Since he was clearly stronger than everyone else in the current batch of Regulars, Gandr had agreed to several requests to help people train. As a result, Shibisu, Hatsu, Chunhwa, Nare, Aleksai, Endorsi, and, starting today, Anak had gathered together within one of the Resort's training areas at 5 AM.
As the only one who wasn't really there to train, Nare was still wearing her pajama as she hugged a pillow off to the side. She was already struggling with the normal Scout training, so, while it would undoubtedly be beneficial to her in the future, she wasn't at the point where she could train before her actual training even started. As for her Knight, Hong Chunhwa, he was pretty eager to improve before the second Special Test for Fishermen began.
Chunhwa was one of the eight candidates that had passed thanks to Endorsi and Anak eliminating each other, so, with less than a week to prepare, he was pushing his limits to try and learn physical reinforcement. Fortunately, though he would have been allowed to participate regardless, Nare had told him about the morning training session hosted by Gandr, so, with a commendable amount of conviction, the rather handsome 'Knight' had taken to the training with gusto.
Unfortunately, Chunhwa's training partner ended up being Endorsi, so, while he was doing his best, he was also getting played to death by the grudge-holding Princess. Despite this, Chunhwa didn't give up, and, every time Nare cheered him on, he seemed to become ever so slightly stronger than the moment prior. This earned him a fair amount of teasing from Endorsi, but, rather than show any embarrassment, Chunhwa pushed forward with a resolute light in his eyes.
While Endorsi was beating up Nare's Knight, the other Princess present, Anak, was facing off against someone more than twice her height and several times her size. Despite this, it was the much larger man, Aleksai, who was constantly being pushed back. Anak wasn't very good at holding back so he had a number of cuts and bruises all of his body. Despite this, he would quickly get back up after a heavy blow, his reddish-brown eyes showing a calm determination as he adopted a boxing stance and attempted to anticipate the next blow.
Despite several people claiming that Aleksai had fought like a fierce demon during the Deathmatch, the truth of the matter was that the man was a relatively gentle giant. Though he did have demonic wings protruding from his upper back, his combat style revolved around countering the opponent's attacks, rather than going on the offensive. He even had a surprisingly gentle voice, a stark contrast to his burly and muscular appearance.
Seeing her opponent rise to his feet for the umpteenth time, Anak showed an expression of mild annoyance as she remarked, "You really don't know when to quit…"
Though Aleksai rarely spoke, often choosing to keep a fair amount of distance from most people, he sometimes uttered a few words every now and then during training. Thus, in response to Anak's taunting, he just softly stated, "I'm ready…" as the muscles in his body tensed up.
Without any hesitation, a ripple appeared near the base of Anak's feet as she closed the distance between herself and Aleksai in an instant. This was actually her first time at the training sessions so she was annoyed by the fact that Gandr was focused on helping others. She didn't see the point of sparring against people that were weaker than herself, arguing that it was a waste of time. What she never expected was for Gandr to use her own declaration against her, asking why he should 'waste time' sparring against her when she was, very clearly, weaker than him.
Anak wasn't at all enthused by Gandr's statement, feeling as though he had somehow betrayed her by saying such a thing in front of everyone. Despite this, she ended up participating in the training, as, even if she wanted to, there wasn't really an argument to make against Gandr's rebuttal. He had used her own words against her, and, even if she went all out using the Green April, Anak couldn't even imagine a scenario where she emerged victoriously against the annoying Vanargandr…
Due to the drastic difference between their physical capabilities and speed, Anak easily evaded the cross-counter of Aleksai, spinning under the blow and using her tail to hit the side of his knee. This caused the man's knees to buckle, utterly destroying his balance and causing his head to move into the perfect position for Anak's tiny fist to impact against his cheekbone. As a result, a visible ripple passed through the man's face, and, though she held back quite a bit, a visible shockwave formed at the impact point of Anak's fist.
For the umpteenth time since the beginning of their spar, Aleksai was sent spiraling through the air before crashing, hard, into the ground. His right eye immediately swelled to a point where he could no longer see through it, but, much to Anak's chagrin, he still climbed to his feet after taking a few seconds to catch his breath and come to his senses.
With the tip of her tail shaking in frustration, Anak was very near the point of going all out against the annoying red-head. An even greater density of Shinsu began to build up around her feet, but, before she could charge forward, her vision was obscured by a familiar figure. In the next moment, a not-so-gentle chop impacted the top of her head as Gandr plainly remarked, "You're letting your anger get the better of you. This is training, not a battle to the death. Aleksai isn't your enemy, he is your training partner. You should be guiding him and giving advice, not taking your frustrations and resentment out on him."
Feeling a remarkable amount of pain from the crown of her head, Anak used both hands to cover the area, moisture building in the corners of her eyes as she glared back at Gandr. She wanted to say something in her defense, but, as was often the case whenever she faced off against the hateful Vanargandr, his words struck at the heart of the matter. She also knew he was trying to help her, so, even if she wanted nothing more than to chop his head in retribution, she ultimately managed to resist the urge, saving herself further embarrassment.
