Cronus' system: Against the gods

Chapter 31: Duels and A Double Date!

Overall, there were 20 students in Group Epsilon, 7 female and 13 male students but weren't they more than this the first day? "Where's Layla, the girl with healing abilities?" Rex asked Magnus.

"Oh... Everyone with healing abilities joined the support squad, the class just after us. I'm jealous of them, they don't get to go through rigorous training like us!"

Miss Lyra on the other hand was looking confused. She wanted to pair each student with the same gender but she knew it wasn't gonna work out...

"Don't underestimate us just because we're girls!" One of the girls spoke up, her name was Brenda. Her fiery eyes glistened as if to show that if any dude dared mess with her, she'd also mess with him. She cracked her knuckles, pointing towards Rex's direction "You, I'll take you on!" She said.

"Uh? Me?" Rex pointed at himself, a dazzled expression on his face. Why him of all people? He wasn't planning to hold back though.

Brenda shot him a disgusted look, "Who cares about you, late bloomer? I meant you! The redhead beside you" She pointed at Magnus.

Magnus instantly froze in shock but quickly composed himself "Um...Young lady, you're not sure you wanna do this right?" He spoke, his voice faltering slightly.

"And if I say I wanna do it, are you gonna back out, coward?" She spat out, a smirk etching on her blonde face.

Magnus gulped nervously, his usual carefree demeanor faltering under Brenda's fiery gaze. "I... I mean, I'm not one to turn down a challenge, but..." he stammered, clearly uncomfortable with the sudden confrontation. Rex raised an eyebrow, amused. "Looks like you're in for it, buddy."

"Pair up!" Miss Lyra's voice interrupted the tension, and the students scattered, forming pairs. Despite her initial plan, the gender separation didn't work, as many students—including Brenda—weren't backing down from taking on their male counterparts. Miss Lyra sighed, a resigned smile on her face, allowing them to choose their opponents freely.

Brenda grabbed Magnus by the arm, dragging him toward one of the designated sparring areas. "You're not getting away," she muttered with a determined look.

Rex watched the scene unfold with mild amusement. He was about to make his own move when a strong tap on his shoulder caught his attention. He turned to see a tall, muscular boy with a serious expression staring down at him.

"I'm Jon," the boy said, crossing his arms. "I have super-strength, and I want to test it against you. You're that guy who keeps holding back, right? Let's see if you can stand up to raw power."

Rex grinned, excitement flickering in his eyes. "Sure. Let's see what you've got.

Name: Jon Kayne

Race: Human

Abilities: Tier one basic super-strength ability user

Strength: 32

Agility: 20

Endurance: 30

Intelligence: 14

Number of...

"That's enough!" Rex thought quickly before the system started giving him unnecessary information.

Miss Lyra stepped back, monitoring the students with her arms crossed as the pairs moved into position. "Remember, this is a sparring match," she called out. "Focus on strategy, not brute force. Use everything I've taught you, adaptability, patience, and knowing your limits. Don't hold back, but don't be reckless either."

On the other side of the field, Magnus squared off against Brenda. Her fiery spirit was evident as she took her stance, fists up and ready to fight. "Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're cute," she teased, though her eyes held a competitive fire.

Magnus smiled nervously, but he couldn't hide the excitement brewing underneath his fear. "Same goes for you, blondie. Let's see what you've got."

In the center of the training ground, a large holographic clock appeared, counting down.

"BEGIN!" Miss Lyra's voice echoed, and instantly, the training grounds came to life.

Rex didn't waste any time. Jon charged at him with blinding speed for someone of his size, his fist swinging toward Rex like a wrecking ball. Rex sidestepped the attack, feeling the rush of wind as Jon's punch barely missed him.

Across the training ground, Magnus found himself dodging a rapid onslaught from Brenda. She was relentless, each punch aimed at his head with terrifying precision. "You've got speed," Magnus muttered, weaving out of her reach, "but I've got fire!"

With a sharp snap of his fingers, flames erupted from his hands, forcing Brenda to step back. Her smirk widened. "Finally!" she laughed. "Now, this is getting fun!"

The training grounds were soon alive with the sounds of combat. Energy blasts, bursts of fire, and shimmering ice filled the air as students unleashed their powers in carefully measured doses. Miss Lyra watched closely, nodding approvingly as some students adapted quickly to the flow of battle, while others struggled to keep up.

Rex remained calm as Jon continued his aggressive assault, his super-strength punches tearing through the air with immense force. Each time Jon swung, Rex effortlessly sidestepped, staying just out of reach. His movements were fluid, almost lazy, as if he were strolling through the fight rather than engaged in it. "You're strong, but predictable," Rex thought to himself, a grin tugging at his lips.

Jon, however, was getting frustrated. "Stop running around!" he barked, charging at Rex with even more fury. He threw a powerful punch aimed at Rex's torso, but Rex casually leaned to the side, letting the fist pass inches from his ribs.

"Patience, my friend," Rex said coolly, hands in his pockets, unfazed by Jon's strength. "Rushing in like that's not gonna help you."

