Queenvail Girls' Academy - Training Room
No matter the academy, one of its core facilities is the training room.
The reason is simple: Asterisk City exists to gather Genestella from around the world to compete in the Festa, fueling the city's prestige and economic influence. Even the Six Great Academies were established by the Integrated Enterprise Foundation with this purpose in mind, making advanced training facilities an absolute necessity.
Jie Long Academy also has its own training rooms.
However, at Jie Long, these are generally referred to as practice halls.
As a result, every academy has constructed numerous training areas.
Some are accessible to regular students, albeit with certain restrictions.
Others are reserved for elite students within the Inner Ranking, granting them special privileges.
For those ranked among the Page One, personalized training rooms are provided.
At this moment, the training room where Fang Li and his group found themselves belonged to none other than Sylvia's personal quarters.
"Whoa..."
Upon stepping inside, Miluse, Paivi, Monica, TuLia, and Mahulena— the members of Rusalka— let out stunned gasps.
What lay before them was a vast, high-ceilinged chamber equipped with state-of-the-art combat simulators, advanced training instruments, and a host of high-end support systems, exuding a level of luxury beyond anything they had expected.
"This... this is the personal training room of the academy's top-ranked student?"
"Miluse, yours isn't nearly this extravagant, is it?"
Paivi and TuLia murmured in hushed voices.
At Queenvail Girls' Academy, Sylvia held an uncontested first place, while Miluse ranked third.
While third place was by no means a low ranking, the difference between her and the top spot was undeniable.
That disparity was now laid bare in the sheer scale and quality of the training facilities before them, prompting Miluse to let out an odd gurgling sound in frustration.
In contrast, Fang Li, having seen his fair share of extravagant training grounds, remained entirely unfazed.
For him, the only real advantage of this training room was its size.
"At least it's spacious enough. I won't have to hold back here, right?"
With a casual step forward, Fang Li swept his gaze across the room before stopping at its center, turning to face Rusalka with a sudden smirk.
"Alright, time's limited, so let's get started. Come at me."
His composed, almost indifferent tone made the girls of Rusalka grit their teeth in irritation.
"He's just one guy, yet he acts so smug..."
"Seriously..."
Fang Li, unfazed, ignored their murmurs and glanced to the side.
There, Sylvia stood with her hands on her hips. The moment their eyes met, she flashed him a flawless, amused smile.
Her stance was clear—she had no intention of interfering and was perfectly content to watch from the sidelines.
Even though she was technically involved in this situation, her detached attitude made it feel as though she was nothing more than a casual observer.
Fang Li, however, merely acknowledged her presence with a glance before shifting his attention back to Rusalka.
There, Miluse was rallying her team.
"Alright, everyone! Let's put him in his place!"
At her command, the girls of Rusalka, including Mahulena—who looked like she was already regretting her life choices—brandished their weapons.
But these weren't ordinary Lux.
Miluse and Tu Lia pulled out guitars.
Paivi wielded a set of floating drums.
Monica readied a bass.
And Mahulena raised a hand, summoning a projected interface resembling a piano keyboard in the air before her.
These were instruments.
And yet, they were also weapons.
"I see... So that's the Lyre-Poros, huh?"
— 'Lyre-Poros.'
A unique Ogre Lux.
One with the ability to manipulate sound, allowing for a vast array of powerful effects. Its capabilities were formidable, making it one of the more dangerous Ogre Lux in existence.
However, as with all Ogre Lux, its power came at a cost.
The Lyre-Poros inflicted mental and energy degradation upon its wielder.
It was said that prolonged use could drive its user to madness, eventually leading to a complete collapse of their mind and energy.
A terrifyingly potent yet perilous weapon.
To mitigate its risk, the Urm Manadyte core of the Lyre-Poros had been divided into five distinct components, forming five specialized Ogre Lux.
These were the instruments wielded by Rusalka.
"Splitting its power to reduce the cost— it's a reasonable approach."
Aside from Mahulena, the other four members of Rusalka were... let's just say, not the brightest. Their emotions and reactions were loud and unfiltered—perhaps a side effect of their Ogre Lux.
But, as Sylvia once put it:
"Those five have always been like that, so it doesn't really make a difference."
In other words, they hadn't been made foolish by their weapons.
They had 'always' been that way.
Regardless, the fact remained—these girls were wielding Ogre Lux.
"In that case, going unarmed might actually be risky, even for me."
As he muttered this, Fang Li reached for his weapon.
A dagger with a crescent-shaped blade.
Seeing this, the girls of Rusalka blinked in surprise.
"You're not using an Ogre Lux?" Miluse blurted out. "Didn't you wield one during the Phoenix Festa?"
The other girls immediately nodded in agreement.
However, Fang Li's response only added fuel to their frustration.
"Ogre Lux comes with a price, as you all know," he said with a smirk. "I need to see if you're worth paying that price."
That did it.
The girls of Rusalka instantly bristled with fury.
"You arrogant—!"
As Miluse's anger flared, an eerie shift took place.
—'Zheng!'—
A deep, resonant hum filled the air as a dazzling blue light erupted from their Ogre Lux, shimmering like starlight.
Simultaneously, their eyes began to glow—a brilliant, jewel-like radiance shining from within.
"Monica!"
"Got it!"
At Miluse's call, Monica's bass let out a deep, reverberating note.
In that instant, Fang Li felt his body grow heavy—his movements sluggish, his Prana flow disrupted.
(End of Chapter)
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