(Rodova Military Academy – Genetic Awakening Chamber)
Major Hen stood in front of the two pods, arms crossed as he paced idly around the chamber.
His boots echoed lightly against the reinforced floor, as real-time neural data from each pod streamed across the data slate in his hands.
He did not expect anything too dramatic this time—not after the third shot had already begun to show diminishing returns.
But he still kept an eye on the numbers, as watching these two freakishly talented kids go through their transformation had become an oddly entertaining affair for him.
Leo’s vitals were stable. Heart rate slightly elevated. Oxygen absorption optimal.
And yet—
Hen frowned as he scrolled through the biometric results.
There was no major growth spurt. No noticeable changes to skeletal density. No muscle mass spike. Not even a hint of physical restructuring.
If anything, the only improvement came in the form of a marginal 3% increase in mana circulation capacity—hardly worth reporting if this were any other student.
And yet—
The neural scan of his brain showed significant activity.
About 10 minutes into the session, there was a sudden spike in brain activity, especially in the prefrontal cortex and deep memory zones, as Hen raised an eyebrow and tilted the slate sideways to confirm he wasn’t misreading.
"Huh… well that’s definitely a skill unlock," he muttered, watching the readings climb and level out as Leo’s brain entered full data assimilation.
’Bloody hell… I wonder what kind of move he’s unlocking this time,’ Hen thought, his lips twitching into a conflicted smirk.
Because while a part of him felt genuinely happy that Leo had inherited another bloodline skill—another step toward unlocking his full potential—there was also that small, quiet voice of a seasoned fighter in his head whispering:
’What if you’re the one who has to deal with that move during training?’
As the thought made Hen chuckle dryly to himself.
He almost couldn’t believe that he had started to feel worried about a kid’s growth.
But it just went to show how quickly Leo had evolved in just four shots, as sparring with him had already gone from playful to "slightly annoying" to "stay focused or you’ll get stabbed" for Hen.
"What about Yang?" He muttered at that point, as swiping on the slate, he changed the screen to one that displayed Su Yang’s data.
—---------
Su’s results were more straightforward.
No neural spike.
No sudden skill acquisition.
But there was an improvement in the constitution.
Muscle distribution around the joints had shifted slightly—especially around the knees, ankles, and shoulders—forming additional micro-muscle groups designed for more explosive acceleration.
His tendons were denser too, likely to support sharper pivots and bursts of movement.
But beyond that?
Nothing major.
There were no flashy skill unlocks.
No mana circulation breakthroughs.
Just small, methodical improvements that wouldn’t have been noticeable without precision tools in the first place.
*Sigh—*
Reading the data made Hen exhale through his nose, as he dragged a hand through his hair.
’So they’re plateauing,’ he thought.
Not in a bad way—but in the sense that the initial fireworks of the first few awakening shots had clearly dimmed.
The fourth shot, as expected, wasn’t the game-changer the first two had been.
As no matter how talented the candidate, the body could only process so much foreign enhancement at a time, which was why the academy never registered the fifth and final shot until the end of the semester, as they saved it till the end for maximum impact.
The fifth dose was kind of like a super-boost, as it was a shot five times stronger than the rest, designed to push candidates to their genetic limit in one last explosive surge.
But even with the diminishing returns now showing—
Leo and Su Yang had already surpassed what most students accomplished in a year.
Across the board, they were faster, stronger, sharper. Their mana circulation, their natural attributes, their combat instincts—everything had grown at a pace that was simply not normal.
As while they had both entered the academy with similar baselines to the other Elite students like Mu Shen—
But now?
Now they were on an entirely different tier, having already become stronger than most second-years.
More composed.
And already more dangerous.
’So this is the legendary growth rate of Monarch-tier talents,’ Hen thought, as he slowly nodded to himself, finally understanding why Alric had only ever cared about these two since the beginning.
’It makes sense now…’ Hen realized, as he finally saw Alric’s vision in full.
Even if Rodova failed to win the Circuits this year—
If trained properly, Leo and Su Yang could win it alone for Rodova next year.
Which was why Rodova needed to treat them like the supreme gems that they were, without question.
*HSSSS—*
At this point, the first pod hissed open as a cloud of nutrient gas spilled into the chamber, forcing Hen to turn his gaze toward Su Yang, who groaned lightly as he tried to sit up, drenched in sweat.
"Easy Yang, let me help you–" Hen said, moving forward as he caught Su Yang under the arm, and eased him on-to his feet.
"Easy, Yang. There’s no need to behave like Skyshard…. He might be a freak who doesn’t need support after Genetic shots, but you do—" Hen muttered, shaking his head at Su Yang’s attempts to break free of his support, as he guided Su toward the recovery room.
Moments later, the second pod hissed open.
And Leo stepped out of it with an oddly flushed face, which made Hen feel confused.
"…Why the hell do you look like you just lost your virginity and were caught in the act by your father?" Hen asked, but Leo refused to respond.
He was never talking about what he experienced in the pod to anyone, and hence after letting out a deep sigh, he began walking towards the recovery room, deliberately avoiding eye-contact with Hen, who followed him closely with curiosity.
’Did he just accidentally let out a load or something?’ Hen wondered, as he peeked towards Leo’s military robes to see if there was any hint of semen leakage, but nothing of the sort seemed to have occured, as Hen double checked with his data slate.
’Huh…. Weird—’ Hen concluded in the end, as he shrugged it off and instructed the boys to rest and sip on potions until the doctors cleared them to return to their dorms.