For the Twelve entering a new World was a mystical experience and chance. One that they never thought they would get. Thus, they did their very best to reach the standard required by said World.

Of course, they always kept their ultimate goal in sight: the return of Ray.

But to reach that goal a certain level must be reached. And to reach that level the forging of their bodies was of the utmost importance. No matter whether they would be on the frontlines or sling spells from the back, the condition of the physical self is directly linked to its performance.

That’s why not a single one of the Twelve skipped out on physical training.

Kal, Kuna, Altair and Emmy quickly realized that a refined body could handle Mana more easily, making even their jobs as spellcasters easier.

For Noelle, Selen and Lucy the same applied, but slightly differently. They are in unique support niches, but all of them could benefit from a honed form.

Of course, Amadeus, Fina, Daron and Bandy needn’t even be mentioned as they would wield physical weapons and three of them would engage in bloody melees.

But the most diligent of them was without a doubt Polly.

A black-belt martial artists in several different sports. Even before this he was obsessed with honing his body and frequently sought advice from Fina to hone his senses.

Unfortunately she could not help him as she mostly focused on her eyes.

Yes, Polly is blind.

Even then, he was a highly accomplished martial artist and unceasing in his training. He never skipped and found his own ways to persevere. At this point he had even developed something akin to a Sixth Sense that allowed him to somewhat tell the shape of his surroundings.

And the advent of Mana finally completed him.

Even then, he did not grow complacent. Quite the opposite, he doubled down on his training regime and began his path to hone his body into the ultimate weapon of combat. Tense muscles with excellent definition adorned his entire body, tanned by the sun. A true Adonis of a man.

But never did he lessen his tension.

After all, he always followed strength building up with a spar. And for him, he only ever trained with at least five opponents at once. In his own words, ‘it helps stay focused’.

Even the speed at which he trained surpassed the others, despite his higher load. They could only let out heavy breaths and sweat as they watched him begin taking on five angels at once while not once leaving a small circle he had drawn on the ground.

What made this possible was without doubt his Mana.

Combined with his inherent Sixth Sense he had the idea to refine it by infusing it with Mana and thus succeeded in creating an area around him where no movement escaped his notice. The reason he drew that circle was mainly because he was adamant in taking this ability to its extreme along with his own body.

While within this domain not a single attack shall ever land its mark on his body.

Even if one did, its strength would break any blade.

While within this domain not a single attack of his shall ever miss its mark.

Even if one did, the wind pressure would obliterate any foe.

That was the perfect weapon that Polly aimed to create with his body.

Even now, none of the five angels could land a blow while he easily brought them down with precise punches.

The sight of him overwhelming these five quickly turned into the vision of him overwhelming thousands by himself.

While all of the Twelve would one day be able to do this, he would do so with only his body to guide him.

Those traits would one day make him worthy of his title.

One-Man Army.

***

Fully engaged in a dogfight, Ray could barely pay attention to anything going on around him except the frenzied swipes and strikes of the Goblins surrounding him like an ocean. There was not a single idle thought in his brain as he was focused entirely on surviving this ordeal.

He feared for a moment that he overestimated himself, but that too was no more than a waste of a braincell, one that he quickly and dearly paid for.

A loud crack rang out through the army of Goblins, a sound that signified that the tide could finally turn in their favour.

After all, it signified that that accursed goblin-slaying umbrella that the Human had been wielding had finally broken under the constant stress of being infused with Mana and being swung at living things to smash bones and trees equally.

Not that the Goblins knew exactly why it broke.

Nor did it matter to them.

The only thing that mattered was that the defensive radius around his body that Ray had been carefully maintaining to prevent injuries could no longer be kept up with the lack of range of an actual weapon. Now the Goblins could flood in closer to him and he would, for the first time, be at risk of getting hit.

His brain churned at this.

Was it fear?

Was it defiance?

A mix of both, most likely.

He did not want to get hit, that was all that was certain in his mind.

Every brain cell worked at its fullest potential. Not a single neuron wasn’t sending signals non-stop, to the point where he even infused his brain with Mana to speed up the process, making the particles act like additional neurons.

That was when the idea hit him as this process reminded him.

And he immediately executed it.

Thinking back to just a few hours ago, the feeling he had felt then was still clearly imprinted in his mind, not that he would forget it quickly, but a fresher experience meant a clearer image with his lack of training.

A clearer image meant quicker reproduction.

Quicker reproduction meant he had a shot at escaping this predicament.

His Mana moved with ease through his body, leaving it and expanding into the surroundings. Yet, unlike when he was gathering intel, it did not spread out as far as it could. Instead, it gathered around his body only up until a distance of five metres in each direction, completely saturating it with his influence and gathering every piece of information it could offer.

Within this five metre sphere there was no movement that escaped his notice.

Within this five metre sphere he was peerless.

Thus, once he was done with the clean-up, he would call this technique ‘Peerless Domain’.

But first, the clean-up had to be done.

His movements could not be compared to before, where he was carefully measuring the Mana infused into the umbrella. He was careful with it, knowing it was made out of Earth’s materials and might not withstand Mana, but it eventually hit its limit regardless.

With his body he did not need to be this mindful. With his body he was fully aware of its limits. Namely, that there are none. He had no limits. Each time he used Mana, each particle that moved through his circuits reminded him of this fact.

The defensive radius that he had painstakingly built with his umbrella over an hour of combat was only half as large as the one that he had built with only his fists and feet infused with Mana within a mere minute. It made him glad to have learned some fighting techniques from Polly.

Yes, this is what he was always on about. Fighting while relying only on your body forged by yourself… It really is exhilarating.

He even regained the leisure to have such thoughts. It was completely different from before, where he had to desperately defend for each inch of space.

Yes. The teachings he had received from Polly were immensely useful.

As expected from the man that could take on ten thugs at once, despite being blind.

As expected of the one that even Ray respected by calling him:

One-Man Army.