Liam Ross had been waiting for a long time. The Friendship-Hatred Card showed no reaction whatsoever.
It left him even more perplexed than before.
"System, why hasn't there been any response? Is it broken?"
The system responded immediately: "Host, please remain calm. The longer the wait, the farther away the destined person is."
Liam finally understood. The person meant to bond with him either as a friend or a foe was simply far away. He needed to be patient.
Since there was nothing to do, Liam didn't just sit around in his dorm. He changed into a fresh set of training clothes, opened the door, and stepped out.
Five minutes later, he arrived at the training grounds. Many students were already there, working tirelessly to master the Six Martial Arts techniques and develop their Devil Fruit powers.
"Liam, why are you just showing up now? Instructor Tom was looking for you everywhere."
A male student spotted him and jogged over, urgency in his voice.
"Quincy, do you know what Instructor Tom wants with me?" Liam asked, curiosity piqued.
Despite being last in this cohort academically, Liam had made a lot of friends. His uncompetitive, easygoing, and generous nature attracted people naturally.
Of course, this didn't include the arrogant Smog. At sixteen or seventeen, Smog was still brash, cocky, and fiercely independent. With top-tier academic and combat achievements, a little ego was expected.
Quincy thought for a moment. "It's something about your training, I think."
"Really? Where is Instructor Tom now?"
"He was just here a moment ago. But he said to wait for him here."
Liam nodded.
"Alright, I'll continue training then." Quincy finished his task, then resumed his rigorous exercises.
Watching his friend's back, Liam couldn't help but reflect: "No wonder he's second-to-last from the top, always working so hard. Meanwhile, I've been slacking, living like a salted fish."
Speaking of his life lately, two words summed it up: comfortable, blissful.
After half a year of slacking, he figured it was finally time to improve his mastery of Iron Block, the Six Martial Arts defensive technique he had learned from Instructor Tom.
He couldn't remain a beginner forever.
He walked to a quiet corner of the training arena and mimicked the exercises Tom had taught, moving deliberately and with focus.
Iron Block was a defensive skill of the Six Martial Arts. By concentrating strength into a specific body part, the practitioner could harden it to the density of iron. Bullets and blades could not pierce it. The downside was immobility, though some, like Gabra, who always trained beside Luchi, had figured out a way to accelerate blood flow for speed, circumventing the restriction.
Due to the number of people around, Liam started conservatively, channeling his internal strength into his abdomen little by little. His skin darkened like iron under concentration.
After repeated practice, the process became faster, until eventually he could form Iron Block at will, instantly.
"Phew…" Liam exhaled heavily and wiped the sweat from his brow. He forced a smile. "Finally… completely mastered it."
"Liam!"
Instructor Tom, dressed in his training uniform, approached. Having heard Zefar complain about Liam's stubborn attitude the previous day, Tom intended to give him a proper scolding. Yet when his eyes accidentally fell on Liam's iron-hardened abdomen, he was momentarily stunned.
"Instructor Tom! Look! I can control Iron Block now!"
At this moment, Liam felt like a primary school student who had scored a perfect hundred on a test, running home full of joy to receive his parent's praise which, in this case, was Tom's approval.
"Well done, Liam. Keep it up. I believe in you," Tom said, swallowing his prepared scolding and instead patting Liam on the shoulder, smiling with encouragement.
Seeing Tom leave, Liam felt a wave of relief. He had survived this encounter.
Nearby students overheard the exchange.
"If Liam can now master Iron Block, does that mean he's no longer last in the class?"
"Definitely. Look at Quincy. He also learned Iron Block, but he hasn't awakened Observation Haki like Liam. If there were a test now, Quincy would probably be the new bottom scorer."
Hearing this, Quincy, already exhausted from his own intense training, felt his spirit sink. His movements slowed, and his expression darkened.
"Don't let what they say affect you. Remember this: Heaven rewards diligence. The world never abandons those who work hard," Liam said quietly in his ear.
It was like a bell tolling in Quincy's heart. He stared at Liam in disbelief. "Heaven rewards diligence? Really?"
"Of course. I'm living proof. I mastered Iron Block in just six months."
Liam, always a clever strategist, knew how to motivate. His words, though harsh-sounding to outsiders, reignited Quincy's willpower.
He even imitated Tom, patting Quincy's shoulder and adding, "Keep it up. I believe in you."
"Yeah!" Quincy nodded, resolve shining in his eyes.
At that moment, Smog appeared. His lower body transformed into smoke, leaving a long trail behind him as he hovered toward Liam. His face was alight with excitement.
"Since you've mastered Iron Block, how about a fight?"
Six months ago, when Zefar praised Liam but ignored him, Smog had felt slighted. He set Liam as his imaginary rival and trained like a man possessed. His efforts paid off recently when he topped the academy exams.
Yet even after achieving first place, Smog was unsatisfied. His imagined rival, the one he expected to be strongest, was actually the last in the class.
It infuriated him.
He couldn't believe someone with Observation Haki could struggle to master even one technique in half a year. Something had to be off.
After days of covert observation, he confirmed his suspicion: Liam had not been training seriously. Some days he just meditated for hours, sometimes sleeping, snoring even.
It was pure laziness disguised as casual training.
Smog was furious. Such talent wasted on idleness! His pride as the top student made him feel that his victory was unearned.
And then, he noticed something extraordinary.
From Liam's initial clumsy attempts at Iron Block to his full mastery in minutes, Smog realized the truth: Liam had been pretending all along.
The revelation thrilled him, and suspicion gnawed at him: Could Liam's strength itself be a ruse?
Fueled by this mix of excitement, envy, and disbelief, Smog issued the challenge he had been itching to make ever since spotting Liam: a direct confrontation to test the true power of the last-place student.