As Raze walked up to the platform, he noticed that Jackson's wristwatch currently displayed the power level of two. If this fight wasn't on the platform where they both could use their abilities, Raze without hesitation knew that he would win most likely without struggling.
But here in the arena, where awakenings weren't allowed. Raze's body was stronger than most humans who are not using their awakenings.
Jackson stepped onto the platform, gripping a whip tightly in his hand. The tip gleamed sharply, looking like it could tear through flesh with just a few strikes.
[You are about to spar.]
[Opponent is level 2 in terms of awakening power.]
"Alright, begin!" Ray shouted.
Jackson lunged forward immediately, swinging the whip toward Raze's legs. Raze prepared himself, focusing on the whip that was in Jackson's hand. 'One hit and it'll hurt. A lot.' Raze thought.
The speed of the whip was impressive to those who were watching outside of the platform. Raze, however, barely flinched.
He sidestepped the whip with ease and then grabbed it before Jackson could retract it.
"Let go! This isn't fair!" Jackson shouted, struggling.
His cries only fell on deaf ears. Raze yanked the whip with all his strength, dragging Jackson towards him. The boy tried to retract his whip but it was useless. Raze's strength was completely on a whole different level compared to his.
When Jackson was now within distance, Raze pulled back his fist and swung straight for his jaw, aiming to knock him out in one blow. The punch landed perfectly, sending Jackson crashing into the edge of the platform, completely knocked out.
The students that were watching were stunned. They hadn't expected a level 1 to win a fight, against a level 2. To them, it just seemed impossible.
"He cheated!" A boy yelled, pointing at Raze.
"He grabbed his weapon–" another began.
Before the argument could escalate, Ray silenced them all with a single sharp glance.
"The winner is Raze." Ray announced.
[Opponent has been defeated. 100 Exp has been awarded.]
[First time defeating a higher power level + 50 Exp.]
[150/200 Exp]
After defeating Jackson, Raze had received a few system notifications. Raze read through the notifications, noting he was now 50 Exp away from leveling up. The bonus award for defeating a higher power level was nice, but he knew it was a one-time thing.
Before leaving Raze glanced at Jackson who was unconscious and lying on the floor. 'Did I really hit him that hard?' He thought. 'Well…thanks for giving me some exp, Jackson.'
Making his way toward the crowd, Raze could feel the eyes of many students on him. Some were suspicious, others curious, trying to figure out whether he had cheated or if it had just been sheer luck.
The first day of this class was quite a memorable first day for all the students. So much had happened, but it was finally over and it was time for them to head back to their dorms.
As the students started to leave one by one, Ray gaze lingered on Raze longer than usual. 'The gauntlets are in the basic tier…how did he move like that? Knock out a student in one punch?'
A small smile crept onto Ray's lips. 'Looks like I have to keep an eye on this one.'
It wasn't just Raze's performance that caught his attention. His scythe, the one he carried, pulsed with energy. A subtle aura imperceptible to the students, but impossible for Ray to miss. Something about Raze didn't feel normal. His presence, his aura…it was off, in a way that made Ray instinctively cautious.
Once class had ended, Raze returned the gauntlets to the weapons hall before heading toward his dorm. The corridors were quieter now, the sound of footsteps echoing faintly behind him.
As he walked, he opened his status screen, his eyes landing on the three unused stat points blinking at the bottom. I can't just leave these hanging around, he thought.
After a moment of thought, he made his decision.
He placed one point into Strength, one into Agility, and one into Stamina.
[Strength: 16]
[Agility: 16]
[Stamina: 16]
[Endurance: 15]
The reasons were simple. He needed speed to dodge attacks, strength to strike back, and stamina to last longer in a fight.
After distributing his stat points, Raze closed the status screen and finally reached his dorm.
The moment he stepped inside, the sight that greeted him was… unexpected. Liam was sprawled across the floor, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. Meanwhile, Felix and Beatrix sat casually on their beds, both looking far too relaxed for whatever chaos had clearly happened.
Raze raised a brow. "What happened to Liam?"
Felix leaned back, stretching his arms before answering with a smug grin. "Liam, Beatrix, and I were in the elemental class. The teacher wanted us to spar to gauge our potential. Liam managed to beat a level 3 awakening user, using his wind awakening." He paused, chuckling. "Meanwhile, Beatrix was casually wiping out level 4s and 5s."
Beatrix shot him a sideways glance. "Don't act like you didn't show off. You humiliated a level 5, then gave him tips right after like some kind of teacher."
Raze blinked, glancing at Liam who was still spread out on the floor, mumbling something that sounded like "Never again…" under his breath.
"Guess the elemental class isn't for the weak," Raze said, faintly smirking as he leaned against the wall.
Felix laughed, tossing a towel toward Liam. "Weak? Please. You should've seen him out there! He went all in, like his life depended on it. Even the teacher looked impressed."
"Y-yeah… impressed," Liam groaned, sitting up slowly and wiping his face. "Pretty sure I passed out mid-swing though."
Beatrix let out a quiet chuckle. "You did. The teacher had to catch you before you hit the ground."
Felix grinned. "Hey, at least you went out with style."
Raze shook his head lightly, hiding a small smile. It was strange. Just two days ago, they were all strangers. Now, somehow, it felt like he was already part of the group.
He dropped onto his bed and sat down, stretching out his arms. His muscles felt slightly tense from earlier, but nothing too bad. The stat point boost definitely helped.
"Tomorrow's probably gonna be worse," Felix said, already lying flat on his bed, hands behind his head. "I heard they're gonna start combining combat and awakening training."
Liam froze mid-drink. "C-combining?"
"Yup. Meaning we'll be fighting while using our awakenings." Felix grinned, clearly excited by the idea.
Beatrix glanced at him, unimpressed. "You sound way too happy about that."
"I am happy about that," Felix replied. "You don't get stronger by sitting around."
Raze silently agreed, his gaze drifting toward the window where the faint orange glow of sunset spilled through. 'Combining awakenings with combat, huh?'
For a moment, the room was silent only with the occasional quiet sigh from Liam. Everyone was tired, but there was a quiet sense of anticipation hanging in the air.