BAB3 -Chapter 29

# Chapter 29: Through the Wall

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Bev threw her arms around Xay in a tight hug. “Thank you. That was so satisfying to watch,” she laughed, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

Before Dante could be dragged off, Bev made sure to land one last kick.

Xay shrugged. “Yeah, no problem. Without his hold and mental attacks, he was nothing.”

Peanut snorted. “Yeah, bro. Only you can shrug off the most debilitating techniques from the strongest guy in the academy and call him ‘nothing.’”

“I liked it,” Ezra blurted out, then immediately slapped a hand over her mouth, her hazel eyes wide and cheeks flushed.

The other ladies laughed around Ezra.

“I think he’s officially the strongest guy in the academy now,” Winnie said casually.

“That was almost as fun to watch as putting my foot in Jasper’s chest,” Lexi added with a smirk.

Xay chuckled, slipping an arm around her and pulling her closer. “Jasper never stood a chance against the unrestrained fury of.. Pretty Loud.”

Lexi scoffed and tried to push him away, but he held firm, kissing her on the cheek as she frowned and tried hard not to smile.

“You were incredible,” he said honestly. “Crane Lexi is a real force to be reckoned with.”

“Damn straight,” she replied, her chin lifting high with pride.

By then, the crowd had begun to disperse, with the instructors leaving alongside them.

Rox shot Xay a thumbs up, and Shifu Wu gave him a proud grin.

Xay could’ve sworn he saw the shadow of a smile on Vice Headmistress Blake’s lips before she ordered someone to fix the platform and turned back toward the tower.

“I was unaware of their actions,” Vi said, turning to Peanut and the others. “But I’m glad you’re all okay—and that you got your revenge.”

Xay narrowed his eyes. “That’s it? You don’t care that your boyfriend just got beaten up?”

Vi’s dark red painted lips curled into her signature saucy smirk. “Oh no, not at all. I’ll actually be stepping back from Dante and the S4 very soon. Just one last thing to wrap up here, then I’m heading home.”

“All the way back to the Kingdom of Illantari?” Kimi asked. “With the Infinity Group?”

“Indeed,” Vi replied smoothly. “Anywho, I’ll let you all get back to your celebrations. Until next time.”

Her eyes lingered on Xay a moment longer than the rest before she turned and walked off.

The group brushed it off and continued chatting among themselves.

Now that Peanut was feeling much better, he recounted their dungeon dive with an unmistakable Peanut-level of enthusiasm.

“—and with my Big Bruiser Juice, I was huge. Like three times as big as—bro, did you grow? What the hell?”

“Big Bruiser Juice?” Xay repeated, half-chuckling, half-cringing.

Bev burst out laughting. “I told him it’s a terrible name.”

“Slander and lies!” Peanut declared. “It’s an awesome name for an awesome juice! You just had to be there.”

“I was!” Bev shot back.

Peanut also handed over the pills he’d crafted from the alchemical ingredients they’d left with him before heading to the mountains.

In total, there were seven A-Rank Mana and Restoration Pills, along with twenty-eight B-Rank pills of the same type.

Xay gave one of each A-Rank pill to Lexi, Kimi, Tyra, and Ezra, saving the remaining three for himself, Rox, and Shifu Wu.

He did the same with the B-Rank pills, dividing them into sets of three.

There were also a few buffing elixirs—Strengthen, Haste, and Fortify among them.

At Xay’s request, Peanut had used the remaining ingredients to craft Conduit Enhancement Elixirs for himself, Bev, Juniper, and Winnie.

Two were left over, which Xay planned to give to the twins the next time he saw them.

“That was quite the unpleasant process,” Ezra said while they were discussing it. “The benefits were great, but I would not want to go through it again.”

Like Xay, Lexi, Kimi, and Tyra, Ezra had undergone both conduit enhancement and crystallization.

Thanks to her family’s ties to the Lapis Group and their medical expertise, she’d been granted access to the proper elixirs.

Hers hadn’t been exactly the same as Xay’s team’s, however.

Just as pills of the same type and rank could be crafted from different ingredients, so could elixirs, resulting in slight variations in efficacy and potency.

As their group reached the GastroHub, Xay pulled Peanut aside for a private word.

“So, how are you really feeling?” he asked.

Peanut puffed out his chest and flexed his biceps. “Right as rain,” he grinned. “Back to a hundred percent.”

Xay raised a brow but said nothing.

After a moment, Peanut deflated. “It hurt like a bitch, bro. That first day after waking up was horrible.” He clenched his fist. “And the worst part was knowing I couldn’t do anything to stop what happened.”

Xay nodded, letting him get it all off his chest.

“I was supposed to be the leader, you know,” Peanut sighed. “And when my team needed me—when Bev needed me—I folded.”

Xay placed a hand on his shoulder. “Use it,” he said bluntly. “That pain, that anger, that need to protect—use it to grow stronger.”

Peanut met his gaze, his expression shifting from defeat to something harder.

“I felt the same thing months ago,” Xay said. “My whole team did. It was like running headfirst into a brick wall. Doing everything you can and still losing.”

