As Bennett finished warming up, a heavy shadow fell over him.

  Ironfang stomped forward, grinning wide enough to show every sharp tooth.

  “Oi, flesh bag.”

  Bennett sighed internally. Oh great…

  Ironfang cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing like boulders colliding.

  “You wanna spar? My usual punching bag is off on a mission. I need something to hit I mean, train with.”

  He flexed once, and the ground cracked under his fist.

  Bennett grimaced. “Aren’t there other people in our group with higher strength than me?”

  Ironfang rolled his eyes.

  “Didn’t you hear me? My training partner is gone. And you're the only elite I haven’t fought yet. You're fresh meat I mean, untested potential.”

  Bennett thought for a moment… then grinned.

  “I’ll do it. But on one condition.”

  Ironfang raised a brow. “Oh? And what’s this condition?”

  “Help me push my High-Advance body to its peak maybe even evolve it.”

  Ironfang snorted.

  “Deal. I might not read books, but the body is my specialty.”

  His grin grew bloodthirsty. “Now come on. No weapons. Just hands. I’ll even hold back.”

  Bennett put away his staffs and removed his weighted clothing.

  “Alright. I need hand-to-hand training anyway.”

  He dashed forward cautious, focused. Ironfang didn’t move. He just stood there, smiling.

  Bennett aimed a gut punch

  but the moment before contact, his instincts screamed.

  He crouched. A fist whooshed overhead, the wind alone making him flinch.

  Too close…

  He went for an uppercut, but Ironfang countered by slamming his forehead straight into Bennett’s fist.

  Pain shot up Bennett’s arm like lightning, numbing his entire hand. He jumped back just in time to avoid Ironfang’s sweeping arm.

  “Tsss!” Bennett glanced at his trembling hand. It felt like he’d punched a mountain.

  But Ironfang still hadn’t moved from his spot. He grinned wider.

  “Not bad, human no, Bennett. You’ve trained your body a lot.”

  His eyes sharpened. “Now… it’s my turn.”

  He vanished.

  Bennett barely lifted his arms in time

  BOOM

  The punch shattered his guard and launched him clean out of the training area, smashing him into a tree.

  Bennett coughed violently. “Agh! God damn it…”

  Ironfang didn’t chase. He simply nodded, satisfied.

  “Heh. You took a hit from me and survived. Good enough. But keep it up and you’ll stay the weakest among us. Even Kaeris is stronger now.”

  Bennett groaned.

  “Don’t remind me… I only beat him because he underestimated me.”

  Ironfang walked over calmly.

  “Relax. You’re human. The fact you’re in the elite group at all says a lot. But beating me physically?”

  He tapped his chest.

  “I’m an ogre.”

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  Bennett rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah… but I still need advice on advancing my body strengthening.”

  Ironfang rubbed his chin.

  “Your method seems internal, not external. I can tell. So here’s your trick

  overload yourself. But ONLY slightly past your limit. That forces growth.”

  Bennett nodded and inhaled.

  “Alright… trying it.”

  He pushed denser mana into his body than usual bones creaking,skin burning

  ,pain spiking so hard he nearly blacked out.

  He barely lasted three seconds before he had to stop.

  He collapsed to a knee, sweating like he’d run a hundred kilometers.

  “Haah… haah… gods that’s brutal…”

  Ironfang grinned proudly.

  “That’s how you train body enhancement. Push past the limit.”

  He crossed his arms.

  “Now calm your mind. Feel your body. You should notice something.”

  Bennett did… and froze.

  His base body without the technique

  felt stronger.

  “What… how?!”

  Ironfang smirked like a teacher revealing a secret.

  “Simple. Humans are naturally strong way stronger than you think. But your brain keeps you locked to maybe sixty percent of your real power. If you went full force, your bones would snap and your organs would tear.”

  He pointed at Bennett.

  “What you just did forced your body to adapt. Stronger muscles, tougher bones, better organs. So your mind lowers the limiter.”

