The trio had spent yesterday bantering with each other and coming up with stories. Though today, Marcus had messaged everyone to come to the guild at five in the morning, to which only Adam replied, seeing how his alarm always went off at five, getting out of bed without a second thought, because he knew if he thought of getting more sleep or anything ran through his head, he would become lethargic and stay in the bed until further notice.

Everyone gathered in the training hall by 5:20 AM, the ten fighters standing in a loose circle, some of them sizing the others up. Marcus was pacing in the center, his eyes scanning everyone sharply, gauging what he had to do today to prepare them for the tournament.

"Two days," Marcus said, his voice firm and resolute. "That's all you've got to become a unit. The tournament's arena changes every year, and teamwork will make or break you. Today, you're sparring in mixed teams to build trust and learn each other's moves. No egoes. No holding back. But no lethal strikes either."

"This is a waste. Half these people," James Mahe started, leaning against a wall, scoffed loud enough to draw eyes, though looking at only the trio. "Won't even last ten seconds in the tournament."

Marcus shot him a glance that could've cracked the Earth in half, so cold, yet so warm. "Keep talking, James, and you'll be sparring me first. So focus, or shut the fuck up."

Nova exchanged a glance with Elesch, who rolled her eyes. Then Adam chimmed in, muttering, "Bitch," under his breath, turning his hand into claws.

Nova had rested the kittens with Talia, preparing them to be split up with the trio during the entirety of the tournament. He felt nervous without seeing the litter box in front of him or holding it; Elesch interlocked her hands with his to ease him.

Marcus split them into two teams of five for the first round. Team one: Nova, Elesch, Zane, Emma, and Col. Team two: Adam, Trevor, Michael, James, and Galileo. Each team had a mix of ranks: Nova and Trevor at B-rank, Elesch and Adam still at D-rank, though inches off of C-rank, Zane and Michael at S-rank, and James Mahe being the only double-evolved C-rank Adventurer, with Galileo, Emma, and Col being all A-rank.

The goal was simple: hold a glowing crystal orb at the center of the arena for three minutes while the other team tried to steal it. No abilities at all, only raw strength and speed, with team coordination.

Team One took the orb first, with Emma holding it tightly. Nova and Zane flanked her, as Elesch and Col acted like first-degree bodyguards, with Nova and Zane being second-degree.

James immediately rushed, with no sense of teamwork, as Trevor followed his lead, with Adam, Michael, and Galileo glancing at each other in disapproval of the two. Since the abilities were active, this meant whatever raw strength and speed one had was far below what they would have had when they had their abilities active, so techinally at this moment, Nova, in terms of strength and speed, was tied with James.

As James approached, Nova looked at Zane, then at Col and Elesch, nodding to them, as he stopped flanking Emma, and feinted a diagonal axe kick towards James, who reacted instantly, sliding back, but Nova twisted mid-motion, chambering his knees first, before launching them upwards, cracking James's ribs.

Jame faltered back, but then immediately got up, as the pain eased, with Nova tugging a light smirk at the edges of his lips. Trevor pushed forward towards Nova, who was much faster and stronger than him in his base form, so he easily folded Trevor, launching a barrage of kicks and punches, which made Trevor faint to the ground.

Adam and Michael attacked Nova, while Galileo helped get James up, who dispersed his hand in an angry gesture, which made Galileo dislike him further. Team Two was already split up, and if they wanted to grab that crystal from Emma, they sure as hell needed to pull themselves together; otherwise, they'd be dead if this was the tournament.

James rushed towards Nova, throwing a straight punch at him, but Nova pulled Michael inward, copying Marcus's technique, using an interesting martial arts stance, which left Marcus in shock, since he hadn't taught Nova any of his martial arts moves, but Nova, after seeing it once, already perfectly demonstrated it.

James's punch landed on Michael's face, as Nova hinged slightly, tucking his knees out, and delivering a corkscrew punch right in the fucking solar plexus of James, who didn't even see it coming. But at the last second, James's instinct kicked in, and he launched himself back, using the speed of his ability.

Then, when his Circle of Pillars shone with his two diagonal lines, he "teleported" to Nova, even though he ran faster than someone could teleport. Marcus's tendrils were aimed at James's face and heart, making him frustrated as he let go of Nova, then turned back and left the training hall.

The rest of them carried on, with Team Two now getting the crystal with abilities active, and Team One and Two almost evenly matched at Zane and Michael kept each other at bay, with Nova slightly overpowering Trevor. Even though he had just gotten his B-rank status and hadn't refined the pillar to optimise the added strength and speed yet.

Elesch and Adam took care of each other, their fight looking more like a dance between lovers than temporary enemies. Emma, Galileo, and Col all just did fuck all, and the training hall went into a frenzy of random sparring between the Adventurers.

Everyone, including Trevor, seemed to be enjoying their time, sparring with each other, as James Mahe looked from outside the door window, his face contorting into irritation, and the type that didn't care if the guild was to win or lose in the tournament.

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