It was evening when Luke and Otto finally parted ways. After their agreement, they had discussed how things would work.
In the afternoons, Otto would teach him how to survive in the wilderness, while Luke would obediently keep his mouth shut and follow every instruction. It was a good deal, a great deal.
Currently, Otto found himself in the large dojo where the combat class took place.
Today was mainly dedicated to testing their general competency and abilities. After that, they would be separated into groups based on their level, such as novice, advanced or expert, as well as their weapon of choice. Some would be assigned a personal tutor or paired together.
It went without saying that he would definitely end up in the novice group.
The Sleepers were taking turns delivering their strongest punches to a wide plate attached to a special measuring machine. After each strike, the machine would display a number corresponding to the Sleeper's physical strength.
In theory, a machine like that was not hard to build. However, considering that many of Sleepers had combat-oriented Aspects that enhanced their power in a variety of ways, it was actually a marvel of engineering and durability.
Their technique and training also affected the final result.
Most people were getting numbers ranging from ten to fourteen. It was considered a good result, something that only the most athletic people could reach. However, a lot of Sleepers, obviously those with enhancing Aspects, were able to achieve a score of fifteen or even sixteen.
When it was his turn, Otto prepared the best punch he could. Assuming a boxing stance and throwing a jab. The numbers rose slowly until it eventually stopped…eight.
'Fucking eight points…' He was frustrated, but not surprised. He was a kid from the outskirts, just from his scrawny body alone he could tell he had no physical strength whatsoever.
Weirdly enough, there was no reaction from the other Sleepers. Otto was expecting at least a laugh, yet nothing came.
It was Nephis's turn, the highest-rated Sleeper of their batch, to strike the plate. The slender girl approached the machine and, without much preparation, delivered a sudden, crushing blow. Obviously, her punch was flawless. After a short pause, the machine displayed the result: sixteen.
Otto nodded, already expecting that.
'Crazy how she can achieve the same score as someone who is using their Aspect.'
After that, only Caster remained. Otto couldn't even see the flying fist, it was simply too fast. The machine trembled and took more time calculating. Finally, two numbers appeared: twenty-one.
Everyone gaped at the display, stunned. More than a few admiring looks were thrown at Caster, who simply bowed and took a step back. Instructor Rock smiled.
"Not bad. Now, we will move to sparring and evaluate your general level of training. I need two volunteers to begin."
Nephis was the first to step forward and walk to the center of the ring. A couple of seconds later, a tall and extremely muscular Sleeper followed and faced her.
"The rules are simple. Make your opponent's back touch the floor or throw them out of the ring. Use whatever abilities and techniques you find appropriate."
The tall guy attacked without wasting any time. His muscles bulged, threatening to tear the soft fabric of his white dobok. He advanced like an unstoppable mountain, sending a vicious kick flying.
A second later, he was lying on the floor with a dumbstruck look on his face. Nephis didn't even change her stance.
Instructor Rock gave her a cheerful look and grinned.
"Next."
Otto stepped forward. He would have to face her sooner or later anyway, might as well do it now. He entered the ring and assumed a lazy stance. His arms weren't even raised properly.
Nephis didn't react.
The two of them stared at each other. To everyone else, it might have looked like he was frozen in fear, but that wasn't it at all. He simply had no reason to move. Why would he? If he had any chance in this, he would need to use his Ability and to do that, she had to attack first.
And then she did.
In the blink of an eye, she was suddenly right in front of him, throwing a punch. His body moved before his brain could fully process what was happening. He dodged.
Nephis flowed into her next movement as if the punch had been nothing more than a distraction. Her foot twisted, her weight shifted, and a second strike came from the opposite side. But he felt it coming a second early.
Before the punch even reached him, Otto's body had already tilted out of its path. Nephis didn't pause. She flowed into her next strike as smoothly as breathing. A jab. A hook. A low sweep.
Each time, the feeling flared inside him and each time, his body shifted just enough to slip past her attacks.
To the watching Sleepers, it looked surreal.
Nephis attacked with precision and discipline, yet this boy with an awful hair cut kept leaning, slipping, stumbling out of her reach in the most awkward ways imaginable. Who even is this guy?
Nephis' eyes narrowed slightly. He wasn't blocking. He wasn't counterattacking. He wasn't even standing properly. Yet he just refused to be hit. She stepped in harder. Her fist cut through the air, a straight blow aimed at his chest.
Otto's mind barely registered it before his body swayed aside like a drunk avoiding a lamppost. Her knuckles missed him by a hair.
'This can't keep going.' At some point in the fight he thought he maybe could win. A futile hope.
Nephis exhaled softly. Her tempo increased. She vanished from his line of sight for a moment—too fast for him visually—but not to his ability. Otto dropped to the left, almost tripping over his own feet, just as her leg passed where his head had been. It was at this moment that he switched from defensive to offensive.
Taken by a surge of confidence, Otto tried to throw a punch at her. His first and last mistake in the fight.
His punch was weak, slow and predictable. Nephis didn't even have to dodge, as the punch missed his target completely. Her strike grazed his side, sending a jolt of pain up his ribs and knocking him off balance. He stumbled, and before he could recover, Nephis closed the distance with surgical precision. Three more attacks. Two he dodged out of desperation. One slipped through completely.
His back hit the mat with a thud.
Nephis stopped immediately, offering no follow-up. Otto lay there, staring at the ceiling, breathing hard.
"Ouch." It seems his ability wasn't flawless after all.
Instructor Rock nodded. Although he wasn't pleased.
"Good. Defense is fine, kid, but you've got to hit back eventually. I was expecting a little more from the Second Strongest of the batch, but it was good enough. Next."
Otto, who was halfway through standing up, almost fell back down. His expression became unreadable.
Around him, he heard the murmurs of the other Sleepers.
"Second Strongest? So that's Otto?"
"What's with those eyes?"
"Maybe it's part of his Ability."
"What a terrible haircut."
That last one stinged. Since no one moved, Rock repeated himself—louder this time.
"Next." Someone finally stepped forward as Otto quietly returned to his place.
He could feel everyone's gaze on his back for a few moments before they returned to watch Nephis massacre.
One after another, Nephis managed to defeat almost every single Sleeper present in the dojo. She didn't seem to be faster or stronger than them, but each time someone entered the ring to fight her, they would inevitably end up beaten and thrown to the ground.
Nephis moved with the calm precision of a battle machine. Her technique was clean, graceful and ruthless. No matter what type of attack was thrown at her, she was able to either predict or instantly react to it, then deflect and turn it against the attacker with the minimum amount of effort.
Finally, Caster was the last one remaining — once again. However, he didn't seem to be perturbed by the miserable failure of every other Sleeper. With a soft smile on his lips, the young man stepped into the ring.
Caster and Nephis faced each other. Their eyes locked for a few seconds, and then Caster slightly bowed.
"Lady Nephis. Please excuse me in advance."
A moment later, Caster seemed to disappear.