SSS-Rank Talent: Super Upgrade System-Chapter 46: The Tempest Unbound!

Daniel, still clutching his bundle of SSS-enhanced body-tempering herbs like a shield against her icy glare.

He felt his earlier confidence evaporating faster than water on a scorching sidewalk.

"Look, I honestly had no idea!"

Daniel stammered, raising his free hand in a reassuring gesture.

His Strength stat of over 180 was doing absolutely nothing to help him in this particular close-quarters engagement.

Ayra’s grey eyes narrowed further, unmoved by his fumbling explanation.

He could practically see the "Does this idiot think I was born yesterday?" thought bubble forming above her head.

She had a point; his excuse sounded flimsy even to his own ears.

"Herbs," she repeated, her voice dripping with skepticism. "In my bathroom. While I am showering."

This was Ayra Sand , a name whispered with respect even amongst the other prodigies of Vanguard Academy, though Daniel hadn’t known it until this very awkward moment.

Daughter of the influential White Lotus Clan, a family renowned for producing generations of formidable martial artists.

She herself had been rigorously trained in close-quarters combat since she could walk, her body a finely honed weapon even before she stepped through the Stargate.

Her Awakening had only amplified her innate prowess, gifting her with an S-Grade Talent: [Primal Fury Berserker].

When activated, it flooded her system with raw, untamed power, pushing her physical capabilities to terrifying new heights.

And right now, Daniel was getting the distinct impression he was about to witness a demonstration.

"Boom!"

One moment she was standing there, radiating icy disapproval. The next, she was a blur of motion, the towel miraculously staying in place.

Her fist, small but looking deceptively powerful, shot out aimed squarely at his jaw.

The wind from her punch shrieked past his ear.

Daniel reacted purely on instinct, his Level 5 combat reflexes, honed by facing down Level 6 Apex constructs, kicking in.

He dropped the herbs (they scattered across the damp floor, glowing dismally), sidestepped with a speed that would have left most recruits seeing afterimages, and caught her attacking wrist with one of his A-Grade Phantom Edge Striking Wrap-clad hands.

He hadn’t meant to engage, but self-preservation was a powerful motivator.

"Woah! Hold on!" he yelped, feeling the surprising strength in her grip.

Ayra Sand let out a furious hiss. Being touched, especially by someone who’d just barged in on her, sent her well-honed temper into overdrive.

The air around her visibly distorted. Raw, primal energy erupted from her, her muscles under the towel seeming to swell and harden.

Her grey eyes began to glow with a faint, dangerous crimson light.

"Boom!"

The floor tiles beneath her feet cracked under the sudden pressure.

She ripped her wrist free from Daniel’s grasp with a surge of power that made his A-Grade wraps tingle.

Her strength had just multiplied.

She lunged again, a whirlwind of furious fists and kicks, each blow carrying enough force to dent Adamantium .

The wind from her attacks shrieked and howled around them, turning the small bathroom into a pressure cooker of impending violence.

Daniel found himself on the defensive, his mind racing.

He could end this. One good shot from his Solar Flare Fist Art, even a toned-down one, would send her flying.

Or he could activate his Earthquake Colossus Form and just stand there while she exhausted herself.

But... he had just seen her practically naked. Punching her into a coma felt... unsporting. And massively overkill.

Besides, a small, academically curious part of his brain, the part of him not currently panicking over the imminent, towel-clad disaster found itself intrigued.

This was an S-Grade close-combat specialist.

A perfect, if involuntary, sparring partner to test his own fledgling fist art without resorting to his SSS-Talent’s more esoteric features.

"Okay, okay, truce?" Daniel panted, weaving under a punch that would have shattered his ribs pre-Level 5.

He was relying on his insane Agility and his [Ghoststeps+] skill to avoid getting pasted.

He wasn’t actively attacking, mostly deflecting with his Phantom Edge Wraps.

His A-Grade Kinetic Void Gauntlets, worn beneath the wraps, absorbed the worst of the impacts.

He felt a pang of guilt. This was entirely his fault. He probably should have knocked.

"Truce?!" Ayra roared, her voice now definitely not calm.

The crimson glow in her eyes intensified. "You barge in here, you see... that," she gestured vaguely at her towel-clad form with a furious blush spreading under her berserker rage, "and you expect a truce?!

I’m going to use your teeth to scrub the grout!"

She unleashed another flurry, faster, stronger.

