He closed his eyes, and slowly slid his right foot forward and lowered his hips, feeling the tight black spandex stretch warmly over his thighs.
He took a slow breath in through his nose, imagining the cool mana entering his lungs.
Then, as he stepped forward for a simple thrust, he exhaled sharply through his mouth.
He focused on pushing that energy straight down his arms and into his waist, he didn't feel much at the beginning, but as time passed and the more stances he performed the higher the strain on his body became.
Just when he felt that he wasn't able to sense the heat like other girls around him, he suddenly felt a slight heat gather at his stomach. It wasn't painful, but intensely warm, completely waking up his body.
He twisted his hips smoothly, his naturally flexible spine allowing him to step further and thrust deeper than a normal beginner could.
"Yeah," Alex thought, feeling the smooth glide of the movement. "This is going to be fun."
The training session pushed on for two grueling hours.
The bright training hall filled with the sounds of heavy breathing, the sharp whoosh of wooden swords slicing through the air, and the squeak of sneakers on the hard floor.
Sylvia walked through the rows of sweating girls, her sharp eyes catching every tiny mistake.
She explained every move in detail, breaking down the footwork and the grip, and didn't hesitate to step in and physically correct them.
When she reached Alex, she paused. "Your hips are too stiff on the Pivot," Sylvia said, stepping right behind him.
Before Alex could reply, Sylvia's firm hands grabbed his waist.
Through the tight fabric of his black spandex, her fingers pressed into his soft, widening hips.
She easily pushed his waist to the side, forcing his lower body into the correct angle.
"Drop your center of gravity. Let your spine do the work, not just your knees," Sylvia instructed, her warm breath hitting his neck. "Like this."
Alex swallowed hard, trying to ignore how naturally his body yielded to her touch. "Yes, Instructor."
As Sylvia walked away to correct another girl, Alex tried the Pivot again.
This time, he completely relaxed his back and let his new body take over.
Just as he guessed, thanks to his Serpentine Musculature, he adapted to the sword forms with scary ease.
His spine twisted smoothly, coiling and uncoiling like a highly flexible spring. He could bend at angles that the other girls couldn't, yet for him, it felt completely natural.
But the physical flexibility wasn't the only thing that shocked him.
During the two hours of swinging and breathing, Alex realized something even more shocking. In the past, his aptitude for Mana Cultivation was absolute garbage.
Trying to pull mana into his body used to feel like trying to suck thick mud through a tiny straw. It was exhausting and barely gave him any results.
Now?
As he took a deep breath before a Horizontal Slash, the air felt thick.
He could clearly sense the cool, sparkling energy of the mana flowing through the room. When he inhaled, the mana rushed into his lungs slowly, spreading a warm, fiery energy straight into his muscles and bones.
He immediately knew why. This has to be because of the constant shedding and the Naagin Gene, he thought, lowering his sword as Sylvia finally called for a ten-minute water break.
Alex walked over to his bag, his chest heaving. He grabbed his water bottle and took a long gulp, letting the cool water soothe his dry throat.
As he sat on a bench, wiping the sweat from his incredibly smooth face, a heavy wave of conflict crashed over him.
He looked down at his lap. The high-waisted spandex shorts hugged his curvy thighs and completely flattened his crotch.
There was no male bulge left to see. His little brother was practically asleep, and seemed to be shrinking away more every day.
"I don't want to become a woman," Alex thought, his hands gripping the plastic water bottle tightly. "I'm a guy. I've always been a guy."
But the advantages of the Naagin Gene were impossible to ignore.
It was forcefully rewriting his poor genetics, giving him a body built for smooth, deadly combat and vastly improving his connection to mana.
The benefits heavily outweighed his own terrible starting talent.
He knew the harsh truth of this world.
Even though he had his special Simulation System, what good was it if his base talent was trash?
If he was too weak to even practice a basic breathing technique, running simulations would just lead to him dying over and over again.
A powerful system meant nothing if the body using it was a broken down car.
"But now, my aptitude has already improved from trash to mediocre level, and I am only in Phase 1 of the shedding process," Alex realized, his heart beating a little faster against the tight fabric of his bra.
He couldn't help but wonder... what exactly would happen in Phase 2? Or Phase 3? Or higher.
If his talent kept multiplying with every single phase, his future growth would be terrifying.
The higher his natural talent and mana control became, the better and more successful his results would be after every single simulation.
He could easily reach the Expert Realm and liquefy his mana just like Sylvia described.
"See? You're starting to understand," the Empress purred in his mind as she listened to his inner thoughts, her voice dark and sweet like poison. "Power requires sacrifice, little one."
"What does it matter if your chest grows soft and large or you lose your manhood, if it means you can crush anyone who stands in your way?"
"Embrace the change and deadly weapon you are meant to be."
Alex gritted his teeth, his pale cheeks flushing pink. He wanted to argue with her, to yell that his manhood mattered.
But as he was about to retort to the Empress in his mind, he heard Sylvia's voice breaking his concentration.
"Alright, ladies! The break is over!" Sylvia clapped her hands loudly, her voice echoing sharply through the large hall.
"It's about time to use the special medicine designed specifically for the Iron Body Foundation Breathing Technique to improve your mana sensitivity."
Sylvia walked over to a metal cart in the corner and pulled off a white cloth, revealing a wooden tray perfectly lined with dozens of small, smooth green jade bottles.
The girls gathered around, their faces full of curiosity. Alex joined the back of the group, looking closely at the small, glowing green containers.
"Pay attention, because I am only going to explain this once," Sylvia said, her tone strict but informative. She held up one of the jade bottles between her fingers. "This is a basic Ember-Leaf extract combined with other secret medicine."
For the next fifteen minutes, Sylvia walked back and forth, explaining exactly how the medicine worked in great detail.
"When you practice the Breathing Technique, your body naturally fights the mana," she explained, pointing to her own bare, toned stomach. "Your skin is tough, and your pores are closed. This medicine forces them to open."
"When you rub this ointment directly onto your bare skin, it seeps deep into your muscles and completely stimulates your nervous system."
She opened the tiny cork on the bottle. Immediately, a strong, spicy, mint-like scent filled the room, making Alex's nose tingle.
"Once applied, it makes your skin highly sensitive to the mana in the air, helps with sore muscles and strengthens them," Sylvia continued, rubbing a small drop of the thick, clear liquid onto her forearm. "Using this medicine regularly cuts the time needed to build your Iron Body in half the time it takes to reach Proficient level."
"Because the Gene Association sponsors this beginner class, every single one of you gets one chance to use a bottle for free every day during training," Sylvia said, gesturing to the tray.
"However, one application a day isn't enough to improve your training speed. If you want to take a bottle home to practice in your own time, you have to buy them at the front desk. They cost exactly 1,500 credits per bottle."
Several girls groaned quietly at the high price.
1,500 credits was a huge amount of money for a beginner just starting out. Alex frowned as well. He definitely didn't have that kind of spare cash right now. He had to make this free application count.
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