeping side-punch that dented the alloy surface. Each blow was precise, powerful, deliberate. He pivoted on his heel, fists flashing in a rhythm of continuous attack — left, right, left, right — until the air itself began to hum from the pressure.
Dust trembled on the floor.
He stopped only when the dummy's chest bore deep impressions shaped like his fists. Panting, Mike stepped back, wiping his forehead. "Hah… so that's it," he murmured.
He noticed something curious: the points where he struck repeatedly seemed to soften faster. Each contact of his aura weakened the material — not physically corroding it, but dulling its resistance, as though his energy burrowed deeper with every hit.
He stared at his hands, flexing them slowly. "So… my aura compounds damage. The more it touches, the weaker the target gets."
It was a frightening realization — his ability didn't simply destroy, it broke down. For beasts, continuous strikes could numb muscles, fracture bones, and collapse their energy veins. His power was perfect for close-quarters combat — merciless, persistent, like a storm that never stopped until its target fell.
And yet… despite his control improving daily, despite the precision of his movements and the strength of his aura — the rank of his ability refused to evolve.
He was still stuck at Novice 0-Star.
No matter how he trained, meditated, or fought, the evolution toward 1-Star remained out of reach. Even with his cultivation having risen to the peak of Level 3 Human Grade — his body humming with vitality — the breakthrough stubbornly refused him.
The frustration had become a quiet ache in the back of his mind.
---
By noon, the training session ended. The squad drifted toward the cafeteria — a vast hall filled with hundreds of hunters. The smell of cooked rations, spices, and synthetic meat filled the air. Conversations rose and fell, laughter and metal clatter echoing between long rows of tables.
Mike, still thoughtful, stopped at a vending unit to grab a drink, while Alex, Sarah, and Emre picked out their meals and claimed a corner table near the window.
"Did you see David's face yesterday when Captain Kylie called him weak?" Alex snorted between bites, half-laughing. "I thought he was gonna cry!"
Sarah chuckled softly. "You're going to get yourself in trouble again if he hears you."
Emre shrugged. "Let him. Might be fun to watch."
Alex grinned and raised his hands dramatically, imitating David's stance during training. "Captain, please don't — "
His flailing arm struck something. A plate clattered to the floor — and in that instant, the laughter died.
The man whose lunch had just spilled down his armor stood motionless. His thick, muscular frame towered over the table, his face reddened by rage. He wiped stew off his shoulder with deliberate slowness.
"You … scum." His voice was a growl. "How dare you do that?"
Alex froze. "Hey — uh — I'm really sorry! It was an accident. Let me—"
The man cut him off, voice rising to a roar. "You embarrassed me in front of everyone!" He slammed a fist onto the table, the sound cracking through the room. "You'll pay for that!"
The cafeteria hushed.
Alex stood quickly, raising his palms. "Wait, I didn't mean—"
But it was too late. The man's body shifted. His skin hardened to a dull stone brown, his muscles bulged, and his aura flared violently.
"Hardening ability," Emre muttered under his breath. "This'll get messy."
The man lunged forward with terrifying speed.
Alex barely managed to summon his wooden-shield ability, bark forming around his arms — but before the hit could land, a transparent blue barrier shimmered between them. Sarah had moved first.
The punch smashed into the barrier, making it shudder under the impact. Cracks spread across the energy surface like lightning veins before it exploded into fragments.
The brute laughed darkly. "A toy shield?"
His second blow shattered Alex's wooden defense and sent him flying across a nearby table, knocking over trays and scattering food.
"Alex!" Sarah shouted, forming another barrier instinctively.
The man turned his fury on her. "So now the girl wants to play hero?" He reared back, aura coiling around his arm like molten rock.
But before his fist could swing forward — a blur crossed the room.
A sharp crack echoed.
The man's head whipped sideways, blood spraying from his lip. He stumbled, blinking hard, eyes wide in disbelief.
In front of him stood a slender young man, eyes glowing faint gold, expression dark and cold.
Mike.
His arm was still extended, fist clenched.
The entire cafeteria went still.
Mike's voice was low but steady. "Back off."
The man snarled, recovering quickly. "Another rat wants to die?" His aura thickened again, stone spreading across his arms like armor.
He swung.
Mike met him head-on. Their fists collided mid-air with a deafening boom, sending a gust through the hall that toppled nearby trays. The ground beneath them cracked slightly from the pressure.
