The sound of Razor bees' wings buzzed all around me.

The noise was so loud, it felt like my ears were being hit.

"Kya-ha-ha-ha!"

Merdi, in her maniacal mode, was laughing gleefully.

Damn it. Instead of being helpful, she's being a huge nuisance.

"Damn it!"

But I don't have the guts or the time to complain.

Six Razor bees were already within striking distance.

I relaxed my muscles.

The first lesson of the Rose school:

Stay calm.

The calmness we're talking about here isn't just mental.

What Rose emphasized was physical calmness—an absence of unnecessary tension.

"Don't get nervous, no matter who you're up against or what situation you're in."

Rose drilled this lesson into my body.

That's why I don't seem panicked even in this dire situation—it's all thanks to Rose.

Boom!

My movements were too natural.

So natural that it felt like my body was moving on its own, beyond my control.

My body, surging with explosive power, moved as if it would unleash all its stored energy at once.

"Hooo!"

During combat with aliens, breathing external air is forbidden.

The armored suit I wore pumped compressed oxygen directly into my mouth.

The oxygen-fed muscles surged with strength far beyond human limits, smashing the Razor bees.

"I can see everything."

An exhilaration I've never felt before.

Is this what it felt like to be an emperor wielding absolute power?

Surrounded by monsters all the time, I never realized it.

For the first time, I vividly felt the superhuman power of a cadet.

But it was brief.

The body, pushed beyond its limits, quickly began to falter.

"Ugh!"

A Razor bee's spear pierced through my palm and came out the other side.

I thought I dodged it, but my reaction was too slow.

It only left a finger-sized hole, but the bleeding was a bad sign.

Eventually, the effective hits started to accumulate.

By the third wave of the Razor bees' "swarm charge," my body was riddled with holes, no part unscathed.

"Of course."

Merdi muttered dismissively.

Even though the Razor bees were gathering more densely for their next attack, she showed no sign of tension.

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"Move aside. You'll die."

Merdi grinned.

The electricity running through her body crackled like it was boiling over.

At that moment, I felt a threat.

A threat far greater than the swarm of Razor bees charging at us.

Instinctively, I desperately moved out of her way, almost pathetically.

And then, right after.

My vision turned white.

'!!!!!!!'

An overwhelming explosion.

A blinding white light completely engulfed the Razor bees, burning down half the hatchery, destroying the building behind it, and then soared into the sky.

The leader, who had just started to spread its wings, didn't even leave a trace.

'My god...'

An awe-inspiring sight.

Those who face this overwhelming power have a name for her.

"Thunder God Merdi."

I feel it intensely.

Who else but her could bear such a grand title?

Considering she's not even at her peak yet, the name Thunder God feels all the more fitting.

My whole body trembles.

I gulped down the saliva that had gathered in my mouth.

I thought I should worship this kind of power with my whole body since I experienced it right in front of me.

Even such an absurd thought crossed my mind.

However, when she turned her head toward me, I strangely managed to pull myself together and compose my expression.

"...Hmm, I thought you’d be gaping in awe~. Was it not that impressive?"

"I was surprised."

"Really? I hate lies. If you're lying, I'll get angry."

She looked disappointed.

She even seemed a bit sulky.

That meant she didn't like it.

Even so, I composed my face because I knew Merdi's personality all too well.

If I had gaped in awe as she said, well...

'She would have thought I was trash not worth dealing with.'

I brushed the dust off my body as if nothing had happened and stood up.

Then I answered while keeping an eye on the remaining enemies in front.

"I would love to be amazed, but... the battle isn't over yet."

Her expression turned into a scowl.

However, the alien swarm that had lost their hatchery swarmed at her in frenzy, the cause of this situation, so she had no choice but to turn her attention back.

"These damned bugs!"

Her uncontrolled energy burst out randomly.

It was merely spewing out, but the sheer amount of power was so overwhelming that the Razor bees caught in it burned to ashes.

Even so, the aliens attacking without hesitation like moths to a flame were quite formidable.

'But at this rate...'

I rechecked Merdi's attire.

She wasn't wearing the standard combat armor, and she didn’t have the recommended respirator for combat either.

Considering her current outfit, she looked as if she had been attending a party.

Yet, the remaining Razor bees were indiscriminately launching explosive stingers, not caring about the overwhelming lightning.

All the explosive stingers were intercepted by the formidable lightning covering the area, exploding mid-air, but the toxic gas from the explosions was rapidly filling the building.

"...Cough! To think I’d be affected by such attacks, cough! Cough!"

Merdi normally wouldn’t have ended up in such a situation.

From a distance out of their reach, she would have wiped them all out before they could even attempt anything.

But right now, she was a bit excited.

Thanks to that, her already lacking control over her power caused even more problems, creating an opening.

'Even if I dislike her, I can't just leave her like this.'

I sighed and approached Merdi.

There were no Razor bees left now.

The creatures that had been attacking her were already annihilated, and the rest had vanished outside through holes in the building’s outer walls created by the aftermath of the battle.

“Ugh! Cough…! Why am I…! The-insignificant!!”

“Stay still. I’m going to help you.”

“Get…cough! away!”

Her uncontrolled powers lashed out around her, perhaps due to the pain.

The electricity coursing through the ground made my body jolt as it passed through me.

If it weren't for the help of the combat armor, I wouldn't even dare to think about getting closer.

“The Razor bees’ venom is quite potent. But with a supplied antidote pack, the symptoms can be significantly alleviated.”

“Cough…cough!”

Merdi could no longer speak properly.

The toxins gathered here were so deadly that a normal person would have died dozens of times over.

Moreover, even though she was a superhuman, Merdi’s resistance to such toxins was somewhat low.

Even if it's Merdi we are talking about, her life could be in danger within half a day like this.

'Look at her eyes.'

I approached Merdi, rolling up one sleeve, and looked at her face.

Despite clearly experiencing hellish pain, her eyes were still fiercely shining.

It was a testament to her high pride.

Albeit this groggy state, she might have refused treatment outright.

“This will sting a bit.”

“Argh! Cough!...Ugh!”

More than a bit—it was quite a lot.

The needle of the antidote pack, designed with no regard for patient comfort but solely for efficacy, looked truly intimidating.

If someone had brought this kind of item into the modern world I lived in, they might have been mistaken for attempting murder.

It eased some of the resentment I held towards her.

“Ugh...!”

I successfully administrated the antidote pack into her body.

The venom of the Razor bees was neutralized immediately, and her symptoms began to improve.

As Merdi seemed to regain some strength, she opened her eyes wide, trying to say something, but then fell into another fit of coughing.

“You…you…cough!”

She finally managed to utter a word, but the powerful sedative mixed into the antidote pack took effect, sending her to sleep.

“So stubborn.”

I hoisted the sleeping Merdi onto my back.

No matter how tough she was, she was still only 19 years old.

The lightness of her body belied her status as part of the generation of miracles.

I felt a complicated emotion I couldn’t quite describe.

With that, the first practical test was over.