"I am not paying for that.

You were the one who said to hit it as hard as I can."

Marcus heard those words and—

His mouth twitched.

"I heard that as well."

Someone from the back raised his voice, agreeing with Lucian. Marcus’s mouth twitched even more.

"Whoever said that, shut up before I use you as the next bag."

The place turned silent.

Marcus walked to the fallen bag, picked up the broken chain, and inspected it. Then he looked at Lucian again and walked back.

"Alright, new test."

Marcus removed one glove from Lucian’s hand and—

"Grip my hand."

Lucian looked at Marcus’s hands.

"Firmly."

"Are you sure?"

Lucian asked, just to be sure.

Marcus raised his eyebrow.

"I have trained fighters for twenty years. I have had my nose broken six times, ribs cracked, knee torn, and one idiot tried to bite my ear because he watched too much television. I think I can survive a handshake."

Lucian nodded.

He took Marcus’s hand and—

He tightened his grip.

"!!!"

Marcus’s expression changed immediately.

"Jesus Christ! Stop that!!"

He screamed.

"You said to do it firmly."

"I heard that as well."

The same voice was heard again. Marcus glared in the direction it came from, and the students there instantly looked away. Marcus’s mouth twitched with even more frustration.

Then, he turned towards Lucian and—

"Alright, who’s your dealer?"

He asked directly.

"What?"

Lucian blinked.

"Your dealer. The guy who gave you whatever unholy horse medicine you took before walking into my gym."

"I don’t take drugs."

"And I’m a ballerina."

Marcus nodded as he raised his heels.

"I am serious."

Lucian spoke with a deadpan look on his face.

"So am I.

Say, if you tell me what you took, I might buy stock in that company. I’ll give you half the profits."

"..."

Lucian didn’t know what to say.

Marcus studied him again. He had been taking things lightly all this while, but he was no fool. He could tell Lucian was strong, ridiculously strong, and he understood he couldn’t put him together with normal beginners, so...

He looked toward the bigger men training nearby and—

"Briggs!"

A large man turned around.

He was huge, easily six-foot-four, with thick arms and a shaved beard. He looked like someone who could block a doorway just by standing near it.

"Yeah, Coach?"

"Come here."

Briggs walked over, rolling his shoulders.

Marcus pointed at Lucian.

"Push test."

Briggs looked at Lucian with a somewhat surprised look on his face.

"New guy?"

He asked.

"Apparently."

Marcus didn’t say anything and just sighed.

Briggs stood in front of Lucian and planted his feet. Marcus, on the other hand, turned to Lucian and—

"Put both hands on his chest and push. I want to see how much force you use."

Lucian looked at Briggs.

Briggs grinned.

"Do your best, pretty boy. I won’t hurt you in return."

"Right..."

Lucian didn’t know what to say. Marcus looked away as well, not saying anything. Lucian sighed, then he placed both hands on Briggs’s chest and—

He pushed.

Briggs left the ground.

His eyes widened as his body flew backward across the mat and crashed into two men. All three of them went down in a tangled heap.

For a second, no one moved.

Then Briggs groaned.

"I’m okay..."

"I’m not..."

One of the men under him wheezed.

"Me neither..."

Another was no different.

The rest started talking. Marcus facepalmed.

Then, as the ruckus got louder—

"Everybody back to training!"

He screamed.

"Now!"

The people moved, though everyone kept looking at Lucian from the corner of their eyes.

Marcus then turned towards Lucian.

"Kid."

"Yes?"

"You are not joining the beginner class."

"I told you I am not one of those."

Lucian shrugged. He still hadn’t forgotten those words.

"What the hell are you?"

Marcus asked.

Lucian looked at him and didn’t know how he was supposed to answer that question.

"Come with me."

Marcus sighed as he took Lucian towards a smaller training area near the back.

"I’ll train you myself, away from other students."

"Thank you."

Lucian bowed his head with a grateful look on his face. Marcus looked at him for a while and—

"Seriously, no drugs?"

He asked one last time, just to be sure.

"No."

Lucian shook his head.

"Some kind of experimental treatment? A government project? Heard they’ve been doing some shady things these days."

"That’s just some conspiracy theories you must be reading. Stop watching too many videos."

Lucian just laughed. Marcus snorted.

"Fine, keep your secrets.

But listen carefully, I am not letting you compete anywhere without proper tests, blood test, urine test, hair test, soul test if they invent one, I don’t care.

You walk into a cage like this and hit some poor amateur, I’m going to prison as your coach."

"I am not here to compete."

"Good."

"I am here to learn how to fight."

"That’s... worse."

Lucian tilted his head. Marcus looked at him and just shook his head.

"Never mind.

Stance."

The training began.

"Keep your left foot forward, hands up, chin down."

Lucian moved as he was told. He lowered his chin and that was when Marcus slapped the back of his head.

"Not that low, you are not hiding from taxes."

Lucian rolled his eyes and adjusted.

"Good.

Keep your knees soft, balance your weight.

Don’t stand like a statue."

Lucian shifted.

Marcus circled him.

"You have well-built muscles, that helps.

But fighting is different.

In the gym, weight moves the way you expect.

People don’t."

Lucian nodded carefully.

Marcus was impressed. He expected a guy with Lucian’s strength to be more arrogant, but Lucian seemed willing to learn and did everything he told him to.

They moved to footwork, Lucian’s first movements were stiff. Marcus corrected him again and again.

"Take smaller steps."

"Don’t cross your feet."

"Don’t bounce so much."

Lucian adjusted accordingly, just like Marcus told him to and that made Marcus raise his eyebrow, pleased and surprised at the same time.

"You’re learning fast."

"I am?"

"It usually takes me weeks to teach the stance you’ve grasped in less than two hours."

"Is that so..."

Lucian didn’t know how to react to that.

That was... new.

Honestly, he felt the change too. Before, his body never obeyed him like this, even when he understood something, using it properly took forever.

His mind was slow, his body was even slower.

But now?

Now, one correction settled into him almost instantly.

It was clear.

The Demon Blood hadn’t just given him strength.

It had changed... many things.