Michael woke up from his bed after a deep, refreshing sleep.
Ah… my body's fully recovered from last night, he thought, stretching slightly. Right. Smith said I should come train with him and Warren once I've rested.
He stood up, left his room, and headed to the kitchen. After drinking some water, he made his way to the open space behind the house.
Smith and Warren were already there.
"Took you long enough," Smith said.
"Well, my body recovered faster than I expected," Michael replied.
Maybe my physical strength increasing also boosted my recovery speed, he thought.
"You ready to train?" Warren asked.
"Yeah," Michael answered.
"There's a wooden sword over there. You can use that. I'll be using my wooden spear," Warren said.
"Got it," Michael replied as he picked up the sword.
The moment his hand wrapped around the grip, he paused.
It felt lighter than the one he normally used—but at the same time, denser. Tougher.
"Hey, Warren… this wood isn't normal, is it?" Michael asked.
"Oh? You noticed?" Warren smiled slightly. "That's because it's made from a special tree that only grows in areas rich in Celestial Energy."
"That's really cool. Was it hard to get?" Michael asked.
"Not as hard as you'd think," Warren replied. "Since we fight monsters in forests, we sometimes come across them. It's not common—but not extremely rare either."
"I see," Michael said.
I wonder how much Blue energy this thing could handle… If I can control it properly, this might be good practice, he thought.
"Enough talking. Let's start the training," Smith interrupted.
"Yeah, I'm coming," Michael said as he stepped onto the platform.
The space was clearly built for combat. Tall metal walls surrounded the area, making it feel like a warehouse designed purely for training.
I'll think about that later. For now, I need to focus, Michael thought. I have to get used to my new strength.
"Come when you're ready," Warren said, taking his stance.
"Alright," Michael replied.
I'll try moving without using energy for now.
Michael rushed forward.
He moved faster than expected—too fast.
His balance wavered for a split second, but he corrected himself just in time.
When he looked up, Warren's spear was already thrusting toward him.
Michael reacted instantly, jumping backward.
Even my reaction speed has increased… I can see his movements much more clearly now.
Warren pressed forward.
"If you're not going to move, then I will," he said as he lunged.
Michael blocked the thrust—but Warren feinted, instantly shifting into a sweeping slash from the side.
Michael raised his sword and barely managed to block it.
He still blocked that even after falling for the feint… Smith observed silently. At this rate, his strength has already surpassed—or is about to surpass—Warren's.
Warren withdrew his spear to strike again, but Michael suddenly unleashed a flurry of attacks.
Damn… this kid's gotten way faster, Warren thought. I can barely keep up.
Michael continued pressing forward. Warren parried one strike and countered, but Michael knocked the spear aside and closed the distance.
Just as Michael was about to land a hit—
Clang.
His sword was stopped by Warren's spear.
"Huh? But how—" Michael muttered.
"Well done," Warren said. "You made me use energy first."
Green energy began to surround Warren's spear.
"Now let's get serious."
Michael leapt back, green energy flaring around his own sword.
"Alright," he said, his eyes sharp. "Let's do this."
They launched at each other.
Strike after strike echoed through the space, each collision releasing heavy force. Michael didn't slow down, continuously attacking—but Warren blocked and parried everything, even as Michael infused his body with Green energy and activated thought acceleration.
Warren deflected one strike and countered.
Michael barely dodged and retreated.
At this rate, we'll just wear each other down, Michael thought. Then… I'll use Blue. Thought acceleration—and I'll try infusing it into my legs.
He exhaled.
Blue energy surged.
The world slowed—far more than before.
Michael focused a portion of that energy into his legs.
Pain shot through them.
Too much—! He immediately reduced the flow, forcing himself to endure the strain as he carefully stabilized it.
The energy settled.
Yes… finally.
Warren now looked like he was moving in slow motion.
Michael saw the moment Warren was about to act.
He moved.
In a flash, the distance between them vanished.
Warren couldn't even react.
Michael's sword headed straight for his neck—
Clang!
Smith appeared instantly, blocking the strike with his own wooden sword.
"That's enough," Smith said firmly.
Warren froze, only realizing what happened once both of them were already standing in front of him.
"Let's stop here."
"Yeah…" Michael said, breathing slightly heavily.
"You really got strong fast," Warren said with a small laugh. "That one's on me. Don't worry—you'll do well in the Riftguard training tomorrow."
"Thanks," Michael replied.
Suddenly, weakness crept into his legs.
Smith noticed and sighed.
"Didn't I tell you to hold off on using Blue for now?" he said. "Now you see why."
"Yeah… I know," Michael admitted.
"You should do more strength training during the recruitment period. It'll help," Smith said.
"Got it."
"Let's head inside and get ready for tomorrow," Smith continued. "It's going to be busy."
He paused.
"In the meantime, I'll teach you how to suppress your energy. Yours is so obvious it can be detected from a mile away. You need to hide it—both to avoid attention and to stop others from reading you."
"Right. Thanks for reminding me," Michael said.
"No problem."
---
The next day, at headquarters, Michael met up with Gideon and Thomas.
"Oh—hey, guys," Gideon said.
"Hey," Thomas and Michael replied.
"Looks like you did some extra training over the weekend," Gideon said.
"Yeah, but didn't you guys do some too?" Michael asked.
"We did—but yours looks way more intense," Gideon replied.
"It's nothing. Let's just get going," Michael said.
They took the elevator to the designated floor.
When they arrived, they saw other recruits gathered. On the stage, Lucy and several others were already seated.
A voice echoed through the speakers, announcing that the recruitment training would begin shortly.
Alright… I've got this, Michael thought. I just need to focus and be ready for the coming days.
Lucy's gaze shifted toward them as they entered.
"So they finally arrived…" she murmured, a cold smile forming on her lips.
"This should be interesting."