I Received System to Become Dragonborn-Chapter 1260: Confidence Enough

The drill continued with just a little pause.

Mira barely had time to steady her breathing before the fourth opponent stepped into the arena.

Her legs still trembled from exhaustion, her Magic sluggish and heavy in her veins. She forced herself upright anyway, and squared her shoulders, refusing to back down.

The fight did not last long.

She managed a few exchanges, sharp bursts of speed driven more by stubborn will than strength, but her body no longer responded the way it should have.

Her fourth opponent pressed relentlessly, exploiting every delayed reaction and half-step that came too late.

Mira tried to accelerate again and felt nothing answered her desperation.

The opening was immediate.

A clean strike caught her in the middle of her movement and sending her stumbling hard to the ground.

She tried to rise, but failed, and laughed weakly as she raised a hand in surrender.

"Yeah... okay," she muttered. "That’s enough."

Medics moved in quickly. Mira and her opponent were escorted from the arena together, both breathing hard, both grinning despite the pain, and both carried toward the infirmary.

From above, Adrien nodded once. "That’s enough for Group Two. Bring in the third group leader."

The arena doors opened again and then Cody Vorn stepped forward.

Billy’s expression softened into a proud smile as he watched him descend.

"He wasn’t confident back when we fought that storm god avatar," he said quietly. "Look at him now."

Adrien, who had also stood shoulder to shoulder with Cody during that battle, gave a small nod.

"He’s changed," Adrien said.

Cody still wore his glasses. He was still short, still scrawny by military standards. But there was something different now. There was a sharp and dangerous glint behind his lenses, the calm focus of someone who understood his own role.

His Magic was not offensive. He could disrupt and unravel other Magic, distort flows, and weaken techniques. So he had trained his body instead. Trained hard and relentlessly. Every bruise and ache carved discipline into his muscle and bone.

"I’m still not sure, though," he admitted to himself as he took his stance. "But this is where I prove it."

His first opponent stepped forward. He was a tall man with a sharp and irritating grin.

"Show me what you’re made of, team leader," the man said.

Cody adjusted his glasses once. Said nothing.

"Start," Adrien said.

They clashed.

The tall man didn’t bother summoning his wind based ability. He charged head-on with his fists heavy and confident, trusting his physical advantage.

Cody retreated at first, light on his feet, carefully staying just out of reach.

Then, suddenly, Cody stepped in.

He threw a punch.

It wasn’t fast. It wasn’t flashy.

But the moment his fist connected, the tall man’s eyes widened in shock as his body failed to respond the way it should have.

His Magic energy flowing on his body flickered weakly. And he had no time to understand why.

Cody did not pull back after that first hit.

He stepped in again, closer this time, his movements tighter and more deliberate.

His focus sharpened as he felt it clearly that the disruption was spreading through his opponent’s body, not just his Magic.

"So that’s really it. I knew it," Cody realized, breath steady. "They’re not just using Magic anymore. It’s become fully part of them now."

Ever since the Magic assimilation project began, the candidates no longer treated Magic as something external. It flowed through their muscles, nerves, and bones. Their bodies relied on it to reinforce strength, balance, and reaction.

And Cody could unravel that with his ability.

Every time he struck, his disruptive Magic rippled inward, destabilizing the energy woven into his opponent’s body. His target’s muscles would hesitate, their reflexes dulled, and their strength arrived a fraction too late.

The tall man snarled and swung again faster this time, trying to overpower him through sheer force. But his footing slipped. His shoulder lagged. His wind-based enhancement flickered weakly, refusing to fully respond.

"What—?" the man muttered, frustration flashing across his face.

Cody ducked under the next punch and drove his elbow into the man’s ribs.

The impact wasn’t devastating, but the disruption that followed was. The man staggered, his breath hitching as his body failed to support the motion he intended.

Cody pressed him without mercy. Giving him a short hook, a shove, then a final strike to the chest.

The tall man stumbled back and raised both hands, panting hard. "Tch... fine. I’m done."

It would be better to admit defeat rather than being beaten.

Medics moved in swiftly, guiding him out toward the infirmary.

Above the arena, Erend frowned slightly. Adrien and Billy exchanged glances.

"I didn’t even see a proper opening," Billy muttered. "What just happened?"

Jessica adjusted her glasses and spoke calmly. "During that exchange, the opponent’s Magic energy weakened for several seconds. Not dispersed, but disrupted."

Erend’s eyes widened a fraction. "Ah... so their bodies are relying on that Magic now."

He nodded slowly. "When Cody interferes with the Magic flow, their physical performance also drops with it."

Adrien hummed in quiet understanding. "So he’s not just focusing on Magic."

Billy let out a low whistle. "He’s affecting the body itself by his disruption."

Below, Cody stood alone in the arena, breathing evenly, fists still raised.

The drill continues. Cody barely had time to reset his stance before the second opponent stepped forward. This one moved cautiously, eyes narrowed, clearly wary now.

He activated his Magic early, a faint shimmer reinforcing his limbs as he circled, probing for an opening.

Cody did not rush him.

He waited until the man committed to a lunge, then slipped aside and struck once at the shoulder.

The effect was immediate. The Magic reinforcement stuttered, the man’s balance faltered, and his follow-up attack arrived sluggish and off-angle.

Cody pressed forward with short, efficient movements, never overextending, never wasting motion.

Within moments, the second opponent grimaced, raised a hand, and backed away in surrender.

The third opponent entered with visible tension. He tried to overwhelm Cody with speed, chaining attacks together in a relentless flurry. For a brief moment Cody was forced on the defensive.

Then he found his rhythm and started to counter.

His counter carried disruption with it. Every strike weakened the flow inside his opponent, and with it, the body’s coordination unraveled.

The man’s breathing grew uneven. His steps dragged. His Magic flickered like a dying current.

When Cody swept his legs and pinned him cleanly to the ground, the outcome was already decided.

The fourth opponent lasted the longest, relying purely on physical strength, refusing to activate his Magic at all.

It did not help.

Cody closed the distance, and the residual disruption still rippled through the Magic embedded in the man’s body.

His muscles failed him at the wrong moment. He fell back hard and stayed down, laughing in disbelief as he signaled defeat.

One by one, they were escorted out.

From above, Erend watched silently, arms crossed.

"He’s not just neutralizing them. He’s dismantling their advantage," Adrien said quietly.

Billy smiled. "Heh. And he’s barely breaking a sweat."

Below, Cody stood alone in the arena, adjusting his glasses as the cheers rose around him, his confidence no longer in doubt.

—