The infirmary was quiet.
A faint disinfectant smell lingered in the air, kept within a controlled range. The lighting was cold white, evenly distributed, with no shadows. The sound of equipment was suppressed to a minimum—only a thin layer of background noise remained.
Iosef Kain pushed the door open without making a sound.
He scanned the space first.
Bed positions. Instrument placement. Personnel movement paths.
Only after confirming no interference did his gaze fall onto the bed.
Right side.
Number 33.
Breathing stable. Rhythm even.
No unnecessary movement. Muscles were in a post-contraction recovery state. No visible external injuries, but internal depletion was severe.
His gaze paused for a moment.
Not to assess the injuries.
To assess the state.
No ability leakage.
Completely contained.
That did not match the signs of a recently large-scale activation.
He withdrew his gaze.
The left bed was empty.
Seven wasn't there.
Neither was 77.
That meant the handling was already finished.
And they had been taken away voluntarily.
Elena Neroth walked out from the inner section.
Her inspection was complete. Movements concise, no redundant steps.
"Seven brought him in," she said.
Her tone was steady.
Iosef didn't look at her.
"Process," he said.
She didn't pause.
"Number 33 initiated first."
"The ability had already been deployed."
A brief pause.
"Not single-target."
Iosef's gaze shifted slightly.
"Range," he said.
"The entire area," she replied.
"Indiscriminate."
She glanced at the person on the bed.
"No sound."
"No warning."
"Ordinary objects were affected."
A brief pause.
"Ballpoint pens."
He said nothing.
He was waiting.
"Like blades," she finished.
The air went still for a moment.
His gaze fell on Number 33 again.
No change in expression.
But the conclusion was complete.
Not a loss of control.
Execution.
Top-level command.
Ability release.
Selection.
No trace left behind.
Ordinary students wouldn't realize anything had happened.
They would think it was an accident.
Or luck.
He didn't ask further.
The information was sufficient.
77's intervention was inevitable.
The result didn't need confirmation.
Seven's method was also within expectation.
Direct termination.
No delay.
No attempt at control.
Correct.
He turned and left.
Elena didn't stop him.
She watched him go.
Said nothing more.
The door closed.
The infirmary returned to silence.
—
Underground Level 3.
Training room.
The alloy door sealed shut.
Air locked in place.
Temperature stable.
No flow in the space.
Iosef walked to the center.
Stopped.
He didn't turn immediately.
He scanned the space first.
Ceiling. Lights. Floor.
No changes.
Everything stable.
No usable points.
No interference.
The purest combat environment.
He turned.
Seven stood at the edge.
Position unchanged.
Body straight.
Breathing steady.
As if he had been waiting.
No extra movement.
No emotion.
Iosef looked at him.
No opening words.
The prior agreement was skipped.
The confrontation began immediately.
He moved first.
One step.
Entered range.
Seven advanced at the same time.
No retreat.
First strike.
A punch.
Straight line.
Iosef raised his hand.
Blocked.
Angle precise.
Force redirected.
Second strike followed.
Stable rhythm.
Third came immediately.
No pause.
Clean movements.
Short paths.
No waste.
But little variation.
Fixed rhythm.
Iosef didn't counterattack.
Only controlled.
Minimal movement.
But every contact altered the opponent's center of gravity.
Deflected attacks.
Let force fall into empty space.
Seven kept outputting.
Didn't stop.
Control was solid.
No unnecessary motion.
No mistakes.
But the rhythm began to distort.
Breathing slightly elevated.
Not fatigue.
Structure disruption.
Iosef pressed forward.
Distance shortened.
Seven stepped back half a step.
First active adjustment.
Correct judgment.
But a fraction late.
If earlier—
the rhythm could've been maintained.
Now he was already pulled into Iosef's range.
Experience gap.
Then—
Change.
Body enhancement.
Muscle contraction speed increased.
Output strength rose.
Reaction accelerated.
The rhythm was forcibly restored.
Seven re-entered.
Speed clearly higher.
Attacks heavier.
Continuous pressure.
No longer fixed rhythm—
oppressive output.
Correct choice.
Using ability to compensate for experience.
Iosef shifted sideways.
Not retreating.
Changing angles.
Breaking the line.
Seven continued advancing.
Didn't stop.
Control still present.
No loss.