  Bennett stared at him.

  “…Are you actually the same person?”

  Ironfang rolled his eyes.

  “I’m a strength fanatic. Of course I know this stuff.”

  He stretched lazily.

  “Anyway, good enough for today. I’m satisfied. Next time, we’re doing a real spar.”

  He waved and left.

  Bennett rubbed his shoulder.

  “God damn it… I’m pretty sure that’s dislocated.”

  He grabbed his arm

  CRACK

  and forced it back into place with a wince.

  “Great… and it’s still morning…”

  After that grueling training session and the valuable tip from Ironfang, Bennett made his way to the school office specifically, the elite class instructor’s office and stepped inside.

  Jane looked up and smirked.

  “Finally, the corpse has returned,” she joked.

  “Ugh… please don’t tease me, instructor,” Bennett groaned.

  “Haha, you’re lucky, kid,” Jane replied.

  Bennett took a seat, curious why he had been called over.

  “Well then,” Jane began, “I’d like to tell you today that your Apprentice Rank is going to be increased. It should have been announced yesterday, but I decided to let you have a day off instead of dragging you to class.”

  Bennett’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

  He was thrilled; the higher his rank, the better resources and opportunities he could access.

  “You’ll be promoted from Apprentice Rank 1 to Apprentice Rank 3,” Jane continued. “The instructor who saved you found multiple dead Rhyhounds quite a ways away. Add in the fact that you managed to kill a Rank 2 Weaver beast, and I’d say this promotion is more than deserved. Also, here’s your new student ID.”

  “Thank you, instructor,” Bennett said as he accepted the ID. The old one had been destroyed, and this new card reflected his updated Apprentice Rank of 3.

  “While you’re not strong enough to handle even the weakest Rank 3 beasts, your skills allow you to take on middle-tier Rank 2 beasts. A Weaver is considered a low Rank 2,” Jane explained.

  Bennett nodded solemnly. “Instructor… what about the others? What are their ranks?”

  Jane grinned.

  “Heh… Aiko is a Rank 6 Apprentice. After finally getting her to take battles seriously, she can handle mid-Rank 3 beasts but anything higher, and she’s in danger.”

  “My bad, instructor… but what are these extra rankings in beast levels? I didn’t see them in any of the books, and you didn’t even teach us that there are tiers within the beast ranks,” Bennett asked.

  Jane looked at him knowingly. “You’ll learn about that once you get your hands on a more detailed version of the beast manual. And why should I tell you when there’s a perfectly good library here? We expect you to grow stronger through your own effort. I’ve already said we won’t hold your hand, so information gathering is also your responsibility. We only give the base minimum.”

  Bennett sighed after her reply. “What about the SiegeHound? What’s its rank?”

  “Oh, that one’s a high-grade Rank 3 beast,” Jane answered.

  Bennett rubbed his brow. “Damn… instructor, I have another question. Since there are grades, and a Rank 6 Apprentice can handle only mid-Rank 3 beasts, how does a Rank 9 Apprentice handle a Rank 5 beast?”

  Jane nodded. “The power difference between Apprentice ranks isn’t linear. It increases substantially at the higher end. The last three Apprentice ranks are reserved for the elite of the elite. It’s the same for every major rank.”

  She continued, “For example, Rank 7 Apprentices can handle high-tier Rank 3 beasts. Rank 8 can handle mid-tier Rank 4, and Rank 9 can manage low-grade Rank 5 beasts.”

  “Anyway, now that you know that…” she said, scanning the class list. “Kaeris is a Rank 4 Apprentice; he finally fixed that arrogant streak of his. Ayaka is Rank 5. Ironfang and Kivolak are Rank 4 as well but if those two muscleheads worked on strategy, their strength alone could make them Rank 5. For now, though, they remain at Rank 4.”

  Bennett sighed, taking in the information.

