Training Hall 3,

Fourth Floor,

Learning Building 2.

Klack! Kataka...

Rhythmic bursts akin to drumsticks against stone rang out in the training room as a familiar figure weaved his way through the series of angry dummies intent on smashing him. The sweaty figure measured the incoming dummies, reddened eyes evidence of his intense concentration. Despite this, his expression was flat as he slapped and redirected dummies out of his path. His feet made small, graceful steps, which, while seemingly slow at first glance, somehow transported him across the platform within a few seconds.

Most shockingly, however, was the number displayed on the regulator on the foot of the machine. Lv 9!

This number would cause a massive uproar in the outside world if it ever got out. The ninth level of the device was above what the special military divisions could handle. Perhaps only those reclusive monsters who spent all their life training to break past humanity's limits and attain the pinnacle of body development could achieve such results. Still, though, those people usually only reached that level after decades of effort and training. Even those eccentric geniuses had to wait until their thirties before reaching the physical requirements needed for achieving the ninth level.

However, in this training room tucked away from the eyes of the world, a young man was currently upending this school of thought by not only challenging the ninth level but managing to hold on past the ten-minute mark.

Unfortunately, judging by the prominent veins on the young man's neck and the trembling calves, he would not be able to hold on for much longer. Actually, this much should be expected. If this young man beat the ninth level, he would no longer be a 'genius' but a real monster at the pinnacle of human fitness. When one considered the young man was no more than twenty years at the most, that 'monster' title could only be changed to 'fiend.'

The young man barely dodged an incoming arm then swiftly placed his right leg behind him as he made to shift to the next 'safe zone.' Unfortunately, it seemed his leg muscles could no longer handle the torture as they locked in place, momentarily trapping the young man. This lockdown only lasted for a split second. Usually, he would have been able to recover with a quick shake of his leg. Unfortunately, this training equipment did not care for his predicament. Hence he would be swiftly punished for the lapse in movement.

The young man grit his teeth and sharply pulled backward. His hands flew out, rapidly slapping away the dummies that approached. In that split second, he managed to repel five dummies, but rather than celebrate, his brows furrowed in vexation. Behind the five he slapped away were many more dummies. Even if he was in top condition, he knew he would not be able to make it to the 'safe' zone, which had shifted a meter ahead, hidden behind a storm of arms.

Suzuki's eyes grew cold as he glared at the impossible odds. It was quite irritating, really. When it came to reactions, he could pinpoint all the steps he would need to make it to that zone safely. Unfortunately, ever since Razznik, Suzuki's mind and body were often out of sync. He could often predict or see an attack coming, but his body would not follow through on his desired line of attack.

The same situation was occurring at that moment.

Suzuki closed his eyes, deciding to leave his next move to his instincts. He had already mapped out the required steps. Whether he could make it or not would depend on his body. Even though he knew his own body well enough to know he would never make it, he had never been the type to sit and wait for death.

Unbeknownst to Suzuki, his cells began to jump with excitement as if cheering for him. His heartbeat accelerated. Veins popped on his arms and legs as torrents of blood surged through his system. With a roar, Suzuki willed his body to move!

Kacha!

With the sound of something breaking, Suzuki accelerated. His feet blurred as he shifted through the dummies. Fifteen steps within two seconds and his feet once again planted themselves in the 'safe' zone.

Suzuki's eyes flew open once he settled in the 'safe' zone, rapidly taking in the incoming dummies' trajectories. Excitement surged through him as he slipped through rapidly thinning gaps between the dummies. His movements, compared to a moment ago, were much sharper, precise, and sure. What once seemed an impossible task only required a bit of concentration.

Lost in the newfound abilities, Suzuki did not feel time pass by. If someone passed by, they would have been shocked to see the pure grin on the young man's face. In this world, the only thing which could bring the young man such pure, unadulterated joy was the feeling of breaking through his limits.

However, all good things must eventually come to an end. Suzuki was still dodging a particular arm when it came to a disappointing halt. The young man froze in place, eyes colored with confusion as he stared at the dummies. It took a few moments for the euphoria to cool down, after which he finally realized he had hit the time limit.

One way or another, he had somehow managed to survive the ninth round! If this result got out, who knew how those military men would react? Most likely, several divisions would fall over themselves to get him as a teammate. Unfortunately, this young man's name and his accomplishments would not hit the world stage for a while yet.

Moments after the euphoria cooled down, Suzuki's brows flinched as sharp pain racked his limbs. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as the pain rushed up his forearm. It would seem the increase in strength did not come cheap. He had overdrafted his muscles and would need to rest for a few days to repair the damage.

