"…Are you serious right now?"
"Hey! I resent that. Why would I lie? Just trust me."
"We met less than a minute ago, you realize that, right?"
"When you put it that way…" The man shrugged. "Unfortunately, it's not like I can offer you proof or anything like that. You'll just have to take my word."
Rui raised an eyebrow. He obviously wasn't going to do that.
This man could easily be with one of those three scavengers that was pretending to be friends with Rui, before eventually feeding them misinformation. As implausible as it was.
He could also be someone that knew of his true identity and was simply trying to tease him.
However, it would explain things if that were true.
"Explain."
"There isn't much to explain really," The man shrugged. "The offensive one you just fought is actually a way to gauge your movements and how effective you are against power and offense-oriented Martial Art. The man who just challenged you is meant to serve as a measuring tape for how good your offense is. Then Guardian Croxet will spend some time formulating the basis for how to adapt to you and perfecting it before finally taking you down. In an official duel."
This… made a lot more sense.
Rui could do a lot with foreknowledge and preparation, and it stood to reason that someone with a similar Martial Art could do just as much.
"If you want, I can challenge him," Kane offered. "That way you can learn more."
"That's not necessary," Rui shook his head.
Rui did not want to subject Kane and drag him into it. It was a small mess that was limited to him. It could potentially be dangerous for Kane if he had to deal with it. Rui did not want to endanger Kane for his own matters once more.
"Why tell me this?" Rui asked out of curiosity.
"Oh… The man shrugged. "Honestly, those scumbags ought to be purged. And I'm inclined to believe that you could do it. A man with your proven capabilities, as well as a little guesswork on the part of my instincts, I'd say you are certainly capable of doing it."
"Is that so?" Rui raised an eyebrow. ('I could say the same for you too.')
Rui could tell that the man was quite strong and capable. After all, one did not just stumble into the ninth class of chamber guardians, he was most certainly highly competent.
"Anyway, I'll leave you to prepare for your next challenge, good luck," The man waved them goodbye as he left.
Rui appreciated the information unless he was completely making it up. However, he actually had very little to prepare for.
Instead, he simply returned to his chamber and began meditating in the center of the chamber. He was maximizing the benefits that he was getting from the special environment to the best degree possible.
By subjecting his body to greater pressure, his Martial body grew stronger and stronger as he continuously nourished it with increasingly dense air. The extra gravity and air pressure over time caused his body to improve on multiple levels. The force forced the tissue to adapt its structure to be able to withstand such levels of force without any detrimental effects while newly reproduced cells were better able to handle the weight that was being exerted on his body.
He could definitely feel the benefits of the environment of the floating Ajanta Island as he trained. Each breath he took nourished his body as highly enriched blood traveled from his lungs to all cells in the entire body, transferring copious amounts of oxygen. He could feel each breathing invigorating the entire body from the ground up.
He tried clearing his mind, focusing on his training, yet inevitably thoughts went back to what he had just learned about the three scavengers that had tried to bully him. Rui guessed that the man had witnessed Rui's fight, and although he did beat Squire Saiwal straightforwardly and directly, he must have felt that Rui was easier to handle and wasn't as much of a threat.
That along with the fact that Rui had gotten the nine hundred and first chamber meant that Rui turned into an attractive target for someone like those three scavengers.
However, what he was most consumed by was the fact that the leader of the three scavengers had a Martial Path that ran parallelly with his own Martial Path. He couldn't help but become curious as to what the man's Martial Art and combat approach looked like.
He already knew that the man relied on preparations to adapt at least mentally and strategically to Rui. That was clearly how he was approaching this battle. He was doing what Rui recognized was not good for his own progress.
He was a little dismayed that the first person he met with a Martial Path and Art that echoed his own was a scavenging bully. He was a man of poor character, furthermore, he seemed to only be willing to fight when he had certainty on his side.
('He's a coward,') Rui tutted disapprovingly.
That was why Rui was not as hyped as he would have been had the man been better, but alas, it was a shame. He wouldn't have minded talking to the man as they exchanged notes on their Martial Art and Martial Paths.
Rui was curious about the adaptive evolution that he went through versus his own. It appeared that the man stuck only with the spec configuration adaptation and even his adaptation was limited to how offensively he would fight versus how defensively fight.
That was why Rui was eager to fight the man and see for himself.
('An exchange of fists will surely surpass any exchange of words,') Rui narrowed his eyes. He would abstain from judging the man until he experienced his Martial Art. He hoped he liked what he saw because if he didn't, he himself wasn't even sure how he would react.
