Chapter 72

Instructor Frederick stared at me with a look of horror as if he had seen something unimaginable.

Seeing him so shocked was a first for me since I got to know him.

After a moment, Frederick collected himself and glared at me fiercely.

“You’re not hiding your abilities from me, are you? You can’t be messing with me, right?”

“No! Not at all!”

“Don’t lie. How on earth did a kid who couldn’t use any body enhancement ability grow to this level in just three days? To achieve what you just showed, it would usually take at least two or three months.”

It seems my growth speed was too fast. In the game, everyone knew how to use magical power, so I had no idea how or how much training was required.

“What kind of trick are you using? You didn’t mess with any banned substances, did you?”

“No!”

I denied it quickly.

Of course, there are drugs meant for the Awakened.

These drugs cause a surge in magical power but come with severe side effects for just a temporary boost in physical abilities.

Looking at Frederick’s face, he didn’t seem to truly believe it; he looked more shocked and incredulous.

Still, to prove it wasn’t due to drugs or any shortcuts, I needed to show that it was entirely my own strength.

“Here, look at this.”

I focused my magical power and jumped again.

–Boom!

This time, I couldn’t control my strength and crashed into the wall beside me. Ouch, that hurt.

“Ugh…”

I got up with my nose bleeding. The instructor shook his head disapprovingly.

“Okay, considering how you can activate it repeatedly and your control, it seems this is your genuine strength. However, with your magical energy release ability from before… really, you… this…”

Frederick struggled to finish his sentence, mouthing a few words before finally managing to say,

“Fast. Really fast. Like…”

“Is that so? Ahaha…”

I laughed as if it were nothing, but I finally realized why the instructor was so astonished. The growth speed of the Violets appeared abnormal compared to common sense.

“This is strange! We just practiced hard overnight, right? There must be many people in the world who can do better than us.”

“That’s speaking based on others with only one body.”

“Oh, is that it?”

Now that I think about it, our training method was incredibly effective.

But explaining this to the instructor would be tricky. I would also have to explain my true abilities. It got complicated.

How about pretending to be a genius? That might shock him into understanding.

“W-Well… I just managed to figure it out?”

“Do you really think that makes sense?”

It seems he still doesn’t believe it.

Afterward, the instructor kept testing me for a long time.

He made me grab falling rods several times, lift different heavy objects, and even timed my movements.

“Ugh… This is tough… When will it end?”

Regardless of how exhausted I was, Frederick kept mumbling something.

“This is genuine. Even if it’s rough, your reaction speed, strength, and dynamics have all improved. You still aren’t familiar with your power yet, so you can’t control it well. But to master full-body enhancement in just a few days…”

Frederick rubbed his head with one hand, thinking deeply. I was curious about what he’d say. Waiting for him, he turned his now clearer gray eyes towards me.

“Well, anyway, since you’ve grown, there’s a lot to teach you… Fine, we’ll need to change the schedule. We’ll begin a new training regimen to adapt to your enhanced body. Ready?”

“Yes!”

Frederick brought out a batting machine typical for baseball training from the gym’s storage. It was a machine that placed the balls between two rapidly rotating fans and shot them out.

The training I was about to undertake was called ‘Dodge the Ball.’

He threw me protective gear for my head and upper body.

“Secure it tightly! Don’t let it slip off!”

“Isn’t it unnecessary?”

“Don’t be silly! The speed of the balls I’ll be firing from now on exceeds 250 kilometers per hour. At your level right now, you can’t even put up Ether Protection, so it’s dangerous. Wear it or you’ll get hurt!”

If I were at home, I would just take a hit and get injured, but everything was by the book here.

I put on a helmet, various protective gear, and goggles.

“Have you suited up?”

The instructor made me stand in a narrow rectangular area drawn on the gym floor.

“From now on, I’m going to shoot balls at you. Avoid them without stepping outside this area. This is a basic training method. You must not step outside. Understand?”

The square I stepped into was narrower than I thought. Wait, can this even work?

“Alright, starting now!”

With a thud, the ball was shot at me. I immediately focused my magical power in my eyes. The world slowed down, and I could see even a speck of dust floating in the air. The ball was spinning and coming my way.