  “Damn… so I’m the weakest in the group,” he muttered.

  Jane laughed. “Hahaha. You may be the weakest, but remember you’re human. Naturally, you’re weaker than most of your classmates. The fact that you’ve been promoted to Apprentice Rank 3 shows your hard work, kid. Don’t expect to surpass any of your classmates easily they each have natural advantages. But that doesn’t mean you can’t catch up. Your advantage is adaptability; the others are specialists. Now get out of my office I’ve got papers to finish.”

  Before Bennett could react, Jane abruptly kicked him out. It took him a few seconds to realize he was already outside her office.

  “What the hell… how is she that fast?!”

  After shaking his head, Bennett left and headed to the alchemist shop, searching for a specific pill.

  The pill was called Devouring. Its effect: increase mana absorption by 1.2×. Being a Rank 3 pill, it was only available to Apprentice Rank 3 or higher and it has a pill purity of 89%.

  Soon, Bennett found one. His eyes widened at the price: a single pill cost 100 credits.

  “Oh god…” he muttered, clenching his teeth. Without hesitation, he bought seven pills, spending all 700 credits and leaving himself with less than 50.

  Each pill lasted an hour, so taking all seven would give him seven hours. If I can endure that long, I’ll be able to advance my High-Advance Body to peak mastery and push for a mutation, Bennett thought. He remembered from his book that the body enhancement ability evolves once fully mastered past its peak, moving toward its most suitable path.

  Aside from that… if I can keep overloading myself, I can lower my limiter too. I’ll hit multiple birds with one stone: lower my limiter, increase my mana, densify it, evolve my skill… it’s practically a metamorphosis.

  Lost in thought, he walked without paying attention to his path and bumped into someone.

  The student he bumped into turned to shout at him… then stopped.

  “Bennett?”

  Bennett froze, looking up. It was Jason.

  “Eh… Jason? What are you doing here?”

  Jason grinned. “I’m here to deliver a letter for a school tournament between this school Scorching Academy and my school, Rouge Academy.”

  “Eh,” Bennett said, surprised. “I didn’t know that.”

  “Haha, it’s fine. I just delivered it. I’m heading back to my Academy it’s a few hours by train from here so I gotta go. Man, it’s nice seeing you! I do hope to see you in the tournament so I can kick your ass. Hope you haven’t slacked off.”

  Bennett waved. “Yes, yes. We’ll see. Now shoo, before you miss your train.”

  Jason dashed off. Bennett watched him disappear, frowning. God damn… his speed has surpassed mine by so much compared to when we were equals.

  I can’t start falling behind. I have one chance. If I can advance, it’ll be a metamorphosis… but my staffs still limit me. I’ll need to upgrade them or get new ones soon…

  Determined, Bennett headed to the specialized Training center to get a room he barely has enough for a public room.

  “Miss, can you tell me when that specific instructor will be here?” he asked.

  The lady smiled. “Usually I wouldn’t tell students which instructors come, but I’ll make an exception. The most brutal instructor is coming in two days.”

  Bennett grinned. “That’s perfect! Can I reserve a room?”

  She nodded. “I’ll give you a VIP room so you’ll have the place to yourself. I can tell this is critical for you, the way your gaze is.”

  Bennett’s eyes widened. “Those rooms are like 400 credits a day!”

  The lady ruffled his hair. “Yep. Now run along, kid. Get ready for it.”

  Bennett sweat-dropped. Even though I’m an adult, she still calls me a kid…

  “Okay, okay, I’m going, jeez!” he said, leaving. Soon after, he received a notification confirming the date of his reservation. She went through with it… that’s great.

  Suddenly, his stomach growled.

  “Oh… I didn’t eat all day. Oh well.”

  He dug into his traveling bag and took a food pill. Then he sat on a chair and began practicing his calligraphy, determined to ensure the rune application would be as perfect as possible especially when he gets new quarterstaffs.

  Chapter End