Chapter 123: Time-Skip
(Rodova Military Academy, 1.5 months later)
Leo exhaled slowly, adjusting the 175kg vest strapped to his torso. His muscles burned, but the weight no longer felt foreign, as after 1.5 months of the new hellish training regimen that he had been put under, his body had grown by leaps and bounds.
Just a month and a half ago, 120kg had felt like an unbearable load to him, however, now even under a 175 kg vest, he wasn't just enduring the weight—he was thriving under it.
Strength had never been his strong suit. He had always relied on speed, agility, and technique to win fights. But under Professor Marvin's merciless training, that weakness had been forcefully erased.
His body had changed. His endurance, power, and explosiveness had all skyrocketed, as his movements were sharper, his stamina deeper, and for the first time, he felt like he could actually overpower an opponent rather than just outmaneuver them.
And that difference was becoming evident in his daily combat bouts.
At first, sparring against Grandmaster-level opponents had been nothing short of a slaughter.
However, Now?
After 1.5 months of that hellish abuse, Leo found himself finally capable of occasionally fighting back, as the fights were no longer as one sided anymore.
Having adjusted to their speed, power and maneuvers, Leo had begun reading his opponents better, sensing the flow of their attacks before they even landed, and reacting with precision.
What used to be an automatic beatdown had evolved into something competitive.
He wasn't just dodging anymore.
He was countering.
At times, he even landed clean hits.
And when he activated [Parallel Processing] near the end of a match, he could see the momentary panic in his opponent's eyes—the slight hesitation as he moved faster than their perception could track.
It was still a draining technique.
But he was getting better at it.
Faster activation. Less mana consumption. As slowly but surely, he was on his road to improving his mastery over it.
Unfortunately, without any data on what mastery grade he was at with the skill, he couldn't physically track his progress of it, however, with him now being able to use it strategically rather than a desperate life-saving measure, his move-set now looked a lot more threatening than before.
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On the Genetic Awakening front, in the past 1.5 months, Leo received his third shot, which came and and went without the drastic changes of the first two.
No increase in height.
No sudden surge of muscle density.
But the data slate told a different story.
His mana absorption rate had increased.
His body was now circulating and utilizing mana far more efficiently.
And that was a game changer.
Meditation became more effective. Skill activation became smoother, and with him finally being able to circulate mana at unprecedented speeds with unprecedented control, his mastery over skills like [Full Counter] and [Parallel Processing] improved at a pace even he hadn't anticipated.
It wasn't an explosive leap forward.
But it was foundational.
And it was exactly what he needed, as in a virtuous cycle of improvement, once his mana circulation speed improved, so did his mastery over [Full Counter]
Being forced to use that skill every day against Grandmaster level opponents, Leo was already practising it daily, however, it wasn't until after his third shot, that he finally pushed it to (Perfect) grade, making it his first perfected skill!
Fighting against Grandmasters Leo hadn't just been practicing [Full Counter]—he had been relying on it for survival.
Every strike he reflected, every attack he turned back at his opponent, had been a step toward mastering the skill completely.
And finally—he had crossed that threshold after his third shot.
As with his mana control improving, the activation time for the skill dropped below 0.1 seconds, which meant that there was no longer a conscious thought process behind it.
Nor any deliberate activation.
[Full Counter] had become like an instinct for him, activating it as easy as curling his biceps, as he finally achieved the realm of perfection.
Now, as he saw even a flicker of an incoming attack— his body responded automatically with [Full Counter], making him an even more formidable foe to face in battle.
And in a joyous turn of events, Leo could also feel that [Absolute Vision] was also close behind.
Every night, through sheer exhaustion, Leo had pushed himself to train his perception to its absolute limits. And now? He could feel the skill sitting on the edge of perfection—just one step away from complete mastery.
As slowly but surely it was all coming together.
—----------
On the meditation front, Leo had made steady progress, refining his body's internal systems through relentless discipline.
Over the past 1.5 months, he had reached a 35% cell replacement rate.
Thirty-five percent of his red blood cells had been fully replaced with enhanced, mana-adaptive cells, significantly improving his constitution, stamina, and reaction speed.
And the difference was undeniable.
His ability to process information, react to danger, and execute techniques had become sharper than ever.
Skill activation was smoother, and his combat awareness—especially in prolonged fights—was far superior to before.
It was a virtuous cycle—the more he meditated, the stronger his body became. The stronger his body became, the easier it was to circulate mana. And the easier it was to circulate mana, the more effectively he could use his skills.
And right now, everything was starting to come together.
—---------
Beyond his flagship skills, Leo had also been working on the two new abilities he had acquired from the academy archives.
Over the past few weeks, he had diligently pushed himself to grasp their core mechanics, working through the concepts outlined in the skill scrolls.
And while he had successfully reached (Basic) Mastery for both…
However, He wasn't satisfied with just this.
The activation speed was still too slow.
In a fight against Grandmaster-level opponents, the smallest delay was enough to make a skill useless.
Which was why, despite finally reaching Basic Mastery, Leo had yet to effectively deploy these skills in actual combat.
As these skills were simply not battle-ready yet.
And that frustrated him.
But it also motivated him.
Because if there was one thing he had learned in these 1.5 months—
It was that if he kept training like an absolute maniac, he could definitely hit the Grandmaster realm by January, considering how his body was supporting his relentless hunger for growth.
This bonus sponsored by patron HighlanderCharles, please thank him in the comments for the same.