(Rodova Military Academy, Leo’s Dorm Room)
Leo had a lot of self-exploration to do after Muiyan Faye left, as [Dark Blade] wasn’t his only gain from the awakening.
His entire body had undergone a massive transformation, and there was a stark, almost surreal lightness to him that hadn’t been there before.
He felt as nimble as a cat on his feet, as it took him almost no effort to move his body at all.
’What could make my body feel so light?’ Leo wondered, as he searched for the explanation himself.
And soon, he figured out a couple of factors that could be contributing to this sensation.
The first was the noticeable increase in his muscle strength. His body was now at least 20-30% stronger than before, yet it didn’t feel bulkier—rather, it was as if his strength had been compressed, refined to be more efficient without adding unnecessary mass.
And the second reason was the structural change in his bones.
As although his skeletal frame had elongated with his growth spurt, his bones had become significantly lighter, yet somehow more durable.
It was a paradoxical shift—one that made him feel as if gravity had loosened its hold on him, as he felt strangely liberated and free now.
"I feel like I’ve lost weight, even though I’ve gained height and muscle mass…" Leo mused, rolling his shoulders as he adjusted to the strange new equilibrium of his body.
His movements were unnervingly fluid, almost too smooth, as though his limbs responded with a precision beyond conscious thought.
*SHUA*
*SHUA*
*SHUA*
Leo thrust his dagger through the air in rapid succession, and a sharp, high-pitched whistling followed each motion—cleaner, sharper, faster than he had ever experienced before.
His grip was steady, his strikes effortless, yet each cut through the air carried a weight that wasn’t there before.
His control, his speed, his precision—it had all elevated after the awakening, as Leo felt like a new warrior entirely.
"Now I see why I lost to Khyaal…. With a year of such phenomenal growth ahead of me, there’s no wonder he would defeat me even as a Grandmaster level talent.
This is simply a genetic cheat!" Leo realized, as he could finally see why the gap between him and the seniors appeared so large up-till yesterday.
The seniors had already completed their Genetic Awakening, and were now at the peak of their Genetic abilities, while Leo and Su Yang had not even started.
"This is my one opportunity in life to grow so quickly in strength, that my growth will stun the universe.
I cannot let a second of it go to waste as this coming year will make or break me as a warrior," Leo analysed, as ’Monarch’s Indifference’ made his brain function at optimal capacity.
The first dose of genetic awakening had changed more than just his appearance. It had refined him into something greater but this was just the start.
His genetic foundation was only a tool that would help him become the best warrior that he could be, however, it was ultimately up to him to make the most of that foundation and become a truly fearsome assassin that was unrivalled amongst his peers.
"Very well then…. No time to waste, let’s make the most of this free-day and dive straight into meditation" Leo said to himself, as placing his dagger back in the storage cabinet, he picked up the meditation manual and began practicing the book right from where he had left it at the last session.
—-----------
The improvement in his ability to focus and channel mana through his mana chambers was immediate and undeniable.
The intricate pathways that once seemed convoluted and difficult to navigate now felt like second nature to him, as every flow, every shift in circulation, felt as effortless as breathing to him in this new sharpened mental state.
On his very first attempt, he shattered his previous limits. What had once taken him nine minutes at best—replacing the mana core batteries—had now been reduced to just over a minute. He was teetering on the edge of achieving a constant meditative state, something that had seemed impossible just a week ago.
’Wow… The effects of [Monarch’s Indifference] on my brain are beyond anything I expected.
My focus is absolute.
I can meditate for hours without a hint of mental strain. No distractions. No fatigue. No loss of clarity.’ Leo realized, as he finally started to notice the positives of having a passive skill like [Monarch’s Indifference] although it destroyed his ability to feel much emotion.
[Monarch’s indifference] gave him a level of efficiency that bordered on inhuman, and for the first time, Leo truly began to understand the scope of what this awakening had granted him.
As just after his first attempt, he already knew how to reduce the replacement timing from 1 minute 7 seconds, to instant, as all it needed was for him to smoothen the meditation pathways through repeated practice, and within 3-4 weeks, he would achieve the constant meditative state that he desperately wanted.
’That’s it…I just need to grind these same steps again and again without making a mistake and very soon I’ll master this technique that would have otherwise taken me over 6 months to master.
However, now that I can master it within a month…. If I somehow manage to meditate 6 hours everyday at maximum efficiency, I can probably reach the [Grandmaster] realm of strength, by the time the circuit team selections roll around–’ Leo realized, as he quickly began to formulate a game-plan.
His goal for the coming year was to get as strong as he possibly could, as although he did not know what the end-game was behind him being recruited into the Black Snakes Assassin Guild, what he did know was that regardless of where he ended up, having more strength was always going to be an asset for him.
In a universe where the strong dictated the rules, and the weak were oppressed by them, Leo wanted to be part of the ’Strong’ as only with strength came the freedom to live one’s life on one’s terms.
Hence, regardless of whether he ended up following Muiyan Faye’s guidelines and joining the Black Serpents or not, Leo intended to get stronger and compete at the circuits, just to get a feel of what the best warriors in the universe at his power level fought like?
—-----------
(Rodova Military Academy, The Mess Hall)
Around lunch time, Leo moved over to the mess hall, to grab a heavy meal, when he was instantly swarmed by a sea of seniors.
"Woah! Skyshard! What a fight man, you really gave Khyaal a run for his money yesterday, I can’t believe you’re only a first year student!"
"Damn, look at you Skyshard, long hair, taller body…. Looks like the Genetic Awakening Serum did wonders on you–"
The seniors complimented him as soon as he entered the mess hall, however, surprisingly, Leo felt no joy after hearing their words.
Up-till yesterday he was worried about his reputation within the academy after the loss, and was worried that he would be mocked for it in public places.
However, the seniors seemed to be thrilled by his display of power, and while this reaction was contrary to what he had expected, it brought no evident joy inside him.
’Both your compliments and criticism are worthless for me…. You have no power to affect my future and hence your praise or critic is entirely pointless’ His brain concluded, as Leo remained blank faced, not reacting to their high praise at all.
"Hahaha, look at him standing straight and having perfect balance. He’s really something else isn’t he? Because look at the other idiots from his class who look so sick even after a day has passed since they took their first shot"
A senior pointed out, and as Leo looked around he could clearly see the mess hall filled with people who looked extremely dizzy and disoriented.
One guy was holding his spoon from the wrong end, and trying to scoop his food from the thin handle.
Your journey continues at .Côm
While another was trying to bite the edge of his metal plate like it was something edible.
Both of them were pretty extreme cases of disorientation, however, even the milder ones looked like they had severe vertigo, as there was almost not a single junior in the mess hall that did not seem to be suffering from an acute case of headache.
"Excuse me, I’m sorry but I can’t handle loud noises today… please let’s carry on this conversation at some other day" Leo said respectfully, as he moved past the seniors swarming him and grabbed a plate which he began to fill with huge portions of food.