Despite wearing a flashy two-tone dress with a low-cut neckline and numerous accessories, she didn’t look vulgar. Her languid gaze and sharp nose gave her a mesmerizing charm.

I might have been similarly captivated if I didn’t already know who she was.

'Maniac Merdiana.'

I hoped not to see her.

While Rose's inability to control her strength was a problem, Merdiana was a far more serious threat.

On ordinary days, she was less of an issue. But when she entered her "Maniac" mode, she indiscriminately unleashed her abilities without distinguishing between friend and foe.

Her latent abilities were so powerful that she couldn’t fully control them, even just merely releasing them caused top superhumans to come and contain her.

Her firepower was the greatest among the fivemiracle generation superhumans.

Whenever Merdiana was scheduled for a sparring match, it often necessitated emergency medical support for the opponent.

If this were 100 years ago, before the United Human Alliance saw superhumans as a countermeasure to aliens, she could have easily been the main enemy of pure humans.

Fortunately, she didn’t enter her Maniac mode often.

Her symptoms worsened over several episodes, eventually becoming the trigger for 'that problem,' but it is still a distant future issue.

Then, as if sensing my gaze, Merdiana looked at me and winked playfully with a mischievous smile.

'I made a mistake.'

Unconsciously, I turned my head away.

I could hear giggling.

Maybe I turned too abruptly.

I really, genuinely, 100% did not want to attract her attention.

I wished we could live our lives as strangers forever.

In this already bleak world, I didn’t want to shorten my lifespan by my own actions.

Thankfully, her attention soon drifted back to its original focus.

"Attention."

The instructor entered the room.

The instructor, dressed in a military uniform, was a lieutenant colonel in the United Human Alliance forces.

An elite who had been active on the front lines until early this year and had come to teach at the academy during his standby period instead of taking a break.

Therefore, we addressed him by his rank, Lieutenant Colonel, rather than as an instructor.

"The lesson is on the BB000 weapon system, but I don’t think there’s any cadet here who doesn’t know it."

"Lieutenant Colonel, she doesn’t know."

Merdiana poked the still-sleeping Rose with her finger and said.

The lieutenant colonel, without even glancing, familiarly ignored her.

Hmm, he has adapted quickly in these three months of teaching.

It's wise not to get hung up on model underachiever Rose.

"The BB000 series refers to the latest personal close-combat weapon system against aliens. While it’s different from what superhumans will eventually use, the fundamental principles are similar. In fact, since superhuman-exclusive weapons aren’t issued until the third year, you might find the BB000 series more familiar."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

One of the settings I had put the most thought into while writing was the weapon system.

The world was so vast and complex that new elements popped up as the story progressed, but I had crafted the basic weapon systems like the BB000 with meticulous detail, so I remembered them clearly.

Fortunately, the textbook confirmed that most of it was accurate.

The parts I didn’t know involved details like materials and performance of each component, which cadets didn’t really need to know.

"Additionally, most of you will command soldiers, whether few or many. If you don’t regard their lives as trivial, you must precisely understand the capabilities and limitations of your weapons."

Absolutely true.

Soldiers are the cornerstone of war, no matter how disposable they may seem and how quickly they might die.

Even if the number of superhuman forces doubled or tripled, they would be powerless without soldiers. To sustain a war, minimizing soldier casualties is essential, and understanding their roles deeply is crucial.

That's the way to protect dreams and hopes.

So I paid close attention in class.

After much consideration over the past three days, I’ve realized that the "physical path" is out of my reach.

As for supernatural abilities, I’ve only seen the ‘potential’ of mine as a joker card, but nothing is certain, so I have to explore everything.

Nevertheless, I can definitely feel that my brain has improved.

Information sticks in my mind as I read, making studying enjoyable.

Moreover, isn’t this a detailed, realistic implementation of the settings I devised?

I can’t help but marvel at how seamlessly everything connects.

"...Huh?"

