The sound of battle rippled through the ruins—cracks of Pulse Whistle, the hiss of water blades, Break Steps flashing across stone, the thud of fists slamming steel.
Squad C-707 without Raith was holding its own. Not cleanly, not confidently, but enough to make the monster bleed.
"They're better in combat than I am," Raith muttered, barely louder than a breath. "I need to learn from them later."
The first week at Camp 70 was supposed to focus on learning and improving fundamental skills, including basic combat techniques. However, Squad C-707 went straight into a mission.
Even though Raith had Super Strength, a Force that many Tuners dreamed of awakening, here he was, standing on the sidelines, outmatched in skill and coordination.
It was stupid to think that raw power alone would make him the strongest.
Combat wasn't just about who could hit the hardest. It was about who could read the field. Who could adapt. Who could fight smart, not just fight hard.
Strength might win a clash.
But it wouldn't win a war.
Ivara glanced at him but said nothing.
"I'm going in!" Cael shouted.
The Feral Crawler shrieked, shards of crystal flying as Cael zipped low with Break Step. He didn't try to stop it, just clipped its leg at the joint with enough speed to throw off its balance.
"My turn!" Demitri came crashing in from the flank, both fists encased in steel, driving one hammering blow after another.
Liria's attacks were slowing, but her control stayed sharp.
Vanna pursed her lips and let out a tight, focused whistle. It was short and sharp. A ripple shimmered through the air, striking the Crawler's forelimb mid-swing.
Its motion stuttered, legs scraping off-balance. The opening was all the squad needed.
Demitri surged in, steel arms drawn back like piledrivers. He slammed into the Crawler's exposed side, the impact cracking through its outer plating with a dull crunch. The creature shrieked, recoiling—but it didn't get far.
Liria was already moving.
With a sharp step forward and a twist of her hands, she summoned two curved blades of water and sent them slicing toward its hind leg. The liquid shimmered with high-density Flux, honed to near-razor edges.
The first arc split the joint; the second dug in deep, severing muscle and cracking crystal in one clean strike.
The Crawler's leg buckled, mangled, and half-useless now.
Raith's eyes widened slightly from the sidelines. He hadn't expected that, not from water.
"Keep it going!" Cael shouted again.
They weren't winning easily. But they were holding.
And yet Raith stood back, teeth clenched, fists curled.
He wanted to be in the fight.
He needed to prove himself.
"Miss Ivara!" he called, just above the noise.
But her answer was the same, cutting and calm. "Not yet. Stay out of this one first."
The words rang in his head like shackles.
He was allowed to fight. Just… not yet? Then when?
'I should be out there,' he thought. 'Why am I watching?'
Then, something shifted.
A low, heavier sound rumbled through the street.
Raith's eyes sharpened. "Another one?"
Rubble cracked near a half-fallen tower. From behind it, a shape emerged. It was larger than the one they were fighting.
Its legs dragged deep scars into the stone as it stepped forward, limbs thicker, claws sharper.
A second Feral Crawler. But this one was different.
Its shell glinted red. Its eyes burned brighter. Its movements were deliberate.
It wasn't just mutated. It seemed stronger and smarter.
"Watch out, everyone!" Raith yelled. "Another one!"
A screech tore through the air. The squad froze mid-attack.
"What?!" Vanna backed away instinctively.
Cael turned. His confidence cracked. "There's another one?!"
Raith stepped forward. "Miss Ivara—!"
Still, she said nothing.
"Miss Ivara! We can't handle this. We need Raith!" Vanna shouted.
She was trembling. Going against two monsters felt too much for her to handle.
As if it could sense who was the weakest, the red Crawler crashed into the street. It moved with a loud force, kicking up dirt and debris.
Its crystal-tipped leg snapped forward like a spear—fast, brutal, precise—aimed straight at Vanna.
"Vanna, move!" Cael shouted, voice sharp with panic.
But she froze.
Her eyes locked onto the incoming strike, legs rooted. Whether it was fear or disbelief, she didn't react in time. Nobody was close enough to shove her out of the way.
The Crawler's leg slashed through the air and caught her.
"Arghhh!" she cried out, stumbling back and collapsing.
Blood welled up from her right shoulder where the shard had sliced through—deep and clean.
She clutched it with trembling fingers, gasping as pain took over.
"She's hit!" Demitri shouted. "We need to treat her now!"
Liria's eyes snapped to Vanna, then to the Crawlers. Her jaw tightened.
They were losing control of the fight.
Without hesitation, she stepped forward, both palms lifting.
A sudden wave surged from beneath her, drawn from the ambient moisture and Force itself, crashing forward like a wall of liquid pressure. It wasn't meant to injure.
It was meant to interrupt.
To give them breathing room.
The water struck the red Crawler hard enough to stagger it. Not by much, but enough to make it recoil, limbs tensing as it hissed.
"Miss Ivara! Let me help!" Raith demanded. "They're not going to last!"
She didn't respond. Her arms remained folded.
The squad was breaking formation. Demitri rushed to Vanna, dragging her behind a pile of rubble. Liria flanked, her water spinning in desperate arcs to keep the blue Crawler from closing in.
Cael tried to split his attention, dashing between the two monsters, but he was slipping, his Break Step jittery and misaligned. He wasn't built for this task.
"Miss Ivara!" Liria finally shouted. "We need Raith!"
Seeing that Liria, who rarely spoke, pleaded for help, Raith took a step forward. "You said this was a lesson. But if they die—what's the point?"
Ivara turned. "Are you confident?"
Raith froze. "What?"
"That one is stronger than the last. Can you take it?"
His jaw tightened. He nodded. "Yeah."
"Then go."
She didn't raise her voice. She didn't repeat herself.
Raith didn't need her to.
He moved.
A surge of Flux exploded through his limbs as he dashed across cracked pavement. His boots slammed down, leaving echoes behind.
He wasn't hesitant.
He wasn't unsure.
He was done waiting.
The battlefield was a mess. Demitri crouched over Vanna, Liria throwing water like blades, Cael blinking between positions, trying to keep both Crawlers from closing in.
Raith assessed fast. "Cael! I need your help."
Cael glanced back, mid-dash. "What?!"
"Distract the red one. I'll finish it."
"Don't order me around! I've got this!"
"You don't!" Raith barked. "Help or stay out of the way!"
Cael hesitated, but just for a second.
Then, with a sharp burst of energy, Cael vanished from view—Break Step activating in a flash.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind the red Crawler and drove both feet into its hind leg with a solid, momentum-packed kick.
It shrieked and turned.
That was Raith's opening.
But, as he stepped forward, the golden-haired man's voice returned, as if etched into his thoughts, mocking and sharp.
"Not even one percent, and it nearly broke you."
Raith gritted his teeth. "Then let's see what one percent looks like."
He drew in more of the Flux than before—not too much, but enough to push himself. His muscles tensed, his body ached, and the ground shook beneath his feet.
It wasn't reckless.
Just enough to feel the strain… and the power. The truth was, he had no idea what one percent really felt like.
There was no meter. No gauge.
All he had to go on was instinct, and right now, his gut told him to push a little further.
Ivara's eyes locked on him. She didn't say a word.
Raith slammed his fist into the Crawler's side.
CRACK!
The hit landed with a boom. The Crawler staggered, its body cracking open as shards of crystal flew in every direction.
Cael stumbled back, staring. "What the hell was that?!"
Raith didn't answer. He kept moving.