I just had to dodge it. This was easier than I thought?

But my body didn’t move. Oh no! I got too focused on my vision, and other body enhancements didn’t apply!

“Ah!”

I got hit by the ball. Thanks to the protective gear and damage dispersion, it didn’t hurt, but still, a disappointment.

“Can’t you dodge that? Again!”

The balls came flying at me, and I dodged this time. But I stepped outside the square.

“You idiot! Don’t focus too much on just seeing! Relax your body, and this time it’s a continuous round!”

-Thud! Thud! Thud!

The balls kept shooting out consistently. I screamed and twisted my body to evade them.

My life had turned into a bullet-hell action game. This was so hard!

*

Meanwhile, in another location, I demonstrated body enhancement to Irene at a private training ground. Her reaction was quite similar.

“Violet, it’s true you’ve never trained before? It took me weeks to reach where you are!”

“Really?”

Both Irene and Frederick kept saying the same thing.

“Do you think I should explain this to Irene?”

“It doesn’t matter, does it? She knows our abilities.”

I explained my secret.

I told her that I leveraged my unique ability to train for 24 hours, skipping over the blocked parts quickly with numerical power, and she let out a light gasp.

The problem arose when I mentioned the slight trial and error—like permanent physical loss, paralysis, blindness, and bleeding.

I tried to gloss over this part, but sensing something odd, Irene began to probe deeper, and I had no choice but to share bits of it.

In an instant, the girl’s golden gaze, once filled with curiosity and admiration, became colored with horror and panic.

Irene approached me, looking worried, and touched my forehead.

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Why? I’m fine!”

“No way, I need to call Daphne. Your friend isn’t in a good state; I have to ask her for immediate help…”

“What’s wrong? I’m not crazy!”

Irene looked like someone trying to stop a drunk colleague from driving, her face full of urgency. I didn’t see what the problem was.

“Violet, no matter how much your unique ability lessens your pain, what are you saying? You trained while sustaining dozens of injuries to find an optimized magical power operation method? That’s insane! It’s madness!”

“But it’s true that the results are fast, right? If it weren’t, I wouldn’t have gotten this far in just three days.”

Before she could protest, I manipulated my magical power and hopped around the training area at high speed.

“See! I’m faster now!”

“Ah…”

Seeing Irene speechless, I felt a surge of triumph.

“Okay, Violet, it’s your choice, so I can’t say much. However, don’t push yourself too hard. The human body isn’t meant to break down. It’s not like there are people who exercise while getting painkillers. Don’t over-rely on your abilities during training. Otherwise…”

“You mean it’s dangerous, right? Got it. I’ll hold back for a while.”

That was a lie. It was the quickest method I had, so I had no choice but to keep using it for now.

Chit-chatting, we started sparring again.

Thanks to my rapid growth, the sparring changed as well. Irene decided to lower her strength and fight me with enhancements.

While the school’s Violet was flailing around dodging incoming balls, the training ground’s Violet faced the oncoming sword with full force.

“Ah! Ugh!”

“Your movements are too big. Keep it simple!”

–Bang!

Once again, I couldn’t control the power in my legs and crashed into the wall. My head hurt.

*

As the Violets trained outside, this multi-clone training technique adapted alongside it.

“Is this really appropriate? We can read each other’s thoughts. It seems like it would be easier to dodge.”

“This is faster than the balls!”

Outside the workshop where we obtained materials for making explosives, a wide open area with various hills and pits spread out.

While Violets sprinted around using body enhancement on one side, on the other, Violets wielding crossbows lined up to do the dodge training.

On the opposite end stood Clone 89, leaning against the wall. At first glance, it looked like an execution site.

“89, begin!”

“Start!”

To ensure efficient and safe training, I didn’t release any magical power, and the arrowheads were removed, but it still hurt to get hit.

–Pip pip! Pip pip!

Clone 89 twisted and dodged around vigorously. After the shooting ended, several bolts had lodged into its flesh.

“Next time, let’s be more careful. Next! Ninety-Six!”

The training continued, rolling around and getting beaten up. Of course, with rough training, accidents were inevitable.

–Boom!

“Ugh… Ugh! Gah!”

