Path to Transcendence

"You\'re looking for rewards?" Julius asked.

"Of course. I heard that some of the top performers of the year get special potions or items that help with advancement, and even Concept enlightenment," Polux said with a nod.

"I guess I don\'t really care that much for the rewards. If I am having trouble with something whether that is a skill or a Concept, I will just have to work harder," Julius said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Polux gave him the most clearly skeptical look. "Work harder? You should tell every person who isn\'t born a genius to do that. I bet they will try to choke the life out of you if they heard you say that."

"I\'m not a genius," Julius said with a shake of his head.

"Really? You\'re not? Somehow I doubt that," Polux said with a sarcastic chuckle.

"Seriously. My highest affinity is high and I wasn\'t born with a bloodline or anything," Julius told him with a shrug of his shoulders.

"You know that affinities and bloodlines aren\'t everything you know? My great uncle was born with an average earth affinity but ended up being one the most powerful members of my tribe. So just because you don\'t have a perfect affinity doesn\'t mean you aren\'t supremely talented in your own right. Otherwise, there is no way you are stronger than me," Polux said confidently.

Only an average affinitty? I gotta admit, that is very impressive. I wonder how much fighting his great-uncle had to do to get to that point.

Julius shook his head at Polux. "You still don\'t know for sure if I am stronger. You are really good yourself. I think you\'re underestimating your abilities."

"I\'m not. I know I am good. But my instincts tell me you are better," Polux said with a frown. "Don\'t make me keep saying it."

Julius could see that he was starting to frustrate Polux a little bit. So instead of arguing anymore he just nodded his head.

However, that answer didn\'t satisfy Polux and the beastkin boy gave Julius a deliberate stare. "Okay. If that\'s how it is then let\'s have a fight. I\'ve wanted to fight you for months but have not had the chance. This would be a perfect opportunity."

He wants a fight? Right here? I don\'t really want to do that and I don\'t see a reason for it.

Julius didn\'t say anything but gave Polux a pointed look and then at the others who were still trying out new things. "I\'m good. I don\'t want to fight."

Polux gave him a smug grin in return as if he had been expecting that answer. "That\'s fine. But I guess that means I will just have to tell the others about this. We are a team after all and I don\'t think teammates should keep secrets from one another."

Julius wore an offended expression. Oh, this motherfucker. That\'s playing dirty, only I can do that.

"So what? Blackmail? Is that what you are resorting to?" Julius asked with a pout.

Polux gave him a nonchalant shrug and a much too-happy grin. "It\'s up to you."

Julius shook his in disbelief. He had been outplayed. "Fair enough. We\'ll fight. But not now."

A bright smile displayed itself on Polux\'s face. "Okay. We can do it after the others leave for the night. That should be fine with you, right? I have seen you often training here late at night."

Julius just gave him a firm nod in response. But that nod was all Polux seemed to need.

***

Polux POV

He had finally done it. He had finally mustered up the courage to confront Julius. His sister would be proud of him. She always told him that he was too cowardly. Hah, this would show her.

Still, he was nervous. He didn\'t really believe that Julius would accept his offer to fight. However, from Julius\'s perspective, he didn\'t really have a choice. So perhaps it was less accepted and more forced into a fight.

It was important to note that Polux wasn\'t actually going to tell the others if Julius hadn\'t accepted, but his bluff worked so he didn\'t really care.

For the entire time he had been at Goldencrest, Julius had been a person he wanted to fight. His wolfkin instincts were telling him that this was a strong opponent. He didn\'t let Julius\'s act fool him like the rest of the class. His nose and aura senses were too good for that. Those were the only things his sister agreed he had a talent for. In her opinion, the only things but he disagreed on that.

He would have to do something for Joshua later on. He had been the person who had gathered the team together in the first place and the main reason why he got this opportunity.

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Everyone else from the team had left for the night. Now, it was just Julius and himself.

For some reason that made Polux very nervous. It was like standing in front of his aunt\'s Thunderous Raptor. The other boy wasn\'t doing much of anything, he was just calmly staring at Polux. But Polux felt the boy\'s aura drifting from him. It was heavy, like a thick blanket that covered his own senses.

There was something else alongside it too. It was something that Polux had noticed a little while ago. It was this profound untouchable power. It reminded him of a Concept. But that was very unlikely. Julius was only Tier 2, the only people he had heard of learning Concepts at Tier 2 were heirs to powerful families or generational talents. Even his parents had tried and failed to teach him a Concept.

Then again… Is this why I feel so uneasy in front of him?

He looked over at Julius who was now making his way toward the center of the training room with assured steps. Polux kept a tight lid over his own aura, he wouldn\'t let Julius know how nervous he was feeling. It would just give the other boy an advantage.

Polux followed Julius to the center where he was passed a simulated combat bracelet. He slowly put it on and activated it. He sensed the the enchantments activate in a flash.

