-Good~ morn~ ing~! Babababa─

─ Clack.

Instinctively, I lashed out at the source of the noise. The alert from my smartwatch ceased as it took the hit.

I grimaced as consciousness rose unbidden.

“Ugh…”

I wriggled my body.

The pillow in my embrace and the blanket wound snugly around me were warm and soft, whispering seductively to my freshly awakened mind to fall back into slumber.

With effort, I raised my arm and activated my smartwatch.

[ Saturday AM 5:30 ]

Yesterday was Friday, the day I switched from practicing with a sword to a spear at The Cradle, where normally one wouldn’t broach the weekend.

It would’ve been prime sleeping time in the old days, and if I happened to wake up early, it was a time to savor the grogginess and drift in bed.

“Ergh…”

But now, that’s not permissible. Clinging to that single-minded determination, I resisted the urge to fall back asleep. I pushed myself up with some difficulty and stretched my arms out long.

I somewhat managed to chase away the drowsiness and got out of bed.

Gathering a towel and clothes, I entered the bathroom and cautiously turned on the faucet.

I doused my face with cold water, and as the chill penetrated my skin, the lingering drowsiness scurried away in shock.

“…?”

While scrubbing my face with the hanging towel, I suddenly thought better of it. There should’ve been bruises, and this would only bring pain.

But there was no pain. Come to think of it, that’s strange.

I cocked my head and inspected my face properly with spatial perception. It was clean. Not a mark.

‘Huh.’

After a silent pause, I pinched my face hard. It hurt, but it was the normal kind of pain.

The bruises had disappeared overnight. Lifting my pajamas, I checked my body too. It was pristinely clean, as if mocking the idea that there had ever been bruises.

“?”

What’s this?

They were definitely there just before I went to sleep last night.

But now, they’re completely gone.

I mulled over this to figure out the reason, but… still, I have no clue.

Recovery training… that’s what it’s called, though Hong Yeon-hwa criticized it as an antiquated chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out method.

Even Atra had said to avoid external healing if possible, but to do whatever I must if I really couldn’t bear it.

Hence, I didn’t receive any healing. Being hit was something I had grown used to from long ago.

The pain was inevitable, but I was told I’d grow stronger faster if I bore it, so I’m enduring.

Atra’s teachings were undoubtedly grueling. According to others, her methods were on the harsher side.

Yet there are results. I can feel them myself. Just two days in, and my combat skills had sharply improved.

She, like Liana, is a new professor who took up her position this year.

But what’s peculiar is, unlike Professor Liana, she has no classes set up?

At best, she’s only responsible for the combat lectures for a special admissions student… which is to say, myself.

I’m not sure why she holds the title professor, but at The Cradle, this isn’t considered anything out of the ordinary.

After all, The Cradle itself seems to have fused various educational institution systems.

In the beginning, given the era, it was somewhat ad hoc, but with time, they’ve attached various things and it has evolved.

The naming scheme is a bit of a mess to begin with. While they mimic the style of a military academy, students are called cadets, but teachers are referred to as professors instead of instructors.

There’s a system akin to choosing one’s desired subjects in college, but then there also exists a set curriculum like during a free semester.

And though classes are divided by year, during the aforementioned semester, lectures are attended in the afternoon based on one’s major and grade…

It all gives the impression of a jumbled mess.

– Drip

I completed my simple wash-up. After carefully turning off the faucet and patting my face dry with the towel, I emerged.

I didn’t really apply any skincare products to my body.

Even in my original world, I had found cosmetics to be a hassle and ignored them, not feeling the importance of skincare, until Agapansus’s nagging led me to at least apply some moisturizing cream.

What was it again? Skin? Toner? Essence? This and that… Despite their different names, they all seemed about the same to me.

Regardless, while I had applied them carelessly in my original world, here I didn’t feel the need to do so even more.

I threw on some clothes casually. What I wore could hardly be called attire; it was just the casual wear provided by The Cradle.

Not a formal attire resembling a uniform, but rather a pair of clean-designed sweatpants with a hood.

Finish with socks and arm covers, and that was it.

The arm covers have become just another pair of socks for my hands. I’ve gotten used to wearing them so now there’s no discomfort.

I stuffed a handful of nutrition bars into my pocket and stepped out of my room.

I had mostly finished the nutrition bars by the time the elevator reached the lobby. Passing through, I arrived beside the bus stop visible from there.

“Ergh…”

I stretched my arms up high, did the same with my legs, and then twisted and turned my body, performing some stretches.

The stiffness eased a bit. I took a deep breath and kicked off the ground. The cool dawn air brushed across my face.