Xay exhaled, his eyes lifting toward the ceiling. “That’s why today mattered so much. More than just getting payback for you all—today was us hitting that wall again, but this time smashing straight through.”

When he looked back down, Peanut was nearly vibrating where he stood. He took a deep breath and nodded quickly. “We just got a wall to smash through, huh? I like it.”

“Just keep ramming until it shatters around you,” Xay said with a grin.

Peanut nodded faster now, bouncing on his feet. “Big Bruiser’s gonna eat some bricks!”

Xay laughed, throwing an arm around his shoulder as they walked into the GastroHub.

“Oh, one more thing,” Peanut said, his tone suddenly turning serious. “We didn’t tell Dante your exact location since none of us actually knew. But.. one of us might’ve mentioned mountains.”

Xay grimaced for just a second before pushing past it. “It’s fine. They’ve got more protection than just being hidden.”

Still, he sent a warning, just in case.

There were only a few minutes left of the lunch hour, and soon it would be time for their individual coaching sessions.

Before that, however, Xay stopped Vice Headmistress Blake and asked if Peanut, Bev, Juniper, and Winnie could join in on their sessions.

She regarded him for a long moment, her expression unreadable.

“What you’re requesting is a privilege afforded only to the best and brightest,” she said at last. “While Winifred Albright and Juniper Marlow have fared better than most, Beverly Bishop is middling at best, and Ivan Franklin is a single step away from probation.”

Xay frowned. “Maybe they just haven’t had the right motivation,” he shot back, more heated than he meant. “Besides, the academy owes them. You let them get assaulted by those two idiots during a break. Peanut was in a coma for three whole days!”

<<yeah>> Dragon echoed Xay’s sentiment from beside him.</yeah>

“Are you quite done, Mr. X?” Vice Headmistress Blake asked, her sharp eyes dousing his outburst like ice water.

Xay let out a long, tired sigh. “They want to be stronger. They just need more resources. If the academy can’t help because of dumb rules or whatever, then I’m asking you directly. Please.”

She studied him in silence for a long moment before finally relenting. “I am willing to assist the Caster Sphere’s Juniper Marlow and Beverly Bishop with their abilities.”

Xay’s face lit up. “Than—”

She raised a finger, cutting him off. “It will be outside their regular classes, but still during the school day. In addition, both will need to raise their placements to at least the top ten of their respective years within a month.”

Xay nodded, already making mental notes.

“As for Winifred Albright, I suggest you ask Instructor Grant. For Ivan Franklin, speak with Dr. Saeed,” she added. “If they agree, the same rules and stipulations will apply. That is all I can offer.”

“Thank you!” Xay shouted, throwing his arms around the older woman in a tight hug.

Belladonna Blake was taken aback, for the first time in a long while. But she didn’t immediately push Xay away.

After a moment, he let go on his own. “I’ll go ask them now,” he said, excitedly. “Thanks again.”

As she watched him, his butterfly dragon creature, and the two floating orbs rush off, she caught sight of Roxana approaching from down the hall, a stunned grin spreading across her face.

Composing herself, Belladonna turned on her heels and entered the simulation room like the placid professional that she was.

Rox laughed and hurried after her. She needed to ask her mom something, but more importantly, she’d seen that slight smile.

There was no way Rox was letting her pretend it hadn’t happened.

Xay found Instructor Grant and Dr. Saeed prepping for Lexi and Tyra’s coaching sessions.

He explained the situation with Peanut and Winnie, and both instructors agreed without much hesitation.

Feeling somewhat accomplished for the day, Xay finally made his way to meet Shifu Wu and apologize for being late.

To his surprise, he found Rox already in the simulation room with her.

“Hey, Sunshine,” she said as he approached with a questioning look. “I’m officially training in here with you two now. Can’t let you get too close to my level, after all.”

Xay snorted. “I accept the challenge.”

“Try not to fall too far behind, Sunshine,” she teased.

Shifu Wu nodded. “At this stage of your training, you should begin integrating the concepts my grandfather taught you while working toward developing your own martial style.”

“My own style?” Xay asked, clarifying.

“Of course,” she said. “The stances and forms you’ve learned are excellent mountains to stand atop—but to ascend higher, you must craft a style that’s uniquely yours.”

Shifu Wu and Rox began practicing World Tortoise Style, their movements slow and deliberate, while Dragon trained her *Omni Flame* in the distance, multiple types of flame flickering colorfully.

Shifu Wu had left him mostly to his own devices, but remained nearby if he needed any advice or answers.

Xay eased into a moving *Dao Meditation*, cycling through the many styles he’d studied so far.

Creating his own style would take effort, reflection, and deep self-discovery, but he was excited for what he could one day make.

It was pretty clear from the start that it would take a while, though.

***

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Dinner had been far less eventful, but Xay still drew plenty of looks and whispers.

Most of the gossip centered around Gideon and Dante, both noticeably absent from the GastroHub.

Even though the F4 had publicly defeated most of the S4, their placements didn’t actually change thanks to the year gap.

The only thing Dante really lost was his pride, which probably stung more than anything else.

He’d been the biggest and the best for his entire time at Cosmos Academy. His connection to the Diamond Group had even softened his punishments, thanks to politics.

