Laying there on the grass, Robert's words— the ones about the Lungs Node and the pain— went in one ear and right out the other. Levi couldn't pay attention; his entire focus was internal.

'Breathe! Breathe!! Breathe!!!'. Levi was desperately hyperventilating. Air struggled to enter his lungs, his body exhausted.

But soon, a soothing heat bloomed across Levi's chest, concentrating at his worn-out lungs. His Pulse Node, located at his heart, was different from the Reservoir Node at his navel.

It didn't need active control to circulate energy. This Node was tied directly to his vitality. If he was injured, circulating this energy wouldn't heal him instantly, but it would quickly alleviate pain.

Because the Node was located on his heart, energy was dispensed with every heartbeat, flowing through his blood to every part of his body.

Laying there and taking rest, a comfortable warmth took hold of Levi's body, as if he were soaking in a hot spring, quickly easing his distress.

Moments later, Levi's hyperventilating stopped. He lay there, covered in sweat and grime, with the morning sun shining brightly on him.

After calming down, Levi finally had the strength to carry out his prior plan.

Raising his head slightly, he caught sight of Chloe, who was lying on the floor, breathing heavily. He completely ignored the sweat and grime covering her.

'Hmmmm, totally worth it'. He mused. As he enjoyed the "feast to his eyes" from the corner of his eye, he spotted Jillian.

Levi immediately whipped his head around, catching the dude red-handed staring at Chloe. As if sensing the gaze, Jillian turned to look at Levi.

They shared an awkward moment, mostly for Jillian, as Levi hadn't been caught staring. Jillian quickly turned his head away, too embarrassed to continue staring into Levi's accusing eyes.

Levi turned back to continue staring at his 'prize' with a triumphant, gloating expression on his face, only to see that Chloe was looking right at him, as if she'd been waiting.

"Pervert". She muttered. Though the word was faint, Levi's enhanced hearing caught it perfectly. He embarrassedly turned his face away.

"Alright, that's enough, y'all! Your Pulse Node done took care of your exhaustion by now". Robert's voice echoed with a Southern drawl.

"And if you say it hasn't". Robert continued, his eyes locking straight onto Jillian, who was trying to open his mouth to complain. "I reckon you go commit suicide. Don't you worry, I'll vouch for ya." Jillian instantly shut his mouth.

The lap continued again. But this time, whenever Chloe jogged past him, Levi changed tactics. Instead of staring at her from the corner of his eyes like he usually did, he shamelessly stared directly at her.

He reasoned that since he had already been labeled a pervert, it was better to simply lean into the role. Besides, people had many traits; it wasn't the worst to be known for this, or maybe he was simply too exhausted to care about social norms.

This earned him plenty of hateful glares from Chloe, which he triumphantly shrugged off, embracing the identity.

'I mean I am just appreciating are beauty, just like how people appreciate a gift, they is nothing more to it'. Levi reasoned in his mind, justifying his actions.

*******

A couple of laps later, the intense running session ended, with Levi hurrying to take a bath. Jillian and Chloe had to rush home to take a bath and change; they soon realized, to their surprise, that their homes weren't far from each other and they even lived on the same block.

When they all returned, they sat down on the floor of the training room. Each of them had taken a Blood Rigorous Pill, prepared just like the ones Levi had made the day prior.

Emi had simply broken the pill in half, dissolving one half in broth and then freezing it.

Levi immediately entered his soul canvas and resumed condensing his second Star. This deep focus continued until he was woken up three separate times to take his pill doses.

Finally, the clock hit four o'clock. They all sat in a loose circle, ready for the mandatory socializing session that Robert deemed necessary for them to become effective teammates.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Chloe grit her teeth and finally broke the ice.

"As y'all know, my name is Chloe". Her voice, though still tense, cut through the quiet. "Hmm, I like a lot of things. And I don't dislike anything in particular, 'cept for perverts." Saying the last word, she shot a sharp glare directly at Levi.

Jillian, understanding the subtle drama, couldn't help but gloat at Levi.

Levi could see Julien triumphant expression. 'You laugh now. I got to see real life actions, not none of that screen crap.'

Jillian then spoke. "As y'all might know, my name is Jillian, and hmm, I like a lot of things. But rabbit meat in particular. And I don't dislike anything in particular."

As soon as Jillian mentioned his love for rabbit meat, Chloe immediately shot him a death glare, her face conveying, 'How dare you?'.

The sense of camaraderie they had briefly found over their shared residential block instantly crumbled.

Jillian noticed her unkind gaze and awkwardly turned his attention to Levi.

"My name is Levi". Levi began, his tone even. "I like food: beef, roasted lamb chops, especially the female's lap".

At his words, Levi could clearly hear Chloe mutter. "Of course you do."

He ignored her and continued, his gaze locking directly onto Chloe. "I dislike obnoxious, judging females".

'Judging me for looking at your front goodies?'. Levi thought, the reasoning clear in his mind. 'What do you expect? Your backside is nonexistent.'.

He rationalized that if she had a proper backside, he, like any healthy male, would have been staring there. Since she didn't, anyone watching him might think he was gay if he focused on that area.

The already tense silence became even thicker. Chloe now held a grudge against both Jillian and Levi.

Jillian nervously surveyed his teammates: Chloe was sending a death glare towards Levi and occasionally him, while Levi was staring straight back at her, his face showing he was likely thinking something disrespectful.

'And why does he seem so unreliable?'. Jillian pondered. 'Maybe it's because of that exotic hair of his?'.

The time continued to tick by in awkward silence until Jillian's eyes suddenly lit up with an idea.

"Why don't I show y'all what my Avatar can do!".

That was certainly enough to grab their attention. True to his thoughts, both Chloe and Levi immediately stopped their silent battle and stared at him, their attention fully captured.

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