Aka explained the new training methods to the team in the gym, and he began following them himself as well. Everyone would wake up in the morning and train until they were about to pass out, then eat, rest off the exhaustion, and repeat this two more times. After that, three of them would fight either Aka or someone he arranged. At some point, they would even have to fight each other.
After Aka explained the method, they began training that way and finally stood before the Instructor on the last day of their one-month period. All the other teams had already finished and were waiting for Aka's team to complete their test.
When the fight began, Aka, 34, and 33 rushed the Instructor. However, the Instructor didn't even move and still blocked every strike. None of their attacks went through, as if some invisible shield was surrounding him. 32 also threw all three of her throwing knives from behind, but none of them could believe what they saw — the blades hit thin air and dropped straight to the floor.
The Instructor finally began to move and sent both 33 and 34 flying with a single punch each. Aka thought he had seen a lot in life, but he had never witnessed anything like this, so he was shocked — yet he still didn't drop his guard. Meanwhile, 32 was sneaking up quietly behind the Instructor. The moment she thought she had an opening, she lunged to stab him with a throwing knife — but once again, the blade stopped in mid-air. The Instructor reacted with a backward kick and sent 32 flying as well, leaving only Aka standing before him.
Aka realized there was no way he could land a hit this way, but he still believed there had to be a limit to this power. So he threw punches as fast as he possibly could. None of them went through, and even though they stopped mid-air, Aka still felt like he was punching a solid wall. The Instructor also threw a few punches back — but Aka managed to dodge them.
Eventually, the Instructor began walking toward Aka, closing the distance bit by bit. Once they were practically face-to-face, Aka believed he finally had a chance and threw a punch. The Instructor dodged easily, then landed a heavy kick under Aka's chin. Even though it wasn't aimed upward, Aka was slammed into the ceiling.
The others were terrified when they saw this, but at the same time, a spark of hope formed inside them. The Instructor had dodged Aka's punch — meaning they could hit him, but only from a certain distance. With that hope, the three of them moved in close and surrounded the Instructor from three sides. When the Instructor tried to punch 33, 32 threw a knife at his throat and 34 tried to stab his abdomen.
However, the Instructor effortlessly stopped 32's blade with one hand and blocked 34's strike with his leg. Then he punched 33 and sent him flying. After that, he also punched 32 in the head, launching her away so hard it looked like her head might snap off.
Now only the Instructor and 34 remained close together. Because he had no other choice, when 34 saw the Instructor's punch coming, he risked everything and ducked — then stabbed the Instructor's foot. But before he could pull the blade back out, the Instructor swept his other leg sideways and sent 34 flying as well. 34 didn't faint, so the Instructor walked over and punched him again, finally knocking him out.
When everyone woke up, the Instructor was standing beside the Healer and told them their results. The real purpose of this test was not to defeat him, but to earn his approval. He said that while this wasn't the fight that satisfied him the most, it was the only battle in which he actually took damage — so they passed, and he began evaluating them one by one.
He told Aka that his reflexes were impressive and he had managed to dodge the Instructor's punches — which was an achievement worth praising. His endurance was also solid, and he didn't have many flaws. The only mistake he made was taking too many risks against an unknown power.
He told 32 that noticing the Instructor dodging Aka's punch and acting on that was excellent judgment. She had made good use of every opportunity she saw. Her physical capability and experience were both at a good level. She had no real faults — and the fact that she targeted vital areas so logically meant she deserved extra praise.
He told 33 that although he wasn't very creative and struggled to come up with new tactics, he made up for it by understanding the intentions of his teammates. And finally, he told 34 that he was the one he respected the most. At the most critical moment, 34 had risked everything just to deal even a small amount of damage — something no one else had managed to do.
The Instructor added that life is never fair, and when opportunity comes, the important part is knowing how to use it. He said 34 was truly one of the best they had ever trained, and because of that, he was even reconsidering whether being "Number 34" suited him anymore.
34 immediately spoke up, apologizing for interrupting, and asked the Instructor not to change his number. The Instructor accepted his request and left. Before going, he told them they had one full day to rest and reflect on the fight. "Do not train today," he said. "Just rest and think. We will meet in the gym tomorrow."
If you've read or taken a look, thank you so much. If you have any thoughts — good or bad — please leave a comment. I'll probably see and reply right away. Thanks again, and I wish you a great day.