Atticus walked into the advanced training room donned in his battle suit, his katana strapped to his waist.
Upon entering, he noticed the usual pristine white room, and immediately felt the increased mana density.
The training room was engraved with runes that attracted mana, increasing the density, just like back at the camp. He was glad that Anastasia had fully allowed him to train without any issues.
He swiftly turned and approached the wall mounted console on the wall beside the platform.
If there was one thing the last incident had taught Atticus, it was that he needed to become more powerful quickly.
It wasn’t about being cautious and keeping a low profile; in this world, those measures meant nothing.
Every single trainee in that camp was at most 13 years old. What could 13 year olds do to warrant being killed? They were all children, weak and still growing, yet they had been targeted and almost wiped out.
There was only one way to avoid dangerous situations like this: overwhelming strength.
Why had Alvis and Ronad, both grandmaster ranked individuals, individuals capable of killing a man who could obliterate an entire mountain with a single punch, fled like cowards when they felt the power of Magnus? The answer was simple: strength.
This incident had taught Atticus a valuable lesson, and it was a lesson he would engrave into his very being.
The kind of training Atticus was about to undergo now was something many would consider brutal, and truly, it was. However, it was the only way he knew to become stronger rapidly.
Atticus focused his attention on the panel, scrolling through its features.
He felt like he hadn’t been properly utilizing the training room.
With the three years he had spent in the estate training and the few months in the camp, Atticus had only been using a fraction of its potential.
The only thing he had ever done was train his bloodline, absorb mana, and battle with Magnus’s data. He had been so narrow minded that he never tried to fight other data apart from Magnus.
He was able to change this in camp as Magnus data wasn’t there, but the data that could be programmed into the robot were only subpar, capable of going as high as intermediate+ rank.
Because of his limited experience, he had only assumed that improving his combat skills and how seamlessly he used his bloodline power was the best way to train.
But after this incident, he saw the need to expand his fighting capacity. To gain even more experience, he had to fight different people with different bloodlines to become as diverse as possible.
Despite the Ravensteins family only consisting of people with elemental bloodlines, they were still able to acquire data from people with other bloodlines, thanks to their power and resources.
This was one of the things Atticus planned to change in his training routine. But for now, he wanted to assess how strong he currently was.
Using the Conceal skill, he still appeared as an Intermediate- rank to others, but he had already advanced to the Advanced- rank.
Due to the intense situation that was happening, Atticus hadn’t been able to get a good estimate of his strength. He knew he had grown much stronger after his breakthrough, but he had no idea how much. He still wanted to know what his limits were.
After a few seconds, Atticus selected two different datas at the same time. Immediately, the platform emitted a bright glow, and Liquid Metal emerged from the bottom, coalescing and twisting until it formed two robots.
The first one unmistakably had the form of what Avalon would have looked like if he were younger, while the second had the form of a slightly older Magnus than he one he usually fought. Both of them radiated the aura of an Advanced+ rank.
Atticus adjusted the settings of the room, changing it to a flat, featureless landscape stretching out for kilometers in all directions. There were no obstacles or structures on the landscape.
Atticus walked to the center of the landscape, followed by the two robots who stood facing him, robot Magnus holding his spear, and robot Avalon wearing a gauntlet.
‘Hmm, a gauntlet, huh?’ Atticus thought. This was the first time he had chosen Avalon’s data, and he didn’t know the weapon Avalon used. Atticus had noticed that people with the Fire element bloodline often preferred using gauntlets as their weapon of choice.
‘Without using the burst first,’ Atticus decided. He wanted to understand exactly how strong he was. He decided not to activate the rapid bursts and instead only empower his body with mana, and rely on his elemental abilities. He could now utilize the burst after that.
Atticus also decided not to use his katana fot now. He had grown accustomed to using the katana to finish battles quickly.
The first or second art was too fast and straightforward. It left no room for thinking on your feet or experiencing the adrenaline rush of narrowly evading attacks. You simply unsheathed the katana, and a head or body part fell off.
If he wasn’t in a life and death battle requiring his full power, Atticus preferred using his free hands, elements, and arts to fight.
He channeled his mana, using it to empower his entire body. Swiftly, he launched himself toward the two figures, moving at a speed greater than he had ever achieved before, leaving behind a small crater where he had previously stood.
Just as he was about to envelop his hands in fire and attack, a fist suddenly cut through the air in front of Atticus’s face. His eyes widened, and without wasting any time, he swiftly stimulated his mana with his Fire bloodline.
After advancing to the Advanced rank, while the art itself hadn’t advanced to the next level, his mana control was off the charts. He felt his proficiency in it had increased. Previously, it took him seconds to activate the art, but now, only one second was needed.
With the agility of a flickering flame, Atticus’s form shifted rapidly to the side, effectively evading the punch.
But before he could launch a counterattack, a bone crushing kick hammered below his jaw, launching him high into the air.
Without pause, the robotic Avalon appeared mid air, delivering another devastating punch to Atticus’s stomach, forcing the air from his lungs and sending him hurtling toward the ground.
Suddenly, an AI voice announced, [You Lost].
‘Gah, that hurts,’ Atticus muttered as he rose to his feet, his hand tenderly touching his jaw to soothe the pain.
The two robots simply stood stationary, not continuing the attack.
‘So I can barely react to their movements if I’m not making use of the bursts,’ Atticus concluded. With his high perception, he could see their attacks and movements clearly, but he wasn’t able to react to them.
As Atticus got up, he cracked his neck slowly. Looking at the stationary bots, he released three bursts rapidly from his core.
Then, he swiftly disappeared from his position, appearing between them and unleashed a spinning kick with each of his legs, directing one toward each of the robots.
Both robots swiftly moved their hands quickly, crossing them over their faces.
Atticus’s powerful kicks landed with brutal force, sending the robots hurtling through the air. They executed synchronized backflips before their toes grazed the ground, vanishing almost instantly.
Immediately, robot Avalon’s fist, coated with fire, swiftly appeared in front of Atticus, while robot Magnus’s spear was pointed skyward from below, heading toward Atticus’s throat.
Atticus’s expression remained unchanged, his perception seeing their movements clearly.
Releasing rapid bursts from his core, his speed reached surreal levels as his body blurred. With a burst of motion, he shifted two meters back, successfully evading robot Magnus’s spear thrust.
Then, he immediately took a large step forward, deftly sidestepping robot Avalon’s punch. With one lightning fast, Supersonic kick, he landed a devastating blow on robot Avalon’s chin, propelling him high into the air.
Not missing a beat, with one leg still raised in the air, he suddenly bent his body backward, evading the strike of robot Magnus, who had already regained his balance.
Then, twisting his torso and adding momentum to his raised legs, he delivered a ferocious kick to robot Magnus, sending the metallic figure hurtling and landing not far from its counterpart.
Atticus left them both to get up, contemplating what he had found out so far. ‘Looks like with the bursts, I’m a bit faster than Advanced+ rank,’ Atticus noted.
He had realized earlier that, while he could follow their movements with his perception, he couldn’t react to them. But with the bursts, he was able to react and fight with individuals two sublevels higher than him. One could see how powerful the life weapon’s arts are.
Atticus watched as both robots stood up. The lightning and fire surrounding robot Magnus and Avalon suddenly increased twofold as both figures blurred.
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
