The next morning at Astra Dominion Academy began before sunrise.
A loud alarm echoed through every dormitory building, shaking students awake from their first night of sleep in the academy.
Inside Dormitory D, Ryu jumped out of bed immediately.
"Wake up!" he shouted. "First training day!"
Kai groaned and buried his face into his pillow.
"Five more minutes…"
Milan was already awake, quietly adjusting his glasses while reading a small handbook about academy combat rules.
Leo slowly opened his eyes.
The room was filled with the soft gray light of early morning.
For a moment he simply lay there, listening to the distant sounds of hundreds of students moving across the academy.
Footsteps.
Voices.
Doors opening and closing.
Today would be their first real training session.
Leo sat up calmly and picked up his uniform jacket.
Inside his chest, the sleeping god remained silent, as if observing the world through his senses.
The Training Grounds
By the time the four roommates arrived at the main training field, the academy grounds were already filled with students.
The training area was enormous.
Several combat arenas stood in a row, surrounded by tall metal walls reinforced with runic barriers.
Combat drones hovered in the air, scanning every movement.
Advanced monitoring systems tracked each student's physical output, mana usage, and reaction speed.
This was not simple exercise.
This was battle preparation.
A tall instructor wearing black combat armor stepped forward.
The same instructor who had welcomed them yesterday.
His scarred face made him look even more intimidating in the morning light.
"My name is Instructor Kael," he said in a deep voice.
"I will oversee your combat training."
His sharp eyes scanned the students.
"You are here to become hunters."
He paused.
"And hunters fight monsters."
A large metal gate behind the instructor slowly opened.
Inside was a training arena filled with mechanical combat units.
"These drones simulate real combat situations."
He pointed toward them.
"They are programmed to attack without hesitation."
Several students swallowed nervously.
"If you cannot survive against these machines," Kael continued coldly, "you will never survive against real monsters."
He looked toward the first group of students.
"Step forward."
One by one, students entered the arena.
The drones activated immediately.
Fast mechanical limbs launched strikes.
Students struggled to dodge and defend themselves.
Some performed well.
Others were knocked down quickly.
The system recorded everything.
Power.
Speed.
Instinct.
Kai leaned closer to Leo.
"Looks intense."
Leo nodded slightly.
"It is."
Ryu cracked his knuckles confidently.
"I can handle a machine."
Milan quietly pushed his glasses higher.
"I'm more worried about the reaction speed tests."
Leo simply watched.
His eyes followed every movement in the arena.
Every attack.
Every mistake.
Every weakness.
To him, the drones moved painfully slow.
But he knew he couldn't show that.
Not yet.
Ryu's Turn
"Ryu," Instructor Kael called.
Ryu stepped forward confidently and entered the arena.
The drone activated instantly.
It dashed forward with a powerful punch.
Ryu blocked the attack with surprising strength and countered with a heavy strike.
The crowd cheered slightly.
"Not bad," Kai said.
Ryu continued fighting aggressively.
But the drone adapted quickly.
Its speed increased.
A sudden spinning kick knocked Ryu backward.
He managed to stay standing, but barely.
After thirty seconds, the drone stopped automatically.
Instructor Kael nodded.
"Decent strength."
Ryu walked back proudly.
"See?" he said.
Kai laughed.
"You almost got kicked into next week."
Kai's Turn
Next was Kai.
He entered the arena with a relaxed grin.
Instead of blocking attacks directly, he dodged smoothly.
The drone struck several times but failed to land a clean hit.
"Good agility," Milan commented.
Kai lasted nearly a full minute before the test ended.
When he returned, he looked pleased.
"Easy."
Milan's Turn
Milan stepped into the arena nervously.
The drone attacked immediately.
Milan reacted quickly but lacked physical strength.
After twenty seconds, the drone knocked him down.
Still, the system recorded his reaction time as above average.
He walked back slightly embarrassed.
"I need to train more."
Leo's Turn
Finally, Instructor Kael called the last name.
"Leo."
Several students turned to look.
Some recognized him as the non-awakened student from the entrance test.
Ryu leaned closer.
"Just do your best," he said.
Kai smiled.
"Try not to get destroyed in five seconds."
Leo walked calmly into the arena.
The drone activated.
Its sensors locked onto him.
For a brief moment, everything felt very slow.
The drone moved.
Punch.
Leo stepped slightly to the side.
Kick.
Leo leaned back gently.
Spin attack.
Leo moved half a step forward.
Every movement was minimal.
Precise.
Effortless.
Thirty seconds passed.
Then forty.
The drone's speed increased automatically.
Leo still didn't attack.
He simply avoided every strike.
Instructor Kael narrowed his eyes.
"That movement…"
The drone suddenly launched its fastest attack.
Leo lifted his hand slightly.
And tapped the machine's arm.
Not hard.
Just a small touch.
But the drone froze instantly.
Its systems shut down.
The arena became silent.
Several students stared in shock.
Kai blinked.
"…Did he just break it?"
Instructor Kael stepped forward slowly.
His eyes were focused entirely on Leo.
"You."
Leo looked at him calmly.
"Yes?"
"How did you disable the drone?"
Leo answered simply.
"I touched a joint."
The instructor stared at him for a moment.
Then he examined the machine.
Leo had struck the exact weak point of the drone's power connection.
A place that required extreme precision to hit.
Instructor Kael looked back at Leo.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
He turned to the class.
"Training ends for today."
Students began leaving the arena while whispering to each other.
Kai walked up to Leo immediately.
"Okay… that was weird."
Ryu crossed his arms.
"You're telling me that was luck?"
Leo shrugged.
"Maybe."
Milan adjusted his glasses thoughtfully.
"No," he said quietly.
"That wasn't luck."
Kai stared at Leo.
"Just how much are you hiding?"
Leo smiled faintly.
"Not much."
But deep inside his chest—
The sleeping god stirred slightly.
Because something unexpected had just happened.
Across the academy, several hidden monitoring systems had recorded Leo's movement.
And far above the training grounds…
Inside a secure observation room…
Someone was watching.