Before the three-hour class was even halfway over, I had finished the textbook.

When I tried to open the book again, the content of the first page vividly came to mind, so I closed it.

What’s this?

My memory is even more formidable than I thought.

How could I have performed only mediocrely in theory with such a brain?

With intelligence like this, how little must this Lemon have studied?

'Hmm…'

My inflated pride quickly dissipated with a single glance around.

Yes, in this group, it’s understandable.

I nodded and focused on the lieutenant colonel’s lecture.

The reason the lieutenant colonel’s lectures are effective for such a genius group is because they are based on vivid and realistic 'experience.'

Especially, having led a superhuman attack unit, he clearly distinguished the roles of superhumans and soldiers.

The remaining time was very productive.

"This is the end of the class. Since my standby period at the main office has ended, this subject will be discontinued after today. Before I go, let me leave you with a final word.”

“In the war against aliens, the role of superhumans is critical. I would kill 10 soldiers, even 100 or 1000, if it meant saving one superhuman, and the soldiers would willingly volunteer for that too."

"Really?"

Half the cadets in the room were skeptical.

Even if superhuman resources are important, choosing to die in place of someone else isn’t easy.

But that’s true.

There have been numerous real cases, and it’s even included in the manuals for soldiers and regular commanders.

Though it might not be in the superhuman training curriculum, that’s the reality.

However, the lieutenant colonel’s statement seemed to provoke Merdiana.

"No way, that’s a lie. Does that even make sense?"

"It does."

"If the superhuman is a piece of trash would they still be willing?"

"It doesn’t matter what kind of personality, thoughts, or beliefs a superhuman has."

"What if that superhuman only causes trouble? Would they still sacrifice for him?"

"There are no 'what ifs.' We save them, and the saved superhuman continues to protect humanity from the aliens."

Merdiana closed her mouth at the lieutenant colonel’s unwavering response.

"Trust in our value and perform your roles. Humanity does not have the luxury to think otherwise right now. Any questions?"

"...That’s boring."

Wow.

Merdiana got shut down.

To make Merdiana shut her mouth—I’ll respect you forever, Lieutenant Colonel.

I looked at the lieutenant colonel with as much respect as I could muster.

It seemed insufficient.

He didn’t look my way at all.

Instead, I felt a chill on the left side of my face.

When I turned my head, Merdiana was glaring at me with narrowed eyes.

Why now?

"See you on the battlefield. That’s all."

Without even a moment to savour the strong impression the lieutenant colonel left, I packed up my things.

I had to get out of here.

Anywhere out of Merdiana’s sight.

If we keep running into each other, I won’t live long.

But my wish shattered in less than three seconds.

"Lemon!"

The bright voice of Rose, who had been dozing off until now, called out to me.

One side of her face was still red from leaning on his hand.

I created this character, but why is she so carefree? The ultra pro max meathead huh.

"You seem fine. Did you get all better?"

"I’m fine. Thanks for worrying. I should get going…"

"That’s great! Then let’s go spar."

"…Spar?"

What is she talking about all of a sudden?

Beautiful Rose, please ignore a minor extra like me.

I prayed inwardly, but of course, it didn’t work.

"Yeah. I feel really bad about the other day. And this time, I’m confident I can control my strength."

"'Confidence' is not a term you should use lightly."

Barton chided her.

Behind him, Merdiana was smiling brightly.

"Whatever. I’m serious. I’ve been training hard for the past three days."

"Look, I’m really fine…and currently I am in no mood for a spar"

"If you’re feeling bad, there’s no need to. You asked for a guidance sparring session that time. I didn’t think you’d go that far as a fellow student. I really respect that! I’ll help you with everything I’ve got."

What?

Damn it, Lemon. How much trouble did you get me into?

He must have been determined to die.

Sparring is one thing, but did he not realize how many resources here are suitable for guidance sparring?

I could feel the back of my uniform soaking with cold sweat.