Special Training

In less than half an hour, Rod accomplished what could only be called a miracle, restoring patients with congenital disabilities and those who had lost limbs in various accidents.

During that time, Rod received countless emotions filled with gratitude, disbelief, and even something that could be called devotion.

After Rod used Idle Transfiguration to reconstruct a little girl with congenital heart disease, her sweet, adorable smile and the tears streaming uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes made Rod's heart tremble.

"Thank you, big brother. Now I can finally play with my friends. Mom and Dad won't have to worry about me anymore. Thank you so, so much."

The indescribable excitement on the little girl's face, her hopeful tear-filled gaze, and her overly mature words of concern for others made Rod feel the reality of this world all the more deeply.

After leaving the hospital, Rod looked back at the building, whose lights were still on, and smiled faintly.

"I guess I finally understand Mr. Heaven Canceller's philosophy of life. It doesn't feel bad."

He silently walked into the dim night and vanished into the darkness.

Watching Rod's departing back, Heaven Canceller muttered with both relief and regret, "If only I could recruit him into the hospital. With medical skills that miraculous, he could save so, so many people."

"He practically brings the dead back to life!"

The next day, Accelerator opened his unfocused eyes. The pungent smell of disinfectant stung his nose as he struggled to sit up, staring at his own palm in astonishment.

He was actually alive?

After staring blankly for a moment, Rod's words vaguely resurfaced in his mind.

"Well, a promise is a promise."

"Oh? So you really are a girl."

"Heh."

Those three lines kept circling through his mind, fading in and out, along with Rod's arrogant face that seemed to declare, "Above heaven and below earth, I alone am supreme."

Furious and humiliated, Accelerator was about to activate his ability when he strangely discovered that its destructive power was less than a tenth of what it had once been.

It barely reached Level 4.

"What's going on?! What did that bastard do to me?! Damn it!"

Accelerator began cursing in disbelief.

"Oh, you seem full of energy. Looks like you're ready to be discharged." Heaven Canceller walked in through the door, casually looking over Accelerator in his hospital gown.

"Hah? Are you kidding me? Why has my ability weakened this much?!" Accelerator demanded angrily.

"Hm? It seems we need to run further tests. Come with me." Heaven Canceller paused in surprise. He had thought Rod's treatment had been foolproof, but apparently there were still side effects.

After a series of examinations, Accelerator sat anxiously before Heaven Canceller, waiting for the diagnosis report.

"Your body is completely healthy. Based on the series of diagnostic evaluations, I can conclude that your problem stems from subconscious behavior caused by psychological factors." Heaven Canceller explained while looking at the report in his hands.

"Hah? What does that mean?" Accelerator looked at Heaven Canceller in confusion, utterly lost.

"Do you really want me to spell it out?" Heaven Canceller sighed. Through his connections, he had learned the general course of yesterday's events, and he had been shocked for quite a while by the fact that Rod had utterly crushed Academy City's Number One.

He had already tried his best to phrase the reason Accelerator could not use his ability at full power as tactfully as possible.

Once Accelerator calmed down, he carefully considered Heaven Canceller's explanation.

Subconscious behavior caused by psychological factors—the plain meaning was that Rod had beaten him so badly that he had mentally shut down and could no longer use his ability at full strength, wasn't it?!

After figuring it out, Accelerator's expression turned exceptionally ugly. He glared viciously at Heaven Canceller, waiting for him to give a treatment plan.

"You may need to see a psychiatrist. Suddenly, I feel like the demand for psychiatrists ought to increase." Heaven Canceller pinched the bridge of his nose and quipped.

"What a joke. I'm Number One. Tch, I'm leaving!" Accelerator snorted disdainfully and got to his feet to leave.

"Ah, or you could seek out Number Five, Mental Out. If she helps erase that memory, perhaps your psychological problem could be cured from another angle." Watching Accelerator leave, Heaven Canceller did not stop him. Instead, he took a sip of coffee and offered the suggestion.

"Tch. Mind your own business." Accelerator shot Heaven Canceller an annoyed glance, then ignored him and left the hospital.

In an empty underground research facility, there was an experimental site the size of a football field. Rod strolled inside and arrived at its center. He had rented the facility from Aleister, driven out all the researchers, and left himself with an entirely empty testing ground.

Rod formed the Medicine Buddha Fundamental Mudra with both hands and murmured, "Domain Expansion—Chimera Shadow Garden."

Unlike Malevolent Shrine, an open domain that expanded directly into reality, Rod turned Chimera Shadow Garden into a closed domain, condensing it into a spherical black orb that cut off all prying from the outside world.

Rod had deployed Chimera Shadow Garden in order to undergo special training and improve his strength. After last night's battle, he had found a possible way home: fighting powerful opponents, defeating them, and obtaining rewards from them.

Perhaps he might draw rewards such as a "Spatial Gate" or a "Space-Time Traveler Talent." By then, he should be able to break through the barriers of space—or even raise his strength beyond the realm of the Demon Gods, use a spatial slash to shatter the void, and find a path home across different dimensions.

The foundation of all that was absolute strength. Rod did not become complacent just because he had thoroughly defeated Accelerator. With the Infinite Transcendence talent, Rod himself possessed limitless potential.

Moreover, even that overwhelmingly one-sided battle last night had increased all his attributes by more than fifty points. Now, he wanted to test the gravity training method Goku had used during his journey to Namek.

Using the properties of Chimera Shadow Garden, once the domain was deployed, the weight of every item stored within it would be borne by the caster. Without a spaceship capable of freely manipulating gravity, this was one possible method.

After summoning four Max Elephants at once, even Rod's body trembled slightly. The four Max Elephants weighed a terrifying hundred tons, an intensity already comparable to gravity training.

"Then, let the special training begin." Supporting his heavy body, Rod slowly began to run as sweat continuously rolled down his temples.

For the path home, clarify your heart and keep moving forward!