'Where am I? Who am I?'
Before my eyes is a sparring room encased in a transparent material.
It's far too large to be called a simple interior space.
Large enough to easily fit a soccer field.
But watching the two people engaged in such intense combat that even this vast space seems cramped, my sense of reality begins to crumble.
"It's not working?"
"Is today going to be the same as usual?"
The outer walls of the sparring room are made of the same material used for the external armor of battleships to withstand bombardment.
Additionally, the academy's auxiliary power is connected in series to add an extra layer of barrier.
In short, it's an incredibly sturdy structure.
Yet right now, that barrier is fluctuating.
Unable to withstand the concentrated force, the barrier's surface ripples like waves to disperse the impact.
Some parts have been penetrated, creating scars on the wall.
'Monsters'
There are two people inside the sparring room.
One is a superhuman male with powerful abilities whom I remember as a supporting character.
Despite having quite remarkable abilities—he could have been top of his class in any other year—he unfortunately enrolled in this particular year and now serves to highlight the 'Miracle Generation.'
At first glance, the sparring seems overwhelmingly in favor of this supporting character.
He's launching a barrage of purple energy projectiles in all directions while simultaneously maintaining a thick energy barrier for protection.
'If only his opponent wasn't that person.'
Saham Mohaim.
The Weapon Master, another member of the Miracle Generation.
A man distinguished by his dark brown skin, short hair, and the strange tattoo covering half his face.
The Saham I created is an incredible hard worker.
Although his innate talent falls short compared to the other four, he reached the same position through unparalleled effort.
He has mastered all weapons and can enhance and strengthen any weapon he touches.
He's also known for carrying at least five different types of weapons at all times, depending on battlefield conditions.
'He's not quite at that level yet.'
Saham's hands were moving so fast they were nearly invisible.
Despite the countless energy projectiles raining down, the area around him remains calm, as if protected by some kind of barrier.
No ordinary person could deflect such concentrated energy projectiles so easily.
The exchange of offense and defense continued for quite some time.
Despite the interior of the sparring room reaching a point where plasma phenomena were occurring due to increased energy density, Saham's defense remained as solid as an iron wall.
Rather, by constantly shifting between weapons, he was widening his 'interval' and even closing the distance with his opponent.
'Those two could probably already serve as active-duty superhumans without any issues.'
Not just the supporting character, but Saham too possessed skills that could match most superhumans.
Finally, the match was decided.
After approaching within arm's reach, Saham stood there blocking all attacks. His opponent, frustrated at seeing all his offenses neutralized, lost control and unleashed everything at once.
Saham split that attack in half from the front.
"Now he'll say it. It was good training."
[Hmm, it was good training.]
[You son of a bitch!!!]
The voices of those inside the sparring room came through the speakers.
Everyone burst into laughter.
"Wow, how did you know, Lemon?"
"It's what he always says."
"I don't think I've heard it before."
"...I've heard it before."
So this habit started around this time.
Somehow, I managed to bluff my way through.
The sparring room needed some time for cleanup before the next use.
Saham, having finished his match, approached us.
"Rose, I request a sparring match."
"Now? I can't. I already have plans. I promised to spar with Lemon today."
Rose indicated me with a nod.
Saham looked at me and slightly stiffened his face.
"Leonard Monarch. I don't mean to belittle him. But sparring with him offers you no advantage."
"It's guidance sparring. I promised to teach him. I have a debt to repay, and I find his attitude admirable!"
"Admirable? ...That's somewhat different from what I know. Rose, are you being deceived by him?"
Saham knows Lemon.
The original Lemon's attitude toward life, his personality.
Lemon was probably the type of person that a hard worker with unlimited mental strength like Saham would despise.
If they didn't have Rose as a common connection, the negative perception would never have changed, even over a lifetime.
So this is my opportunity.
My first principle of conduct: [Survival]
You need to be alive to do anything, right?
This is a golden opportunity to improve my relationship with one of the Miracle Generation (excluding Merdi) – a relationship deeply connected to my survival.
I decided to worry about the consequences later and opened my mouth first.
"Rose is right. I felt like nothing would change at this rate, so I asked for help. I can't keep disappointing myself forever, can I?"
Normally, I would cringe too hard to say lines like this even if ordered to.
In fact, my face is heating up in real-time.
But this dialogue was bound to work specifically on 'Saham Mohaim.'
"...Is that true?"
"Yes."
"I don't easily believe that people change. Anyone can talk. I'll be watching."
It seems his distrust of Lemon was deeper than I thought.
Saham admonished me with a powerful tone.
"Rose, I apologize to you. I'm sorry for interfering unnecessarily."
"No worries! We can spar another time."
Saham scrutinized me once more before turning and leaving.
"Lemon, what did you do to make that positive guy dislike you? Hmm?"
"Haha..."
"Well, the past doesn't matter. I like the current Lemon! Shall we go spar now?"
Ah, right, we still had sparring to do.
Cruelly, our turn for the sparring room came quickly.
Rose, who maintained top grades based solely on practical scores despite failing theory, always had priority access to such facilities.
We headed to our assigned sparring room.
The room assigned according to our purpose was smaller than the one we had just seen, but still spacious.
"As I said earlier..."
"I know. You said your senses are messed up, right? Let's adjust your senses by moving around. I'll just defend."
I'd already laid some groundwork.
