Unchosen Champion

Coop had been so caught up in testing his strength on the bench, he’d neglected all of the other lifts he normally would have done with a proper routine. Naturally, he always paired chest day with tris and shoulders in the pre-mana times, but he’d have to chalk his first workout down as an exploration of the facilities. The residents’ training session was starting soon and he wanted to participate in that as well. Coop wouldn’t miss an opportunity where he could glean some new tricks for developing his own skills.

Emmanuel had only allotted himself a temporary break away from the medical center, in order to attend his own gym, and wasn’t attending the training session himself. Apparently, none of the weapon types had clicked with his build, so he was continuing to experiment with non-standard types. Emmanuel went to the coffee shop to bring something for Madison as he left the gym.

The Cleary brothers hadn’t accomplished anything at all when it came to their workouts, since they ended up turning into Coop’s hype men, but all three planned on getting back to it while the other residents trained in the yard. They also had classes that eschewed weapons in favor of using their metal fists to transmit their abilities directly into their targets. Weapons would be a detriment to them, but that made Coop wonder about Camila’s participation. The Interceptor’s reliance on perfect counters meant weapons would get in the way of her skills as far as he could tell.

He said goodbye to the brothers, leaving them to return to the squat racks for their leg day. Emmanuel had already set the weights for their squat session, so they were good to go.

Coop hadn’t set a workout plan to mess up just yet, but he’d definitely be back, even if it wasn't to push for records. There was still a possibility that they would be able to gain levels from exercising, like the phantoms, but it would take some dedication to find out. Coop was slowly filling his days with a consistent routine, so of course hitting the gym would be included. Ghost Reef was finally graduating from body weight exercises and if nothing else, Coop was always trying to take every advantage Ghost Reef offered.

Even without the additional potential of levels granted from working out, Coop was slowly becoming a pre-mana activity aficionado. Between sleeping, eating, even showering, he imagined that after a few years of daily life inundated with mana, people would call him old school.

Coop jogged to catch up with the rest of the residents that were entering the training yard. In total, there were around 30 people attending. Considering there were only around 100 non-phantom residents in total, and half of them were either seniors, children, or otherwise engaged with responsibilities, it seemed like a good turn out. Coop noted that at least 10 of them were in fact old neighbors of Charlie that had been power leveled right before the siege event. Edith, the Dreadnought, was in attendance even though her grandson was not. Jonah was probably among those busy working and as a caster, may not have felt much urgency in weapon training. Ledwidge would surely have other lessons prepared for different archetypes.

It would be a good time to touch base with Ledwidge again. Coop had been relying on his Haunted title and constant repetition to develop combat techniques, but he could also consult with the local expert and see what he had to say.

Inside the training yard, the residents queued up to select a weapon from a wide display that awaited them. Coop estimated about 100 different individual types lined up in organized rows that were categorized by general archetypes. Similar to Retribution’s ethereal summons, they all appeared to be ancient or medieval, though these were slightly alien interpretations of familiar weapons. Coop was still able to recognize them all, from swords and greatswords, axes large and small, maces of all sorts, daggers, and polearms. The main thing they all had in common was that they were made of the same living wood as Ledwidge’s bo staff, even the blades.

The residents fanned out after they claimed their weapons. They tested the weights and balance before the treant trainer directed them to the sides of the yard. The classic training dummies, that looked to also be made from the same wood, but decorated with straw padding, waited for the residents.

Coop was surprised when the first resident took a swing with a heavy practice greatsword and the dummy shifted position in order to avoid the blow, then raised a thick wooden trunk for an arm to block a follow up attack. The dummies actively participated in the training. The resident stepped back after his attack was deflected and nodded as if he had just come to some sort of understanding, then reset his footing slightly to try again.

Coop didn’t see any weapons that immediately called for his attention, so he watched as the residents finished making their own choices or prepared to engage with the dummies. Charlie had selected a tall staff that was a head taller than she was, but Camila had simply gone to one of the practice dummies unarmed. Once Camila was near her selection, she entered its attack range and started dodging as it tried to strike her. Camila’s exercise was reminiscent of those found in a boxing gym, except the equipment itself was behaving like her trainer.