Universal Power System

Alexi was quick to reply as he couldn't bear to see Mako play the holy saint card after they had beaten each other half to death. The terms of their agreement prior to the fight were clearly laid out and he wasn't going to act like a sore loser and not honor his side of the deal after he lost the duel.

"Weldone, you too," Magnus applauded as he approached the two individuals struggling to stand up straight.

Mako had known that convincing Alexi wouldn't be easy considering his ego and pride but he hadn't expected the fight to get dragged out so much and become so intense.

Magnus pulled out a tiny cube from his front pocket. It was incredibly small with all the dimensions only being 5 centimeters.

However, despite its small size, Magnus was able to stick his fingers all the way inside the cube which didn't look physically possible, and that had caught the attention of both Mako and Alexi who were confused as they had never seen such a device before.

Mako quickly decided to use Analyze on the cube and a magnificent description of the item in Magnus' hands appeared in front of him leaving him absolutely speechless.

[Analyze]

[King Tier Inter-dimensional Storage Cube] ⓘ

[A super advanced and sophisticated storage device that integrates the advanced technology of wormhole crystals with the potent energy of beast crystals to create a unique dimensional space for storage. The device opens a pocket dimension, allowing users to store items securely and efficiently. The dimensional space can accommodate any objects that fit within its boundaries and collectively weigh up to 1500 kg.]

[The pocket dimension can be further upgraded with more Wormhole and specific beast crystals]

Wormhole Crystals!

Mako had heard of this name before and thanks to his sharp memory he was able to instantly recall where.

While he was watching one of the video logs that his great-grandfather had left behind for him after he had unlocked the shop feature, he distinctly remembered the term Wormhole crystal being used to tackle the problem of storage of the system.

During the idea log, it looked like wormhole crystals were just recently discovered and weren't fully understood yet and were being used as an experimental substitute for other cutting-edge storage devices of that time.

However, it seems that in between his and his great-grandfather's time, the research and technology regarding these wormhole crystals had greatly advanced and improved. "Sir, is that..." Alexi was the first to speak as unlike Mako he wasn't completely clueless on what he was holding as he had seen his uncle use the same thing as well.

"Oh, this... Most of my stuff got confiscated so I didn't really have a use for this but I still kept it on me and saved up any item that could be useful to my students," Magnus replied casually as he pulled his fingers out of the cube and was now holding 2 pills in his fingers.

Without really asking for their consent, Magnus shoved the pills down their throat and the effects were almost instant.

[User has consumed an Advanced Tier Healing Pill]

The burns and bruises on their bodies were being regenerated in record time as they instantly felt refreshed and pain-free. However, since the pill was so potent, it was sapping their already little reserve of energy to carry out the healing in their body.

"Now tell me, What did each of you do wrong in your fight?" Magnus asked calmly but Mako and Alexi both understood that he now meant business.

Mako pointed out a few things that he had done wrong like sheathing his katana midway through the fight and getting a bit overconfident while Alexi also pointed out that he was a bit hasty and unorganized with his attacks.

Magnus nodded to the boys' explanation but still proceeded to give them a light slap on their cheeks which honestly stung more to them than any attack during their actual fight.

Magnus was a bit disappointed that neither of his students had followed his complete advice and had begun fighting wildly which had led them to expend so much more energy just to reach the same exact result.

He scolded Alexi for still becoming so easily hurt and emotional.

"You idiot, the person on a real battlefield will not care about your feelings. Remember, Life is not fair and your enemy will look for any little advantage they can get to best you in a fight and that could mean life and death. Stop fighting with your heart and muscles and listen to your goddamn brain for once!" Magnus scolded.

However, Mako was not out of the waters yet either.

"Don't think you've won this fight today. You had a significant advantage since Alexi couldn't fully utilize his magnetism ability with no metal around. If you struggled this much against him even when he was hindered, it means you still have a lot to learn. Keep training and improving, because next time, you might not have such favorable conditions." Magnus stated.

The two boys listened quietly to their teacher as he continued to nitpick the little things that they had done wrong in their duel but in reality, they greatly appreciated their teacher who was getting so worked up for his students.