For a heartbeat, they were locked — pure strength against strength — the brute's muscles bulging as he tried to crush Mike's arm.
But Mike's aura flared.
That yellow energy around his fist brightened, pulsing faster — and suddenly, a faint repelling shock burst from their locked hands. The brute's balance broke; his fist was forced back.
Mike seized the opening, pivoted on his heel, and drove his right fist straight into the man's chest.
The impact was thunderous. The man's armor dented inward with a crunch, and he was hurled backward into the floor, sliding several feet before coming to rest.
Blood dripped from his mouth as he coughed violently, eyes dazed.
Gasps rippled across the hall. Hunters whispered to each other in shock — Mike had just flattened a peak Level 5 Human Grade with a single blow.
Mike stood silently, his breathing heavy, his arm still trembling from the residual energy. Slowly, the yellow aura faded. He turned, checking on Alex and Sarah.
"Are you okay?"
Alex groaned, clutching his chest. "I think… I think one of my ribs hates me now."
Sarah nodded shakily. "I'm fine. Just — thank you."
Mike exhaled deeply, forcing his heartbeat to calm. The tension in the cafeteria began to dissolve, though eyes still followed him as he helped Alex up.
---
By the time the incident was reported, word had already spread through the faction.
Will — the brute Mike had defeated — was well-known among recruits, a peak Level 5 hardening user and right-hand man to Squad Leader Kong. The same Kong rumored to be on the verge of promotion to Spiritual Grade.
No one expected a newcomer like Mike — barely a month in the faction — to take him down.
Kylie received the report within the hour.
After reading it, she sat quietly for a moment, tapping her finger against her desk. "So he defeated Kong's man…" she murmured, eyes narrowing.
A smile ghosted beneath her mask. "Interesting."
When another officer offered to intervene, she waved it off. "No. I'll handle this."
---
Later that evening, in the infirmary, Alex was resting on a cot, bandages wrapped around his ribs.
"Man," he groaned, "that jerk hit like a freight train. Even with my ability, I felt that in my bones."
Sarah smirked faintly. "Maybe next time don't swing your arms like a windmill while laughing."
Alex shot her a glare. "Hey, I was having fun!"
Mike chuckled under his breath, leaning against the wall.
A few moments later, Emre stepped in, arms crossed. "So, the hero of the day's still standing."
Mike raised an eyebrow. "Hero?"
Emre shrugged. "Call it what you want. You just beat Will — a peak Level 5 hardening user — while you're what? Level 3?"
Alex whistled weakly. "Wait, Level 5? That guy was Level 5?!"
Emre nodded. "And Mike flattened him."
Mike frowned, glancing at his fist. "It wasn't… like that. I didn't even think. I just moved."
"Exactly," Emre said quietly. "That's what's strange. You fought on instinct, and your power spiked. You sure you didn't break through to Level 4?"
Mike shook his head. "No. I would've felt it."
Emre's gaze lingered on him, unreadable. "Then maybe it wasn't your level. Maybe it was your rage."
---
That night, as Mike walked home through the quiet courtyard of the Light Devils compound, the conversation replayed in his mind.
He could still feel it — the burning pulse that had surged through his veins when Will swung at Sarah.
The way his aura had exploded, more violent, more alive than ever before.
"Is that… really me?" he whispered.
He clenched his hand, remembering the sensation of that repelling burst — the raw, chaotic pressure that didn't quite feel under his control. It was terrifying … and intoxicating.
Lately, he'd noticed his temper rising faster, his patience thinning. Every irritation felt sharper, every insult heavier. Maybe it was just stress.
Or maybe … his ability was changing him.
He shook his head violently. "No. Focus. Don't start imagining things."
But deep down, he knew it wasn't imagination. Something inside him was growing — something wild, volatile, restless.
---
The following weeks slipped by in a blur of missions and training.
Mike joined two successful hunts under Captain Kylie's supervision, each pushing him closer to his limits. He finally broke through to Level 4 Human Grade, his physical strength and internal energy both surging higher.
And yet … his ability remained unmoved — still a stubborn 0-Star.
He began feeling a strange resistance within his core during cultivation — like an invisible wall pressing back against his energy. Sometimes, when meditating, sharp jolts of pain would spike through his body, breaking his focus.