Chapter 41
Practice
After the healing session, the team was expected to report to physical class once again. Training wouldn't wait. Their time was limited, and the urgency hung in the air like thick fog.
IAM trudged behind the others with the defeated expression of a man walking to his own execution. His shoulders were tight. The moment they arrived, he hesitated at the entrance—feet anchored to the ground like he could forestall his impending doom just by being still.
He had known Mia for a short time, but already, he could tell: she didn't tolerate nonsense. She had been kind to Jasmine, sure—but IAM wasn't naive. That was Jasmine. Mia's patience for him was probably thinner than paper.
IAM swallowed hard. He stepped forward, his hand over his heart... and his other hand protectively cupping his crotch—just in case. His voice trembled as he spoke.
"Uhm... Captain. I have to confess something. I... might be slightly—very—unqualified to use this gun mech. As in, I've never actually used one before."
Bryan stood off to the side, staring blankly into the air, a wistful smile on his face. His mind was somewhere far away, likely lost in a fantasy that involved a very blonde, very healing someone, dandelion fields, and possibly matching outfits.
Leovico smirked, folding his arms and leaning back slightly with the kind of swagger that said, this is going to be good.
Kon smirked.
He raised a brow, the gleam in his eye unmistakable. "Ha ha ha ha ha... I get not having experience with a weapon, bro. But out of all the mechs you could've picked—a GUN? "
His eyes flicked down to IAM's groin area and then back up, still a bit salty from the earlier nut shot. He looked like a man quietly praying for poetic justice.
Jasmine, standing near the wall, offered IAM a small, sympathetic look.
IAM chuckled nervously and turned back toward Mia, who stood at the front of the room, arms crossed.
She said nothing.
She was staring straight at him, unreadable. IAM could swear he could hear internal systems powering up behind those narrowed eyes. Was she charging up? Loading a death sentence?
He clenched both fists—one at his side, one still hovering protectively below his belt—and braced himself.
Then Mia parted her lips.
"That is..."
The pause dragged like a blade over stone. IAM felt the walls close in. He was the defendant and the judge, jury, and executioner were all in Mia's eyes.
Finally, she finished.
"...alright. No problem."
"Huh!?"
A stunned silence spread through the group like an earthquake ripple. Jaws dropped. Even Bryan seemed to snap out of his daydream.
IAM felt like he had just scored the winning goal in the final of a world cup... But was slightly unsure if he was offside.
IAM blinked. "You're... fine with it? Are you sure?"
"I've learned my lesson," Mia said, her voice calm but direct. "You probably won't be reliable with your mech just yet, and that's okay. What you did today was more than enough. You used your ability to freeze Kon for a few seconds—more than enough time to line up a shot. If you practice, you should be able to hit a non-moving target within a few days, right?"
IAM nodded slowly, as if afraid he would cancel this miracle.
Mia continued, her lips pulling into a small smile. "Just be more specific with your intent next time... We don't need another accidental total freeze."
IAM bobbed his head rapidly, like one of those nodding car dashboard toys.
She watched him a second longer. Unbeknownst to IAM, she saw something in him—a potential that even he hadn't grasped. His Path was volatile, yes, and undeveloped. But its sheer scope... was terrifying.
When IAM used his Path earlier, it hadn't just stopped Kon. It had stopped his body, his methods, even the flow of mana around him. The force stopped everything in a defined radius. Even blood, wind, sound—briefly, horrifyingly—froze. If not for the extremely high mana usage and lack of control at the lower stages of the path, IAM may have accidentally killed Kon.
One of the most remarkable aspects of IAM's Path was its conceptual breadth—it had the potential to affect everything. Unlike most Paths, which typically focused on a single domain—such as the body, mana flow, or elemental forces—his Path could disrupt multiple layers at once. Even more astonishing was its potential to replicate or mimic the effects of nearly every other Path, at least in part. Where most Paths were specialized and limited in scope, IAM's was dangerously versatile. And in this world, the more unique and adaptable a Path is... the more dangerous its wielder becomes.
The implications were enormous.
But all she said was, "Alright. Me, Kon, Leovico, and Bryan will be practicing separately. You and Jasmine will be doing ranged training."
IAM blinked. "Wait, Jasmine uses a ranged mech too?"
She wordlessly stepped forward, rolling up the sleeve of her hoodie.
Attached to her forearm was a sleek, metallic crossbow—not traditional by any stretch. There was no bowstring, no visible tension system. An arrow was already loaded in the chamber, and a smooth mechanism lined her arm with replacement bolts that fed in automatically from a box stashed inside her hoodie.
It gleamed like brushed steel.
IAM's jaw dropped. "That's sick."
Jasmine smirked faintly, her eyes flicking to him in acknowledgment, but she said nothing.
Mia nodded. "Both of you need to improve your handling. I'll be teaching the others how to function in their assigned team roles. After two hours, return here for coordinated drills. Get ready—none of you will be sleeping early for a while."
Leovico stepped forward, arm stretched out to wrap around IAM's shoulder—though he couldn't quite reach due to the height difference, which he remedied by slapping IAM's back instead.
He leaned in, voice low. "Bro... that's my ball. Do me a solid. Don't be taking shots. And maybe put in a good word for me? Can I count on you?"
IAM grinned and clasped his hand. "Anything for a fellow brother."
They shared a brief, solemn nod—like two war veterans forming a secret pact on the battlefield.
As they made their way back to the others, Jasmine raised a brow. "What were you two whispering about?"
"Don't worry about it, Jas," Leovico said casually.
"Jas?" she repeated.
He shot her a roguish smile. "Yeah. Nickname. You cool with that?"
She paused. Her expression didn't change much, but her eyes flicked downward, and her lips pressed together. she was caught off guard.
For a half-second, she averted her gaze. When she looked up again, her face was composed. "...That's fine."
Leovico held her gaze for just a moment longer, his smile softening. Then he turned away, hands behind his head, humming to himself.