Ray lunged toward Laibos, brandishing his sword in a powerful strike, but Laibos blocked the blow with total composure,
saying in a sharp tone: "Your time is up."
In a motion faster than the eye could follow, Laibos landed a sudden, crushing punch to Ray’s stomach, sending him flying across the hall to collide with the
stone wall with a force that shook the room’s foundations.
Ray fell to the ground, clutching his stomach, his body convulsing from the overwhelming power of the blow.
Gritting his teeth in pain, he looked at Laibos with a mixture of defiance and burning pride.
Ray gritted his teeth, saying:
"If I still had my previous body... I would have been able to crush him with pure physical strength alone."
Laibos did not hesitate, turning his cold gaze toward Lances: "Won't you step forward?"
Lances offered a twisted, sly smile, his hands behind his back:
"You are too strong; how can I face..." Before he could finish, Laibos charged at him.
Lances stepped back, panic looming in his eyes: "Damn, he saw through my trick!"
Lances pulled his hands from behind his back and pointed them at Laibos, launching ice shards at him, but Laibos
brushed them away with his sword as if they were mere dust.
As Laibos approached, Lances froze the ground under Laibos's feet, yet Laibos
shattered the ice with a casual, indifferent step.
An ice arrow flew toward his face, which Laibos dodged by tilting his head slightly.
Lances seized the opportunity, crafted an ice blade in his hand, and used wind to
surround his foot, accelerating his movement.
Lances rushed toward Laibos, aiming an attack at his heart, but Laibos countered it immediately.
In a desperate move at close range, Lances tried to fire an ice shard directly
toward Laibos’s head, but Laibos was a step ahead of him.
"Nice trick," Laibos said, using his brute
strength to shove Lances away, sending him flying through the air.
Even when Lances tried to slow his fall by creating ice platforms, Laibos shattered them with a single blow.
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Lances hit the wall and slid to the ground like those before him, then let out a dry, sarcastic laugh:
"As expected of the Nightmare of Darkness; your power is truly absolute."
Laibos ignored his comment and shifted his gaze toward Valerian:
"Valerian! You are reckless! You have no regard for your defense.
This carelessness will lead you only to your grave."
He then turned to the rest of the line, saying with sharp precision:
"Selina, your technique is good, but your accuracy is catastrophic.
Anticipate your opponent's moves and make your attacks deceptive.
" Selina sighed in frustration, staring at the vast gap between her level and the others.
"The road ahead never ends... how did these monsters become so strong? Especially Ray, who was a useless troublemaker just a short time ago.
What changed?"
He then focused on Dekanis:
"Your control is acceptable, but your swordsmanship is weak and your explosive power is also poor.
You need to develop them further." Dekanis bit her lip and whispered to herself: "Damn, my power is weak? You are the only one who possesses this unfair, brute power, yet you speak with such arrogance!"
Laibos concluded the session with a look that included everyone:
"Sylvia, Lances, Arshion, Ray... well done. Keep up this momentum.
" He left the hall, sighing to himself: "It seems this year is overflowing with promising young monsters."
In the silence that followed his departure, Ray sank into his frustration:
"My control over the Crimson Lightning is stable, but my core and body are pathetic.
My current power doesn't even reach 1% of what I had in my previous life!"
Driven by an urgent desire to evolve, Ray headed toward the gravity rooms.
He noticed Arshion, Lances, Valerian, and Sylvia heading for the same destination,
but he ignored them and entered a private room.
He set the gravity to 3G; he felt as if a giant hand was crushing his skeleton, yet he
held his place, performing push-ups, squats, and other exercises.
Ray didn't stop there; he raised the gravity to 4G, which was a miracle in itself, but he
continued performing combat movements with precision until he reached his limits.
After a short break, he pushed himself to 5G, using threads of lightning to reinforce his exhausted muscles, practicing
"Tyrannical Lightning Arts" until his energy was completely depleted.
On the other side of the hall, Arshion was suffering in the 5G hell, training on "Sword Saint" techniques until his muscles failed him.
As they exited, Arshion smiled a tired, respectful smile:
"What do you think of a friendly duel?" Arshion was wondering if he should test the power of this "variable" himself.
Ray did not hesitate: "Let's fight under 4G gravity."
They entered the room, and Arshion created a golden sword of light and lightning: "This is just a match; I won't use a real blade.
" Ray didn't care and created a sword of crimson lightning.
The clash began! Their blades danced at a frantic pace under the weight of gravity.
They exchanged blows, and sparks flew in the room.
When Arshion unleashed a bright flash that blinded Ray, Ray fought relying entirely on his instincts and hearing, hearing
Arshion's footsteps and dodging a fatal blow by a hair, before responding with a lightning bolt that struck Arshion's sword.
They entered a stalemate of strikes and parries.
After minutes, with their mana exhausted, they switched to hand-to-hand combat. They exchanged heavy, desperate blows
until they fell to the ground, gasping for air. They shook hands with a smile: "Good fight."
Arshion's thoughts swirled: Ray's potential is truly monstrous; he has already surpassed the strength I possessed at such a stage in my previous life.
If I hadn't pushed my limits and relied on my combat experience, I might have lost this duel.
But if I used the Sword Saint Art, who knows how the fight would end?
Ray's thoughts were equally intense: Arshion is a monster.
If I had used the "Crimson Form," who knows how things would have turned out?
As they were leaving, Sylvia appeared from her room, completely exhausted.
Ray looked at Arshion and then at Sylvia, noticing that Arshion was lost in his thoughts, miles away.