Suzuki's thoughts shifted from the pain to the feeling he had during the breakthrough. Although he was pleased with the breakthrough, he could not help the little uncertainty in his heart. He knew his strength well. Since he spent most of the time in the Virtual Drive, his muscles should have deteriorated. However, they not only didn’t regress, but they improved to the extent where he actually got faster.

Yes, Faster.

Not in the sense that Suzuki’s reaction speed improved, but his physical abilities enhanced by a step. It was an incredible achievement that could not be explained away with a few exercises every few days. Even though the Virtual Drives provided their users with the essential nutrients, they needed to survive extended playthroughs, the solution given shared more similarities with the drips administered in hospitals than any muscle-enhancing drug.

This was why Suzuki could not understand why he had improved his physical ability and the cause of his uncertainty.

Suzuki mulled over the issue for a few minutes, but then decisively dropped it when he could not come to a conclusion. Whatever, as long as his strength continued to increase, who cared what caused it?

Satisfied with the answer, Suzuki hopped down from the platform and grabbed a water bottle on a table nearby. Like a thirsty hippo, he emptied the liter-sized bottle, a soft moan escaping his lips as the cold liquid quenched the infernos raging in his body. Once done, he examined the Genaco logo on the bottle with a wry smile.

Indeed, the Genaco Corporation was a greedy behemoth with branches in almost every facet of human lives. However, even among these different industries, the company focused most resources on its gaming, entertainment, electronics, and food industries. These four industries' broad appeal made sure the company was well known and respected in most countries.

What some analysts found baffling, however, was how the company rose from seemingly nowhere to tower over the world. Originally, Genaco Corp. was a successful business in Japan alone that focused mainly on food products. However, in 2024, the company, seemingly out of nowhere, began to dabble in electronics. Analysts at the time mostly laughed at these foolish upstarts who thought they could shake the already established giants of the industry.

Time, however, would soon make a mockery of these analysts. The electronic devices put forth by Genaco Corp. proved to be far ahead of their direct competitors, filled with innovative ideas that quickly shattered the standard mode of operations. The corporation's hands stretched into countries outside Japan's shores, using the excessive demand for the products as an opportunity to create stable footholds abroad.

Eventually, Genaco Corps.' food industry used the trade channels opened up by their electronic junior counterparts to also expand their business overseas. The company was booming and the government, recognizing the cash cow, hurried to grant them many concessions to make businesses much smoother for the company.

However, the company did not sit on its laurels. Like a shark after the smell of blood, Genaco capitalized on gaming's growing mainstream popularity to stake their flags in the gaming industry. At first, the company only had meager success in this field. After all, it was a bit too difficult to expect them to displace this particular industry's giants.

Compared to the electronics market, where people usually just got what performed best, gamers tended to have a specific company they adored and defended to the end with an enthusiasm that would not be beaten by death-sworn knights of the dark ages.

Just when Genaco's rivals were finally revealing their sneers at the upstarts who thought too much of themselves, 2034 rolled around, and the Nesla Coils were invented. In that same year, Genaco's Russian division revealed its first video game powered by mind-blowing virtual reality technology.

This was not the VR technology most other tech companies had on the market. Their's were like glasses into another world. Genaco's VR technology directly transported users into the Virtual World!

Leaving the gamers who absolutely went insane with the reveal of this technology, other countries and companies could not hide the greed in their eyes as they fell over themselves to pay absolutely insane amounts to earn the right to use this technology.

Genaco's worth instantly shot through the roof, displacing several long-standing companies as the top-earning corporation since. With more improvements to their virtual systems and the innovative games and applications which took advantage of those systems, they easily defended that position. With governments and private organizations alike on their clientele lists, the corporation's yearly profits easily outclassed their rivals, raking in over a trillion dollars in their latest fiscal year.

The company was so profitable that the owner and majority shareholder, Jediah Kaguya Minako, had enough funds at his disposal to launch a crazy ambition to build a functioning space station to allow regular citizens a chance to view space for themselves. The maddening thing was, the old man had seemingly succeeded in his endeavor.

Suzuki clucked his tongue as he recalled the news he heard on the TV a few weeks back about the space station. If things went as that old man planned, the profits of Genaco Corp. probably would not end in just the trillions.

Once again, Suzuki was faced with the terrifying reality of the strength behind the people who had kidnapped him. Suzuki shook his head. In the end, it didn't matter to him how strong the enemy was. So far, he had nothing to complain about.

The game was fun, he was learning new things, and his strength had rapidly increased since he arrived. All in all, Suzuki was closer to his ultimate goal of being 'complete.' As long as the company did nothing to anger him, Suzuki would play along with this whole charade.

Should they cross his bottom line, however...?

Hmph. It would be interesting to see how he fared against the whole world. Suzuki's grip deformed the empty bottle. A snide grin curled up his lips as massive battle intent flashed in his eyes.

