Chapter 47: The Intrepid Ayra Sand!
The training field on Platform Alpha, usually a place of structured drills and nervous energy, was now crackling with an entirely different kind of tension.
A crowd of recruits had formed a wide, wary circle, their eyes glued to the two figures in the center.
Daniel, the SSS-Talent anomaly who had rewritten the Academy’s record books, stood looking remarkably calm, though a faint sheen of sweat still clung to his brow, a remnant of the bathroom that was transformed into a sauna and then a warzone.
Opposite him stood Ayra Sand, her hastily worn grey training tunic and pants doing little to conceal the furious power thrumming beneath.
"No more dodging like a frightened rabbit," Ayra declared, her voice low and resonating with a dangerous undercurrent.
She took a deep, deliberate breath. This wasn’t just anger; this was her S-Grade [Primal Fury Berserker] talent stirring, eager for release.
Daniel sighed internally. He’d really just wanted a nice, relaxing, power-boosting herb bath.
Now he was about to engage in a "proper duel" with an S-Grade close-combat prodigy who he had, admittedly, startled mid-shower.
His social skills clearly needed an SSS-Grade upgrade of their own.
"Look, Ayra, can we just call this a misunderstanding?"
Daniel made one final attempt, raising his hands, the A-Grade Phantom Edge Striking Wraps appearing deceptively harmless.