Ethan opened his quest log and confird that the artifact quest had been completed within the ti limit.
However, the quest turn-in location was in Dreamwood Grove, and he had less than a minute before the ga would kick him out.
He'd have to wait until tomorrow to turn it in. But he didn't know if there would be a follow-up quest.
At that mont, he felt like pulling out that flying stone and kissing it out of sheer gratitude.
But then he rembered the nature in which it must have 'pooped' the final piece, and he quickly reconsidered.
Still, getting his hands on that weapon would give his leveling speed a massive boost.
Ding…
The crisp sound of the system notification echoed in his ears.
Ethan's vision gradually faded to black as he was kicked back to the character selection screen.
He logged out, marking the end of another night in the ga.
After stepping out of the VR Capsule, he freshened up and left the villa.
As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Victor and Celia opening their doors at the sa ti.
"Ethan…" Victor walked over.
"Any news about Lyla?" Celia asked, joining them.
Ethan hesitated, then nodded.
Celia noticed the troubled look on Ethan's face and glanced at Victor. Then, with a smile, she said, "I'll head to work now. You two can chat."
With that, she turned and left, leaving Ethan and Victor to watch her retreating figure.
Once she was out of earshot, Victor asked, "How's Lyla? When is she coming back?"
Ethan shook his head, his expression grim. "She's being forced into an engagent."
Victor's face stiffened, a flash of coldness passing through his eyes. Ethan felt a chilling aura emanating from him.
It exuded a subtle killing intensity.
This man, who had taken down countless enemies in his military days, was radiating a palpable sense of danger.
Ethan was taken aback. He'd never seen Victor like this before.
Victor had always been the peacemaker among them, the one who remained calm and collected no matter the situation.
But the news about Lyla had triggered sothing deep within him.
Victor seed to realize he'd lost control and quickly composed himself.
"Sorry about that," he said awkwardly. "I've made a breakthrough recently, and it's been hard to keep my emotions in check.
I've spent years practising inner peace, and just when I thought I had it under control… this happens."
Ethan was confused. He wanted to ask what kind of breakthrough Victor was talking about and how the warriors ranking system worked.
He'd never been interested in these things before, but Lyla's situation had sparked his curiosity about the world beyond the ga.
Before he could ask, though, Victor cut in:
"Where is Lyla right now?"
Distracted, Ethan answered, "She's with the Silverwood family. They're sowhere in the Ironvale Mountains, but I don't know the exact location."
As they walked and talked, they soon arrived at the gym.
Along the way, Ethan ntioned that he wanted Victor to train him.
Victor's eyes lit up. It had been a while since he'd had soone to train, and he looked at Ethan with an intensity that made the younger man feel like a prized specin.
Ethan wondered if he'd made a mistake bringing it up.
But just then, they reached the gym entrance. Pushing the door open, they were greeted by a wave of loud cheers and applause.
Ethan and Victor were imdiately drawn to the commotion. They noticed even Celia was inside, jumping up and down and cheering.
Following the crowd's gaze, they saw two people on the gym's boxing ring, trading blows in a heated match.
Upon closer inspection, it was Leo and Williams.
Despite their usually lean appearances, both n were shirtless, revealing well-defined, muscular physiques.
Their muscles were sleek and perfectly toned, glistening with oil under the gym lights.
Ethan looked up just in ti to see Williams' gloved fist slam into Leo's face. Leo retaliated with a powerful kick to Williams' chest.
They were engaged in a no-holds-barred free fight, with no rules or referee.
Though their lethal combat skills were sowhat restricted by the gloves, they still went all out with punches, kicks, elbows, and knees.
To an outsider, it might have looked like they were trying to kill each other. Even when Williams was knocked down, Leo didn't hesitate to stomp on him.
There were no rules here.
The intense, high-stakes action had the entire crowd roaring with excitent. Most of these people had never seen anything like it.
Ethan and Victor made their way over to Celia.
"Celia…" Ethan asked, his eyes fixed on the ring, "What's going on here?"
Before Celia could answer, Victor chuckled and said, "These two have been at it since yesterday.
Leo said Williams disappears every day and accused him of being 'worn out,' telling him to take it easy.
Williams shot back, 'What do you know, virgin boy? You've been 'taking it easy' for 26 years.'
They've been bickering all night and agreed to settle it with a real fight. I thought they were joking."
Ethan glanced at the ring, a hint of concern in his voice. "Are they going to be okay…?"
Victor patted Ethan's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it."
As soon as he finished speaking, both Leo and Williams landed simultaneous kicks to each other's chests.
Thud! Thud!
They both collapsed onto the mat, lying flat on their backs, gasping for air.
Neither of them got up.
"Williams, you're really worn out. Can't even last half an hour," Leo taunted, still lying down.
"You're one to talk. Get up if you're not tired!" Williams fired back.
Then, after a mont, they both burst into laughter, saying in unison, "We're getting old…"
"Bullshit! You two think you're old?
Starting tomorrow, you're both on a 15-day training regin. I'll have you back in peak condition in no ti…"
At the sound of Victor's voice, both n froze, their faces twisting as if they'd just bitten into sothing bitter.
"Victor, no…"
"Why wait until tomorrow? Let's start today!" Ethan chid in from behind Victor.
"What… us?" Leo shot up from the mat.
Even Williams looked at Ethan in surprise.
And so, a small incident marked the beginning of a nightmare for Ethan, Leo, and Williams.
That day, Ethan called in sick to school.
To his surprise, Celeste had already arranged a long leave of absence for him after their last mission.
He spent the entire day on the gym's boxing ring.
Victor forbade him from using any of his Soul Power or Abilities.
For the whole day, Ethan was relentlessly beaten by Leo and Williams, who took turns pumling him.
Without his Soul Power, Ethan couldn't even see their moves clearly. It was then that he realized just how inexperienced he was.
By the end of the day, Ethan's entire body was sore and covered in bruises. Exhausted, he returned to the villa.
As soon as he opened the door, a figure rushed at him.
Reacting on instinct, Ethan threw a punch.
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