Scumbag Fate System

Chapter 125: Training Week (1)

Reinhard stood in the center of the training arena with sweat already dripping down his face. One month. Thirty days to prepare for Silent Peak. He couldn’t waste a single moment.

He activated his Precognition Sigil first. The world displayed the future five seconds in advance, and then he activated his Spatial Lord Sigil at the same time.

He grabbed the space next to him and began pulling it. His vision fractured into a thousand fragments. Pain exploded through his skull like someone had driven nails into his brain.

Reinhard collapsed instantly, hitting the arena floor hard.

[Warning! Host’s body is experiencing severe strain from dual Sigil activation!]

His body wasn’t ready. Not even close, but it was an idea he had thought of previously.

"Reinhard!" Alice rushed over and helped him sit up. "What were you thinking? You can’t just activate both Sigils at full power like that!"

"I need to learn," Reinhard gasped while his vision slowly stopped spinning. "One month isn’t enough time to get stronger the normal way. I have to push harder."

Louis knelt beside them with a raised brow. "But why did activating both cause such an extreme reaction? You’ve used them separately without issues."

That was the question, wasn’t it? Reinhard had four Sigils now. Precognition, Spatial Lord, Void, and Phasing. Using them one at a time worked perfectly, but the moment he tried combining them, his body rebelled violently.

System, he thought while catching his breath. Why can’t I use multiple Sigils at once?

[Host! It’s because your body is adapting to each Sigil separately. Simultaneous activation creates conflicting energy patterns that your physical form cannot yet harmonize.]

Yet.

That meant it was possible eventually.

The training schedule Victoria and Chen created was brutal. Six hours of their time in the arena doing sparring.

Endurance training.

Sigil control exercises.

Emergency evacuation protocols.

Reinhard threw himself into it with single-minded focus.

...

Day one!

Sparring with Alice.

Alice stood across from Reinhard in the training arena, rolling her shoulders. "Ready? I’m not going easy on you just because you’re still learning dual activation."

"I wouldn’t want you to," Reinhard replied, settling into a fighting stance.

"Good." Alice grinned and activated her Crush Sigil.

Reinhard immediately activated Precognition. The vision overlaid his sight, five seconds into the future. He saw Alice rushing forward, her right fist already glowing with crushing force. She would aim for his left side, feinting high before striking low at his ribs.

The vision ended, and reality snapped back.

Alice charged exactly as predicted.

Her fist came up high toward his face, but it was the feint. Reinhard was already moving, shifting his weight right before her real attack could land. Her crushing blow whistled past his ribs, missing by inches.

"Nice dodge!" Alice called out, already spinning for a follow-up. "You’re getting better."

Reinhard grabbed the space as he saw the leg sweep coming before he pulled. Alice’s eyes widened in surprise as her foot and her body were dragged to the side. And then she saw him twisting it to make her body flip before he released the skill.

Alice’s body flipped through the air before she landed.

"Hahaha, you never did anything like that before," Alice said, breathing harder now. "You’re getting more creative. Good!"

She activated her Crush Sigil at full power. The air around her fists shimmered with compressed force; anything she touched would be pulverized.

Precognition showed the next five seconds. Alice would rush in with a three-strike combination, left jab, right cross, then a devastating crushing palm strike to his chest. The vision was crystal clear, showing exactly where each blow would come from.

Alice moved.

Left jab coming, but Reinhard tilted his head just enough for it to miss. Right cross next, and he ducked under it smoothly. The palm strike approached, glowing with crushing power that could shatter stone.

Reinhard sidestepped at the last possible moment. The crushing force blew past him, close enough that he felt the air pressure against his skin.

They continued for another forty-five minutes with Reinhard becoming more creative with his Sigil. Each exchange leads to Reinhard trying out new things and even Alice learning to implement her own Sigil better.

Finally, Alice called a halt, breathing hard. "You’re getting faster," she said with genuine approval. "Your reaction time between seeing the future and acting on it has improved. It used to take you a full second to process the vision. Now it’s almost instant."

Reinhard wiped sweat from his forehead. "An hour of practice helps."

"But you’re still only using one Sigil," Alice pointed out. "Try combining them."

Reinhard nodded and this time pushed harder.

He activated Precognition and then, carefully, slowly, added his Phasing ability.

Reinhard activated Precognition and then carefully, slowly, added his Phasing ability. The world displayed the future while his body turned intangible.

For three seconds, it worked perfectly.

Then the strain hit before his vision blurred, and his intangible form flickered unstably.

[Warning! Conflicting energy patterns detected]

[Host’s body is experiencing minor destabilization]

He dropped both Sigils immediately and gasped for air.

"Better," Alice observed. "You lasted three seconds that time. Yesterday it was two."

Progress measured in seconds, but it was still progress.

"Now then, let’s go again!"

"You sound pretty excited..."

"Of course, you are the best!"

"Thanks?"

...

Day three!

He was learning to control the Void with Yor.

She created small void orbs while Reinhard practiced in becoming more creative with them and better control. The goal was synchronization, learning to feel void energy and react smoothly.

"Don’t force it," Yor said calmly while her black grey orb floated between them. "Void responds to intention more than effort. Let it flow naturally."

Reinhard focused and activated his Void Sigil. The familiar cold emptiness spread through him, and he created his own orb and held it steady.

[Host’s understanding of void energy deepening]

[Body adapting to void presence, resistance increased]

The notifications came, which was a nice plus. Small improvements stacking on top of each other, and each one is a little boost of encouragement.

"Good," Yor said with a small smile. "Now try adding Spatial Lord while maintaining the void orb."

Reinhard activated Spatial Lord.

Then his other hand grabs the space before dragging it. But as he did this, the void orb in his hand flickered and started to form cracks on it.

"I can see it working for a moment," Yor observed. "The Sigils start to clash; you can already do it for 4 seconds."

"I’m trying to hope for at least ten seconds," Reinhard muttered.

Yor blinked before tilting her head and asking, "Why ten seconds?"

"That’s the longest an exchange should take in a fight."

...

Day seven!

Attempting full dual activation.

Reinhard stood in the arena alone with Victoria and Chen standing near the walls behind him. This was the real test. Could he force his body to accept multiple Sigils working together?

He activated Precognition and Spatial Lord together.

He gripped the space before pulling it, and then the future appeared on the trajectories through warped reality. For five seconds, it allowed Victoria and Chen to see the future he saw.

Then his vision fractured.

Not just blurred but fractured. Like looking through a shattered mirror with some parts being blacked out and others still showing the future. His body felt like it was being pulled in seventeen directions at once.

[Critical Warning! Host’s physical form approaching breakdown threshold!]

[Host body overloading, you have to stop quickly!]

Reinhard gritted his teeth and held on for one more second.

Two.

Three.

He collapsed again, coughing blood this time.

Victoria appeared beside him instantly, her spatial manipulation letting her cross the arena in a blink. "That’s enough. You’re done for today."

"I almost had it," Reinhard gasped. "Eight seconds that time."

"And you’re coughing blood." Victoria’s voice was sharp. "Progress means nothing if you die during training."

She was right. But he was running out of time.