Gerhman remained silent for a long moment after Electhra’s explanations. He digested every piece of information, his eyes fixed on the holographic map that still floated in the center of the room. The blue light cast reflections on his face and his hair. He finally uncrossed his legs and rose from the black leather armchair with a slow movement.

"I will need to register with the World Association of Awakened," he said in a calm but firm voice. "Without that, I will not be able to legally access the Towers or the resources I need. But first of all, I need to loosen up my limbs. This body is too stiff. I can still feel the friction between my will and this flesh. Show me a place where I can move and test my current limits."

Electhra tilted her head slightly, a discreet smile forming on her lips. She always appreciated when her master took things in hand with such clarity.

"Of course, master. The private training room I usually use is located in the basement of the Aegis Prime tower. It is equipped for high-ranking Awakened. No one will disturb us. Follow me."

She headed toward the door of the room. Gerhman followed her without another word. They crossed a long corridor with tinted glass walls that offered a clear view of the lower floors. The employees and guild members were going about their business, some wearing light combat outfits, others strict suits. They were all curious about the person accompanying the guild mistress but their rank did not allow such disrespect.

The elevator descended quickly to level -7. When the doors opened, a cooler air slightly charged with mana welcomed them. The corridor leading to the training room was wide, lined with numbered doors. Electhra stopped in front of the last door, placed her palm on a scanner and entered a short code. The door slid open with a discreet sound.

The room was vast, nearly one hundred square meters. The floor was covered with a matte black material that absorbed shocks. The walls were reinforced with special alloy plates capable of withstanding S-rank attacks. In the center was a large empty space for free combat. On the right side, several holographic training dummies waited in standby mode. On the left side, racks contained training weapons and weights adapted for Awakened. The lighting was white and uniform, without unnecessary shadows.

Electhra made a wide gesture with her hand.

"Here is the place where I come when I need to train alone or test new techniques. The security systems are at maximum. No recording will be kept without my authorization. You can use everything here."

Gerhman walked to the center of the room. He rolled his shoulders slowly, then turned his head from left to right. His joints emitted slight cracking sounds. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, his gray gaze was more focused.

"This body still responds poorly," he declared. "The strength is limited to ten points. Agility too. Only intelligence and senses remain correct. It’s ridiculous." he thought.

He took a step forward and struck the air with a simple punch. The movement was clean, but it was clear that power was lacking. The air barely shifted. Gerhman frowned.

"Even an ordinary human child could do better with a little training," he added with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Electhra stayed a few meters away, her arms crossed under her chest. She observed every gesture with attention.

"Would you like me to activate a level D dummy to start, master? Or would you prefer to work without a target first?"

Gerhman shook his head.

"Not yet. I want to feel the limits of this vessel first."

He started with simple movements. He bent his knees, did a few slow squats, then moved on to torso rotations. Each gesture was executed with precision, but it was clear that his muscles were not responding as he wished. After about ten minutes, he accelerated slightly. He chained punches into the void, then low kicks. Sweat began to bead on his forehead.

"The vitality is correct," he commented between two breaths. "I don’t get tired too quickly. But the strength... it’s like I’m pushing against an invisible wall."

Electhra nodded. Her long purple hair waved slightly on her shoulders as she watched Gerhman.

"It’s normal, even with your rank of existence," she replied in a soft voice. "The system restricts everything at the start. Normal Awakened take weeks to pass the first thresholds. You will progress much faster thanks to your essence, but you still have to go through the steps."

Gerhman stopped for a moment. He wiped the sweat from his face with the back of his hand.

"Tell me more about these ranks. You said that High Rankers are treated like demigods. How strong is an SS rank compared to you?"

Electhra smiled then approached a little, still keeping a respectful distance.

"Although the law of causality prevents me from deploying my real abilities, I remain the strongest person on earth," she declared with confidence. "An SS rank possesses a mana reserve and physical power that would pulverize any human structure with a single gesture. Compared to you, your body is only at level one of the Awakened system. The difference is... abyssal. A High Ranker could crush you with their simple Mana Pressure before you could even move."

Gerhman let out a brief, joyless laugh.

"So I am currently weaker than an average beginner among these Awakened," he summarized, finding the situation bitterly ironic. "That will make the power climb more satisfying."

He resumed his movement. This time, he tried to infuse a little mana into his fists. A faint blue glow appeared around his knuckles. When he struck the air, a small sonic shock was heard. It wasn’t much, but it was already better than his first strikes.

"Tell me Electhra," Gerhman called out as he turned toward her, his gaze more intense than before.

"Yes master," Electhra replied as she bowed slightly, her violet eyes fixed on him.

"Would you like to help me with my training?" he asked with a smirk.

Electhra’s eyes widened in surprise. She instantly understood what her master meant when he spoke of helping him with his training. He wanted her to face him one on one, a direct confrontation. A sudden warmth invaded her body, her heart racing at the idea of fighting against her master even though he had become considerably weaker; it still remained a joy to help him.

"Very well master," Electhra accepted as she approached the center of the arena. "I hope to be useful to you, master," she said.