Chapter 10: Chapter nine: The Echo of Light

Two weeks.

That was all it had taken for the academy to begin to bend Mark - in body and spirit.

An academic day lasted seventy-two hours: an endless cycle in which time seemed to slow down only to torture better.

Each “morning” began the same way: the sweet scent of nature mingled with the pungent smell of magic incense - burned badly - scattered in the halls, as if to cover the stench of sweat and blood.

The alarm clock? A ritual drum, beaten at 6:00 a.m. on the dot, capable of resonating deep into the bones.

The lessons? Battlefields disguised as classrooms.

Every day, another war.

Yet, Mark did not give in. Never.

For every skill to be learned, there was a test to pass.

To gain Fire Resistance, one had to dip the non-dominant hand into a cauldron of water infused with arcane flames-not boiling, but hot enough to torment the flesh to the bone. Every three hours, a Healer would bring it back to a “functional” state, never completely healthy. And then it would start again.

For Frost Resistance, on the other hand, students were frozen in blocks of ice for an entire day. Motionless. Conscious. Suffering.

Each “morning” they would run 45 kilometers, then train for five hours in a gymnasium where time ran slower, pushing bodies beyond all limits. Muscles, bones and organs would be smashed -- and then rebuilt.

There they learned to sense the world: to distinguish magical breath from material breath, to master one of the two ways-Magical Perception or Physical Perception.

They practiced with every weapon, even those they would never wield.

All this for one purpose: to prepare them for the First Field Trial.

At the end of the two weeks, they were thrown into Dungeons: gashes in the fabric of space, portals to other worlds used by creatures of darkness.

The dungeons were tiered. The lower you went, the more vast they became. And deadly.

They had three real days to complete the quest.

Those who failed were forcibly recalled. And he would start the two weeks of torture all over again.

But no one wanted to fail. Because to fail meant repeating that hell.

The days at the Academy were not all about running, physical torture and magic. Every three days, students were taken to the Hall of the Reflected Beasts, a sealed arena created for group combat. There, perfect replicas of the monsters in the dungeons awaited them: made with a mixture of solid illusion, alchemical flesh and enchantments.

Here, they learned how to kill.

Each replica mimicked the abilities, movements and behaviors of real creatures to perfection, making each confrontation deadly enough to allow no mistakes.

Healers remained on the sidelines, ready to intervene only in case of broken bones...or something worse.

Mark remembered well his first time with Knight Goblins, annoying evolutions of E-grade goblins used to train newbies in real combat.

They lacked the brute power of golems, but they made up for it with agility, unpredictable movements and amazing, almost military-like coordination.

That day, his group-he, Leo, Aaron, Vanessa and Nayra-was sent to the tactical training room, an arena resembling a ruined village, full of hiding places, blind spots and magical traps.

Things precipitated quickly.

At first, everyone acted on their own. Lack of coordination caused them to fall one by one into ambushes.

Mark, isolated, was surrounded by three goblins: two distracted him frontally while the third jumped behind him.

It was Nayra who saved him, bursting out of an alley and hurling herself into the group like a fury, crushing one of the Goblins against a wall with the weight of her shield.

Mark found himself on the ground, out of breath but alive.

“You're slow with the blade, Mark!” laughed Aaron, bursting out from another corridor, electrocuting a Goblin with a volley of blows.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Maybe that's because no one thought to cover his flank,” retorted Vanessa, as she launched a tornado of flames that charred another goblin.

“If we followed my plan for even a minute, maybe we wouldn't be in this situation,” blurted Leo, frustrated, finishing off the last goblin with a wind blade.

They had survived - barely.

But from that day, something changed: they had realized how valuable they were, together.

That was the first time they bonded.

Over time, the five of them always found themselves in the same group. And every time the system separated them, they found a way to get back together.

They shared food, painkillers, even nightmares.

In the breaks, Vanessa taught Leo how to control his breathing during a spell.

Aaron had lifting contests with Nayra - and always lost.

Mark, silent, watched. But day after day, he laughed with them. He trusted.

Friendship, in that place, was rarer than pure steel.

But also more durable.