Jon gritted his teeth and swung again, this time with both fists. But Rex was already gone, having smoothly sidestepped once more. Rex had studied Jon's movements, and he knew that brute force would only wear him down faster. Instead of counterattacking right away, Rex was biding his time, letting Jon tire himself out.

"Come on, Jon," Rex taunted lightly, stretching his arms above his head. "You're better than this, right? Surely, super-strength isn't all you've got."

Across the field, the fight between Magnus and Brenda was heating up quite literally. Brenda was relentless, launching quick, precise strikes toward Magnus, but each time, he managed to block or evade with a flicker of flames. Magnus was finally getting into the rhythm, and his nerves had melted away under the intensity of the battle. He could feel the heat rising within him, both from the adrenaline and his fire abilities.

"Stop dodging and fight back!" Brenda yelled, her frustration growing as Magnus avoided her attacks. "What a hunk! He's so cute!" She giggled inwardly.

"Alright, alright, if you insist," Magnus smirked. With a swift movement, he unleashed a surge of fire from his palms, sending a little spark of flames rushing toward Brenda at immense speed. She dodged just in time, but the heat from the flames grazed her skin, making her eyes widen in excitement rather than fear.

"Finally! Now we're talking!" Brenda laughed, a wild look in her eyes as she charged through the remnants of the flames. She aimed a powerful punch at Magnus, but this time, he didn't dodge. Instead, he met her strike with a fiery fist of his own. The two forces collided, the sound of their impact echoing across the training grounds.

Magnus grinned as he held his ground. "You're strong, Brenda, I'll give you that. But fire burns hotter."

Brenda stepped back, shaking out her hand, a sly smile spreading across her face. "Not bad, Red. Maybe you're not as much of a coward as I thought."

"You're just as hot as I thought, literally" She giggled in her thoughts

Meanwhile, back at Rex's sparring match, Jon was panting heavily. His initial confidence had given way to frustration as his attacks failed to connect. Rex, on the other hand, looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat. He hadn't thrown a single punch yet, but his strategy was working. Jon was slowing down, his strength waning with each missed punch.

"Okay, big guy," Rex said, his tone casual and carefree, "let's wrap this up, shall we?"

As Jon threw another punch, Rex finally made his move. With blinding speed, he ducked under Jon's arm and landed a precise, Aether-infused strike to his side. Jon let out a gasp as the impact knocked him off balance, sending him crashing to the ground.

Rex stood over him, still calm and composed. "Nice try," Rex said, extending a hand to help Jon up. "But you rely too much on brute strength. You've gotta think about how to use it, not just swing wildly."

Jon groaned, accepting Rex's hand as he stood up. "You're stronger than you look," he muttered, clearly exhausted.

Rex shrugged, a playful smirk on his face. "I get that a lot."

"Why didn't I get Xp's"

"Thou did not kill the enemy" Cronus replied

At the same time, Magnus was facing down a final barrage of punches from Brenda. She was fast and precise, but Magnus was faster. As her fist flew toward his face, he ducked, spinning around her and conjuring a ring of fire around her, trapping her in a fiery circle.

"Looks like I win," Magnus said with a confident grin.

Brenda's fiery eyes locked onto him, and instead of anger or frustration, a smirk appeared on her face. "Not bad, Red. You're not as useless as I thought." She lowered her fists and let out a breath. "You won this round."

Magnus extinguished the flames, stepping closer. "Well, you're not so bad yourself."

There was a brief pause before Brenda's smirk turned into something more mischievous. "Alright, hotshot, you've earned it. How about you take me out on a date after class?"

Magnus blinked in surprise, his face flushing red as the realization hit him. "A date? Uh... Sure!" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, trying to play it cool. "I mean, yeah, I'd love that."

Brenda chuckled, a satisfied glint in her eye. "Good. Don't keep me waiting."

As the matches wrapped up, Miss Lyra called for the students to gather. "Well done, everyone. Some of you showed impressive adaptability and restraint." She glanced toward Rex, who still looked as if the spar had barely affected him. "Others, like Mr. Xander, could afford to be a little less casual," she added, her tone half-scolding but mostly impressed.

Rex smiled innocently, shrugging. "I'll work on that, Miss Lyra."

As the students filed out, Magnus caught up to Rex, looking both excited and nervous. "Dude, Brenda just asked me out," he whispered, glancing back at her as she walked away confidently. "What do I do?"

"Man... it seems we both got wrapped up in the same situation?" Rex groaned

"What do you mean?"

" I also got a date with a girl and I...."

Magnus interrupted "Dude, that's awesome then... We'll make it a double date, what's your location?

"Um....Oak and Lantern's, 7 pm?" Rex replied

"Deal man! I'll tell her same place!" Magnus grinned and then walked off

Rex was dazzled "What a weirdo, so excited about a date, I thought he was more interested in money! Well.... I hope the relationship is successful" Rex said, walking off the training grounds

"Now, it was dodgeball time with a mysterious coach!"