The next morning, Anthony walked into the classroom. The usual sneers and jeers started immediately.
"Look who it is, the Soulless One," Jake laughed, stretching his arms. His muscles were now defined, a result of his martial soul. "Did you sleep well? Or were you busy dreaming of being useful?"
The class chuckled. Anthony didn't stop. He didn't bow his head. He walked straight to his seat, his posture straight, his eyes calm.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Jake stood up and blocked his path. "Apologize for existing, trash."
Jake threw a punch. It was fast, empowered by his martial soul. To anyone else, it would have been impossible to dodge. To Anthony, it looked like it was moving in slow motion. He could see the tension in Jake's muscles, the shift in his center of gravity, the trajectory of the fist.
Move left, redirect the force with your elbow, Aetherion's voice guided him effortlessly.
Anthony didn't even think. He moved.
Snap.
Jake stumbled forward, losing balance, crashing into a desk. The class went silent.
"How... how did you do that?" Jake asked, shocked.
Anthony looked at him, and in his eyes, Jake saw something terrifying. It wasn't anger. It was absolute indifference, the look of a human looking at an ant.
"Do not block my path," Anthony said simply. His voice was low, but it carried a weight that made the air in the room feel heavy.
He sat down. He opened his textbook on Advanced Mathematics. He glanced at the page. Complex theorems and unsolvable equations became clear as day. He picked up his pen and started writing. He wasn't just solving them; he was improving the formulas.