"Isn't that a little too much bloodlust for a kid, Mato-kun?"

Suzuki's face instantly fell to a neutral state. He turned to see Kimuri lazily resting on the wall by the door. The older man was dressed in a slim-fitted T-shirt and jogging pants, long hair securely tied up in a bun. The sweat-soaked shirt and strained muscles revealed he was just returning from an intense workout.

Suzuki pursed his lips as he examined the lackadaisical man. He was not fooled one bit by the lazy outward appearance of this man. Despite his seemingly relaxed state, Suzuki could not find any openings on Kimuri with the certainty of launching a sneak attack.

Kimuri's presence was faint yet powerful at the same time, like a gentle breeze passing by. Suzuki was clear that should Kimuri be provoked, that gentle wind would instantly transform into a ferocious gale.

Suzuki respected strength. Upon seeing someone who would present a challenge, he adopted a neutral stance. "Suzuki's fine," the young man stated as a trace of battle intent flashed through his eyes. However, he did not make any other movements. He decided to adopt a wait and see approach to see what this man wanted from him.

"Ho... You aren't as arrogant as the rumors claim," Kimuri appraised with a light smile. "My name's Tsukosen Kimuri. Everyone calls me Kimuri."

Suzuki ignored the first part of Kimuri's sentence. "How can I help you, Kimuri-san?" Suzuki inwardly praised himself. Previously, he would have replied with something like, "So what?" or walked past the man. Mm, Kashi's time was not wasted. He was beginning to learn how to interact with people socially.

How would Suzuki know that this kind of direct questioning of a person's motive was also quite awkward? Well, this type of blunt personality still had its pros and cons. All in all, it was a distinct improvement from the past.

Kimuri, oblivious to Suzuki's inner satisfaction, could only let out an awkward chuckle. Damn, cutting right to chase, are we? He looked over the youth's shoulder to the platform's control panel, which still had the number nine displayed. "I heard the sounds of someone challenging the platform and came to take a look." With a small smile, he walked over to the platform. "Level nine, huh? I've been stuck here for a while. Did you make a breakthrough?"

"Something like that," Suzuki readily admitted. He saw no reason to hide the truth. Of course, if Usman Taki were here, he would shake his head with disappointment. It didn't matter if there was a need or not. Information about oneself should not be given out easily. Kashi would probably agree with that viewpoint, while Razznik would have long since 'challenged' Kimuri to a fight. By 'challenge,' that meant he would smash a fist into Kimuri's face and deal with the consequences with a grin regardless of win or loss.

"That's impressive," Kimuri softly praised. "Well, if you can do it, why can't I?" With those words, Kimuri tapped on the panel to start up the platform then jumped onto it.

Suzuki chose to wait. This was the first time he would see someone other than himself challenge the platform. It would be nice to how Kimuri attempted the platform.

To his surprise, Kimuri stretched his hand and muttered, "Sword."

Instantly, a cabinet rose from the platform floor with a multitude of weapons seated on it. Kimuri ignored the weapons and picked out a peculiar looking short sword similar to the Romans' type in the past. After confirming his choice, the cabinet receded into the platform ground.

Suzuki's expression turned grave once Kimuri brandished the weapon. As expected, the instant the man got serious, his aura instantly turned violent and deadly. If a lesser person stood in that room, they might have fainted from the sheer pressure Kimuri exuded.

Suzuki's gaze turned sharp as the dummies whirled to life and began their indiscriminate attack.

Kimuri's eyes let out a dark light as his feet pressed against the earth.

Whoosh!

Suzuki's eyes widened with shock at the man who had appeared three meters away from his initial spot. A path had been forcefully cleared within the sea of dummies, forming a road that should not have belonged there. Suzuki's gaze examined the still trembling sword in Kimuri's hands that held the answer to the puzzle. The man had unleashed an insane burst of speed, using the blade to smash the dummies out of his path.

Of course, this was level nine, and the force of Kimuri's swing was not enough to 'kill' the dummies. But if it was merely pushing them out of the path, then he could easily do so. Of course, after that initial burst, Kimuri did not get a chance to show off that grandly anymore as the dummies gradually increased their speed.

Suzuki studied Kimuri's battle with apt interest. It seemed like him, Kimuri, was the type to focus on speed, but where Suzuki preferred nimble movements, Kimuri favored short, intense bursts of forceful speed. Typically, such a method would be suicide on the platform, but the short sword in Kimuri's hand seemed to have eyes of its own, flying out to redirect any incoming dummies while its owner darted about the platform with the vigor of a rabbit.

Kimuri should not be underestimated because he used a weapon to challenge the platform. Using a weapon did not guarantee the challenge would be any easier. In fact, for most, the use of a weapon only made the challenge much more difficult. This was because weapons added extra length to their bodies, making them a larger target for the dummies. Should the weapons get hit, the user could lose their balance and get eliminated.