Daniel backpedaled, barely staying ahead. The bathroom was too small for this. He needed space.

"Look, I am really sorry!" Daniel shouted over the din of her attacks and the shrieking wind.

"My mistake! Can we talk about this over some, uh, probably very expensive Academy-approved apology coffee?"

Her only answer was a devastating roundhouse kick that he avoided by leaping onto the closed toilet lid, which promptly cracked under his weight.

"Boom!"

Another casualty of miscommunication.

Ayra Sand paused for a breath, her chest heaving, the towel threatening to stage its own strategic withdrawal.

She was fast, skilled, and her S-Grade talent made her ridiculously strong. Daniel, even holding back his S-Grade forms and SSS-talent, was only staying ahead due to his sheer attribute advantage and vastly superior speed skill ([Ghoststeps+]).

Her technique was clearly more refined than his current brawling style.

"You can’t even hit me!" she spat, frustrated that this intruder, despite his apologies, was proving so infuriatingly elusive.

The anger from the invasion of her privacy and the inability to land a clean hit was fueling her berserker rage further.

"That’s kind of the point of dodging!" Daniel retorted, then immediately regretted it as her eyes flashed with fresh fury.

She took a deep, ragged breath, then surprisingly, took a step back. The crimson glow in her eyes dimmed slightly, though the anger still simmered.

"Fine," she said, her voice tight. "This... bathroom... is not a suitable arena for me to properly dismantle you."

She glanced around at the cracked tiles and the now-splintered toilet lid.

"And I refuse to be further humiliated by fighting a peeping tom while dressed like this."

In a swift motion, she grabbed the clothes from the hook, using Daniel as an awkward shield against the doorway, and quickly slipped into a simple grey training tunic and pants in just a few seconds.

Daniel studiously examined the ceiling tiles during this maneuver.

Now clad, though still radiating barely suppressed fury, she pointed a trembling finger at him.

"You. Me. Training field. Now. You will face me in a proper duel, and then I will decide whether to report you for gross misconduct or simply beat you until you apologize sincerely enough to satisfy my ancestors."

Daniel sighed. A proper duel? He just wanted to take a bath. But he had seen her in a vulnerable state, however accidentally.

And his S-Grade Earthquake Colossus Form was itching for a test against someone who could actually hit back.

"Alright, alright," he conceded.

"Training field it is. But can I at least pick up my herbs first? They’re SSS-grade enhanced, you know. Very expensive to replace if they get stepped on."

Ayra just glared, then stalked out of the ruined bathroom, presumably heading towards the nearest training field to await her "proper duel."

Daniel quickly gathered his scattered, glowing herbs, a sinking feeling in his stomach. This was escalating.

He followed her out, Nyx peeking from his pouch with an expression that clearly said, "You, big human, are an absolute idiot."

They reached an empty outdoor training field on Platform Alpha.

Several other recruits, noticing the simmering tension radiating from Ayra and Daniel’s demeanor, started to gather at a safe distance, sensing an impending spectacle.

Ayra Sand turned, planting her feet. The ground beneath her seemed to vibrate faintly.

"No more dodging like a frightened rabbit," she declared, her voice resonating with power.

She took a deep breath, and the air around her crackled. "[Primal Fury Berserker: Second State - Tyrant’s Mantle]!"

"BOOM!"

A visible shockwave of raw power erupted from her, pushing the air outwards!

The ground beneath her feet didn’t just crack; it buckled, sending tremors through the platform!

The wind shrieked and howled around her as her aura intensified, her muscles seeming to become even more defined.

This was a significant power-up from her bathroom fury.

Daniel watched, a grim smile touching his lips. Okay, so she was serious.

He still felt guilty, but a part of him, the part that had assimilated countless warrior spirits and stared down Level 6 constructs, couldn’t deny the thrill of a real challenge.

He wanted to test his close combat, his new S-Grade forms, without resorting to the overkill of his SSS-talent.

The gathering crowd gasped as the dormitory building adjacent to the training field, already stressed from previous high-level simulations, let out a deafening groan.

With a sickening crunch, a large section of its outer wall cracked and then collapsed inwards under the pressure wave from Ayra Sand ’s transformation!

Dust and debris billowed into the air.

"Oops," someone in the crowd whispered.

"Think she voided her damage deposit."

Daniel just sighed. This was definitely not going to be a quiet apology coffee. This was going to be loud. Very, very loud.