‘Where is this? Who am I?’ I was left wonder such questions as I stood in daze watching something I really didn’t wanted to.

In front of me is a training room enclosed by a transparent material.

It's quite large for an indoor space, easily the size of a half soccer field. Despite its vastness, watching the two people fiercely clashing in that space makes it feel small, almost unreal.

"It's not working?"

"As expected, today too, huh?"

The outer walls of the training room are made from the same material used for the exterior armour of battleships to withstand bombardment.

Additionally, the academy's auxiliary power is connected in series to further enhance the barrier. In short, it's an extremely solid structure.

Yet now, that barrier is wavering. Unable to withstand the concentrated force in one place, the surface of the barrier ripples like waves to disperse the impact. Some parts have even been pierced, leaving scars on the wall.

"Monsters."

There are two people in the training room. One of them is a man with powerful supernatural abilities, whom I remember as a supporting character.

With quite impressive abilities, he could have been the top of his class in any other generation, but unfortunately, he enrolled in the same generation as the "Miracle Generation," serving to highlight their brilliance.

At first glance, it seems like this supporting character is overwhelmingly dominant in the sparring. He is attacking by continuously firing purple energy bullets in all directions while also surrounding himself with a thick energy shield for protection.

"If only his opponent wasn't that person."

Sahil.

A Weapon Master, another member of the Miracle Generation. A man with dark brown skin, short hair, and a peculiar tattoo covering half of his face. Sahil, as I designed him, is an incredible hard worker.

Despite being a notch below the other four in terms of innate talent, he stands on equal footing due to his unparalleled effort. He has mastered all weapons and can enhance the abilities and durability of any weapon he comes into contact with.

He is also famous for always carrying more than five types of weapons, depending on the battlefield situation.

"Not quite there yet, huh."

Sahil's hands were moving so fast they were almost invisible. Even with countless energy bullets being fired at him, it seemed as if there was an invisible barrier around him, keeping him calm. No ordinary person could deflect such dense energy bullets so easily.

The battle went on for quite a while. Even though the energy density inside the training room was so high that plasma phenomena were occurring, Sahil's defense remained as solid as a steel wall. Rather, by continually shifting his weapons, he was widening his "interval" and closing the distance to his opponent.

"Those two wouldn't be out of place on active duty already."

Both the supporting character and Sahil had enough skill to go toe-to-toe with most superhumans.

Eventually, the match was decided. Seeing Sahil standing there taking all the attacks up close, his opponent lost control and poured everything out at once. Sahil split that attack in half head-on.

"Now he's going to say it. 'That was a good training.'"

[Hmm, that was good training.]

"Damn you!!!"

The voice of the person inside the training room echoed through the speakers. Everyone burst into laughter.

"Wow, how did you know, Lemon?"

"He always says that."

"I don't think I've ever heard it."

"…I heard it once before."

Did this habit start around this time?

We managed to move on somehow. The training room would have a bit of downtime for internal cleaning before the next use.

Sahil, having finished his sparring, walked over to us.

"Rose, I challenge you to a spar."

"Now? No way, I have another appointment. Today, I'm sparring with Lemon."

Rose gestured toward me with a nod. Sahil looked at me and then slightly hardened his expression.

"Leonard Monarch. I don't mean to belittle him, but sparring with him won't benefit you at all."

"It's a guiding spar. I agreed to teach him. Besides, I owe him, and he's quite promising!"

"Promising? …That's different from what I know. Rose, could it be that you're being deceived by him?"

Sahil knew Lemon. He was familiar with Lemon's attitude toward life and his personality.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

To someone like Sahil, who values hard work and infinite mental strength, Lemon would have been exactly the kind of person he'd dislike.

If it weren't for the connection through Rose, that negative perception would likely have never changed. So now is the chance.

My primary principle: [Survival] You must be alive to do anything.

This is a golden opportunity to deepen my connection with one of the remaining four members of the Miracle Generation, apart from Merdiana, who has a strong mental disorder.

I decided to think about the consequences later and spoke up.

"Rose is right. I feel like nothing will change if I continue like this, so I asked for help. I can't keep being disappointed in myself forever, right?"

Normally, saying such lines would make me cringe unbearably. In fact, my face is heating up in real-time. But with Sahil, this kind of line is bound to work.

"…Is that true?"

As expected, hehe…

"Yes."

"I don't easily believe that people can change. Anyone can say words. I'll be watching."

It seemed that Sahil's distrust of Lemon ran deeper than expected. Sahil addressed me in a firm tone before turning his back on me.

"Rose, I apologize to you. Sorry for the unnecessary interference."

"No, it's fine! We can spar next time."

Sahil gave me one more look before turning around and leaving.

"Lemon, what did you do to make Mr. Positive dislike you, huh?"

"Haha…"

"Well, the past doesn't matter. I like the Lemon you are now! So, shall we go spar?"

Oh, right, the sparring. The clean-up of the sparring ground was done in no time by the bots and our turn to spar arrived, much to my dismay.

Rose, who always scored top marks in practicals despite messing up the theory, had priority access to such facilities. We headed to the assigned training room. Though it was smaller compared to the one we saw earlier, it was still spacious.

"As I said before…"

"I know. You said your senses are all messed up, right? Let's start by moving around and getting a feel for it. I'll just receive your attacks."

