Kayui stepped into the training hall where dozens of students were doing different forms of training. Some lifting weights, others sparring with other students, or simulations.
Disappointingly none of them caught his eye. This didn't stop his excitement though. He was still ecstatic to be here though he doubted anyone in the room was as powerful as his brother.
"Still probably stronger than me," he thought before shaking his head in shame.
As he walked to see more of the room he took multiple deep breaths to maintain his cool exterior. On the inside, he was bubbling with anxiety.
"How can I match up these guys?"
From kids shooting blue fire spears to kids completely warping through space, he was terrified of the fighting the kids around him.
But still, he didn't let anyone see that. To all the people that saw him, they thought he was a cocky slum brat who got lucky enough to move up into Celestia—and they were almost completely right.
He wiped a trickle of sweat off his brow and traced the symbol of the beast god across his chest in four motions resembling a quadruped.
This was a common practice for those who strongly respected one god such as Kayui with his liking of the beast god. He hoped he'd get a blessing and not make any trouble in this dangerous room.
After a while of ogling at other students, he took a second to look at all the training areas before he made his way to the section where multiple high-tech pods rested.
The pristine white pods seemed to be popular among younger or weaker-looking students.
'Perfect for me'
He walked in that direction without hesitation.
As he made his way closer a hologram appeared above the area.
"Virtual Battle Arena Pods"
The high tech immediately attracted him as he had never seen such advanced technology before.
He read the instructions on the side of the pod before sitting in one and strapping on a headset.
Pressing start he felt his consciousness seep away and he found himself in his mindscape. The familiar gray sphere in front of him was radiating waves of energy.
"Welcome to the VBA. Would you like to try the basic training module?"
A little taken aback Kayui said yes aloud and his mindscape crumbled away and a new area appeared beneath him.
About 40 meters in front of him a man dressed in all black appeared his face covered by a blacked-out mask. The man showed no sign of life, he stood motionless staring at Kayui.
If this were real life Kayui would be filled with unease, but he was smart enough not to worry too much.
"Welcome to the basic training module. This module is useful for those in need of basic combat training. Please select your difficulty and number of opponents."
In front of Kayui, a screen appeared with multiple tabs listing difficulty, number of opponents, and opponent abilities. He didn't pay much mind because he didn't know what it was and just pressed continue without changing any settings on the screen.
"You have selected base difficulty against one opponent with the ability Super Strength. The module starts in 3… 2…. 1…"
At the final count, the man sprang to life and charged at Kayui with surprising speed cracking the simulated earth beneath his feet.
Kayui already in stance drew his katana from the scabbard and prepared to counter in one motion
The moment he drew his katana and took his stance he felt a slight tug in his chest.
He ignored it and assessed the imminent danger unknowing if losing here affected him outside as well.
"This place feels all too real." He thought before sidestepping a harrowing punch from the simulated figure.
The simulated man was slow compared to Kayui.
In one fell swoop he cut the bot down across its torso and it disappeared in particles.
'Weak' he thought with a disgusted look in his eye.
"Battle simulation complete."
The man appeared again in the same spot as before, once again unmoving.
Disappointed, this time Kayui increased the difficulty.
"Normal, intermediate, and hard are the only ones unlocked." With little hesitation, he chose the hardest difficulty he could select.
Before the simulation could start however, the simulation spoke to him.
"Ability integrated into the system. You may now use your altitude ability, Aura Manipulation."
His heart began to rattle.