Axel woke up gasping.
His chest burned like it had been crushed overnight. Every muscle screamed the moment he tried to move, pain surging so hard it stole the air from his lungs.
He lay there, staring at the ceiling of the training dorm.
White. Clean. Too clean.
"…I'm alive," he whispered.
For a moment, he wondered if yesterday had been a hallucination.
The dungeon.
The death.
The Chairman.
The pressure.
Then the pain answered for him.
Something flickered at the edge of his vision.
Blue.
Axel froze.
Slowly, carefully, he focused on it.
[Daily Training Routine Initialized.]
His heart skipped.
"…I'm not crazy," he muttered.
The screen sharpened.
[Host physical condition: Poor.]
[Mana capacity: Critically low.]
[Overall Status: Weak.]
Axel stared.
That was it?
No dramatic numbers.
No hidden power.
Just… weak.
His throat tightened.
"So everything that happened… and I'm still this pathetic?"
The system didn't respond.
A chime echoed through the building.
05:30 A.M. — Training Grounds Mandatory Assembly
Axel swung his legs off the bed and immediately regretted it. His knees nearly buckled.
He clenched his teeth and stood anyway.
The training grounds were massive.
Open-air. Reinforced floors etched with mana circuits. Barriers shimmered faintly overhead, sealing the area from the outside world.
Hunters were already there.
Dozens of them.
Some stretching. Some chatting casually.
They were all stronger than him.
Every single one.
Axel could feel it now — not their techniques, but the sheer density of their mana. It pressed against him like humidity before a storm.
Then the air changed.
Conversation died instantly.
Footsteps echoed across the platform.
Axel looked up.
A tall man walked forward, hands in his pockets, posture relaxed — almost lazy.
But the moment Axel felt his presence, his instincts screamed.
This man was dangerous.
Short silver hair. Sharp eyes. A scar running across his jaw like something had once tried very hard to kill him.
"Listen up," the man said calmly.
His voice wasn't loud.
It didn't need to be.
"I'm Cross."
That name landed heavy.
Axel's breath hitched.
Cross.
One of the Awakened Society's most brutal instructors. A combat hunter who'd survived multiple high-rank dungeon collapses.
A man rumored to have killed an S-rank beast alone.
Cross's eyes swept over the trainees, then stopped on Axel.
Just for a second.
Axel felt like his skin peeled back.
Cross smiled faintly.
"Today's training is simple," he said. "We test your limits."
Some trainees straightened proudly.
Axel swallowed.
Cross continued, "If you collapse, healers will patch you up. If you quit—"
His smile vanished.
"—you don't belong here."
Training began.
To everyone else, it looked normal.
Running drills. Weight resistance. Combat forms.
To Axel—
The world turned hostile.
The moment he started running, his legs screamed. Each step felt like he was dragging chains tied to his bones.
His vision blurred.
What the hell…?
He glanced down.
The blue screen flickered again, visible to him alone.
[Hidden Training Modifier Active.]
[Body Load: Increased.]
Axel's heart slammed.
Hidden…?
So they don't know.
No one was watching him differently. No one reacted. To them, he was just struggling.
But to Axel—
Every movement was torture.
He stumbled.
Didn't fall.
Forced himself forward.
Cross's gaze followed him quietly.
No interference.
No help.
Just observation.
By the second drill, Axel's hands were shaking uncontrollably.
By the third, blood dripped from his nose.
A trainee nearby frowned. "Hey… is he okay?"
Cross didn't answer.
Axel dropped to one knee.
His body screamed to stop.
To quit.
To lie down and disappear.
The system flickered again.
[Warning: Mental stability declining.]
Axel laughed under his breath.
"So… I'm not imagining you," he whispered.
No response.
Only the pain.
He forced himself up.
Again.
And again.
Cross watched.
Not impressed.
Not disappointed.
Just… interested.
When the session finally ended, Axel collapsed flat on his back, staring at the sky through the barrier.
He couldn't move.
Healers rushed in, light washing over him.
As his body repaired itself, Axel felt something strange.
The pain faded faster this time.
Not gone.
But… manageable.
The screen appeared one last time.
[Adaptation Confirmed.]
[Conditioning Efficiency: Slightly Improved.]
Axel closed his eyes.
"…So this is how it starts."
From across the field, Cross turned away.
"Interesting," he muttered to himself.
"That kid's not strong."
He paused.
"But he doesn't break"