Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

In the middle of a training room, a young boy with white hair exhibited his incredible combat technique, skillfully striking a metallic dummy with his katana again and again.

"This is not enough. I have to push myself further," Seth thought, his determination fueling his focus on refining his technique.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The speed of his strikes increased, leaving visible marks on the dummy's armor.

‘More!’ Seth pushed himself, his determination intensifying.

Clang!Clang!Clang!Clang!

His strikes became faster and more powerful, creating deep grooves on the dummy. Seth then pulled back his sword, preparing for an even more powerful strike.

‘Focus on your grip,’ he reminded himself, subtly adjusting his hand placement on the hilt.

‘Mind your footing,’ he refined his stance with precision.

‘Now!’

With a single swift motion, Seth's katana sliced through the metallic dummy, cleanly cleaving it in two.

Exhausted and out of breath, Seth collapsed onto the ground. This was the kind of training that Seth had been doing for the past 6 years. On some days, he dedicated himself to refining his attacking technique, relentlessly striking the dummies with as much speed and power as he could. Other days were dedicated to improving his evasion skills in the room's alternate mode, where robots wielding various weapons would try to overwhelm him with attacks while openings in the walls launched long-range attacks. Seth knew he had to push his body to the limits to bridge the gap between himself and the awakened espers. Only by surpassing his own physical capabilities could he hope to keep up with the energy-enhanced bodies of his peers.

Lying on the floor, still gasping for breath, Seth mustered the strength to stand up and approach the control panel of the room. With practiced efficiency, he entered a series of commands, activating the evasion training mode.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Within seconds, six robots appeared before him, wielding a variety of weapons. At the same time, several holes opened up in the walls.

Without waiting for another second, Seth started the training. The robots sprang to life and started aggressively swinging their weapons as they closed in on Seth.

Swift and nimble, Seth danced through the storm of strikes, evading with uncanny agility. He expertly dodged multiple attacks from the six robots at the same time, searching for openings to counterattack.

The training gymnasiums featured three distinct types of training rooms: non-esper rooms, non-awakened esper rooms, and awakened esper rooms. The latter were further divided into different levels based on the esper's stage. The non-esper and non-awakened esper rooms shared many similarities since both were used by individuals without awakened abilities. These rooms had weaker dummies, less powerful robots, and implemented additional safety measures to prevent injuries. In every aspect, they were designed to accommodate the weakness of non-espers and non-awakened espers. The only difference between the two lay in the strength of the dummies and robots, and the level of anti-injury precautions. Rooms for non-awakened espers contained slightly stronger robots and fewer safety measures. This was because of the inherent strength and resilience of non-awakened espers' bodies, which exceeded that of regular humans even without energy enhancement. Nonetheless, the disparity was minimal, almost negligible.

One of the anti-injury measures put in place in the non-awakened and non-esper rooms was the evasion training’s stop condition. While in the awakened esper rooms, one had to continue evading until been directly hit by an attack, even if it was for days, on the non-awakened and non-esper rooms the robots would automatically stop just before the hit actually connected, furthermore, a winning condition was also implemented to the training. The robots had a small area that would light up on their chests, and the training would end after all of these areas had been pressed.

As a non-awakened esper, Seth had always trained in the non-awakened esper rooms, even though his skill had long surpassed the room's prescribed trainings. He was already able to cut through the dummies with his katana, which was beyond the scope of the room, and easily dodge the six robots’ attacks and the hail of projectiles coming from the walls. No matter how much further he trained in these rooms, the power level of the room was currently only holding him back.

With a precise movement, Seth pressed the last light on the robots’ chests while also dodging two other attacks. After registering the attack Seth’s last attack, the robots were deactivated and the training ended.

Clap Clap Clap Clap

Applause broke the silence, drawing Seth's attention to the entrance of the room. A tall woman, wearing casual clothing and sporting a pair of sleek sunglasses, confidently walked in. Her hands collided in a round of applause, her gaze fixated on Seth with an air of intrigue.

"Well done, truly impressive," she remarked, praising Seth.

“Huh? Who are you?” Seth asked, confused.

"That doesn’t really matter," she waved off his question dismissively. "You have a really impressive technique, especially considering your lack of formal training," she remarked.

“How did y-?”

“However, it still is far away from being good enough to be considered something special,” she added, interrupting. "How about testing your skills against a more fitting opponent?" she proposed while she approached the assortment of swords in the room's closet, contemplating her selection.

‘What’s with this freak? I can’t feel no energy coming from her, she has to be a crazy non-esper or non-awakened esper. It’s better if I just get out of here,’ Seth pondered while focusing on the woman.

“I’m leaving,” Seth said, rising to his feet and making his way toward the exit.

Suddenly, the room went cold, freezing Seth in his tracks. A primal fear gripped his being, rendering his limbs immobile. Though every instinct urged him to flee, his body was completely unable to move.

"Never turn your back on me, kiddo," the woman's soft yet menacing voice resounded, piercing the air.