The battle lasted for hours and during this time, Atticus ended up disappointed at the whole thing as, despite how much he tried, he wasn’t able to utilize the thrill.
He could feel that his battle sense had increased significantly compared to before. He felt lighter and freer, and although it wasn’t as easy and intense as during the battle with Ae’ark, Atticus felt his movements becoming more natural.
After battling with the master+ rank Magnus, Atticus changed the settings, deciding to switch things up. He was glad to see Avalon’s data too and immediately chose it.
During the battle, Atticus made sure to watch out for something. The next focus of his training was on his elements, as Magnus had said, and from the very beginning, Atticus’s best method of learning had always been observing.
He knew it wouldn’t be of much help, but he still decided to do it. Atticus observed as the robot utilized the elements.
Magnus had mentioned earlier that Atticus had been able to advance in his element mastery without help, especially in his movements.
Each of the elements had a staggering variety of movements; all he had to do was to become it.
This realization appeared small but had profound implications. The proficiency of his elements had increased significantly, and his elemental mimicry art had moved up one sublevel.
However, Atticus had noticed something about Magnus’s words. He had advanced in his elements when it came to movements, but the way he used his elements was still subpar.
His fire element was only ever for short, fast movements or explosive power. Atticus had never thought about its utilities. This was the same for his other elements too; his focus had mostly been on attack or defense.
The only exceptions were the water element and perhaps the space element too. He had used the water element extensively during the leader’s summit. He used it to feel, to create, to heal, and to do battle, either attacking or defending.
At that time, it had mostly been because he had no other choice, but regardless, it had made him feel enlightened. If the water element could be used for that much, why couldn’t the other elements too?
Atticus could feel instinctively that focusing on his elements would bring an incredible increase in his overall power. He couldn’t help but feel a little excited about what was coming. What did Magnus plan?
Atticus’s gaze narrowed, focusing on the robot’s movements. It was utilizing fire mimicry along with its whole body enveloped in searing fire.
Atticus also mimicked its actions, planning on only using fire to battle it. Whatever he learned would be replicated mid-battle.
Both their figures blazed forward, erupting in a series of explosive clashes. Just like Avalon, the robot was also utilizing a pair of gauntlets as its weapon.
Atticus matched its attacks with his hands enveloped in mana, searing fire, and Aerokinesis.
The results of the clashes were explosive and devastating. Scorching fire swept through the grassland, turning everything into ash.
Shockwaves radiated outward, sweeping dust and debris across the area. The two figures flickered rapidly, appearing in multiple places all at once, leaving a trail of searing fire in their wake.
During the battle, Atticus observed the robot closely despite the intense combat unfolding. He noticed some odd things.
Firstly, the temperature in the air kept on increasing.
Many would call this useless—they were literally fighting with fire. But to Atticus, he knew that it wasn’t just the fire. To him, it felt as though the robot was actively increasing the temperature in the air, doing it intentionally and consciously. Atticus found it fascinating.
‘Temperature,’ Atticus thought. What if he could control the temperature of the surrounding area as he wished? This action sounded far-fetched, but to Atticus, he felt like it was very possible.
But there was only one problem, ‘How do I go about it?’ Atticus wondered. Regardless, he decided not to ponder on it for too long—Magnus was basically going to train him on it in the first place.
Secondly, Atticus noticed that the robot was utilizing the fire for constructs. He didn’t battle with it for too long, but the robot had created a cloak of fire around its form like an armor, and anytime Atticus landed any attacks on it, he could feel its power reduce significantly.
After a few more clashes, Atticus finally ended the battle and chose another data and element to focus on.
Atticus fought and trained for a few more hours, after which he switched the settings once again, changing the layout of the training room into an area where his fire element thrived. Atticus felt the surroundings becoming intensely hot, patches of lava appearing all over.
He immediately immersed himself into the environment, his mind only focusing on fire.
Atticus did this for an hour before switching to another element and then another until everything was covered.
By the time he finished, it was already late.
Although Atticus couldn’t see it because he was inside the airship, it was already late into the night.
Atticus stopped his training, feeling a little famished. He stood up from his seated position and started walking out of the training room.
Throughout the duration of Atticus’s training, both Yotad and Dario had stood outside the door, each with different expressions.
Yotad stood still and vigilant while Dario had a confused look on his face, trying to determine what caused Atticus’s sudden change. His life was basically tied to Atticus now, so it was paramount for him to understand his master’s personality as soon as possible.
Both Yotad and Dario’s gazes flashed as the door behind them slid open, revealing Atticus walking out of the room. They both noticed the incredible amount of sweat drenching his whole body and couldn’t help but wonder what he had been doing to sweat so much.
Atticus had truly spent a long time training inside the room. The crew members had left the training room with some coming back for late-night training.
Once again, their actions stopped as soon as they saw Atticus step out of the room, each bowing in respect. Just as Atticus was about to nod and walk past them, he suddenly stopped and approached a particular dark-skinned woman, Amara.
The only crew members remaining were just her and one other man, both of them still bowing slightly.
Amara frowned slightly as Atticus suddenly stood in front of her, but she made sure to keep it hidden. She wasn’t even intending to offend him either consciously or unconsciously.
Atticus gazed down at their bowed figures and suddenly spoke, “Can I see the way you utilize your element?”
Amara’s expression changed. This was truly the last thing she was expecting Atticus to say. Her interest was immediately piqued.
“What do you mean, young master?” She absentmindedly twirled a strand of her hair around her finger, a habit she had when she was deep in thought.
“You have the earth element, right? I want to see how you use it in battle. Is that possible?”
Amara paused. She almost made the stupid mistake of thinking about how the hell Atticus had gotten her element right but then remembered the crazy and staggering power that he had unleashed yesterday.
The second man standing beside her had also been slightly surprised but hid it well enough.
Amara was the second strongest among the crew members, and they were each at the master+ rank. For Atticus to be able to accurately determine her correct element this easily was shocking.
It would have been even more shocking for the man if he discovered that this was exactly why Atticus had approached her in the first place. Since the time he got a good look at the crew members in the mess hall, Atticus had already accurately determined who he believed was stronger among them.
Usually, only a master+ rank should have the ability to see her rank or in this situation, the subtle elemental cues she was radiating, as a fellow master+ or someone of similar strength. But it didn’t shock her that Atticus had been able to do it, after everything, it was expected.
Amara didn’t even waste time pondering the request; she couldn’t say no to Atticus in the first place.
She nodded her head and started walking towards one of the advanced training rooms. Atticus and the others followed closely behind.
As she entered, she selected a random data of a master+ rank and walked to the other side of the room. Atticus watched closely as the robot walked towards Amara, who was surprisingly still twirling her hair and standing in place.
The sound of the AI beeping sounded, and both Amara and the robot closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, unleashing blow upon blow.
Amara had made sure to also choose the data of another earth elementalist. She wasn’t exactly sure why Atticus wanted her to do this, but she could guess that he wanted to see her utilize her elements fully.