Thirty minutes later, Suzuki was quite pleased to see Kimuri complete the challenge. This challenge had opened up some new paths for Suzuki.

Kimuri took a moment to calm his breath, then returned the sword to the cabinet. The imposing presence died down once the sword left his hands as a lazy smile took its place. He grinned at Suzuki as he wobbled off the platform. "What'd you think? Cool, right?"

"Impressive," Suzuki nodded affirmatively. "I don't think I could have done it the way you did."

"Maybe, maybe not," Kimuri said with a sigh. "But I could never do it your way. That dodging method of yours is plain suicidal. How'd you come up with that style?"

"I'm used to fighting many people at once." Suzuki shrugged. "Street fights usually don't have the luxury of weapons lying around. It's better to dodge than attack head-on."

"Shit, that's tough," Kimuri said with a rough shake of his head.

"Not really," Suzuki countered. "When I dodge, the smaller the margin is, the easier it is for me to counterattack before the enemy recovers." He looked at the platform. "This way, I can eliminate the enemy one at a time."

"Hmm..." Kimuri murmured as he scratched his beard in thought. "That method seems a little passive for my taste. I prefer taking the initiative to wipe out my enemies."

Suzuki nodded. "I noticed." He looked at Kimuri's legs. "You must put a lot of work into your leg muscles. Those short bursts of yours look really taxing."

"You've got a good eye," Kimuri confirmed with a chuckle. "I ran track in high school and uni. Been toning my muscles ever since. It's my firm belief that speed trumps all. After all, my dream is to run so fast I blend into the wind." Kimuri revealed an embarrassed smile. "That's what got me into VR gaming in the first place. Childish, isn't it?"

"Not at all," Suzuki vehemently denied. "Desire to merge with the wind, huh?" A shadow of a smile silently crept up the side of Suzuki's lips. "Still a better reason than wanting to be the strongest man in the world, isn't it?"

Kimuri's eyes went wide, the twinkle in his eyes belying his inner laughter. "You?"

"Yup." Suzuki shrugged without a shred of shame. "In my defense, I was in ninth grade. Things were different then."

"Uh-huh, sure thing," Kimuri lightly teased.

Kimuri and Suzuki shared their experiences, trading battle tales both within VR and reality. The two men found something of themselves in the other, and soon the atmosphere had relaxed to the point both men lost track of time. In Suzuki's lifetime, this was most likely the first time he found someone—aside from Ayumi—he could relax and talk with. Taiga was cool, but Suzuki could not relax around the silver-haired man.

For someone as sensitive as Suzuki, the bloodlust Taiga instinctively leaked out caused his hairs to stand on end. Although Suzuki would not go as far as to say he was afraid of Taiga, he could not shake the feeling the foolish grin on Taiga's face hid a much more terrifying personality.

Eventually, Suzuki and Kimuri bid themselves farewell, and the former walked to the shower room. After a quick bath and change, he made his way to the canteen downstairs to fill his body with the nutrients it desired after a hard workout.

The canteen was a large hall with buffet-style services.

Suzuki's entrance drew the attention of those seated as he was a distinctively rare figure around the campus. For some of these people, this was the first time they had laid eyes on him. As it was just past eight in the morning, many had just finished their workouts and were brimming with plenty of energy. A lot of these crowd was eager to find a place to vent this energy.

Suzuki ignored the looks thrown his way as he made his way to the counter. He picked then filled a tray with three bowls of rice and some side dishes, a testament to his ever-increasing appetite. In fact, chances were he would return for seconds.

Suzuki found himself an empty round table and sat down to enjoy his food. The murmurings around him were thrown into the back of his mind. Who cared what these people thought? Just because he had learned how to interact with people did not mean he would go out of his way to disturb himself with the weak’s viewpoint, who could only wag their tongues.

This was Suzuki's new philosophy. He would respect and speak with the strong. His interactions with the weak would greatly depend on his mood.

Suzuki expressed his thanks for the food, but just as he was about to take the first bite—

BAM!

Suzuki placed his chopsticks on the table as he looked up at the five men that had taken it upon themselves to position themselves around the table. Four of which were shared equally at either side of the table, and the last at his back. Suzuki's gaze turned chilly as he noted the disdain and battle intent in the men's eyes.

As expected, the hall immediately went silent as those within turned their attention to Suzuki's table. Most people wanted to probe this mysterious man, but none were willing to expose their cards this early. Luckily, some rascals eager to prove their strength had come forward and volunteered themselves for the job.

‘Heh, it seems I look like an easy chick to bully, huh.’ Suzuki clucked his tongue and muttered, "Where men gather, fools will make themselves known."