Raviel had came back from his classes hours ago, but still came late to his room, as he had spent most of his time discovering the west side of the campus.

Tossing the newly bought controller onto the couch, he walked towards the mini-bar.

He opened it.

".....Sugary fuck".

The words slipped out of his mouth without thinking.

He froze, then frowned. "Am... I having a sugarcrash?".

The mini-bar in front of him was completely empty. Not a single drink, not even water. He stared at it for a second, annoyed, then remembered it and clicked his tongue again.

"Right. No staff is given the access to student rooms".

That explained it.

With a tired sigh, he removed his uniform and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. The hot water helped a bit, washing away the tension and sweat. When he came out, his hair was still damp with faint water droplets dripping from the ends.

He recalled today's events.

When he had asked instructor Leo for some tips — how to handle a katana. Raviel remembered his techniques, which he had shown for better understanding of the stances and posture with the required footwork.

Raviel quickly changed to his casual outfit, then nodded to himself.

"Should get going to practice now...".

He checked the time on his arctic.

[ 9:33 p.m ]

There was still some time before midnight.

Grabbing his storage ring, Raviel headed out of his dormitory.

....

Walking outside in the cold air for fifteen minutes, Raviel rubbed his hands for warmth. Looking up, he could see the massive dome in front of him. The massive dome was, in fact, one of the training grounds of the academy.

From the outside, it looked like a massive sphere planted into the ground, smooth and shiny with some blue lights running across its surface.

He let out a quiet breath.

And today is only the first day, still so many students....

Except for the top forty two students, no one else had classes today. The rest were probably sorted into their dormitories. The academy really was a small city.

He stepped inside.

The interior was even bigger— wide open space, layered walkways, and some rooms stacked in curved paths. The air smelled fresher than the outside due to the air purifiers present.

A staff member stood near the entrance central point at the far end, checking something on a screen.

Seeing a staff member present, Raviel walked over.

She was so engrossed in her work that she didn't even notice Raviel walking in her direction.

Looking at her typing slowly on the screen.

"Is there a training room available at this moment?". He asked, slightly raising his voice.

She looked up, clearly surprised for half a second, then masked it quickly.

"Training?" she asked.

Raviel gave a tired grin. "Unfortunately, yes."

She nodded like she'd heard that answer a hundred times. "Training grounds are open twenty-four hours, but since it's the first day, they'll be closed at one."

She opened a desk drawer beside her, then handed him a thin access card.

"Try to wrap it up quickly. Head to the room number written on the card here."

"Got it. Thanks."

Raviel glanced at the card as he walked away.

Room no. 22-F.

He slipped the card into his pocket and followed the curved hallway, the quiet ambience of the facility surrounding him as he made his way toward the training rooms.

Staring at the number. 22-F, on the frame.

Raviel pushed the door open and froze.

The room was huge from every possible angle.

It was way bigger than he had expected. Reinforced walls lined with dull alloy panels, a thick shock-absorbent floor, racks of weights along one side, training dummies and mana sensory receptors were lined up on the ceiling.

He let out a low whistle.

"Sigh....this is just overkill".

His heart thumped a little harder.

Measuring the room from a corner, he walked towards the other end.

Finding a perfect spot. Raviel tapped his ring with his index finger. A soft shimmer rippled through the air, and the katana appeared in his hand.

For a second, he just stared at it.

Excited. Nervous, and a little scared.

As this was the first time, where he was going to unsheathe his katana properly, not just using it as he did previously. His body was trembling with adrenaline.

He adjusted his grip, held the sheath horizontally to see the blade clearly, and slowly drew the blade.

The moment steel left the scabbard —

Black flames erupted along the edge, quiet but alive, licking the air and creating distortions around him.

Raviel's breath hitched.

Then his head exploded with information.

Not pain — just too much information pouring in more than he could hold.

A memory played in his head. A man with blurred head was holding same katana as his and was swinging it with such force that the space itself folded around it and compressed along the katana's edge.

Five minutes felt like hours.

When it ended, Raviel staggered back a step, breathing hard, sweat rolling down his back. His legs trembled, and he had to steady himself with the sheath.

"..Shi—", he muttered while staggering.

He finally understood.

The real value of a 5-star martial module.

The real meaning of a soul-bound weapon.

It wasn't just a power — it was inheritance.

The memories of previous wielders. Their experience. Their understanding, and their techniques etched directly into his body, not just in his mind.

Raviel looked down at the katana, flames fading into a quiet ripple.

"…Ryusei Yamamoto," he murmured.

"Or maybe Renè."

He wasn't sure, whose memories he had seen.

But whoever it was, the message was clear.

Get stronger.

Raviel realized that, if he needed answers, he had to get stronger first.

Walking towards his previous spot.

Raviel steadied his breathing and raised the katana.

He remembered the image burned into his head — the angle, the flow, the posture and the way gravity hugged the blade.

" Alright… one step at a time."

He swung down.

The motion was wrong.

The blade dipped awkwardly at the front, his gravity affinity pulling too hard on the edge and throwing his balance off. His wrist jolted, and he hissed through his teeth.

Nodding to himself.

He swung again.

"Tch, too much."

He adjusted, easing the gravity from the edge, shifting a bit toward the pommel instead.

Another swing.

Whoosh—!.

Again.

Wham.

The sound echoed faintly as the blade cut through the air. Raviel frowned, corrected his stance, and swung again.

And again.

His wrists burned, his shoulders screaming every time he misjudged the balance.

But slowly.. very slowly.....

He started to feel it.

The moment when gravity should increase.

The moment when it should vanish.

Each swing sounded cleaner than the last. Leo's words echoed in his head throughout the motion.

Aim that each one of your strike should be better than the previous one.

So Raviel didn't stop.

He swung the katana again.

And again.

And again.

Tens turned into Hundreds, and hundred turned into thousands.

Sweat soaked through his clothes, clinging to his back and chest and drenching it completely. His grip slipped causing the entire blade to loose its initial momentum, his wrists ached from the constant shift in weight as he increased gravity, then released it, over and over.

His arms trembled, but he forced another swing.

By the time he finally lowered the blade, his chest was heaving, breath came in ragged gasps, sweat dripping from his chin onto the floor.

His wrists throbbed. His shoulders screamed everytime he misalligned his timming.

"Still not enough".

The katana dipped from his hands as a sharp alarm cut through the quiet room.

Raviel blinked, confused, then frowned and wiped sweat from his eyes. He tapped his Arctic.

[ 1:13 a.m ]

"Goddamnit...."

He had gone past the closing time.

He hurriedly tapped his ring, the katana dissolving back into the small space. His arms felt heavy, wrists still stinging from the repeated practice, his legs felt stiff like they might give out if he stopped moving.

Raviel jogged out of the room.

Seeing the staff still present, he handed her the access card and burst out of the training ground.

The cold felt even more colder, as the sweat evaporated on his body.

Quickly running with a shivering body, he reached his dorm and took a quick bath again and just jumped on his bed.

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