The Extra's Rise

Days blended together in Liam's training facility as we pushed ourselves beyond what we'd thought possible. The knowledge inheritance from the platforms was unlike anything I'd ever experienced—absorbing decades of refined technique and understanding in hours of intensive practice.

My space manipulation had improved dramatically from what it had been before. Where I'd once created functional but crude spatial tears, I now learned Liam's methods for finding natural weak points in dimensional barriers and working with them instead of forcing my way through.

"The efficiency difference is incredible," I said, creating a stable portal between two points in the chamber that used half the energy my previous methods required. "Same result, much cleaner execution."

The techniques Liam had developed were refinements of abilities I already possessed, but his two centuries of experience showed me applications I'd never considered. Instead of just teleporting or creating spatial storage, I could now fold space in complex patterns that allowed for tactical advantages I'd never imagined.

Time manipulation was where I saw the most improvement. My previous attempts had been functional but limited—basic acceleration and deceleration effects that were useful but not particularly sophisticated. Liam's methods showed me how to create temporal bubbles with precise control over the rate differentials.

"Watch this," I said, creating a zone where time moved at exactly half speed while maintaining perfect stability at the boundaries. "No energy bleeding, no temporal distortions. Just clean, controlled time manipulation."

The key was treating temporal fields like any other magical construct—something that required precision and understanding rather than brute force. Liam's memories showed me how to weave time effects that were stable, sustainable, and didn't create the headaches that had plagued my earlier attempts.

Gravity magic saw similar improvements. I'd always been decent with gravitational effects, but Liam's techniques showed me applications that went far beyond simple attraction and repulsion. Gravity could be shaped, layered, and used to create zones of perfect balance where other magical effects operated more efficiently.

"This is incredible," I said as I practiced one of Liam's advanced techniques that layered multiple gravitational fields in complex interference patterns. "He could create gravity wells that pulled opponents into the exact trajectory needed for follow-up attacks, while simultaneously using counter-rotating fields to destabilize their defensive positioning."

The combination of improved space, time, and gravity magic with my existing Grey energy created possibilities I was only beginning to explore. Grey energy's unique properties for existing between opposing states worked incredibly well with Liam's refined techniques for manipulating fundamental forces.

"Arthur," Seraphina called from her own training platform, "how much improvement are you actually seeing?"

"Significant," I replied honestly. "Not learning new abilities, just getting much better at using the ones I already have. What about you?"

Seraphina had been focusing on her ice magic, working with knowledge from the platforms that showed her applications she'd never considered. Her Ice Crystal Jade Body was responding to the training in ways that suggested she was approaching some kind of breakthrough.

"My control has improved dramatically," she said, creating ice formations that held complex internal structures. "But more than that, I'm starting to understand what ice magic actually represents."

She demonstrated by creating a crystalline matrix that could store and redirect magical energy with perfect efficiency. The ice wasn't just frozen water—it was a medium for imposing order and structure on chaotic magical forces.

"Ice is about preservation and organization," she continued, her eyes bright with new understanding. "Every crystal formation is a way of taking random molecular motion and organizing it into perfect patterns."

The implications were fascinating. Where my improvements focused on refining techniques I already knew, Seraphina was discovering entirely new ways to think about her elemental affinity. Her ice magic was evolving beyond simple temperature control into something approaching structural manipulation.

"I can feel my Ice Crystal Jade Body changing," she said, frost patterns spreading across her skin in response to her heightened emotional state. "Like it's preparing for something more significant than just enhanced ice magic."

I watched her work through increasingly complex ice formations, noting how her power signature was fluctuating in ways that reminded me of advancement preparation. The training platforms seemed to be guiding her toward some kind of breakthrough that would fundamentally change her capabilities.

"Breakthrough preparation?" I asked, recognizing the signs from my own experience with rank advancement.

"I think so," she replied with growing excitement. "Everything I'm learning here feels like it's building toward something. Like all these new techniques are just the foundation for a much larger change."

The platform beneath her feet was responding to her increased power output with enhanced training scenarios. Instead of just providing knowledge, it was beginning to challenge her with practical applications that pushed her developing abilities to their limits.

"The facility recognizes when someone is ready for advancement," I observed, noting how the chamber's ambient energy was shifting to support her development. "It's preparing specialized training for your breakthrough attempt."

"Good," she said with determination. "I can feel my potential straining against current limitations. Whatever change is coming, I'm ready for it."

While Seraphina worked toward her breakthrough, Ren had been focusing on his own development path. His training concentrated on integrating the God's Eyes bloodline ability with Liam's fist fighting techniques and space-time magic.

"The God's Eyes are responding to the training," he called from across the chamber, his violet-tinged gaze analyzing magical phenomena with increasing clarity. "I can perceive details about magical structures that I never noticed before."

His white hair seemed to glow slightly as he activated his bloodline ability, the distinctive Kagu family Gift allowing him to analyze and understand magical effects with supernatural precision. Combined with the space-time magic techniques he was learning from Liam's inheritance, it was creating a combat style that would be incredibly effective against magical opponents.

"Show me," I said, curious to see how his capabilities were developing.

Ren moved through a complex combat form that seamlessly integrated enhanced perception with spatial magic. His God's Eyes tracked multiple magical effects simultaneously while his fists manipulated space to strike from unexpected angles. Time dilation around his movements made him appear to accelerate and decelerate unpredictably.

"Impressive," Seraphina said with genuine admiration. "You're developing a fighting style that would be nearly impossible to counter without similar capabilities."

"That's the idea," Ren replied with satisfaction. "Liam's techniques were designed to give the Kagu family advantages that couldn't be replicated by other bloodlines."

The combination of his inherited God's Eyes, learned space-time magic, and improving physical capabilities was creating something that reminded me of Liam's own combat effectiveness. Not identical—Ren was developing his own style—but clearly influenced by the same principles that had made the First Hero so formidable.

"I think I'm approaching my own breakthrough point," he said after completing his training routine. "The bloodline awakening combined with everything I'm learning here—it feels like my body is preparing for significant advancement."

Both of my companions were showing signs of impending rank advancement, while my own improvements focused on refining abilities I already possessed. It was exactly what this facility had been designed for—preparing individuals to face threats that required capabilities beyond normal human limitations.

"We should coordinate our advancement attempts," I suggested, noting how the training platforms were beginning to reconfigure themselves for breakthrough support. "If both of you are going to attempt Radiant-rank breakthroughs, having backup available could be important."

"Agreed," Seraphina said with practical concern. "Rank advancement always carries risks, especially when attempting to jump from Immortal to Radiant level."

"Then let's make sure we're as prepared as possible," Ren added with characteristic determination. "Liam didn't preserve all this knowledge just for us to waste the opportunity through poor planning."

The next phase of our training was about to begin, and with it, the chance for my companions to achieve the kind of power that would be necessary for facing the threats this facility had been designed to prepare us for.

The real test was approaching, and we were going to be ready for it.