Just as Gandr was about to release a sigh and apologize for hitting Anak on the top of her head, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. At the same time, his ears perked up to their full height, his body becoming illusory as the heel of a foot passed through where his head used to be.
Despite failing her surprise attack, Endorsi didn't show any signs of backing down as she shifted her gaze to Gandr's new location, a malicious yet teasing smile on her face as she said, "I'll teach you to bully my niece, you furry-eared brat~!"
Understanding Endorsi's true intentions, Gandr just rolled his eyes in response to her words before asserting, "We all know you're just looking for an excuse to fight. I would never allow someone to bully Anak, much less myself. Try coming up with something more convincing the next time, Ghost-Pepper Princess."
Hearing the peculiar form of address, Endorsi managed to momentarily retrain her urge to charge, confusion visible in her subtly glowing eyes as she asked, "What did you just call me…?"
Smiling mischievously in response to Endorsi's inquiry, Gandr adopted a teasing tone as he mused, "A ghost pepper has the traits of being super hot, spicy to the point of being unbearable. Since you have ghostly eyes, I figured it would be a good rebuttal whenever you call me a fluffy-eared brat~."
Though she felt a little fluttery when Gandr said she was 'super hot', Endorsi quickly understood he wasn't simply talking about her physical appearance. As a result, her smile became somewhat dark, cracking her knuckles as she asked, "Are those your last words…?"
Realizing he might have gone a little overboard, Gandr decided to backpedal a bit while continuing with the same theme, winking playfully as he took evasive action and mused, "Spicy things aren't so bad in moderation…"
Failing her first punch, Endorsi was intending to follow up with a roundhouse kick when she heard Gandr's sudden addendum. Though she was still able to execute the action seamlessly, she became a little muddleheaded as a very light blush colored her cheeks. She knew he was teasing her, but, as someone who wore their vanity on their sleeve, Endorsi was still gratified by the boy's remark. As a result, she made a mental note only to 'half-kill' him…that was assuming she could ever catch him…
—
Similar to the first day of Wave Controller class, the first half of the day was spent focusing on the various theories and applications for Shinsu. Then, following an hour-long lunch, everyone gathered together to continue the practical lesson from the previous day. This would apparently repeat every day until the Final Exam, as, with very few exceptions, it took a lot longer than thirty days to reach a level where you could successfully pop all the balloons.
Being such an exception, Vahn was given the option to either skip the afternoon lessons entirely or assist in helping other Regulars refine their skills. Vahn, of course, chose the second option, both as a means of building rapport with the rest of the class while concurrently keeping a watchful eye on Administrator Yuga.
As could be expected, the Administrator had taken quite an interest in Vahn, showering him with praise and asking various probing questions. Vahn could tell the man was trying to get a feel for his character, likely to determine whether or not he was a threat to be eliminated or an asset that could be used to further the gains of whatever organization backed him.
Based on Phae's and Sis' joint investigation, there were only a handful of powerful organizations within the entirety of the Tower. The Jahad Empire and the Ten Great Families worked tirelessly to prevent any rival organizations from trespassing on their territory, so, with the exception of the Workshop, a completely neutral organization, the only operation to oppose them was a criminal group known as FUG.
From a narrative point of view, FUG was clearly intended to be the 'good guys', but, based on all the information present within the Administrator Archives, they were more-so a group of terrorists than a revolutionary army. This could be the result of careful manipulation of information, but, based on the general structure of the Tower and its political system, Vahn suspected they were likely just as bad, if not worse, than the Ten Great Families. They had likely been founded with good intentions, but, as was often the case when vast power disparities were involved, they had been corrupted by the passage of time and the clashing of individual interests.
Vahn didn't know which organization Administrator Yuga represented, but, based on his propensity for showing off and the swirling mass of negativity hidden beneath his costume, it was reasonable to assume he was associated with the Jahad Empire. There were bound to be some egotistical types in FUG, but, more often than not, those who flaunted their arrogance were commonly associated with whatever group currently held the most power.
Fortunately, it didn't seem like Administrator Yuga suspected him to be an Irregular. After all, only three 'known' Irregulars had appeared within the entire history of the Jahad Empire, so, even when a monstrously talented individual showed up, few people assumed they were Irregulars. There were countless examples of people possessing an inordinate amount of talent, and, though it was rare, a few even possessed unique abilities that led to them being poached by, and marrying into, the Ten Great Families.
Though Vahn's capabilities stood out quite a bit, he made sure to hold back his true power in order to prevent too much trouble before he was able to find his footing. He didn't really care if his status as an Irregular was exposed. After all, he had already admitted it directly to Administrator Quant on the first day of Testing. Still, that didn't mean he would go around flaunting his Irregular status, as, when it ultimately came down to it, Vahn didn't even remotely care about the infamous title…
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Chunhwa is fueled by the power of Loli love','The origin of the Ghost-Pepper Princess','Does this count as hiding in plain sight…?')
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