Ayu closed her eyes, focusing on the feeling once again, her waves following the patterns Alonso had shown her.

She could feel her body responding, her senses growing refined and her mind more alert. She felt… stronger.

The world around her became clearer, the sounds sharper, the smell more distinct, the touch of the wind on her skin vivid. It was like a black-and-white painting had suddenly gained color.

Her heart beat faster, and every muscle in her body felt primed to respond.

She kept pushing upward, maintaining control of the waves, but…

A sharp exhale escaped her lips as her body returned to its natural state.

It was damn hard.

The further she pushed, the more difficult it became to control the waves inducing the state. She wasn't even close to the limit Alonso had described, and yet it felt so challenging. Still… the feeling was euphoric.

The potential of this technique was enormous. But more than that, it was the paradigm shift Alonso had shown her. His approach to wave control had shattered the beliefs Chiara had instilled in her back in the Oasis.

And now that she thought of it, there was a discussion with Chiara about something like this. Yes, she remembered. Siddharth had used a similar technique to boost his physical prowess. She'd asked Chiara back then if they could do the same.

Chiara had dismissed the idea, explaining that the technique wasn't worth pursuing. The boost, she'd said, was minimal—limited to a theoretical maximum of 16%. Worse, it came at the cost of losing precision in EM wave control, which would become a liability as they advanced further in Stage Progress.

Ayu had accepted the explanation at the time. Gaining such a small boost by sacrificing wave precision wasn't worth it. But now…

This technique Alonso had shared didn't come with that problem. In fact, it enhanced her wave output significantly. Not only that, but the physical boost it offered was far greater. Alonso had mentioned she could achieve up to 35% after mastering it.

She knew where the main difference lay. Alonso's approach came with a completely new way of visualizing EM waves. It made precision less critical and emphasized intent—almost like channeling something deeper. It stripped the waves of their rigid, scientific nature and made them feel more natural, like an extension of her own body, a flow of energy surrounding her.

And… it was like she had awakened to a new world.

It felt so right. Like it was meant to be.

It was as if she had received sudden enlightenment the moment she tried it. Her waves became so much stronger, so much clearer—it was incredible.

Perhaps she could even… reward him… tonight...

Her cheeks flushed, a deep warmth spreading across her face.

No, no, no. Focus, Ayu!

She took a deep breath, grounding herself once more.

It was training time. No distracting thoughts.

He had mentioned sparring together later, so she resolved to show him at least some progress by then.

A smile crept onto her face. With this new approach, she had found a path to grow stronger, a way to stand and fight by his side. She… she would give it her all.

"Fuck!"

I hit the ground hard, my breathing ragged. I lower Overdrive back to its resting state, letting out a sharp exhale.

How does Houston even come up with these exercises?

No-hand push-ups, using just the tendrils on my back to lift my body—30 times!

The ground support makes it marginally easier than tomorrow's exercise on the damn lava pool, but keeping all seven tendrils steady while pushing Overdrive beyond its limits? That's pure hell.

So far, I've only managed 22 before my mind feels like it's splitting apart.

Thirty… I'm not sure I'll hit that number today.

I grab the water container, yank my mask off, and pour it over my head. The cool water feels like a lifeline against the heat radiating off me, my body practically steaming from running Overdrive again and again.

I glance at the old injuries, noting they're completely gone. Even with my natural healing, they should've taken at least another hour.

As much as I hate to admit it, Houston is making things work. The pain reduction earlier too… it definitely makes destroying my damn body a lot easier.

I pull up my status screen, but it still flashes Work in Progress.

I'm sure he has all the data he needs by now, but knowing him, he's probably saving it as a surprise to show off how 'wonderful' his training is. Cocky bastard.

I let thoughts of Ayu linger in my head to lighten the mood. I can still feel the taste of her lips from before. She really makes the cutest expressions when she's flustered.

A smile spreads across my face as I stare upward, calming my breath.

I hope she's making good progress with Overdrive. If she can reach a decent level before the next boss, she might be able to take on a more aggressive role, giving her a valuable opportunity to temper herself.

