CHAPTER 70: PRIVATE TRAINING (2)

He stepped sideways.

[Ignition Burst]

[Mana: 70 / 112]

He timed it just ahead of its reload.

The explosion hit under the cannon-mount. Forced a tilt. It fired mid-stagger and the shot clipped the ceiling.

Varik’s voice again. "You see now. That’s what I wanted. Disruption before commitment."

Lucen rolled one shoulder. "You could just say ’good job.’"

"You haven’t earned it yet."

The crawler bot started beeping. Countdown tone.

Lucen didn’t waste time.

[Cataclysm Vector]

[Mana: 10 / 112]

The dome crashed down with elemental force. Fire. Ice. Electric arcs. All compressed. All aimed downward.

The turret vanished under it.

Steam. Screech. Silence.

Lucen breathed in once.

[Recovery: 2.1/sec → Mana: 12.1 / 112]

He turned, coat still trailing smoke, to face the glass wall.

Varik didn’t look impressed. Just thoughtful.

"Not bad," he said. "But you lean too hard on heavy spells. You don’t pace for endurance. That’ll kill you before a real opponent does."

Lucen tilted his head. "Then I’ll kill them faster."

Varik’s brow twitched. Almost a smile.

"Arrogant."

"Accurate."

Behind him, the last bot exploded. System delay from [Cataclysm Vector]

.

Lucen didn’t flinch.

He just looked up at Varik. "Next round, or was that the warm-up?"

Varik tapped the screen beside him once.

"Cool down first. Then we start the real test."

Lucen exhaled slow. Didn’t smile.

’He hasn’t even used mana yet.’

His fingers flexed.

’I’ve got more left. Let’s see how far I can push this before someone bleeds.’

—

The hum in the chamber lowered. Faint vent fans hissed to life. Clean air filtered in. No fresh blood. Just burnt metal and heat.

Lucen stayed in place. Sweat under his collar. Mana low. Fingers twitching like they still had one more spell left to draw.

Varik didn’t move right away.

He stood behind the glass. Hands folded behind his back. Still. Watching.

Then he said, "You’re strong for a rookie."

Lucen tilted his head. "I’ve been told."

"Not enough to scare me."

Lucen raised one eyebrow. "Give it a week."

Varik didn’t smile. He tapped the glass once.

"Do you know why you’re leveling slow?"

Lucen blinked. "I assumed the system hates me personally."

"Close."

Lucen said nothing. Just stared.

Varik continued. "Everyone thinks you gain EXP from drifts. Monsters. Cores. Cleaning up breaches."

"That’s how it works."

"No." Varik’s voice was flat. Calm. Like he wasn’t just casually rewriting every rule Lucen had ever been taught. "That’s the lie."

Lucen folded his arms. Slowly. "Go on."

"You do gain EXP from monsters. It’s just... fractional. Diluted. What really levels you—what gives the kind of power jump the system’s designed to reward—is fighting other Awakened."

Lucen didn’t blink.

Varik stepped forward. Just one pace. Close enough that the glass buzzed faintly from his mana signature.

"Think about it," he said. "Have you ever gotten multiple level ups from clearing something alone? A full one?"

Lucen’s mind flashed through fights. Through all the spell work. The drift cleanup. The monsters. The one where he nearly died under a reaper’s blade.

Then Gen’s voice. "You gained a lot of XP for that."

But that was only after the real fight. After the Reaper.

And before that?

Only when people were involved.

Lucen’s jaw shifted.

Varik said, "The system rewards conflict between players. Between classes. Between people."

Lucen muttered, "Why?"

Varik shrugged slightly. "No one knows. Only high-ranks figure it out eventually. You start wondering why a level 12 kid in the slums jumps to 15 after a spar. Why B-ranks plateau in the wild but surge during training duels."

Lucen looked down.

His system flicked on, low opacity in the corner.

[EXP: 172 / 400]

[Next Milestone: Level 8]

[Recent Gains: 0.0]

Lucen’s lips pulled tight. "So the whole world’s grinding the wrong way."

Varik nodded. "And the people who figure it out don’t talk about it."

"Why not?"

"Because it’d cause a war."

Lucen didn’t answer. Just let the silence hang.

Varik stepped back from the glass. "You’ve got instincts. You’re creative. But the system’s not built to reward careful planning. It’s built to make you hungry."

Lucen said, "That sounds like a trap."

"It is."

Varik reached to the console. Hit something with a sharp tone. The far wall in the chamber hissed and split. A bench folded down. A cooler flicked on.

"Rest. Hydrate. Then we’ll run it again. This time, you’ll fight something smarter."

Lucen stayed standing.

His fingers flexed once at his side.

’So it’s not just about surviving anymore. It’s about how dangerous I’m willing to be.’

He looked at the bench.

Didn’t move toward it.

Just stared at the closed wall behind it. At the way the bolts pulsed faintly with shielding.

’If fighting people gives more power... what happens if I stop holding back?’

He didn’t smile.

Didn’t blink.

Just turned off his system screen and waited.

Let Varik think he was resting.

Because now, Lucen had a reason to fight harder.

And maybe... smarter too.

—

The chamber lights dimmed by one degree. Just enough to make the corners feel further away.

Lucen didn’t move from the center of the floor.

He was still staring at the wall behind the folded bench. Still thinking.

That was probably a mistake.

Varik’s voice came in again. No fanfare. Just steady through the intercom.

"You want real power?"

Lucen didn’t answer.

Varik said, "Fight me."

Lucen blinked once.

Then turned toward the glass. "You serious?"

"No one gives EXP like someone higher-ranked. Someone dangerous."

Lucen scoffed. "You want me to punch uphill and call it training?"

"I want you to see what the system really gives you when you’re desperate."

Lucen exhaled. "Right. Just spar the guy who wiped out thirty driftspawn with a sigh."

Varik stepped forward. The doors behind Lucen hissed open.

Not a dramatic reveal. Just a quiet, mechanical acceptance.

Lucen turned his head. "You coming in here?"

Varik nodded once. "No mana-enhancing gear. No support crew. You vs. me."

Lucen’s system blinked softly.

[Combat Invitation: Accepted]

[EXP Potential: Tier Multiplicative Detected]

[Note: Due to Rank Disparity, Increased Gain Rate Available]

Lucen’s lips parted just slightly. "...You’ve gotta be kidding."

’It’s actually giving me a bonus. For trying to get murdered.’