So this was probably one of the only failures he had ever experienced.

But what struck Xay most was just how weak and unsophisticated Dante’s grasp of psychic force truly was.

He had elite training and he was strong, but Sasha and Sophia’s connection to psychic force had more depth and it was far more creative.

Even before Xay’s enlightenment in isolation, he’d been able to summon more raw power than Dante had.

He didn’t have a way to prove it, but Xay wondered if his original excuse about his Bloodline helping actually had some merit.

That, along with his Acuity meant that Xay could’ve beaten Dante without moving, but he found it far more satisfying to punch him in the face—several times.

Dante had simply been relying on others not having the tools to counter psionics.

The mechanics were a closely guarded secret of the Diamond Group, but their existence wasn’t. The Awakened System could classify and identify them, after all.

Xay was certain the larger groups and sects would have developed countermeasures to such simplistic psionic techniques.

If not for their group specifically, then at the very least for monsters.

Dante had been destined to fail anyway.

Gideon had never really registered on Xay’s radar, so he didn’t care what happened to him, but he doubted the guy would even fall on the first-year list.

Xay meant what he’d said. He really didn’t understand why Gideon was so obsessed with him.

During their fight Xay noticed that he’d reached his second awakening, but it felt more hollow than Xay, his team, or even Dante for that matter.

It was as if he hadn’t pushed for depth and understanding of his abilities, only speed.

It was a bit sad in that regard.

Still, taking down a bully and an obnoxious weirdo on the same day felt pretty good. Almost as good as the day Xay beat Anton, and this time, he didn’t even have to suffer stat fatigue afterward.

After dinner, Xay, Lexi, Kimi, Tyra, Dragon, and Willow had new armor to try on.

Most of the upgrades were iterative improvements, incorporating the impressive metals and hardened chitons they’d collected from their dungeon loot.

Their polycarbonate plating got a serious durability boost.

Reinforced steel lattices were tightly fused with the graphene filaments, making the shells denser but still flexible.

The metal alloys incorporated several elemental affinity-attuned, mana-rich ores—kyanite, scarlite, chrysoberyl, and zirconite the most prevalent.

Each grew stronger in the presence of specific elemental energies.

Scarlite, for example, offered greatly increased protection when saturated in flame. Kyanite did the same for frost, and chrysoberyl for lightning and water.

Zirconite, on the other hand, became stronger the more elements it came into contact with.

It had only been added to Xay’s armor because of his Sphere Skill, but now he could get even more durability out of it thanks to *Psi Element*.

The only real drawback was the added weight, but with their well-conditioned stats, it felt like wearing nothing at all.

The armor also gained minor warding to help repel magical damage. It appeared as mana-infused lines of chiton running through the plating.

The enhancement was more than just cosmetic, but Xay couldn’t deny how much he liked the subtle, pulsing white glow of his new armor.

He no longer had three separate sets either—just one, now capable of shifting color like his A1-X.

Kimi’s warding lines glowed red, Lexi’s blue, and Tyra’s teal—each attuned to the color of their aura.

Dragon didn’t really need armor anymore, but she did get a saddle. Technically, it was more of a sleek, all-black platform that Xay could strap to her back to help carry others when needed.

Xay had no problem standing on her back—or even her head—when she grew long and flew at full speed.

The saddle platform was stored inside a multifaceted crystal adornment designed for Dragon’s horn, one that automatically resized with her body.

<<pretty>> Dragon had asked, preening as Xay slid it into place.</pretty>

“Beautiful,” he laughed, scratching under her chin.

While Xay was within range, the adornment also expanded his dimensional storage array, granting him even more total space.

Willow actually received the most upgrades. Her original owl armor was enhanced, she gained a secondary set modeled after Tyra’s new set, and she received a resizing circlet.

The circlet was a thin, milky-white crown with a single teal gem set in the center.

It functioned as a dimensional storage device that added to Tyra’s array, and allowed Willow to auto-equip and instantly swap between armor sets depending on her form.

And the fact that it was a crown did not escape Willow’s notice.

<<how apt="">> she said, as if she’d worn crowns her entire life. <<though at="" be="" butterfly="" jewels="" larger="" least="" rat="" royal="" should="" than="" the="" very="">></though></how>

That comment had kicked off a whole thing—Dragon immediately began taunting Willow about the size of her crystal adornment.

That night, everyone learned that Dragon could localize the effects of her Adaptive Size technique to individual body parts—including Dragon herself.

It was pretty funny to see a five-foot dragon head attached to a one-foot body, if only a little terrifying.

Rox had placed her own order for Quantium armor, but it only included plating for her signature red combat jacket and padding for her tights, gloves, and boots.

Xay had to respect her for staying true to her style. Plus, she always looked damn good in it.

Not wanting to miss out on matching again, Ezra placed an order herself.

Xay gave the okay to use any leftover metals or materials from their stash for her set. He was curious to see what Quantium could do with caster robes.

While he was at it, he also had armor ordered for Peanut, Bev, Juniper, Winnie, Sasha, and Sophia.

After all, what was the point of being a brand ambassador if you weren’t going to use the perks?