Victor started with simple exercises to loosen up his injured arm. He rotated his shoulder, flexed his fingers, and practised slow, controlled movements.
The slight stiffness he felt, although annoying, was nothing more than a minor hindrance. "Come on," he muttered under his breath. As he continued, the stiffness began to fade, replaced by a familiar sense of fluidity.
Once his arm felt alright again, Victor turned his attention to his mana. He had been too much of a straightforward fighter, relying on raw power rather than subtlety. But the fights they had gone through taught him that brute force wasn't his strong suit.
He needed to be sneaky, more elusive. Sitting cross-legged, Victor focused on improving his ability to conceal his mana. He was familiar with the process, but it wasn't yet at a level that was usable in combat.
His mana was flowing through him, bright and unmistakable, and trying to hide it was like trying to smother flames without extinguishing them entirely, a delicate and complex task.
He imagined his mana as a shadow, blending into the background. Slowly, the fiery presence of his energy began to dim, becoming harder to sense.
Now he needed to capture the feeling and figure out how to make it even less noticeable. He first engrained the feeling in his head, one day it would become instinctual.
After spending a few hours on it, his mana concealing ability became easier to manifest and required less focus, making it more viable in combat.
Victor decided it was about time he moved on to speed and precision. He practised his footwork, darting across the chamber in quick, controlled bursts.
He did his best to ensure each step would minimise noise and maximise efficiency. He wasn't as good as he would have liked, but he had established a foundation he could build upon.
He then shifted to precision strikes, using a drawing on the chamber wall and a disposable wooden knife, gifts from AJ, he practised his attacks.
His strikes were fast but in the heat of the moment they lacked accuracy. He aimed at specific points to inflict as much damage as possible. But he couldn't hit the spots consistently with the speeds and strength required.
He focused on his accuracy during the next few hours, ensuring that each strike was quick but, more importantly, precise.
As the hours passed, Victor began to feel a sense of satisfaction. His arm was feeling better, he was able to conceal his mana more easily, and his strikes were more precise than ever.
He was evolving, becoming sneakier, quicker and more deadly. He would be less reliant on pure strength. He resolved to use sneak attacks and continue his success with flanking manoeuvres, leaning further into the role of an assassin.
---
Lily woke up at the same time as Victor, but she lingered for a few extra moments, lying still and massaging her side.
The deep cut she had suffered was mostly healed, thanks to the salve and her own healing abilities that were improved by the mana in her body. But it still ached with every movement.
She winced as she sat up, the discomfort present but manageable. She knew she couldn't afford to take it easy—not when the others were pushing themselves so hard.
Resolved, she got to her feet and gently woke the rest of the group. "Time to get moving," she said softly. After a quick breakfast together, they all went their separate ways to train.
Lily's focus was clear: footwork, speed, and her ability to analyse situations quickly. She couldn't afford to be caught off guard again.
Lily started with her footwork, knowing it was the foundation of everything else. She found a clear space in the chamber and began with slow, deliberate steps, focusing on her balance and posture.
Her side protested, but she pushed through the discomfort, determined to make use of the time they were given to train her body.
She practised shifting her weight smoothly, moving forward, backward, and side to side. At first, her movements felt stiff and awkward, the pain in her side making it harder than it needed to be.
She stumbled a few times, frustration bubbling up inside her. "You can't let this slow you down. You'll end up falling further behind," she muttered to herself.
She took a deep breath and started again, this time even slower. She imagined herself in a fight, visualising an opponent's movements and how she would need to react. Her footwork became more fluid as she focused on recovering quickly whenever she lost her balance.
She practised pivoting, dodging, and quick directional changes, ensuring she could move efficiently without overextending herself. Gradually, the stiffness in her movements began to fade, replaced by a sense of control.
Her side still ached, but she was learning to work around it, doing her best to adapt her movements to minimise the pain.
Once she felt more confident in her footwork, Lily moved on to speed. She began with short sprints across the chamber, pushing herself to move faster.
