Legendary Soul Art

The Soul Training Rooms didn't have a separate building but instead occupied one large area built entirely underground. Darius was the quickest teacher to wrap up his explanations as the students of the top class were the first ones on the site.

Number One imagined the training room as a private area with additional benefits, but his idea was thrown out of the window as he saw glass walls. To make it worse, all fifty rooms had a large viewing area with a huge cafeteria where every student could hang out.

'There goes my secret training…' Number One commented in his mind as Darius began his introduction.

"As you can already tell, the cafeteria within the Academy is located right next to the Soul Training Rooms. Since you will mostly train by yourself during your stay in the Academy, this setup aims to guilt-trip you into working harder," Darius explained with brutal honesty. "Everyone will find it hard to be lazy when all your competitors are sweating in practice."

"Isn't the Final Test all about potential though? We are not really competing against each other," one of the female students questioned curiously.

"That's a good question," Darius acknowledged with a smile. "Maybe you are not competing now, but you will if you pass the Final Test. Your time here is aiming to prepare you for the hardships within the main Academy. If you think you will receive free resources forever then you are mistaken. The strongest will always get better benefits while the weak are kicked out every month."

"Every month?!" the lady cried out in shock.

"Yes, fifty students are kicked out every month. Unless you work hard to beat others, you might as well leave now and spare yourself the embarrassment," Darius replied with a shrug and walked alongside the training rooms. "Come, I'm going to show you the inside."

That piece of news seemed new to everyone but it was to be expected. The Academy wasn't a charity that gave out housing and knowledge for free.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they kicked out slackers before the Final Test," Luna commented silently as she leaned to Number One's ear. "The rooms are transparent so the teachers can watch our progress."

Luna paused and added, "Are you scared it will expose your secrets?"

Number One only gave her a cold glance and ignored her question as he followed the group. He has been wondering about this issue since he saw the class walls and didn't see a solution. Even though he already said he had a single Soul Art, everyone would wonder why he doesn't master other Soul Arts as he claimed.

That alone could quickly expose his greatest secret which would force the Academy to kick him out.

'I will enjoy the benefits for as long as I can I guess…' Number One decided as he observed the inside of the rooms.

"As you can see, there are fifty Soul Training Rooms, each having a different difficulty. One is the easiest, fifty is the hardest," Darius explained as he stopped before the tenth door. "Since you are from the top class, we will start from the tenth difficulty."

Darius tapped his badge on the scanner and the glass door opened wide, revealing a spacious room with nothing but white walls. Darius entered inside casually and warned, "Be careful once you enter since you can be caught off guard by the gravity inside the room. Each room has a strong gravity which helps strengthen your body and increase your overall stamina."

Seeing that Darius was barely affected, the boys at the front walked in confidently but their faces paled after a few steps. Each of their movement became heavier and slower until they finally collapsed on the ground with sweat all over their body.

"Oof!" The girls panicked at that sight and they hesitated with entering until Luna stepped in boldly. Her muscles tensed and her steps were unsteady but she eventually joined Darius' side without falling down.

"Impressive Miss Luna. As expected from the Soul Master," Darius praised with a smile and explained further. "Everyone wants a powerful Soul but they often forget about their body. If your Soul doesn't have a strong vessel to hold it in, your body will break. Unless you want to suffer in the future, you all better start training early."

The ladies gulped at his words and finally walked into the room. What followed was already expected as the girls collapsed just before the other guys. The only person left was Number One who remained in front of the entrance.

"Guys, you can't be serious," Darius commented and gave all collapsed students a glare. "I will give you a minute to stand behind me. Anyone who is late will be joining my everyday workout routine to strengthen their bodies."

Just one look at Darius' physique was enough to motivate everyone. They pulled up while breathing heavily and crawled towards the goal. Even the few girls pushed through with their bodies trembling and only two were left still struggling.

"I can't… I feel too heavy…" A delicate lady muttered as she tried her hardest but eventually collapsed again together with her friend. They stared at each other helplessly and accepted their fate when they felt a soft touch on their waist.

Their eyes widened but they couldn't resist as the arm wrapped around them and lifted them up. What followed was a magical moment of their eyes meeting with their savor and their cheeks hugging into his chest.

Number One didn't say anything and simply carried the two to the rest of the group without even breaking a sweat.

"Uhmm… Thank you…" the girls acknowledged shyly as they tried to stand on their own, but Number One held them closer in his embrace.

"It's okay, you can rest on me while you get used to it," Number One assured with a gentle smile. "I can't let beautiful ladies lie on the floor."

The ladies immediately blushed, not knowing if it was the gravity making their knees wobbly or Number One's smile. Either way, they didn't hesitate to hug him tightly under everyone's gaze.

Darius pursed his lips at Number One's smoothness and walked to the middle of the room. "Alright, it is time to show you the second function of the Soul Training Room."

Darius stretched his arms and wrists before finally calling out into the void.

"Activate the Dungeon Mode. Level 5."