Polux was constantly amazed by the device. He could only think of a small number of schools that had such unrestricted access to amazing items such as these. He was very glad he had come to Goldencrest even against the advice of his family.

If he had gone to the schools that many of his tribe went to, there was a good chance he would have been shoved into a crevice with a hungry Blood Bear stalking him down with no safety net except for hoping that a teacher helped him a time or a healer could heal him back to health.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Julius asked quietly.

Polux gave a firm nod. "I have been waiting a while for this."

Julius gave him an acknowledging nod and Polux watched as the small restrictions he felt from Julius\'s suppression bracelet went silent. The other first-year must have turned it off. "Okay. Whenever you are ready." He then loosened his limbs and calmly stood there, waiting for Polux to make the first move.

He is completely unbothered by this, he thought to himself.

Polux didn\'t let his anxiety build any further. He launched him off his feet with a burst of aura from his legs. He quickly appeared in front of Julius already sending a layered aura strike at the chest of the boy.

This was the same strike that took out a goblin leader with one hit. He was confident in its power.

However, he never was able to land the strike. Before he knew it, Julius had moved a foot to the side and avoided the punch.

Polux inwardly frowned. He had moved so fast, that I could barely keep up with it. I knew he had [Flash Step], but it has never been this fast before.

However, he didn\'t let the surprise distract him. He sent a blistering combination of strikes following after the boy. He was frustrated to see that not a single one hit their mark. Julius calmly stepped aside or parried each strike with precision.

It didn\'t even look like the boy was trying. He had completely calm eyes and looked unfazed.

And that annoyed him. He was one of his tribe\'s most talented and worked hard every day to take advantage of it, but a student his age was not only keeping up but not even putting in a lot of effort.

Finally, Julius seemed to have enough of playing defense and went on the offense for the first time in the fight. The first step caught Polux off guard. He had been so focused on being the aggressor of the fight that the change of pace put him immediately on the back foot.

Julius then went on to pressure Polux. It took everything he had to smack aside and avoid the incoming blows. However, what gave him the most trouble was how fast and powerful the other boy was. Each strike required complete focus for Polux.

Eventually, he wasn\'t able to keep up with the onslaught. He mistimed a block and then fell for the feint afterward. A leg kick barreled into his hip with a loud thunk. His aura-based defensive skill took the kick but he felt it use up a good amount of aura to nullify the damage.

Julius didn\'t continue with his attack either. He had backed off and gave Polux a chance to gather himself.

He still isn\'t taking me seriously, Polux griped.

Knowing he needed to show that he was to be taken seriously, he took a deep breath and started to use one of his best skills. [Aura Berserker] was one of his most powerful rare skills, it was especially useful for situations like this where he was outmatched.

The moment he activated it, his body was consumed with power. However, that also meant that the timer had already begun. He would have approximately five minutes until it would dissipate. But for a one-on-one like this, it was the perfect skill.

He saw that Julius noticed his skill\'s activation and he stood up a little straighter. Polux smiled, knowing that Julius had gotten more serious.

Still, there was no time to waste and so Polux went on the offense once again. His speed had practically doubled and now it didn\'t feel like there was a difference in speed or power. In fact, his physical abilities seemed to have surpassed Julius\'s now, that was how powerful his berserker skill was.

Unfortunately, this didn\'t mean Julius was done for. Polux was surprised when he still wasn\'t able to land a solid hit on the other boy. Each blow was parried and evaded just like before. Even the strikes that he thought had gotten through were blocked by some sort of invisible defensive barrier.

The barrier literally cut off all of his momentum and force behind his attacks. It was quite annoying to deal with. But that didn\'t mean he gave up. Nope, he kept on attacking. [Aura Berserker] gained more power the longer he attacked continuously.

Thankfully, his persistence paid off. He managed to smash Julius\'s arm to the side and gave himself a wide opening. An opening that he didn\'t let slip by him. His fist was bearing right toward Julius\'s chin covered in dense aura.

He got excited. He truly didn\'t think he had a chance against Julius, but it seemed that he was wrong. As long as he tried hard enough, anything was possible.

However, just as his fist was about to smash into Julius\'s face. Polux felt his fist hit something just before the flesh. It was a violet barrier made of alarmingly dense fire mana protecting Julius.

Polux\'s fist crashed into the pane of mana and it felt like punching a steel mountain. His fist cracked and the bracelet\'s enchantments activated, saving him from actually fracturing his fist.

Shit, how did I forget that he had another affinity? I got too caught up in the moment, he scolded himself.

Julius on the other hand was giving him a big smile. "Wow! That\'s an amazing skill! How does it enhance your strength by that much? You are definitely hitting beyond your tier," he complimented Polux.

However, the compliment didn\'t feel as good considering that the boy in question had blocked it with a single barrier.

Polux didn\'t answer but just gulped nervously and wiped his sweaty palms against his uniform. His berserker skill only had a couple minutes left and he had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn\'t be enough.