I could’ve taken the bus, but with no hurry pressing me, I decided to run there using my own legs, a sensation of speed I wouldn’t have felt before.

It had been, what, only five days? In such a short period, my body had grown considerably.

Growth that began when I became a superhuman. The rapid pace of development amplified by The Tower of Growth’s blessing, and further intensified due to my special admission status.

As my growth had just started, the change in my physical capabilities was acutely perceptible.

It must have been barely 20 minutes of running before I reached the entrance to my destination.

It wasn’t an old-fashioned training yard filled with hard dirt and sand but rather brimming with the green of grassy blades.

It was one of the parks easily found within the grounds of The Cradle.

Crossing the entrance, the light of dawn and delicate mist greeted me. The central lake was particularly enshrouded in fog.

I followed the walking trail deep inside up to near the lake. Checking the time, I saw there was still a bit of leeway until the appointment.

I glanced around and then sat down on the grassy ground speckled with weeds.

This was a first-year’s area and, considering the time, there were no people around.

“…Sniff, sniff.”

Sitting idly, a breeze passed by, and I inhaled without thinking. I used to enjoy the scent of grass-filled places like this, so it was a habit of mine.

And yet, there was no scent. The fresh grass smell? The cool crispness of dawn? Nothing.

‘…Augh.’

Doing it instinctively only to find nothing there was frustrating. Any uplifted spirit was driven back down.

Life really loses its flavor like this.

While I was reviewing the previous day’s sparring in my head, someone entered the range of my spatial perception.

An immense amount of mana. The amount was so great, it made me doubt if it was even possible for a single person to possess that much.

“Ah, were you here already?”

[No, I just arrived early because there’s nothing for me to do.]

The eyes that always drew my attention, even amid the pervasive green leaves, were a lovely shade of green.

A warm-colored turtleneck sweater that went up to her neck and a black long skirt.

Instead of the magician’s robe she would usually wear in the classroom, she was dressed in casual clothes.

Liana smiled brightly at me and reached out her hand. What she offered was a picnic basket.

“?”

“I got a little held up because I had to pack this. Let’s share it as my apology!”

Having said that, Professor Liana briskly moved to a nearby table without waiting for a response.

I paused for a moment to think and then followed Liana.

Opening the basket on the table revealed neatly arranged sandwiches and there were also fruit drinks she had brought.

“Here! A special gift for you!”

She picked out an exceptionally full sandwich and an orange-flavored drink and handed them to me.

[Thank you.]

After expressing my gratitude, I accepted the sandwich and drink. I briefly examined the contents and then took a bite from the edge.

…Naturally, it had no taste. It was a depressingly flavorless experience. As I chewed, Liana spoke.

“How is it, does it taste good?”

[Yes. It’s delicious.]

Or so I assumed it would be.

“I’m relieved to hear you say it’s delicious!”

She grinned in relief and then bit into her own sandwich.

Maybe it was because of the early morning, but the weather felt cool. Yet, with the change in my body, it felt more refreshing than chilly.

Early in the morning, leisurely snacking on sandwiches at a misty park table gave a profoundly peaceful feeling.

“Let’s finish up here and take a short break before we head in.”

[Yes.]

My meeting with Professor Liana wasn’t for any particular reason.

Somehow, after her introduction last time, Professor Liana had developed a sense of guilt towards me and had offered to help me get started with mana.

Mana.

A symbol representing superhumans along with unique abilities.

Many superhumans don’t have unique abilities. Unique abilities are a crucial power for superhumans, but not all can have them.

They are powers born either congenitally or barely developed through strenuous postnatal efforts.

However, mana is something that just about every superhuman deals with unless they are a very rare case.

Just utilizing mana can bring about phenomena that shatter the common sense I used to have.

Currently, I have no clue how to handle mana. Precisely speaking, my mana affinity suggests I could, but I have intentionally refrained from doing so.

Despite possessing unique abilities, I’m still a novice with little knowledge.

I thought it best to receive guidance from a skilled individual like Professor Liana, which is why I’ve been holding myself back until now.

Initially, I focused solely on spatial perception to compensate for my lost sight.

After gaining a new perspective with spatial perception, I dabbled a bit in cooking recipes and various techniques, merely to brush up on my general skills, and with Atra’s sparring, I’ve touched upon swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, spearmanship, and footwork, among others.

Now, it seems about time to also start with mana affinity.

All three of my unique abilities are passive, not active. Furthermore, they all resemble omnipotent abilities, so it’s efficient to work on them simultaneously.

A clue I hooked during the freshman welcome event. If I were to juggle these three together, I could expect some sort of synergy.

A faint sense of anticipation made my heart flutter.