Lug was calm, he had only two goals in mind: eating and sleeping.

The only obstacle was the ghost in front of him.

This time to be able to win, Lug decided to strengthen his muscles by 20%.

Then he charged at Xam to knock him down.

Lug was much faster than before.

But Xam avoided his attack easily.

With a few leg movements, he found himself on Lug's right side.

He hit him and Lug fell out of the circle.

"Exiting the circle counts as 10 falls." Xam said.

Lug hurried back into the circle.

He looked at Xam, wanting to protest.

But he said nothing.

He was here to become a soldier, not to complain.

"Even at 20 percent, he's faster than me. I'll have to do more." Lug thought as he stood up.

He got back into position.

"50%, now." thought Lug.

He knew that beyond 20% reinforcement, he was going to get a backlash.

He had to put Xam down quickly, or else he’d be the one losing this fight.

His legs were bent and slightly apart.

His hands were parallel to his legs, palms facing his opponent.

The issue was that Lug had not yet fully mastered the reinforcement technique.

His legs were already starting to go numb, even before he moved.

A sign that he had unconsciously reinforced his lower body with too much energy.

He had to act, and fast, before he couldn't walk anymore.

His legs bent a little more, he took support on the ground.

He threw himself forward like a spring.

Xam had seen the blow coming and began to step aside, this time on Lug's left side.

No matter, Lug opened his arms wide.

Xam always dodged Lug's attacks by a small margin, so he could counterattack faster.

By opening his arms, Lug greatly reduced the strength of his tackle, but he increased the chances of hitting his opponent.

Lug was too fast, Xam had no time to dodge his stretched arm.

The ghost was surprised by this idea, but he made a swift decision.

He decided to strike Lug at the joint between the deltoid and the pectoral.

He put a hook with all the forces he could gather in his position.

Xam knew he didn't need to hit hard, he planned to use Lug's speed against himself.

He hit Lug’s armpit with great precision.

The pain was so sharp and intense that Lug pulled his arm out slightly.

But against all expectations, Lug adapted to this situation, he spun on himself, bent his legs and took support on the ground.

His back was now facing Xam.

He threw himself with all his strength.

His speed mixed with the surprise effect destabilized the ghost.

The soldier received Lug's right shoulder blade in the jaw.

He flew out of the circle and fell to the ground.

At the same time Lug collapsed, his legs had given out.

By the time he threw himself a second time, Lug had strengthened his legs well beyond 50%.

"How much was it? How much? 65%? No, a speed like that, it was much more... 70? 75%?" Lug was talking to himself.

He was on the ground, counting on his fingers.

His eyes wide, and sweating.

It was a strange sight.

This pale man, his ribs exposed, collapsed on the ground talking to himself, a crazy look drawn on his face.

It was the result of the anticipation of pain.

He knew he was going to feel his body being torn apart by the reinforcement backlash, very soon.

This anxiety mixed with his exhaustion and the shock of the fight had brought Lug's psychological fragility to the forefront.

The cerebral shock that he had experienced a few weeks earlier had left after-effects.

Xam had stood up and looked at Lug.

He was glad that Lug had managed to put him down, but the state he was in now made his stomach tighten.

"Lug, are you okay?" the ghost asked.

Lug looked up, seemingly lost.

"Yes, sorry. I'm just tired..." he said as he tried to get up.

Once up, his legs were shaking.

"Can I go home? Because my legs won't hold up for long." Lug asked.

Xam nodded.

Lug put his coat back on as he walked and headed for the cemetery.

Just before he left the camp, Xam stopped him.

"Lug, come back in the morning. We'll take the next step in your training."

Lug looked at him, blinking.

"No way. Tomorrow I have to go to the circus. My training with you is from Friday to Sunday. And today is Sunday." he replied.

The ghost looked puzzled.

"Wait, you're going to the circus? And why are you only training here for three days?" he asked, holding his chin.

"I don't know. I was given a program to follow, I follow it without question. Anyway, I have to go, I'm starting to lose feeling in my legs."

Xam let go of Lug.

He had more questions than answers.

But he had no time to think.

If there was no Lug's training to supervise, he had to join the 6:00 p.m. assault.

He put his helmet back on his head and returned to camp.