After the holiday ended. Students begin to return to the academy.
The playful energy of the first year was gone, replaced by the rythmic movement of the students practicing martial arts.
As Kaelen, Mina, and the rest of House Ignis walked into the newly renovated Training Hall, they noticed the floor was transformed into solid, reinforced obsidian steel, built to practise different martial arts movements.
Teacher Andrew stood at the center, his arms crossed over a chest that looked like it was carved from granite.
At his realm, a human's muscle fibers are practically braided with their fibers and yarn, making them as dense as industrial cables.
"Welcome to second year" Andrew barked, his voice vibrating in their students chest like a physical blow.
"Last year, you learned basics. This year we will deep dive into body training."
"Magic fibers gives you power," Andrew said, pacing before the line of students.
"It makes you faster and smarter."
"Some of you have bodies that naturally adapt to the fiber strength. But believe me when I say most of you not."
"That is why the Federation provides the serums."
He gestured to a row of automated medical bays lining the obsidian walls.
"X-1 serum is mandatory for all 2nd year students. It reinforces your cell walls and thickens your bone density."
"As your realm increase. The Academy provides up to X-5 by the time you graduate primary academy."
"Secondary academy handles X-6, and higher academy gives you X-7."
"If you want the final three of the serum X series 8 to 10, you'll have to earn them through blood and merit on the front lines protecting our galaxy."
One by one, students stepped into the bays.
When it was Kaelen's turn, he felt a cold, sharp sting in the side of his neck.
Almost instantly, a strange, heavy warmth spread through his limbs.
It didn't feel like a sudden burst of energy. It felt like his body was becoming... denser. More solid.
"It's weird." Mina whispered as she stepped out, rubbing her neck.
"I feel like I'm made of lead, but my silver fiber feels... relaxed. More closer to nervous system."
"The serum is relaxing the fibers so that our body can become accustomed to them more."
"Enough talk!" Andrew shouted after everyone get the dose.
"Serums are active. Now, let's see if they work. AI ! Set Training Zone to 5x Earth Gravity!"
Suddenly everyone felt like there body weight increased by five time.
Kaelen felt his knees buckle instantly. Every single breath required a massive, conscious effort of his lungs.
Beside him, Leo let out a strangled groan, his orange fibers flaring as he tried to use his energy to hold himself up.
"Don't use your fibers!" Andrew roared, walking through the high-gravity zone as if it were a light summer breeze.
"If you rely on the fibers to stand up, the serum won't dissolve completely into your body. Stand up with your own strength!"
Kaelen gritted his teeth so hard his jaw ached. His vision began to blur at the edges.
He could feel his heart hammering against his ribs, struggling to push blood through a body that now weighed five times its normal weight.
He looked over at Mina. She was shaking violently, her face deathly pale, but she was slowly straightening her back.
Kaelen focused on the assimilation of the X-1 serum.
He imagined it weaving through his muscle fibers, acting like a molecular scaffold.
Slowly, agonizingly, he began to stand upright, fighting the invisible hand pushing him down.
"Look at Veyron" Sora gasped, her own forehead dripping with heavy beads of sweat.
Kaelen wasn't just standing. He lifted a foot and began to take a shaky step forward.
Each movement felt like wading through thick, freezing mud.
"Good," Andrew said, stopping directly in front of Kaelen.
"I get to know what you did in the Capital, Kaelen. I will make sure that your body can handle the similar situation better next time."
"I will build you body. So, that you can fight longer. Now keep on moving."
By the end of the hour, most of the class was collapsed on the floor, gasping for air as the gravity returned to normal.
Kaelen stayed standing the longest, his legs trembling but his gaze fixed firmly forward.
He begin to realized that the X-10 Serum at the border wasn't just a reward. It was a necessity if you want to raise your realm further in the future.
To face the true monsters out in the universe, a human had to become as strong as possible.
"Tomorrow, we do it with weights." Andrew promised with a wicked, toothy grin.