Strongest Existence Becomes Teacher-Chapter 201: Back To Training (Part-2)

The training ground buzzed with renewed energy.

Students rushed out of the lecture hall, excitement written plainly on their faces. The moment Zane stepped onto the field, the atmosphere shifted—like a heavy fog lifting all at once.

Ron stretched his arms.

"Finally... I thought I was going to rot in that classroom."

Lia smiled faintly, adjusting her grip on her weapon.

"It really does feel different when he’s here."

Selene straightened, eyes sharp.

"Don’t get careless. You know how he is."

Jax cracked his neck, grinning.

"Heh. Today’s gonna be good. I can feel it."

Zane stood at the center of the field, watching them gather. His gaze moved from one student to the next, measuring, calculating. Not their strength—but their state of mind.

"Before we start," he said, voice calm but carrying easily,

"I want to see how much you’ve grown while I was gone."

A few students stiffened.

Ron swallowed.

"...That doesn’t sound good."

Zane raised his hand.

A magic circle bloomed beneath his feet—simple, elegant, unfamiliar.

"No techniques," he continued.

"No flashy spells."

The circle expanded, then vanished.

Instead, a subtle pressure spread across the field.

It was not crushing or painful.

But heavy.

"Today’s training," Zane said,

"is about endurance and awareness."

Lia’s eyes widened slightly.

"This pressure... it’s interfering with mana flow."

Selene nodded.

"It’s not suppressing it—just making it harder to control."

Ron grimaced.

"Feels like running underwater..."

Jax smiles.

"It doesn’t seems that bad."

Zane smiled faintly.

"Good. That means you’re sensing it."

He took a step forward.

"For the next two hours, you’ll spar in pairs under this field. Your goal isn’t to win."

His eyes sharpened.

"It’s to not collapse under the pressure."

A collective groan rose from the students.

Ron sighed.

"...I take it back. He’s still evil."

Zane ignored them.

"And one more thing," he added casually.

"If anyone uses a technique or tries to find their way through—"

The pressure spiked for a brief instant.

Just enough to steal their breath.

"—I’ll add another layer."

Silence.

Then Jax raised a hand.

"...Professor?"

"Yes?"

"Welcome back."

Selene’s hand went up without hesitation.

"Professor," she asked, composed as ever, "what about mages? You said no spells."

Zane glanced at her, amused.

"I was just getting to that."

He turned, pacing slowly in front of the class.

"Fighters will spar directly under this pressure. Mana-strengthened bodies only. No weapons, no techniques or any fancy tricks. Just Instincts and fundamentals."

A few warriors stiffened at that.

Then his gaze shifted to the mage students.

"Mages," he continued, "will also spar but in different way."

The room quieted.

"As you all felt You are under constant mana pressure," Zane said calmly. "Enough to interfere with your mana control. Under this pressure, you’ll attempt to form a magic circle—cleanly and correctly."

A few students swallowed.

"At the same time," he added, "your opponent will be actively tracing your magic circle to disrupt or destroy it. You’ll do the same to theirs."

A ripple of reactions spread through the room.

"...Oh."

"...That’s brutal." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"...That’s insane."

Selene’s eyes sharpened.

This is perfect, she thought. Forming and tracing at the same time under pressure... this will push mana control by leaps and bounds.

Zane nodded, clearly satisfied with their reactions.

"Now," he said, turning slightly, "about our hybrid."

His gaze landed on Jax.

"Jax. As a hybrid warrior, you’ll fight on the warrior side."

Jax straightened immediately.

"You’re permitted to use spell bullets," Zane continued evenly. "But—"

Jax’s face brightened for half a second.

"—no elemental spell bullets."

That smile died instantly.

"And," Zane added casually, "I’ve already decided your opponent."

Jax blinked. "Huh?"

"You’ll be fighting Maera."

The room went silent.

Jax slowly turned his head.

Maera stood a few rows away—wolf ears upright, olive-golden beast eyes locked onto him. A sharp smirk curved her lips as she cracked her knuckles, bones popping audibly.

Jax felt a bead of sweat slide down his temple.

"Hah..." he muttered weakly.

"...damn. I am so unlucky."

Zane chuckled softly.

"Let’s begin."

Zane clapped his hands once.

"Form your duos."

The class stirred immediately.

"And don’t get clever," he added, eyes sharp. "No pairing up with your best friend just to take it easy. If I don’t like a duo—"

He smiled slightly.

"I’ll change it."

That alone made several students rethink their choices.

Slowly, pairs formed across the training ground. Warriors squared up with wary looks, mages stood facing one another with focused expressions, already feeling the subtle pressure Zane was releasing into the area.

Ron and Lia naturally ended up together.

Zane glanced at them.

Both of them are competitive so they won’t hold back.

He let that pairing stay, but with a flick of his finger, he rearranged a few others—splitting comfortable pairs, matching awkward ones, deliberately setting uneven styles against each other.

A few groans followed. Zane ignored them.

"Good," he said. "Now—start."

The moment the word left his mouth, the field exploded into motion.

Warriors clashed first—mana surging through limbs, fists colliding with shockwaves that cracked the ground. No techniques, no weapons—just raw control, timing, and instinct. Bodies blurred as students tested limits they didn’t realize they had.

On the other side, the mages’ section was quieter—but far more intense.

Magic circles began forming in midair, lines trembling under pressure. At the same time, opposing students reached out with mana threads, trying to trace, unravel, and sabotage each other’s formations. Circles flickered, collapsed, reformed—some shattered violently, others barely held together.

Sweat beaded on foreheads.

Teeth clenched.

Mana control was being pushed hard.

And then—

Boom.

Jax and Maera collided.

Jax skidded back, boots carving lines into the ground, barely blocking Maera’s incoming punch. Her wolf ears were pinned back, eyes feral with excitement as she pressed forward relentlessly.

"Come on, Jax !" she grinned. "Is that all?"

Jax grimaced, bringing his arms up just in time to take another hit and put his guns toward maera . "You don’t have to enjoy this so much!"

She answered with a knee to his guard.

Across the field, Ron and Lia moved in sync without even realizing it—Ron pressing aggressively while Lia pivoted, exploiting every opening he created.

Zane watched it all, arms crossed, purple eyes glinting.

A slow smile spread across his face.

"...Now that’s more like it."