Adam was still staring at Marcus, trying to figure out whether the man had lost his mind, when Nova suddenly sat upright like a zombie rising from the dead.
"AH!" Adam stumbled back so quickly that he almost knocked into the chair beside the bed. His hands flew up, and he nearly fainted.
Nova burst into laughter. Or at least he tried to. A sharp pain shot through his ribs, cutting the laugh short and forcing him to grip the blanket.
"Oh, that was worth it," he managed, wincing as he tried to settle against his pillows again.
"W-worth it?" Adam repeated, clutching his chest. "I thought something happened to you! You were lying there without moving, and then you suddenly... Why would you do that?"
"Because you should have seen your face."
Marcus, who had watched the entire thing without the slightest surprise, used a thin strand of shadow to pull the chair out of Adam's path before he fell over it. Once Adam had regained his footing, Marcus let the shadow disappear and turned his attention to Nova.
"That was one hell of a fight," Marcus stated. His voice was low, but there was unmistakable appreciation in it. He stood straight, his posture so perfectly balanced that Nova wondered whether he ever relaxed. "Recover fast, since tomorrow starts three days' worth of training before your first dungeon."
Nova blinked. The words took a moment to settle in his mind.
"What?" he asked, staring at Marcus. "Wait. I was accepted?"
He knew an unawakened boy fighting an awakened opponent was unusual, especially after the match turned so violent. But he had collapsed before the match properly concluded, and he hadn't participated in the other two matches. As far as he knew, that should have ruined his chances.
Yet Marcus was speaking as though his place had already been decided.
'No way. They accepted me even after all that?'
Excitement rose through him so suddenly that he nearly sat forward again. He caught himself before another movement disturbed his injuries. He tried not to look desperate, though his expression had already betrayed him.
Marcus gave a short, sharp laugh.
"Accepted? Nova, you didn't just get accepted. You put on a fucking masterclass. It was so entertaining to watch that it made me miss my teenage days. The way you moved, the raw instincts, the brutal efficiency. You weren't relying on some elaborate ability. You were looking for every opening you could find, even when your opponent was throwing half the ground at you."
Nova's smile grew wider, but Marcus wasn't finished.
"Now, don't let that go to your head. Your form was sloppy in places, and some of your decisions were terrible. You took hits you should've avoided, and toward the end, you were barely thinking about defending yourself. But you kept adapting. That is what impressed me."
"You could have started with the compliments and stopped there," Nova muttered.
"And miss the opportunity to tell you how much work you need? Not happening."
Adam let out a quiet laugh. Nova turned toward him, pretending to look offended, and Adam immediately tried to hide his smile.
Marcus shoved his hands into his pockets, the formal posture finally giving way to something more casual.
"You should have heard the crowd. Half of them were screaming, and the other half were too stunned to breathe. And when that little shit finally popped..." He paused, whistling under his breath. "Oh, God, that was exquisite."
Nova thought back to the horrible sight of the boy's body giving way under the strain of all those mana crystals. There had been nothing exquisite about it. He remembered the pressure, the blood, and realizing there was nowhere to run.
Marcus noticed the change in his expression.
"I'm not saying it was a good way for him to end up," he added, his voice losing some of its amusement. "The idiot was warned about relying on crystals. What happened was the consequence of pushing past what his body could handle. You should remember that when you start learning how to use mana properly."
Nova nodded. "I will."
"Good. Because you nearly got yourself killed, too."
He allowed the words to settle before continuing in a brighter tone.
"But the reaction to your performance was extraordinary. People were chanting your name. The broadcast reached an enormous audience, and more than a million people watched the unawakened kid who bled on live television and kept getting back up. You were the star of the tournament, whether you believe it or not."
For a moment, Nova didn't know what to say. He had entered the tournament hoping to prove himself capable of competing with mortals, and perhaps earn a place where he could train. He hadn't expected to become an inspiration to people who knew nothing about him.
'All those people were watching me struggle? And they were cheering?'
It was a strange feeling. He had never needed anyone's approval as the Supreme God of Destruction, but he enjoyed knowing his effort had meant something to strangers.
"You made civilians think about what they might achieve if they kept trying," Marcus continued. "Some will remember your fight longer than the people who actually won their matches. Not everyone gets a moment like that."
Adam looked at Nova with open admiration. "I knew you were strong, but I didn't realize how many people were watching. Everyone at the tournament was talking about you afterward."
"Well," Nova replied, straightening slightly, "I suppose greatness is difficult to ignore."
"There he is," Marcus said. "I was wondering how long the modest version would last."
Nova laughed again, more carefully this time.
"And for the record," Marcus added, "I didn't give the council much of a choice. I told them straight up to shut the fuck up. If they refused to accept you and the kid here, I'd personally fund a rival guild and poach every last one of their precious recruits."
Adam's eyes widened. "Y-you said that to the council?"