I had set things up in advance. When you think about it, learning from a martial artist like Rose is an incredible opportunity. If you're thinking about survival, missing out on such a chance would be foolish.

I recalled my memories and took a stance.

'Lion's Form'

The martial arts of the Human Union underwent a major transformation as humanity entered the space age. Suddenly, the limits of the human body increased.

People made of flesh could break rocks and tear steel with their bare hands. Through training, they could deflect bullets and even survive bombings. They were true superhumans, like something out of a movie or novel.

Ridiculous feats from martial arts stories became possible in reality, and people didn't just sit by. At first, they just unleashed their newfound powers, but gradually, a system was established. Research was conducted, and various training methods were created to efficiently hone the body.

Thus, the era of space martial arts began.

Many training methods were lost to history, but some survived and continued to evolve to the present day.

The Lion's Form that Lemon had learned was one of them. One of the top ten martial arts. It emphasizes strength and momentum, with its 'relentless onslaught' that pushes the body's energy beyond its limits, regarded as the best among martial arts.

‘HERE I COME!'

I charged forward recklessly. I've never been good at physical activities. I was even called a failure in football because I was so bad at it. While Lemon's body had some exceptional qualities that made me look somewhat competent, it still wasn't enough to impress Rose.

"Hmm... You're really a mess. It's not just that you've lost your senses. Are the aftereffects that severe?"

Rose stood still and blocked all my attacks with one hand. Even in this supposedly terrible state, I could easily tear through metal plates a few centimeters thick. I didn't expect the gap between us to be this wide.

My fleeting confidence, fuelled by a power I'd never experienced before, quickly turned cold.

'Miracle Generation'

I'm starting to feel a bit of why they're so revered. Why so many geniuses fell into despair. Why the deep despair emerged that simple effort couldn't even come close.

"How could you learn the Lion's Form and have your body's balance end up like this? Moreover, this martial art doesn't suit your temperament at all. It's like there's something foreign mixed in."

Martial arts aren't just about physically training the body. They mould the practitioner's body to what is considered the most perfect 'ideal form.'

This process includes not only correcting personality and temperament but also involves altering the skeleton, the size and position of blood vessels and internal organs, their thickness, and even the development of the nervous system.

This can't be achieved through ordinary training alone. That's why the training process for martial arts includes various psychological approaches and surgical procedures. As a result, the training process is extremely painful and demands endless endurance.

But those who overcome all this and complete their martial arts training gain corresponding power. The 'Instructor Corps,' who are currently performing excellently on the front lines, are proof of this.

'I wish I could have been like that.'

Lemon originally had no interest in superhumans. Learning the Lion's Form was just part of his basic education as a member of the Monarch family.

As a result, my proficiency isn’t very high. Entering COH Academy was purely due to the unintended manifestation of my abilities. It was inevitable that Lemon, who was once full of arrogance, would lose his self-esteem surrounded by this abnormal group of geniuses.

It’s not an uncommon story.

“To have your body shaped like this, it must be due to getting an innate ability. Right, Lemon?”

“Uh, yeah.”

Rose asked with shining eyes. Even though our sparring lasted less than three minutes, she had accurately grasped the condition of my body.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“Uh, wait a minute...”

Rose approached and started prodding and poking my body here and there. This was the most intimate contact I’d ever had with such a beautiful woman, so why did it feel more like sticking my head into a tiger’s mouth than anything thrilling?

I’d like to just enjoy the moment purely. But then Rose said something that sounded an alarm.

“At this rate, you’re going to fall apart.”

“Fall apart?”

“The balance is off. If you leave it as it is, it won’t be long before it rots.”

Rose pointed to several spots, poking them precisely. My flesh will rot? That’s a big problem.

It seems Lemon's ability, [Analyze, Apply], comes with bigger risks than I thought.

‘Well, I’ll just have to abandon it.’

It’s unfortunate, but there’s no choice. My life is more important than my grades at the academy.

“But don’t worry. I can ‘adjust’ it for you, and you’ll be fine. Probably.”

“How will you adjust it?”

If there’s a way to fix it, that’s the best option. Suddenly given hope, I asked Rose. Little did I know it was a one-way ticket to hell.

“Like this!”

“Urk...!?”

A sudden intense shock hit me out of nowhere. Before I had time to properly react, Rose’s hands struck my entire body. Whatever technique she was using, it hurt a lot.

At the same time, Rose’s voice pierced my ears.

“Your body has foreign biological tissues mixed in. These tissues are enhancing your body’s performance very efficiently, but because they are foreign, they are constantly clashing with your existing cells.”

“Grrrraaaargh!”

“That’s probably why your senses are off as well.”

That’s not it. If I opened my mouth now, I’d end up coughing out all those savoury food I had for breakfast, so I kept quiet and listened.

“There are various treatments, but the fastest and most effective one I can provide is this.”

She didn’t have to hide the fact that this treatment was the most extreme. I need time to prepare myself mentally, too. I’ve already had enough surprises to worry about the safety of my stomach.

“I’ll give you continuous shocks at a moderate level to balance things out. You get what I mean? I’m not good with theory, so it’s hard to explain, but this is the right way.”

What grown woman says “balance things out” like she’s playing a children’s game? My lady Rose, it’s my life you know!!!!