SSS Cultivation: I Can Conquer Earth's Rank System
Chapter 58: A Week (Tuesday)

Chapter 58: A Week (Tuesday)

The first thing Leo felt when he woke up was the dull throb in his shoulders. Not the sharp pain from getting hit, but the kind of soreness that spread slowly, like it was reminding him he wasn’t built for this. He stared at the ceiling for a few moments before rolling over with a groan. Another day. This days seems similar to the last even though he hasn’t stepped outside yet. It was easy to predict how things will turn out again.

The first week of these classes is always busy with activities. It must go on for the whole of the week without any other class interrupting it, so the other minor classes are out on hold for the rest of the first week. Sometimes, Leo wondered what the other students at the Beast weapon and Quirk Control classes are going through. Not to worry, he’ll join them sooner or later.

Outside the dorm windows, the morning light spilled through faintly, filtered by the tall pine trees surrounding the academy. He could already hear distant murmurs and laughter from students gathering at the central quad. Most of them probably felt excited. After all, those anticipated classes had finally begun, and this was the stage where rising stars proved themselves.

Leo just felt heavy.

He pushed himself up and walked across the room to splash cold water on his face. The sting helped wake him up. He glanced briefly at the mirror above the sink. Dark circles clung under his eyes. He looked like someone who had more secrets than strength.

He hadn’t heard anything from Jade at the other room for a few days now. Not surprising. Not comforting either. Maybe Jade has finally conceded the room to him after all. Leo doubted that heavily.

Leo dressed in his academy-issued black combat uniform. It was a sleek material, padded in certain areas, light enough to move in. The emblem on the shoulder stood out more than Leo liked: the silver crest specially designed for Combat learners.

As he stepped into the hallway, a pair of senior students walked past, chatting about yesterday’s stances, most definitely from their Quirk Control lessons, like they were old pros. Leo kept his head low and took the back stairs down to avoid running into anyone else.

Again, no Lam. No Rosa.

Breakfast was the same again—quiet corner, fast bites, no eye contact. He didn’t have the appetite to linger. The cafeteria buzzed with energy, filled with laughter, trash talk, and casual bragging about who had the strongest arms or the best balance. Nobody looked in his direction, which was exactly how he wanted it.

By the time he reached the Combat Hall again, the place already had a pulse. The wide dome echoed with voices, footsteps, the occasional thud of a practice dummy being struck too hard. A few students were stretching, some chatting in circles. But most looked focused. Determined. It seems like everyone’s thinking has changed from the last lesson. The determination in the air this morning can be touched with how thick it is.

Leo walked toward the far wall, hoping to warm up quietly. His arms and legs still felt stiff, and the strain from yesterday’s drills hadn’t faded. He began with some light stretches, then moved through the stances again: Rooted Balance, Defensive Brace, Forward Lunge.

It helped him calm down.

Then he heard someone call his name.

"Leo."

He turned to see Jose approaching from across the room. The healer senior boy wasn’t wearing combat gear. He had on his usual pale-blue uniform, a symbol on the sleeve marking him as part of the support corps undergoing some training at the hospital wing. His presence here, in a space meant for fighting, felt out of place, but familiar. Comforting.

"You look sore," Jose said, offering a slight grin.

Leo nodded. "How can you tell? It’s not visible, is it?"

"I’m the best healer in this school, remember?" Jose boasted with a shy smile.

"Say that next to Miss Charlotte and you’ll lose all your teeth," Leo laughed despite himself. It was funny how he came to start making jokes with Jose after just one meeting at the Training centre. Maybe because the senior had the energy of a junior, or maybe it was the way he sympathized with Leo’s situation. I mean, he has been there and back, and there again.

"Uh, Miss Charlotte. I’ve started my orientation with her even though I havent graduated. That’s what happens when you’re the best healer," Jose winks. "She’s always pleased with how I handle things. My first day there, she boasted to injured students how she groomed me right from when I was a kid. Who lies like that?"

"Miss Charlotte, of course," Leo laughed because he knew how Miss Charlotte can be, really. He had encountered so many sides of her in just his first week at the academy.

"You good?" Jose asked.

"No, I’m not. Rosa didn’t go easy on me yesterday."

"Woaahh! You paired with Rosa? What about her ...her brothers?" He whispered the last part.

"I know, I know. I tried to change my partner, but our stern Fong Yuk would have none of it."

Jose whistled a tune. A dirge maybe.

Leo smiled faintly at that.

Jose tilted his head. "Okay. Wish you luck. Just be careful out here... And oh, I learned something from Miss Charlotte. I shouldn’t do it to you, but I feel like doing it."