While I know expecting Ayu to reach my level is unrealistic, especially since she cannot keep up with my degree of training and improvement, if she can combine a lesser Overdrive with her innate ability, it would grant her survivability close to mine—possibly even higher in certain scenarios. That would be great.

I take a deep breath.

Alright. Break's over.

I lay myself down into a planking position, clearing my mind of all distractions.

My tendrils extend from my back, anchoring themselves to the ground, distributing my weight evenly.

Here we go again.

Damn. Finally.

I'm drenched in sweat, bruised like a damn overripe peach, and every muscle in my body is screaming bloody murder.

Punching trees with my bare hands until they break? Okay, sure. Haul the broken logs uphill? Why not? Sprint back down to intercept the rolling death traps? Oh, absolutely—I love pain!

Bare feet skidding on jagged ground, hands shredded to hell, back and chest so wrecked they've probably filed for early retirement. Wonderful!

Fifty times. Fifty fucking times! Fifty shades of What the Actual Hell! How sick and psychopathic does someone have to be to come up with this twisted crap?

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If I didn't know the trees restored themselves every 24 hours, I'd actually be worried about deforestation—or worse, getting slapped with environmental charges.

I shake my head.

It's been a rough day. I stare at the setting sun.

But it's over now.

All that's left is sparring with Ayu and then collapsing into bed. Finally… I can see her again.

Now that the hard training is done, maybe that nerd updated the status screen. Let's see.

Status Screen

Stage 1 - 5.961%

Wave control

Personal Output:

3.34 SU

Assisted Bonus (at 89% Merging Rate):

1.64 SU

Bonus from Helmet

: 35%

Total Output:

6.72 SU

Magnetization Efficiency:

96%

Overdrive

Full-State Output:

90%

Physical Combat

Swordsmanship:

1.01 SU

Footwork:

0.96 SU

Wave/Body Synchronization:

95%

Physical Condition (using 1% as 1.000 reference):

1.665

Notable Equipment

Sword:

Indestructible(?) Weight increases with stage progress. EM conductivity (1.0)

King Lobster Gauntlets:

Indestructible(?) Weight increases with stage progress. EM conductivity (2.0)

King Jellyfish Seven-Piece Cape

: Indestructible(?) Weight increases with stage progress(?) EM conductivity (2.0)

Huh?

My waves lock onto the signal, double-checking to make sure I'm decoding it right.

My… my swordsmanship finally surpassed Siddharth's!?

Fuck yes!

Finally!

Sure, my stage progress is higher, so maybe it's not a completely fair comparison, but who cares? I did it. Does this make me a swordmaster now?

…Nah. Not yet. Not when I've seen what Darius is capable of. But damn, it feels good to hit this milestone.

Good… very good.

That smug asshole really saved this surprise for last. Was he playing me all along? Aligning this, Ayu, and bed at the end of the day? The carrot and the stick routine?

Whatever. Results are results, and I can't even bring myself to hate him for it.

Alright.

I send a long-range transmission to Ayu.

Less than a second later, she answers, confirming she's on her way.

I stare down at myself. I look just as battered as last time I saw her. And I stink like shit.

Without thinking too much, I head to a nearby lake and throw myself in. Sure enough, an octopus is already there, waiting—because why wouldn't it be?

I don't care. I dodge its flailing tentacles, even using the water pressure to rinse off like some weird underwater spa treatment. Gotta make do with the tools at hand, right?

Then I leap out, letting the wind whipped up by the octopus's flailing dry me off quicker. Yeah, keep it coming.

Shame it didn't come with a heater option. No, wait... I could use Overdrive—but nah, that'd just make me sweat again.

Whatever. I soak in a bit more wind, then grab my makeshift leaf towels to dry off the rest and shake off the remaining droplets with a sharp twist of my body.

Once done, I put on my armor and run my fingers through my hair to give it my usual style. My hand brushes my face, and I notice my beard is getting dense. Maybe I could shave it off with my sword, or hell, even the edge of those sharp tendrils… but then a cold chill runs down my spine. Yeah, no. Let's not give Houston any more bright ideas.