"Of course I did."
"But wouldn't that get you in trouble?"
Marcus tilted his head. "Adam, if I got into trouble every time I said something the council didn't like, I'd never leave their meeting room."
Nova grinned. "I think I'm starting to like you even more."
"Save that affection for the training floor. You'll hate me by tomorrow afternoon."
The remark made Adam visibly nervous. He glanced at Nova, then back at Marcus, before another question finally escaped him.
"S-since when did you know he was awake?"
Marcus smirked. "The second I walked in. His breathing changed, and I heard too much movement before we approached the bed. It's a trick you learn over time. Don't worry. You'll learn it, too."
Adam blinked. "So you knew all along?"
"Yes. I wanted to see how long he'd keep pretending."
Nova looked away, annoyed that his little performance had failed so easily. He had spent eons among the strongest beings in existence, and now another mortal had figured him out before he could even finish his joke.
'How embarrassing. I couldn't even pretend to be asleep properly.'
"Most people who are genuinely unconscious aren't trying to control every breath," Marcus explained. "Nova was taking shallow chest breaths, then holding still whenever one of us spoke. His jaw tightened when he thought he was about to laugh. And his fingers moved when Adam started worrying about him."
"Y-you noticed all that?" Adam asked.
"It's not just breathing. It's the small things. The tension around the jaw, the way the shoulders shift, the fingers twitching when someone thinks nobody is looking. A body tells you plenty if you know what to watch for."
Marcus stepped closer and pointed toward his own temple.
"Nova has another telltale sign. A little vein throbs right here whenever he concentrates too hard on pretending he isn't concentrating."
Nova instinctively raised his hand to his temple. Marcus's smirk widened.
"See? He's doing it again."
"That's hardly fair," Nova protested. "You can't expect me to know everything about this body already."
"Exactly. That's why you're going to train. If you ever need to stay hidden from an enemy, your face cannot announce every thought you're having."
Adam looked from Nova to Marcus, studying their expressions with renewed curiosity. "Does that mean we should watch each other during training? To learn those small details?"
"That's a good start," Marcus replied. "But don't spend all day staring at one another. Watch how people move before they attack, how they balance their weight, and what changes when they're tired. The earlier you notice an intention, the more time you have to respond."
"Like the earth manipulator?" Nova asked. "He kept moving his hands before raising the stone walls."
"Exactly. You noticed it when you were desperate. Next time, I want you to notice it before you're trapped."
Nova nodded slowly. He could see the difference Marcus was describing. During the fight, he'd relied on instinct and whatever observations he managed to make between attacks. There had been little opportunity to think, but he had still recognized patterns. Proper training might allow him to recognize those patterns without first being beaten half to death.
'If I can learn even a fraction of what he knows, these three days will be worth it.'
The room fell quiet for a moment, broken only by the steady beeping of the heart monitor. Adam was no longer frightened by Nova's sudden awakening, although he still gave him an occasional suspicious glance. Nova noticed and tried not to smile.
Marcus looked at them both. His expression became serious.
"Which is why training starts at 5:00 AM. Not 5:01. Not whenever you feel like getting out of bed. Five o'clock in the morning, for the next three days. Understood?"
"Five?" Nova repeated.
"Did I stutter?"
"No, but I was hoping you meant five in the evening."
"Then you'll be disappointed."
Adam swallowed. "W-what should we bring?"
"Clothes you can move in, water, and enough common sense to listen when I tell you to stop. You'll have seventy-two hours to learn the basics, recognize your weaknesses, and make whatever improvements you can before your first dungeon. I'm not expecting miracles, but I expect effort."
"And if we're late?" Nova asked.
Marcus's smile returned, although it was hardly comforting. "Don't be late."
That answer was more than enough for Adam, who nodded immediately. Nova took another look at Marcus's expression and decided not to ask for further clarification.
Marcus turned toward the door, regaining that strangely perfect posture as he walked.
"So enjoy the rest of your little drama. Get whatever sleep you can actually manage. Because tomorrow, the real training starts. And I promise you, it'll make fighting that over-crystallized brat feel like a relaxing day at the spa."
He gave them both one final glance, then stepped into the corridor. The door clicked shut behind him.
The room seemed much quieter without him. Adam stood beside the bed, still trying to process everything Marcus had said, while Nova stared at the closed door with a smile he couldn't quite contain.
Tomorrow would be painful. He knew that much already. He had barely survived the tournament, and he still needed the healers to finish repairing the damage before he could even think about returning to strenuous exercise. Yet the thought of spending three days under Marcus's instruction made him more excited than frightened.
For the first time in a long while, someone had looked at him, recognized how much he still needed to learn, and promised to make him work for every improvement.
The anticipation was almost physical, filling the quiet hospital room with the weight of tomorrow's possibilities.
And Nova couldn't wait for another adrenaline boost.