Come to think of it, learning from a combat specialist like Rose is an incredible opportunity.
Considering survival, it would be foolish to miss such a chance.
I assumed a stance following the memories that surfaced.
'Lion Form'
The martial arts of the Human Alliance underwent a tremendous transformation as humanity entered the space age.
Suddenly increased physical limits.
Humans made of flesh breaking stones and tearing through metal with their bare hands.
Developing vitality sufficient to deflect bullets and survive bombardments through training.
Superhumans straight out of movies or novels.
When the fantastical feats from martial arts novels became possible in reality, people couldn't sit still.
At first, they just went around unleashing their powers, but gradually a system was established.
Research was conducted, and various training methods were invented to efficiently sculpt the body.
It was as if a space martial arts era had dawned.
In this process, many training methods disappeared into history as they were ranked, and the surviving few continued to develop until the present day.
The Lion Form that Lemon learned is one of them.
One of the ten major combat arts.
It's said to have the best 'ruthless offense' among all martial arts, focusing on strength and momentum, wringing out the body's energy beyond its limits.
'Whatever happens, happens!'
I charged in recklessly.
I originally had no aptitude for physical activities.
I was so bad at foot volleyball that I was called a "developer" (meaning I just kicked the ball anywhere).
Lemon's body had some exceptional qualities that allowed me to make the form look somewhat decent, but it clearly didn't impress Rose at all.
"Hmm... It's waaay too messy. It's not just that you've lost your sense. Is the aftereffect that severe?"
Rose blocked all my attacks with just one hand while standing.
Even in this "messy" state, I could tear through centimeter-thick steel plates in an instant.
I didn't expect the gap to be this wide.
The initial thrill of experiencing unfamiliar power quickly cooled down.
'Miracle Generation'
I'm starting to understand it a bit.
Why so many geniuses despaired.
The deep despair of realizing that mere effort could never even come close.
"How is it possible that you learned the Lion Form but ended up with a physical balance like this? Plus, the martial art doesn't match your disposition. It's like there's a foreign substance in your body."
Martial arts isn't simply a method of training the body.
It shapes the practitioner's body toward what is considered the 'most perfect form.'
This process includes not only correcting personality and temperament but also extensively modifying the skeleton, the size and position of blood vessels and organs, their thickness, and even the development of the nervous system.
This couldn't possibly be achieved through regular training alone.
That's why the training process of martial arts includes various psychological approaches and surgical operations.
Consequently, the training process is excruciatingly painful and demands endless patience.
In return, martial artists who overcome all this and complete their training can possess power that matches their efforts.
The 'Master Corps' currently performing excellently on the front lines is proof of this.
'I wish I were like that'
Lemon originally had no interest in becoming a superhuman.
He learned the Lion Form merely as part of the basic education required as a member of the Monarch family.
As a result, his level isn't high.
His admission to the COH Academy was solely due to the unintended manifestation of his ability.
It was inevitable that the overconfident Lemon would lose his self-esteem when surrounded by this abnormal group of geniuses.
It's not an uncommon story.
"For a body to be structured like this, it must be due to an ability. Right, Lemon?"
"Y-yeah."
Rose asked with gleaming eyes.
Despite less than three minutes of sparring, she had accurately seen through my body.
"Excuse me"
"Uh, wait..."
Rose approached and began examining my body with her hands.
This is the most intimate physical contact I've ever had with a beautiful woman in my life, yet instead of excitement, I feel the thrill of putting my head in a tiger's mouth.
I want to live purely in the moment too.
But as Rose was examining my body, she suddenly said something alarming.
"At this rate, it's going to collapse."
"Collapse?"
"The harmony is off. If left alone, it will rot away soon."
Rose pointed to several spots, saying "here and here."
My flesh will rot?
That's a serious problem.
It seems Lemon's ability [Analysis, Application] carries greater risks than I thought.
'Then I'll have to abandon it.'
It's regrettable, but there's no choice.
Life is obviously more important than academy grades.
Requesting alien corpses for research to become familiar with the ability would also be a desirable approach.
"But don't worry. If I 'adjust' it, you'll be fine. Probably."
"How are you going to adjust it?"
If there's a way to fix it, that would be best.
I asked Rose, suddenly hopeful, not knowing I was boarding a train to hell.
"Like this!"
"Gah...!?"
An intense shock hit me without warning.
Before I could properly be surprised, Rose's hands struck my entire body.
I don't know how she's hitting me, but it hurts terribly.
Simultaneously, Rose's voice penetrates my ears.
"Your body has foreign biological tissue mixed in. This tissue efficiently amplifies your physical performance, but due to its strong heterogeneity, it constantly conflicts with your existing cells."
"AAAARRRGHHHH!"
"The misalignment of your senses is probably affected by this too."
That's not it.
I wanted to speak up, but I'd be forced to play "choo-choo train" if I opened my mouth, so I kept quiet and just listened.
"There are several treatment methods, but the fastest and most effective one I can provide is this."
She didn't need to hide that this treatment method is the most aggressive.
I'm someone who needs mental preparation too.
I'm already dealing with many surprises and worried about the safety of my stomach.
"I'll give you a series of appropriate impacts to make it 'sesese.' You know what I mean, right? I'm weak at theory so it's hard for me to explain, but anyway, this is correct."
What kind of grown woman uses 'sesese' (from Clapping game) as an explanation?