While practicing jumping, Unit 101 miscalculated and smashed its head into the workshop wall. It broke its neck.

Along with that, there were various accidents like falling into pits or being buried under piles of dirt as they ran around. Some Violets lost consciousness from blood loss while dodging arrows.

But since there was something to gain, we couldn’t stop training.

Time passed.

“Alright! I’ve dodged six times now. Are you starting to get the hang of dodging the balls?”

Little by little, through trial and error, I began to understand how to move my enhanced body.

“Don’t swing too hard, as you’re not swinging with strength. There, that’s a gap!”

“Ugh!”

For 24 hours, day after day, for several days, the Violets ran, fought, got hurt, and died.

If one coin can’t clear a level, just pour in coins endlessly. If a drop of water can’t pierce a stone, keep dripping until it does.

What’s important is the unyielding spirit; remembering this, we continued to devote ourselves to training.

Our Violets grow stronger the more we use them.

*

A few days passed, and soon it was the first week of October.

Gradually growing accustomed to body enhancement, I understood why the Awakened were considered monsters.

The balls that flew at me once in a flash now appeared to float slowly like balloons in the air. I felt like I could catch them with my hands if I tried.

“Okay, are you finally getting comfortable with your body’s sensations?”

Balls began to rain down one after another. Now, it seemed I could dodge them, albeit narrowly.

I had progressed in our sparring as well.

The sharp sword strikes flying towards me made a slicing sound; I could now somewhat anticipate them.

Of course, I still couldn’t meet them head-on. Irene’s swordsmanship may not be as good as her spear technique, but it was still quite sharp and fierce in my view. In contrast, I had yet to land a single hit.

I realized why I nearly lost when I fought Martina in our last duel. The world inhabited by superhumans was different from that of mere mortals.

Muscles enhanced by magical power became as tough as steel wires, and enhanced eyes and optic nerves could see things beyond normal perception, more clearly and swiftly. The nerves sent danger signals like lightning. Blood surged like a wave in between.

From an Awakened’s perspective, the world was a fragile glass palace that could shatter at any moment. While an average person might breathe once, they breathed ten or twenty times, and their hearts beat several times faster and stronger.

This was my impression as I slowly adapted to body enhancement. I was growing rapidly, but the more I grew, the clearer my position became.

I was still insufficient.

“I don’t know what to do! I need to learn proper swordsmanship ASAP.”

“I need more sparring partners. I should ask Kalia too!”

More, more training was necessary. I would likely have to get hurt and die even more.

Lost in thoughts, I forgot that I was still in a sparring situation.

Irene’s sword glided smoothly toward my head. What should I do?

Typically, if it looked dangerous, Irene would stop her movements and retract the sword first.

No, I should dodge.

However, my body didn’t respond. My focus slipped, halting the flow of my magical energy.

Was there no other way? There should be a way to block it head-on.

I observed the descending arc of the sword closely. My mind whirled rapidly. I didn’t know; there had to be another way.

Then, I pictured a specific image.

A cruel and brutal, yet exquisitely and systematically moving machine.

In an instant, my body moved instinctively.

–Clang!

“What is this…?”

“Ugh?”

A piercing, shrill sound resonated throughout the training ground. Without being aware, with tremendous strength, I instinctively parried Irene’s sword that was swinging down vertically. How did that happen?

Irene stepped back.

“How did you defend just now?”

“I don’t know.”

As Irene looked at me, her expression changed as if she had realized something. Her face lit up with color.

“It seems you’ve discovered something as well. Your body moved unconsciously, right?”

“Yeah! Exactly, it was like that. How did you know?”

“I experienced that before! It’s evidence that you’re getting accustomed to sparring. Well done! Now, it’s break time, so take a moment to think.”

I returned to my spot and gulped down some water. Grabbing my one-handed sword again, I swung it.

What was that feeling earlier? It was surely unfamiliar, yet oddly familiar. I’d never swung a sword like that in my memory.

It felt like I was trying a new posture, but snippets of memory lingered. Perhaps I really might have achieved some enlightenment.

Before I could gather my thoughts, break time ended. We started sparring again.

By the way, apart from swordsmanship, I should also learn some magic.

Who should I learn from?