A sudden knock pulled Peter out of his worries for Quin.
"They're back already?" Peter muttered, heading for the door.
But the moment he cracked it open, his instincts screamed. He moved to shut it again—only for a hand to shoot out and force it open.
"Guess he's not here," a voice drawled.
Peter's stomach sank. It was Momo, leaning casually in the doorway, and flanking him were two older students in second-year uniforms. The air between them carried the same unspoken threat Peter remembered from before.
One of those faces he recognized immediately. That same second-year who'd blocked the hall back when Vorden was taken away—stone-faced, unmovable, and unwilling to let Peter through.
"Well," Momo continued, eyes sweeping the empty room, "since you're the only one around, why don't you come along? We've got something in mind… and you might be just the person we need."
--
Quinn arrived at the beast weapon hall to find it empty. The racks along the walls were nearly full again, and Leo was silently returning the last of the weapons to their places.
"Teacher Leo," Quinn called, walking closer. "Why did you ask me to come?"He assumed it had something to do with what happened during the sparring session earlier.
Leo turned at the sound of his voice and approached. Even though Quinn knew he was blind, he couldn't shake the feeling that Leo could still see him—just in a different way.
"You feeling alright now?" Leo asked.
"I'm fine," Quinn replied with a small smile. "Good as new."
Leo nodded, then without warning began speaking."Quinn, do you know there were once humans who lived before beast-tier weapons even existed? People who could cut through massive stone with a single strike, lift buildings many times their own weight, and slow the very process of aging. Not one of them had what we now call abilities, yet their strength was far beyond normal humans."
Quinn listened quietly.
"I'm a descendant of those people," Leo continued. "It's not an ability—and in truth, every human has the potential to reach that level. Some even do so without realizing it. It's what saved me during the war. This hidden power inside all of us is called Qi."
Leo slowly opened his eyes, and though they were clouded, his gaze locked onto Quinn with unsettling precision. A chill ran down Quinn's spine.
"Tell me… are you with Pure?"
"No," Quinn said without hesitation.
Pure was a type of terrorist organization, those who thought abilities were a curse more than a boon and most of these individuals relied on beast weapons and that's how their strength comes from.
Leo had once met such kind of individuals once and he noted that these individuals also knew to use qi, so he wanted to confirm this especially after seeing the additional note on Quin's file.
Leo studied him for a moment, then exhaled. "Hmm. I didn't think so either."
Quinn frowned, confused. But before he could ask, Leo continued, his tone shifting to something more serious.
"Have you felt a strain in your body lately?"
Quinn hesitated. "…Yeah."
"That's what I thought. Somehow, you've tapped into this strength—into Qi—without even realizing it. And while that would normally be a cause for congratulations… I'm more concerned than proud."
Quinn tilted his head. "I don't understand."
Leo's expression hardened. "You're not using Qi, Quinn. You're burning your life energy. And if you keep doing it… you'll die."
The words hit harder than any strike Quinn had taken in combat.
Seeing his puzzled look, Leo explained, "My ability lets me see auras—every living thing has one, whether it's human, beast, or otherwise. I can see life energy, I can see Qi, and I can see the way those auras shift when someone uses an ability. similarly, I can see the shift in auras when people lie or have specific intentional thoughts. When you fight, you unintentionally try to use qi, but the fact is, your Qi reserve is almost empty… so your body is stealing from your life force to make up the difference."
"Qi is like cultivation," Leo explained. "You store it, nurture it, and over time it grows—until you reach your natural limit. Most people develop Qi unconsciously through meditation and by becoming attuned to the forces within their own body. Another way is through constant physical strain, pushing the body past its comfort zone again and again.
"Sometimes, even without realizing it, people channel Qi into forging beast weapons. It's the Qi within them that gives those weapons their active skills.
"There are also stories," he continued, "of ordinary people performing impossible feats in moments of extreme stress—lifting debris off someone trapped, surviving impossible falls, or striking with inhuman strength. In those moments, they weren't using Qi at all… they were burning their life energy. That's why such feats leave people completely exhausted, and why they can't repeat them at will."
Leo's voice grew heavier. "But you, Quinn… you're not doing it once in desperation. You're doing it every day. And if you keep draining your life force like this, it's going to kill you—slowly, but inevitably."
Quins one month of blade training, had a positive and a negative effect on Quin , the good thing was he got stronger but the bad thing was quins body adapted in a wrong way to the physical stress that he received at the hands of Vicky.
"So that's why I have decided to teach you qi, this special technique, and hopefully, you will be able to use it wiselyand your body will be able to adapt."
Quin was more than excited to learn something new and grow even stronger, but one question lingered."I understand," he said, "but… why choose me?"
Leo's blind gaze seemed to pierce straight through him."If I don't," Leo said quietly, "you'll burn yourself out and die. That's one reason. The other… is because sometimes, it's the weakest who bear the burdens the strongest cannot. And you, Quinn, may be one of those people."
He stepped closer. "I'm not forcing you. The choice is yours. But… I would be proud to take you as my student."
Quinn didn't hesitate. "Then I accept."
A small smile tugged at Leo's lips. "Good. Sit down."As Quinn obeyed, Leo placed a firm hand on his head."Then let me pass on my knowledge to you."