Explosive growth in strength... and appetite

Randall stepped through the air with Geppo, constantly testing the skills he had learned.

Finger Pistol, Tempest Kick, Shave...

The thrill of learning new skills made him forget Zephyr was still there.

Zephyr grinned, appeared above Randall in an instant, and brought his clasped fists down on Randall's head.

A whoosh rang out, followed by a crash.

Randall's body slammed into the floor.

He clambered up with a groan and rubbed his head.

If he hadn't used Iron Body beforehand, that blow would have given him a concussion.

Zephyr showed not a shred of guilt over his sneak attack. He laughed.

"Since you've learned them, let's see how well you can use the Six Powers in an actual fight!"

Randall smiled at that.

As a battle maniac, he couldn't have asked for anything better than a fight with someone like Zephyr.

An hour later, the fight ended.

Zephyr stood there without even breathing hard, his clothes still immaculate.

There wasn't the slightest sign that he had been in a fight.

Randall, on the other hand, had swollen up all over.

He shakily touched his cheek, then snatched his hand away as though he'd been shocked.

This old man really didn't hold back.

Just look at the floor—there were Randall-shaped craters everywhere!

Ignoring Randall's resentful gaze, Zephyr left feeling thoroughly refreshed.

The moment he stepped out of the Training Ground, Zephyr's expression changed.

His eyes were full of doubt about everything he knew.

He had truly never met anyone so gifted.

During that hour-long beating—ahem, fight—the guy had actually learned Life Return. Could you believe it?!

Learning the Six Powers instantly was one thing.

But instantly learning an advanced skill too? Wasn't that a little excessive?!

He had been planning to teach Randall that separately after some time had passed!

How long had it taken him to learn it back in the day?

A week at least, surely!

That brat simply wasn't human!

Meanwhile, Randall remained in the Training Ground, hurting but happy.

He had taken a beating, but his strength had received an epic boost.

First, mastering the Six Powers had given him a wider variety of attacks.

Then, during the fight, he had grasped their advanced skill, Life Return.

After all, Life Return was about gaining better control over one's body, and the Six Powers were the lead-in to that process.

On top of that, Zephyr had unconsciously used Life Return during their fight.

If Randall still couldn't learn it after all that, wouldn't that make him useless?

The fifty Elite Camp soldiers who hadn't even mastered the Six Powers: ???

Seeing that Zephyr had really left, Randall chuckled and immediately used Life Return.

The swelling on his body visibly subsided.

In the blink of an eye, he was back to normal.

"That old man really hits hard!"

Randall looked at all the impressions of his body littering the floor and sucked air through his teeth.

He didn't leave. Instead, he walked over to a relatively level patch of ground, planning to train on his own.

The Six Powers were only the basics. What applications one could develop afterward depended on talent and ingenuity.

Truly powerful fighters were bound to have their own versions of the Six Powers.

Zephyr had taught him that through both words and example.

A few hours later.

The sound of air being sliced rang out from time to time in the deserted Training Ground.

The next moment, Randall's figure suddenly appeared.

"Finger Pistol: Chrysanthemum!"

His right arm jabbed out repeatedly.

His arm was as supple as paper, yet his extended index finger was as hard as iron.

Had an enemy been facing Randall at that moment, they would have seen a brilliant chrysanthemum suddenly bloom before them.

Then, before their dazzled eyes could make sense of it, they would already have been hit.

This move combined Finger Pistol and Kami-e. Its attack trajectories were bizarre and utterly unpredictable, making it almost impossible to defend against.

"Next... Flying Finger Pistol: Many Stars!"

Randall jabbed his index finger rapidly, so fast it almost seemed to convulse.

To the eye, his arm looked as though it had vanished.

With each movement, countless points of light shot out one after another, like stars filling the sky.

There was nothing complicated about this move. It was simply fast and covered a wide area.

Randall had developed it specifically for speed-focused fighters like Pietro.

If he couldn't land a precise hit, he might as well spend a little more energy and attack the entire field.

"Next, a critical hit... Iron Fist: Impact Steel!"

Randall drew back his right arm, gathered his strength for a second, then unleashed a straight punch.

His fist struck the air, yet a thunderous boom rang out.

A few seconds later, another boom followed.

A distinct impact mark appeared on the opposite wall.

Between the wall and Randall's fist, a transparent trail through the air gradually dissipated.

This move was the exact opposite of Flying Finger Pistol: Many Stars.

It concentrated his strength into a single point, then released it all at once in a single-target finishing move.

"And finally... Tempest Kick: Storm Cutter!"

Randall took a deep breath. The muscles in his right leg instantly contracted and tightened like a spring compressed to its limit.

Then he unleashed an explosive kick.

A dazzling blue slash shot out in an instant, flying toward the distant wall.

Clang—

The wall, which Randall's earlier Tempest Kicks hadn't even scratched, now bore a slash mark so deep its bottom couldn't be seen.

Randall looked at his handiwork and nodded in satisfaction.

This was the result of his hours of grueling training.

Of course, he had also developed some movement and evasion techniques, but those needed no further explanation.

Randall silently assessed his current strength. He probably still couldn't take on Milers, but he should be able to try his hand against that muscular brute Aequus.

His strength had skyrocketed this time!

Just as he was basking in his delight, his stomach suddenly let out a thunderous rumble.

Grrrrumble~

Randall swore he had never been this hungry before.

He immediately raced to the mess hall.

Then, under everyone's astonished gazes, the stack of plates on Randall's table grew at a visibly rapid pace.

An hour later, as everyone watched with numb eyes, Randall set down his fiftieth plate and wiped his mouth, still wanting more.

After mastering Life Return, Randall's appetite had grown explosively.

The nutrient-rich meat was digested into pure energy as soon as it entered his stomach, then stored throughout his body.

That energy served as a portable supply reserve, sustaining his body whenever needed.

Randall finally understood why those powerful fighters ate so much.

And why they could fight for ten days and ten nights.

He could do that now too!

Of course, ten days and ten nights was still too much of a stretch.

But fighting at full strength for a day and a night was doable.

Randall patted his still-flat stomach and swaggered out, ignoring the crowd's looks as they stared at him like a monster.