"Do it," Leo replied with a nod. He didn’t even know what it was Jose wanted to do. The senior was just so safe to be with that he knew he wouldn’t do something that will harm him so much. And perhaps, if it relates to healing, then he needs it more than anyone.

Jose was surprised by the sudden consent but he started. He offered a handshake to Leo. He took it without hesitation. That sweet feeling coursed through the whole of his body again. It felt like he was floating. Oh, if it lasts forever. Then it stopped. Leo felt fine again. His aching muscles are finally relaxed. He even there a quick jab playfully at Jose’s side which was parried quickly by the senior. Leo was surprised at the technique Jose used to block the attack. "C’mon, don’t look at me like that. I took combat classes too...more than anyone in my class, if you wish."

"Then why—"

Jose knew what question Leo was going to ask. "Quirks, Leo. Quirks. I’m being bullied because you stand little chance with combat skills against even the laziest Quirker. Understood?"

"Hmm," Leo nodded. "But was that what you learned from Miss Charlotte? You did the same thing at the Training centre."

"No. I only healed you to get you ready for it." Jose stepped closer to Leo and placed two fingers on his left temple, pushed them down a little, switched to the right temple, did the same, and went round him to place his right palm over the middle section of Leo’s spine.

Leo felt nothing.

Jose faced him again. And immediately, launched a very fast side attack at Leo. Leo never saw that coming. He let out a short gasp and a wash of instinct ran over him. At the last second, he pressed his upper body backward and shifted his head even further back while using his left hand to displace Jose’s punch.

It all happened to fast. Leo had no idea what was going on to be precise. A few students near them "oohed" and applaused at the sleek dodge by Leo.

"I won’t explain the process of what I did to you. It’s against our rule as medics. But just see it as if I summoned every ounce of your adrenaline to action. You get fast reflexes and your calculative skills are tripled at the least. You have to be on the move all the time so the effect won’t wear off early. So, keep training till today’s Combat session is over. That should help you deal with Rosa today. You might not beat her just yet, but your reflexes will make her raise those thick brows." Jose laughed hard.

"What?" Leo was dumbfounded.

"And of course, tell no one. This was only meant to help healers like us in combat. I just wanted to test it out on someone. Sorry if you feel like a ’rab lat’."

Leo bust out in laughter. Something else has touched his funny bone. "Do you mean lab rat?"

"Yes. Whatever. I have a problem with L and R. I can’t use them properly when they are close in a sentence." Jose laughed also. "Bye then."

Leo continued laughing. "Bye, Mr. Rab. Thanks for advancing my ’leflexes’. I hope you don’t get ’rate’ to the hospital wing."

"O my stars, you’re the worst." Jose rolled his eyes and went out.

Rosa jumped into the classroom. Her hair still in a ponytail. Watching her come, Leo remembered his movie characters from Earth, 78 years ago. Rosa looked like Hermione from Harry Potter when her hair is down and bushy. But when it’s in a ponytail like this, she looks like, well...Hermione in a ponytail. "Stupid," he cussed himself.

"Hi, Leo," she was breathless again. "Saw Jose here. Came for you?"

"Not at all," Leo lied. All the while, he kept jogging on a spot, flexing his arms and legs, throwing those jabs, so Jose’s experiment on him won’t wear off till he faced Rosa.

"Hmm. Jose, I like him. Do you?" Rosa asked, deep in fake thought.

"Excuse me, ma’am." Leo acted confused. Rosa laughed.

Before they could talk more, the students straightened up. Fong Yuk had entered the hall again—this time with even less ceremony than before. He walked to the center, arms crossed behind his back, eyes scanning them.

"Yesterday was foundation," he said. "Today, you move."

Well, that wasn’t meant for Leo, because he’s already moving. People kept looking at him. Rosa rolled her eyes endlessly.

Fong Yuk looked around, giving everyone a moment of silence before continuing. "Combat is rhythm. Breath, stance, reaction. Those who think first are usually the ones who lose. Instinct matters. So we’ll be training that."

The students nodded, some more eagerly than others.

"Pair up. Same partners unless I say otherwise."

Leo sighed. Leo smiled. Leo sighed.

And just as expected, Rosa strode toward him, her grin intact.

"Miss me?" she said, already tying back her already-tied-back brown hair.

Leo stepped forward in fake reluctance. "You don’t need to keep doing this."

"You don’t get to decide that."

He opened his mouth to respond, but Fong Yuk clapped sharply, signaling the start of the day’s drill.

"Close-range engagement. No strikes yet. Just step-ins and takedowns. Push your opponent off balance, out of stance. If you land on your back, you lose."

Leo barely had time to take position before Rosa lunged...

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