Arkens charged forward, each step crushing the ground beneath him, leaving deep imprints as he moved faster than he ever thought possible. The rush of wind against his face and the power surging through his body felt new, yet strangely natural. This superhuman strength was exhilarating.

With his target locked in sight, Arkens lunged, throwing his right fist forward with everything he had. But just as his punch neared, Mr. Damatsu took a single, effortless step to the side, causing Arkens's fist to strike nothing but air. The sheer force of the missed blow sent a shockwave rippling through the air, shaking nearby trees and scattering leaves.

Arkens froze, staring at his hand in disbelief. The power he had just unleashed was overwhelming, leaving him breathless. His gaze traced the line of his arm up to his

shoulder as he tried to comprehend the strength now coursing through him.

"And there are people out there with much more devilish strength than this?!...".

Mr. Damatsu calmly walked behind Arkens, pushing up his darkened shades.

"That's correct. Let that remind you daily of the kind of world you are involved in and the standard you must achieve even to stand a glimmer of a chance".

"It will also do you best to remember that despite my weakened state, I'll show you kindly why they call me "The Mercenary" and shutter in fear of its title".

In a flash, Mr. Damatsu took small, precise steps, his movement swift yet efficient. With his only good arm, he gripped the back of Arkens's head and slammed the boy's face into the ground. The impact was brutal, sending cracks rushing through the earth like a spiderweb. Arkens hadn't been prepared, and the sharp pain exploded through his body, his nerves screaming in protest, begging him to flee from this behemoth.

"Fight back, or you'll attend school with horrific scars".

Mr. Damatsu released his grip on the boy's head and hopped backward, creating space between them. Arkens groaned, planting both hands firmly on the ground as he struggled to lift his aching body from the small crater left by the impact. His face was bruised, covered in tiny cuts and scrapes, though nothing too serious. His newly empowered state had made him more resilient to external damage.

"Ugh... gah..!-".

"I'm not going to let you recover anymore; I've been too lenient".

Arkens gritted his teeth, his fingers digging into the dirt. Hearing the faint sound of movement, his eyes flicked toward what he believed to be Mr. Damatsu's position. In an instant, Mr. Damatsu advanced, aiming to kick Arkens down. At that very moment, Arkens sensed his teacher's approach. Pushing off the ground with his hands, Arkens lifted his body and swung his leg backward to strike Mr. Damatsu's face with a swift, airborne leg sweep.

Mr. Damatsu was mildly surprised by how quickly Arkens recovered, launching a counterattack in the same fluid motion. It showed promise but not enough to impress him. Adjusting swiftly, Mr. Damatsu leaped over Arkens's leg sweep, flying effortlessly above him. He landed gracefully behind Arkens, now facing his direction. Without wasting a second, he rushed toward Arkens's blind spot, exploiting the opening in his defense. With his head, arms, and back exposed, Mr. Damatsu saw the perfect opportunity to strike.

Mr. Damatsu, with his only good hand, performed a swift palm strike aimed at Arkens's exposed back. Arkens, reacting with newfound speed, flipped himself over just in time, crossing his arms to block the incoming blow. However, the block only absorbed about 20% of the strike's force, leaving him to endure the brunt of the impact. The remaining power sent him flying through the air, crashing to the ground and skidding across it, a trail of disturbed dirt marking his rough landing.

"Ahh- damn it!".

The disgruntled Arkens breathed heavily as he struggled to lift himself off the ground, both hands planted firmly on the dirt. But something felt wrong; his eyes widened in alarm as he realized the flow of Sera Energy within him had vanished. The empowered state was gone. Panic flickered in his gaze as he searched for Mr. Damatsu, only to find that he could no longer track his movements. Where he once could follow his teacher's speed, now there was nothing. Before Arkens could react, Mr. Damatsu appeared above him, his image a blur. With a deliberate motion, he pressed the bottom of his shoe lightly against Arkens's chest, pushing him down onto the ground once more.

"Don't keep me waiting now. Remember what you've learned and channel the Sera Energy through your body again. You need to activate it the moment you desire or sense danger instantaneously. Engrave the instance into your body like second nature".

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"T-That's easy for you to say.. I j-just started old man Damatsu!..".

A spark hit Mr. Damatsu in the temple, and his head moved downward. A strange sense of nostalgia rushed toward him without much warning. A tiny smile formed on an atomic level on his face, and he seemed to repeat the words Arkens had spoken first.

"Old man Damatsu.. Huh?..".

Arkens was perplexed yet saw the opportunity to focus on reactivating his Sera Energy. So, similar to before, he closed his eyes and envisioned a stream of Sera Energy flowing throughout his body, enveloping him like a blanket. Within seconds, he reopened his eyes and quickly rolled backward, creating distance from Mr. Damatsu, who blinked and snapped out of his momentary trance.

"Good work. Using my moment of distraction to regain your composure, impressive battle IQ".