At that moment—
Several ballpoint pens shot out from his side.
Blue casing.
Black casing.
Transparent casing.
Trajectories scattered.
All targeting Iosef.
No hand movement.
High precision control.
Iosef activated his ability.
Gravity control.
Range compressed.
Once inside—
their speed dropped.
Directions skewed.
Some fell.
Some deviated.
Some briefly stalled.
All neutralized.
Precise handling.
No waste.
Seven adjusted.
Tried altering trajectories.
No change.
Ability dismantled.
The fight returned to balance.
Close combat and abilities offset each other.
Seven paused for a moment.
Judgment.
No further waste.
Switch.
He raised his hand.
Barrier deployed.
Space locked.
Air flattened.
Small range.
But stable structure.
Even node distribution.
No obvious weak points.
Maintenance cost rising.
Still controllable.
Iosef stood outside.
Not rushed.
One step forward.
Entered the edge.
Gravity shifted.
External pressure.
Internal stability.
Two structures met.
He raised his hand.
Touched.
Not an attack.
A test.
First point—stable.
Second—stable.
Third—no fluctuation.
Structure intact.
No obvious weakness.
He changed position.
Repeated.
Different nodes.
Different angles.
Tested.
Time stretched.
Seven's breathing rose.
Sweat formed.
Load increasing.
The structure showed slight fluctuation.
Not collapse.
Load pressure.
Iosef stopped.
His gaze lowered.
Several pens lay scattered on the ground.
He bent down.
Picked one up.
Blue casing.
Ordinary structure.
A flick of his finger.
The pen shot forward.
Straight line.
Hit the barrier.
Instantly shattered.
Plastic casing broke.
Ink core snapped.
Fragments scattered.
No sound.
He picked another.
Same trajectory.
Same point.
Shattered.
Third.
Fourth.
Nearly identical positions.
Minimal deviation.
High repetition precision.
Fragments accumulated.
One point took continuous impact.
Stress concentrated.
Seven locked his gaze there.
Realization.
Iosef didn't stop.
Fifth.
Sixth.
Continued stacking.
Impact point fixed.
Single-point pressure.
No distribution.
The barrier as a whole remained stable—
but locally, change began.
Iosef stopped.
Gaze fixed.
Position confirmed.
Ability activated.
Gravity compression.
No spread.
Focused on a single point.
Instant drop.
Fine cracks appeared.
Very thin.
But real.
Seven reacted immediately.
Reinforced.
Nodes tightened.
Structure strengthened.
Fast reaction.
But time gap existed.
Second compression fell.
Cracks expanded.
Structure loosened.
Third—
Gravity penetrated.
Barrier breached.
Structure collapsed.
External gravity entered.
Pressed directly down.
No spread.
All concentrated.
Seven's body was slammed to the ground.
No reaction time.
Consciousness cut off.
Body lost control.
Collapsed.
Barrier dissipated.
Space returned to normal.
Air flowed again.
Fragments shifted slightly.
Silence returned.
Iosef stood still.
Didn't move immediately.
A few seconds later—
He walked over.
Crouched.
Fingers to the neck.
Pulse stable.
Just unconscious.
Control precise.
No excess.
He withdrew his hand.
Stood up.
His gaze fell on the small pile of fragments.
No words.
Conclusion complete.
Then he looked at Seven on the ground.
Paused briefly.
Close combat fundamentals were strong.
Clean execution.
No wasted motion.
But rhythm was singular.
Lacked variation.
Easily drawn into the opponent's structure.
Insufficient experience.
High judgment accuracy.
But execution delay.
Ability usage restrained.
No abuse.
Prioritized structural maintenance.
Correct decision order.
Body enhancement used to compensate weaknesses.
Sound strategy.
High precision.
Stable trajectory control.
Barrier structure complete.
Even node distribution.
No obvious flaws.
Correct defensive concept.
But—
No anticipation of single-point destruction.
Insufficient handling of sustained stress.
No early dispersion.
That was the gap.
If structure had been adjusted earlier—
the result would be different.
Overall level was high.
Above peers.
But not enough.
Not yet.
Time was lacking.
If training continued—
if experience filled in—
if structural thinking adjusted—
The result would be uncertain.
He didn't say it.
He just looked once more.
In another ten years… the outcome might be different.