-Break-

“Today is your last day to prepare for tomorrow's Dungeon!” thundered Professor Draker, floating above the running students.

To celebrate, he made them run another 45 kilometers.

In the end, only five remained standing: Mark, Aaron, Leo, Nayra and Vanessa.

Thanks to the grueling workouts, they had unlocked two rare skills:

- Longevity - reduces physical and mental pain, accelerates regeneration.

- Somatic Change - the body learns and adapts in real time, absorbing every trauma and extreme condition.

They were still at the basic grade, level 3, but for them 90 kilometers was now a Sunday walk.

The professor noticed them.

But it was Mark who shone the brightest.

Despite the pain and fatigue, a light burned in his eyes that grew brighter every day.

“Hey you five! You guys are fast. As soon as you finish your run, go straight to the weight room. I want to see you lift three times what you did last week!”

“Yes, sir!” they replied in chorus.

They finished their run and dragged themselves to the weight room.

“What a bummer...the prof is targeting us,” Aaron huffed.

“Maybe he just wants to push us beyond our limits,” Mark replied.

“Maybe so. But every morning I wake up with pains I didn't think existed,” Leo grumbled.

“Yet they say boys are supposed to be the strongest,” Vanessa commented with a wry smile.

“You're right. We are the ones who should protect them,” Nayra concluded in a firm tone.

Vanessa had long ash-colored hair and eyes the color of oak.

She was a sorceress capable of mastering water and wind, with an affinity for fire. Kind, empathetic, but deadly.

Her Uniqueness:

Whispers of Aetheris - born with a connection to primordial magical essence. At times of maximum focus or stress, she can hear the whispers of Aetheris, giving her immense powers...at the cost of body and mind.

Nayra, on the other hand, was the opposite: as tall as boys, muscular, concrete. She used the Pattern.

She loved hand-to-hand combat, but could control strength with surgical precision.

Her Uniqueness:

Indestructible Fortress - Her body turns into living steel. With each impact, it becomes stronger and more resistant. He can finally release this energy as a devastating shockwave.

They spent the whole day between weights and weapons, waiting for the professor to return.

“It's ten o'clock at night...” yawned Aaron.

“Maybe we should sleep,” suggested Leo.

“Sleep is essential for a healthy body,” added Nayra, in a calm voice.

“Tomorrow we will have our first practice test,” Leo murmured.

Mark nodded.

“Yes tomorrow will be very difficult,” Vanessa continued.

“Are you afraid?” asked Nayra.

“It is useless to worry about what might happen tomorrow, the only thing we can do is to prepare properly. “ Mark concluded as he lashed out at the dummy.

“Yes it is normal to be afraid, after all it is the first time we will face real monsters,” Vanessa continued.

“then let's make a promise, whatever happens we will help each other out.” Said Leo placing his outstretched hand

“Promise” they all replied together placing their hand on top of Leo's.

Time passed and one after the other, they fell asleep there among the dumbbells and swords, unaware that...that would be the last night they would really sleep.

[System:

Name Mark lv 4 Apprentice

life: 175 hp

mana: none

Fatigue: none

Uniqueness:

- Aberration of Perseverance (Usage unknown)

- Ardor (allows the user to ignite his or her soul, increasing each statistic for every second it remains active)

Skill

- Agile Sword Technique lv 2 (His sword skill)

- Consciousness Base lv 5 (Thinks logically, ignores emotions, passive)

- Thick skin base lv 8 (Reduces damage and pain received)

- Perfect balance base lv 6 (Increases the subject's balance)

- Ultra focus base lv 10 (Increases concentration, speed and thinking and accuracy)

- Berserker Base lv 1 (Subject enters a state of chaos that allows for increased damage)

- Longevity Base lv 3 (reduces physical, mental pain and accelerates regeneration)

- Somatic Change Base lv3 (The body learns and molds itself in real time, storing and absorbing any kind of stress, condition or physical trauma).

- Fire resistance Base lv 2

- Frost resistance Base lv 2

Characteristic points: 0

- Strength: 19

- Dexterity: 16

- Sense: 12

- Stamina: 20

- Intelligence: 8