The three of them, after so much time, had finally broken through to the third stage. They had done so in less than a month, and it was something that they should have been proud of.
Before coming to the academy, they would have been over the moon to have just stayed as Blue Headbands and then progressed maybe to the second stage before leaving the academy. Going on with their cultivation journey from there. Yet, now they were at the third stage, and it was only the second assessment that the academy was going through.
Of course, things had taken some drastic turns that not even they thought would happen. However, despite this achievement, all three of them felt defeated and down because they were now unable to even get a single hit on the statue.
"Man, what is going on with that thing?" Liam said as he looked at his broken arm. Safa was currently busy using her Light magic, trying to heal it. Larger wounds would take more restores, but she also noticed that if she took her time to gather more Light magic, then used the spell restore, it would have a greater effect.
She was also busy healing up Simyon as well. The three of them were taking a break from their training at the moment.
"Yeah, it somehow has gotten significantly stronger. Is there no way you can have it take it easy on us?" Simyon asked.
"Hey, you were the one that told us not to do that," Safa argued back. "In order for us to get stronger, we have to fight like our lives are on the line."
"Yeah, but not our literal lives," Simyon said, holding his stomach.
There was something else that was getting to all of them now, and that was the hunger. They were faring better than the others, but now it felt like they were close to their limit. Even while fighting, it was hard for them to focus, and they were deciding whether or not they should stop training just so they could preserve the rest of their strength. Especially when they didn't know when the others would attack or not.
In the middle of their thoughts, they soon saw a large shadow by the doorway.
"Do you mind healing up one more?" Dame said as he placed Ricktor down by the side of Safa next to the other boys. He was beaten black and blue, his clothes covered in blood, and had completely passed out, but he wasn't the only one that had been hit.
Dame had a couple of grazes on his cheeks. He didn't look to have any severe wounds, but he had been hurt.
"For some reason, I kinda like seeing him hurt like that," Liam commented.
"The one thing the guy has is tenacity, that's for sure," Dame said. "He wouldn't stop coming at me, even when he was beyond injured, and eventually, he passed out. How is the training with you guys going?"
The three went on to speak about their experience with the statue, and for Dame, it had only confirmed his thoughts more. That the statues were linked to the main disciples. It was something that he would need to talk to Raze about a bit more because maybe they could use this to their advantage.
The statue might now be even stronger than Dame, so it was no wonder the three were unable to do something, but if they could grow it a step further, then it was possible it could be another handy tool in the fight against the Pagna academy.
While the group was resting away and Safa was doing her healing, they had noticed one thing, and that was two students walking down the hallway. No one so far had headed to the seclusion rooms, especially when they knew that their attackers were by the side of them in the Dark Space.
However, it wasn't just any two students, but it was the main disciples.
"I guess they've decided to use this place as training now as well," Liam commented, his arm feeling a lot better. "Now that they know we're still alive. They're very brave after others take the lead."
"Yes, and that other was Dame," Simyon commented, making him remember that it wasn't them, and they probably would be staying in the training area if it wasn't for Dame.
A short while later, and the main disciples were seen walking back into the main area. It was perhaps around thirty minutes or so that they had spent.
"Maybe they got cold feet," Liam commented, shrugging his shoulders. Their actions were strange, and they wondered if they walked past just trying to see if they were the ones in the seclusion room.
A few groans were starting to be heard from the corner of the room, and slowly Ricktor was starting to open his eyes again.
"I… passed out," Ricktor said.
"That you did indeed," Dame replied. "You are a tough one for a main disciple. I thought all of you guys were pampered by your clans, so a few hits here and there and you go running back."
Ricktor let out a single loud laughter. "Do you really think that's what a main disciple is like? If anything, I would have said the life of a main disciple is harder than that of just an ordinary one."
"Are you kidding me?" Liam said. "You guys get to eat what you want, have the best facilities, and even have teachers to teach you martial arts from the day you can walk. You think that's better than our lives where some days we have to hunt for our own food or worry about someone if they get sick or a beast ripping your eye out because your clan's not strong enough to protect you!" Liam pointed at his own eye.
"You guys won't understand," Ricktor commented.
But Dame did know what Ricktor was talking about. Although it sounded pleasant to others, a main disciple's life was much harder. There was more pressure from inside and outside, and even from a young age, there were those that either wanted you dead or expected you to be great from your first words.
As a main disciple, your life wasn't your own; it's never your own. And you were expected to follow the clan's rules and everything to do with it from the get-go.
"Let's just all agree to disagree; we won't know each other's lives unless we live it ourselves, right?" Dame asked.
"I was wondering, though, what about Raze's life, Safa? How was his life?"
When asking this question, though, Safa didn't know how to answer. She knew how hard her life with her real brother was, but what about Raze? What had he been through? He hadn't really said much, but judging from the way he reacted or the things he said... it had to be difficult.
He lived a full life before coming here, yet why did he still have so much baggage with him? What could drive someone to have that type of emotion and never forget about it?
Before Safa could answer, though, Dame's ears tingled, and he immediately stood up. The sound of heavy breathing was being heard, and the shuffling of feet. It was faint, their footsteps quiet, but Dame knew.
"Everyone, head to the training area; they're attacking again!"
