Once class had ended, the group split off to head to their next sessions.
Raze made his way toward the Beast Combat Weapon class, while Felix, Beatrix, and Liam headed off to the elemental training hall.
When Raze stepped into the dojo, dozens of students were already gathering. The room was spacious and lined with wooden flooring, beast-weapon racks displayed neatly along the walls.
Ray stood in the center, hands clasped behind his back.
The moment the last student walked in, he clapped his hands sharply.
The entire hall went silent.
"Welcome to another day with your instructor, Ray," he said. His tone was unusually cheerful, almost upbeat.
Students exchanged confused looks.
Ray was normally composed, serious… borderline strict.
But today?
Today he seemed almost excited.
Ray gestured toward the row of basic-tier beast weapons lined neatly at the edge of the room.
"Everyone, choose your weapons. Today we'll be doing combat drills."
The class erupted with whispers, many clearly excited while some stood nervous.
Raze walked over and grabbed the Grey Wolf Beast Gauntlet. The system notified him about the added stats the weapon provided.
Once everyone had gotten their weapons, Ray clapped his hands again loud enough to echo across the hall.
"So, I'll elaborate more on today's drill. Everyone will take turns fighting one another for 2 minutes. Everyone will take turns fighting one another for two minutes before switching to the next person."
Some students straightened with anticipation.
Others swallowed nervously.
Ray continued, his voice now firm.
"Because in a real fight…"
He paused, letting the silence stretch.
His gaze swept across all of them.
"…every opponent is unpredictable. You don't get to choose who's in front of you out there."
A few students shifted uncomfortably.
"You have one minute to choose a partner," Ray announced.
"After two minutes, you switch to the next opponent. And so on."
He clapped once more.
"Move."
The moment Ray said, "Move," the dojo burst into motion.
Students scattered, pairing up quickly with their friends. While others scanned the room for easy opponents.
Raze stayed where he was for a second, wondering who he should go up against.
That hesitation was all it took.
Three students approached him. Their watches glowing a level 3.
Their leader, Jason, a broad-shouldered boy with messy brown hair, clicked his tongue.
"So, you're the Level 1 who is a part of Felix's team huh?" he asked.
Upon hearing this, Raze gave the boy no answer.
The boy smirked. "Quiet huh? Well we need a warm-up before the real drills start."
The second boy, Nate, was slimmer and he crossed his arms.
"Yeah. No offense, but you're basically free practice. A Level 1 with no awakening? You're the safest punching bag in the room."
The third one, Michael, chimed in with a shrug. "Better to look good early on. Instructors judge performance, and beating someone weak is still a win."
Raze said nothing.
With unknown beings destroying planets and the portal outing approaching, everyone was desperate to prove they weren't weak.
Even if proving it meant stepping on someone else.
"I didn't come here to be your practice dummy," Raze said.
Jason leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.
"You don't have a choice. Partners get chosen fast. And nobody's going to line up to fight a Level 1."
As if on cue, Raze noticed the rest of the class pairing up rapidly.
For a moment Raze decided to consider walking away but then he heard Ray's voice.
"Thirty seconds!"
"I guess I have no other choice," he said.
And with that, Ray shouted, "Now begin!"
Jason stepped forward immediately.
Raze noticed the boy was holding two beast daggers. His grip was firm, and the way he moved showed that he had practiced with them before. His stance was steady, and he followed through with every motion as if he had gone over this routine dozens of times.
Jason lunged.
His first strike came in fast, cutting across toward Raze's side.
Raze shifted his body slightly, letting it pass.
The second dagger followed right after, aiming for his shoulder.
Raze decided to block it with his gauntlets.
Jason didn't stop. He kept attacking, each movement smooth and connected. His flow was good. He wasn't sloppy. He wasn't reckless. He knew how to use the daggers properly.
But the attacks seemed slow.
Raze could see the angle of every swing and the direction Jason's feet were pointing before the next strike even came. His body reacted almost on its own.
He thought about ending the fight quickly, but remembering what Ray said about opponents being unpredictable.
He decided to hold back at his supernatural strength to at least gain some experience in fighting.
Then Jason decided to do something completely unpredictable.
He leapt and did a quick spin in the air before throwing one of his daggers straight at Raze's collarbone.
Raze moved to block it but he didn't manage to bring his arm up in time.
The blade sank into his collarbone, stopping only because of the bone underneath.
A sharp jolt of pain shot through him.
"Gh-" Raze hissed under his breath, gripping the handle out of instinct.
Before he could even process it, Jason closed the distance and drove the second dagger into Raze's stomach.
Raze's eyes widened.
He tried to twist away but again, he was a fraction too slow.
Raze stiffened as the blade went in.
He looked down at the dagger buried in him.
He felt the sting and the warm spread of blood.
But that was not all. He felt something switch inside him.
"…You want to take my blood?" Raze said quietly, his voice low.
He lifted his gaze to Jason, and there was nothing passive in his stare now.
"Then it's only fair I take yours."