With that, the two continued their regular training session with Magnus once their wounds had healed and recovered and Mako invited Alexi to visit one of the training rooms that he had booked so that he could introduce him to the team.

Alexi wasn't over the moon after receiving the invitation as even though his pride and ego had been defeated today, it hadn't died down even a little and he still didn't want to be that kind person to socialize with weak people.

Mako assured him with a light giggle that their third member was also very strong and that he would get along just fine but only time would tell.

*****************

On the other side of the military complex, one of the doors of the recovery room swung wide open, and in walked Andrew only to see Bill and Erin together with Erin feeding Bill a liquid meal through a straw.

Erin wasn't expecting Andrew to show up to the recovery room as nobody had told him about Bill's condition which was why she was a bit surprised to see him but was still glad for him to be there.

She gently removed the straw from Bill's mouth and placed the drink on the side table beside his bead and said lightly in Bill's ear, "It's alright, this is Andrew, you remember him right?"

Bill had recovered enough that he could now move his neck and facial muscles and nodded yes as he remembered the face that Haruto had stolen when he was trying to deceive them during the recruitment test.

Erin quickly stood up and ran to hug Andrew who had remained quiet and still just by the door of the recovery room.

Erin hadn't thought of anything odd up to this point as nobody had told Andrew about what had happened to Bill and that he was recovering in this room so how was he even able to find them and why had he stormed off after class without even greeting her?

Erin tried to hug Andrew by wrapping her arms around him but Andrew finally took action as he stopped her in her tracks with a cold and unforgiving look.

"So this is where you have been going after class every day for the past couple of days..." Andrew questioned coldly.

Erin froze, her arms still mid-air, as Andrew's words sliced through the air like a knife. The warmth of her intended hug turned cold with his icy glare.

"Andrew, what are you talking about?" Erin's voice trembled confusion and hurt mingling in her eyes.

"Don't play dumb, Erin," Andrew snapped.

"You think I haven't noticed you two. Always together, always chatting, training, and spending time together, and seeing how close you two are, it all makes sense now. You've been avoiding me, spending all your time here, caring for him instead of being honest with me."

Erin's eyes widened with shock. "Andrew, that isn't true at all. Bill was very critically injured, and I was just being there for him and helping him recover. There's nothing between us, I swear!"

Andrew's expression remained hard, his jaw clenched. "Save it, Erin. I've seen enough. You've been distant, and secretive, and now I know why. I can't believe I trusted you."

Bill, who had been silently watching the exchange, tried to speak up. "Andrew, she's telling the truth. There's nothing—"

"Stay out of this, Bill," Andrew cut him off sharply. "This is between me and Erin."

Tears welled up in Erin's eyes as she reached out to Andrew, but he stepped back, shaking his head. "No, Erin. We're done. I can't be with someone who betrays my trust like this."

With that, Andrew turned on his heel and walked out of the room, leaving Erin standing there, stunned and heartbroken. She felt as if the ground had been ripped from beneath her feet and she fell to the ground in tears. The room fell into a heavy silence, only broken by the sound of the door closing behind Andrew.

Erin remained on the ground with her shoulders shaking with sobs. She was still unable to process what had just happened as it was just too quick.

She and Andrew had been together for almost 2 years now and she was certain that she had found her true love as Andrew was exactly the type of person she liked, charismatic, hardworking and strong but still a bit goofy and kind.

In literal moments, her whole world had been turned upside down and she didn't know what to think now.

As she continued to sob on the ground, Bill, still weak but determined, raised his voice to try and reach her. "Erin, don't let him go. Go after him, I'll be fine. There is obviously something that has influenced him to do this. Make him understand... Go..."

Erin slowly raised her head, her tears flowing freely. She quickly nodded to Bill's advice and tried to rush after Andrew, looking for them to have a proper talk.

Andrew stormed away, his mind a whirl of anger and betrayal. The anonymous text that he had received was the final straw, but the sight of Erin so tenderly caring for Bill had been the dagger to his heart. He needed to clear his head and find a way to move forward, even if it meant without Erin.

As Andrew stormed off from the head nurse's office, a girl sitting on a bench just beside the front door giggled to herself while playing with strings of dark purplish aura with her fingers.