Chapter 52: The First Signs of Growth
The first day of Aether Academy's special training was over.
Rei Kurogane lay on the ground, his body completely drained.
✔ His muscles burned.✔ His arms refused to move.✔ His legs felt like they would never recover.
But despite all of that—
He had survived.
And somewhere deep inside him…
Something had changed.
Meanwhile – The Elite Combat Training Grounds
On the other side of the academy, a different kind of training was taking place.
Here, only the top fighters were gathered—those who had proven their strength in battle.
And among them… one name stood at the top.
🔹 Kozuki Renjou.
Kozuki Renjou – Passing Every Trial with Monster Speed
The Elite Combat Training was designed to break even the strongest students.
✔ High-speed reaction training against AI combat drones.✔ Intense sparring against the academy's top fighters.✔ Unrelenting endurance drills that pushed even the best to their limits.
And yet…
Kozuki passed every single trial.
💥 The AI drones were programmed to track movements at lightning speed—he dodged them with ease.💥 The sparring sessions paired him against multiple elite fighters at once—he toyed with them and still won.💥 The endurance challenge forced students to fight non-stop until they collapsed—Kozuki barely even looked tired.
Students watched in horror as Kozuki moved faster than the human eye could follow.
Student 1 (panting, exhausted): "H-How the hell is he still moving?!"Student 2 (staring in disbelief): "He's not just strong… he's a damn monster."
By the end of the training session—
Almost every elite fighter had collapsed.
Except for Kozuki.
He stood at the center of the battlefield, stretching his arms.
Kozuki (grinning): "Man… that was barely a warm-up."
Even the instructors were speechless.
Because while others were pushed beyond their limits…
Kozuki Renjou hadn't even reached his.
Advanced Tactical Training – The Battle of Minds
At another training site, students specializing in strategy, counterattacks, and precision-based combat were undergoing their own set of trials.
💠 Akari Kisaragi stood among them.
Unlike the brutal physical training of the combat groups, this training focused on:
✔ Reaction speed – Dodging incoming attacks with perfect timing.✔ Tactical thinking – Outmaneuvering an opponent in simulated battles.✔ Pressure tests – Making split-second decisions in unpredictable scenarios.
And Akari?
💥 She was crushing every challenge. 💥
In the reaction test, students had to dodge randomly fired energy bolts from AI turrets.
✔ Some students dodged 10 before getting hit.✔ Others lasted 30.✔ Akari dodged over 100.
Student (stunned): "That's not human…"
In the simulated battles, she faced five opponents at once.
✔ She dodged every attack effortlessly.✔ She countered at the exact right moment.✔ She eliminated each opponent without taking a single hit.
Instructor (nodding, impressed): "Perfect evasion. Perfect counterattacks. She's a natural."
Akari remained calm and composed.
She didn't need to prove herself.
She was here to get even better.
Survival Endurance Training – The Battlefield Experience
Meanwhile, the Survival Endurance Training had thrown students into a simulated war zone.
This wasn't about strength or speed.
This was about who could survive.
✔ Limited resources.✔ Constant environmental threats.✔ Sudden surprise attacks from enemy AI.
And among the top contenders—
🔹 Ryoma Takeda.
A powerhouse known for his unbreakable endurance and combat efficiency.
While other students panicked, ran, or got eliminated…
Ryoma calmly fought his way through.
💥 He lifted a massive steel barricade, using it as a shield against enemy gunfire.💥 He took multiple hits—but never went down.💥 He strategically hunted other competitors, taking them out one by one.
By the end of the simulation—only a few were left standing.
Ryoma wiped blood from his mouth and smirked.
Ryoma (grinning): "Tch. Too easy."
The instructors took notes.
Instructor (muttering): "He's a tank. Nearly unstoppable."
Back to Rei – The Struggle Continues
As night fell, the students from each training program returned to their dorms.
✔ The Elite Combat trainees were exhausted—but victorious.✔ The Tactical students refined their strategies.✔ The Survival trainees had learned the cost of staying alive.
And Rei?
He couldn't even lift his arms.
He was still at the bottom.
While Kozuki dominated his training, passing every challenge effortlessly…
While Akari continued her perfect record…
While Ryoma crushed opponents with pure willpower…
Rei Kurogane was barely surviving.
As he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling—one thought echoed in his mind.
Rei (thinking, determined): I have to get stronger. No matter what.
Because if he stayed weak…
💀 He would never stand on the same battlefield as them. 💀