I stare down at my body and realize I've somehow overlooked a rather small detail: the bare bone is showing in my knuckles, and the bottoms of my feet are completely stripped of skin.

Oh well. I can hide the knuckles with my gauntlets and cover my feet with boots, so it's fine. Probably.

Once I've geared up, I get a message from Ayu saying she's already in front of our cave waiting.

Oops. She was closer than I thought.

I take off, running and leaping, quickly arriving at the spot.

And… there she is.

Every time I see her wearing that mask, I can't help but think it's a damn shame. Ayu's face is way too pretty to be hidden like that.

But then again… we're here to spar. Maybe it's for the best.

I jump and glide effortlessly through the air, landing right in front of her.

Before I can say a word, I see her unsheathing her blade, her tendrils rising like coiled vipers ready to strike.

Oh, so it's all-in from the start? No 'How was your day, honey'?

Alright. I grin. I like it.

I don't bother unsheathing my sword. Instead, I push Overdrive mid-way to its full-state, raising my gauntlets.

Don't let me down, my love.

I rush forward, aiming to catch her off guard—but of course, she's ready. She dodges my straight jab with infuriating ease and counters with a clean swing at my ribs.

Shit. I forgot about her ability again.

I move my left gauntlet to block, expecting a hard strike, but it feels lighter than it should. A feint.

And sure enough, here comes the low kick. But it's not fast enough. I lean back, pivot on my left leg, and create some space before using my longer reach to send a kick straight toward her right shoulder.

Ayu twists her body mid-step, narrowly avoiding my kick, her tendrils whipping forward like spears to close the distance.

I leap back, my gauntlets deflecting the first two strikes, but the third grazes my side, leaving a faint sting.

"Not bad," I say, smirking, even as she presses the attack. Her sword slices through the air in a perfect arc, forcing me to duck low before countering with a sweeping leg kick. She hops over it, and I catch a glimpse of that confident grin beneath her mask.

She's enjoying this.

Her tendrils dart at me again, coordinated and precise. I sidestep and parry, my gauntlets absorbing the impact. A sharp jab from her elbow follows, and I barely manage to catch it with my forearm before stepping into her range, aiming a low kick at her thigh.

She anticipates it, shifting her weight to block with her knee. But her movements are faster now, carrying more power behind them.

The blade arcs toward my chest again, and I twist away, catching the edge of her strike with my gauntlet before pushing back to reset the distance.

Then it hits me: she's not just getting warmed up. She's using Overdrive. It's probably no more than 15% at most, but the difference is clear.

I grin. "Oh, so that's how it is, huh?"

Her answer is another series of rapid strikes, her tendrils darting at unpredictable angles while she closes the gap with a sharp front kick aimed at my torso. I block with my gauntlet, but the force pushes me back a step.

Alright darling, let's properly dance then.

I push my Overdrive closer to full-state, feeling the familiar rush as my body surges with power and my perception of the world sharpens.

The ground cracks slightly under my feet as I launch forward, faster than before. She reacts instinctively, her precognition guiding her to sidestep my charge, but this time, I'm ready. My spinning back kick forces her to leap back, tendrils whipping defensively to maintain distance.

The fight heats up, our movements a blur of strikes and counters. Her Muay Thai blends seamlessly with her swordplay, and her tendrils add an unpredictable edge, but my speed and strength keep her on her toes.

My gauntlets clash with her blade in a flurry of sparks, and every exchange feels faster than the last.

She lands a sharp kick to my ribs, and I counter with a sweeping kick aimed at her midsection. She twists, narrowly avoiding it, and retaliates with a tendril strike that forces me to duck and retaliate with a straight punch that she parries with her sword.

We break apart for a moment, both breathing hard but grinning.

"Is that all you've got?" she taunts, her voice playful but laced with determination.

I chuckle, rolling my shoulders. "I'm just getting started."

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