A comedic sweat drop formed on his face, and an exaggerated slump from Arkens as the compliment felt like an awkward attempt to cheer him up. He gave a half-hearted sigh, clearly not feeling the praise. He muttered, his voice flat.

"Huh.. I wouldn't necessarily call it impressive.. Don't boost my confidence with nothingness".

It was silent for a few moments before the training resumed, with Arkens trying his best to keep the flow of Sera Energy coursing through his body while dodging Mr. Damatsu's relentless flurry of attacks. Mr. Damatsu's strikes were swift and precise, involving only his arms and hands, yet each one carried enough strength to graze Arkens's cheeks, leaving behind shallow cuts that bled. Thanks to the power of Sera Energy, most of the injuries sealed themselves temporarily, and the enhanced healing factor worked fast enough to keep him in the fight.

"That's good. Keep up the pace; You're beginning to understand the idea, yet when it comes down to a prolonged fight, your energy is depleting quickly, disrupting your focus".

Arkens was becoming winded fast, and his control over Sera Energy faltered with each passing second. The moment he lost focus, the energy would shut off, exposing him to Mr. Damatsu's dangerous strikes. As he caught a glimpse of another attack heading his way, he braced himself for the inevitable pain, but it never came. Mr. Damatsu had stopped just short, his hand hovering inches from Arkens's face, his expression unreadable.

"As much as I prefer this training method, I don't intend to hurt you. I'm your teacher, not your enemy, but with pain and a sense of urgency, that's where you can flourish".

Mr. Damatsu flicked the boy's forehead with his middle finger and turned around, facing the opposite direction. He tossed a cold water bottle behind himself towards Arkens, who caught it with both hands.

"Same time tomorrow. We'll continue this type of training again. If I feel you are improving and becoming stronger, the difficulty will increase, and I'll expect more of you. Understood?".

Arkens gulped and bowed his head with both hands to his sides.

"Y-Yes! I won't disappoint ya, old man Damatsu!".

"Alright, go home now. It's quite late, and I have to return to Target; she's asleep, but I know she's afraid of being alone".

That said, Mr. Damatsu had returned to where he and Target were residing while Arkens sluggishly pulled his 100-ton body back home, chugging the water bottle.

"Ahhhhhh... I feel like absolute shit.. I can't believe I have to do this every day.. kill me".

The very next day had arrived, and Arkens, like everyone else, were seated at their desks, awaiting Mr. Damatsu, their homeroom teacher, to come and start the morning attendance. Watsu noticed the bandages plastered all over Arken's face, who tried hiding them in the best way possible.

Watsu raised an eyebrow, his lips curving into a half-smile, though his eyes showed clear suspicion.

"So, what's the deal? You're walking around like nothing's wrong, but with all those bandages... it's like a swarm of tiny bugs set up camp on your face. You hiding something from me?".

"N-Nothing serious, alright? I took a tumble on the pavement yesterday and should've paid more attention to my surroundings".

"Is that so? Hmm.. You must be more careful, or you'll break your nose, idiot-".

This set Arkens off, launching him into a tangent about who the absolute idiot was. His voice grew louder as he defended himself, gesturing wildly in frustration. Watsu, however, only half-listened, turning his head slightly to the side. His gaze shifted toward Target, who sat by herself, seemingly engrossed in a conversation with a few girls who had moved their desks closer to hers. A subtle frown crept onto Watsu's face as his suspicions deepened, his focus now more on her than Arkens's rant.

Due to personal affairs, Watsu couldn't spy on them after school yesterday, hindering his chances of spotting any promising leads or concrete reasoning for Arkens's behavior and connection. This only made him more determined. Every waking moment, he ensured that he followed Target and Arkens throughout their time at school. He carefully concealed himself in perfect locations, blending into crowds of students to remain unseen. Despite his persistent efforts, nothing out of the ordinary caught his attention, apart from the occasional moments when Arkens and Target were together. As the school day ended and the sun began its descent, Watsu noticed the two exiting the school grounds beside each other. Finally, this seemed like a promising lead. He trailed a few feet behind them, staying just out of their line of sight but close enough to catch their conversation.

"Well, I'll say, from the best of my memory, your face has seen better days~".

Target laughed out loud, poking Arken's face with her fingers touching the bandaged areas. Arkens would wince in pain and angrily swipe her hand away.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want! I've been dreading this day too since this is my second time going again".

"At least you are learning. From what I know, you'll need it, trust me".

"Tch- I don't need you telling me that too; old man Damatsu has made it plenty clear of the standards".

Watsu's ears perked in response to Arken's words.

'Old man Damatsu?.. !!! M-Mr. Damatsu?! Our science slash homeroom teacher?!'.

A nervous air filled the space, and Watsu could sense a cold breeze brushing past him.

'What's going on here? Is Mr. Damatsu involved? But what exactly are they doing together?!'.