Her side flared with pain each time she pushed off the ground, but she refused to let it stop her. She paid attention to her breathing, doing her best to breathe deeply despite the effort and pain.
As she continued, her speed improved, her movements becoming more explosive. She practised quick dashes and sudden direction changes, ensuring she could change direction without losing too much momentum.
Finally, Lily turned her attention to her analytical ability. She sat down for a moment, watching the others as they practised. She tried to analyse every little detail, trying to find cues that would help her figure out what they would do next.
She also used her ability to sense mana, trying to get a feel for what their internal mana was doing. She thought about how she would react if they attacked her—would she block or dodge, stay on the defensive or initiate an attack.
---
Sam woke up feeling good, feeling ready, but he knew that rest alone wouldn't be enough to prepare for the challenges ahead. After a quick breakfast with the group, he decided he needed to focus on his stamina and defence.
The last fight had shown him that he needed to be able to endure longer battles and get out of sticky situations without relying on the others.
Sam wasn't a frontline fighter like Ethan or Victor, and he preferred to avoid trouble whenever possible. But when trouble found him, he needed to be ready.
Sam started with endurance exercises, running laps around the chamber to build his stamina. He pushed himself to maintain a steady pace, focusing on his breathing and rhythm.
The goal was to be able to keep moving even when exhausted. As he ran, he thought about the last fight and how close he had come to being overwhelmed.
He couldn't afford to tire out so quickly again. By the time he finished his laps, his legs were burning, but he felt surprisingly refreshed.
Sam moved onto his defence. He practised evasive manoeuvres, focusing on dodging and weaving rather than blocking.
He remembered the fights they had gone through, remembering their attacks and practicing avoiding them. He worked on his footwork, ensuring he could move quickly and efficiently without losing his balance.
Sam also practised using his environment to his advantage, ducking behind imaginary cover and using quick movements to stay out of harm's way.
Walter woke up feeling stiff—the hard stone floor wasn't good for his old body, but at least his mind was well rested.
He wanted to focus on his endurance and breathing control. During the last fight, he noticed that his breathing quickly became rough and inefficient, leaving him gasping for air at critical moments. Walter knew he needed to fix that if he was going to keep up with the others.
He started with endurance exercises, similar to Sam's but with a focus on maintaining his breathing. He practised slow, controlled runs around the chamber, paying close attention to his breath.
He focused on inhaling deeply through his nose and exhaling steadily through his mouth. At first, it was difficult—his breathing quickly became ragged, and he had to stop to catch his breath. But as he continued, he began to find a rhythm.
Next, Walter incorporated breathing exercises into combat drills. He practised his strikes and blocks whilst maintaining steady, controlled breaths.
He imagined himself in a fight, focusing on the stress and chaos of battle, and tried to keep his breathing calm and consistent. A few hours had gone by, and Walter felt a sense of accomplishment.
His endurance had slightly improved, and he felt that he had more control of his breathing and was confident it would remain steady, even during combat.
---
Everyone had trained hard. Ethan's shield and axe techniques had improved along with his control over his mana. Victor's movements were sharper, his strikes more precise, and his ability to conceal his mana had become more reliable.
Lily's footwork was smoother, her speed improved, and her analytical abilities were sharper than ever. Sam's endurance had grown, and his defensive manoeuvres were more fluid, whilst Walter's breathing was now steady and controlled, even under the pressure of combat.
Ethan, who had been quietly observing the group, leaned against the wall with a satisfied smirk. "Not bad," he said, his voice carrying a hint of pride. "We're not ready to take on the next floor just yet, but we're getting there. Slow and steady wins the race, right?"
The group nodded with a smile as they settled down for a brief rest. The timer in the centre of the chamber continued its countdown, a reminder that their time was limited.
But for now, they allowed themselves a moment of quiet satisfaction. They had trained hard, and though the progress was slow, it was progress nonetheless.
Brick by brick, step by step, they were building the foundation they needed to survive—and conquer—whatever the tower threw at them next.