The dormitory lights dimmed at exactly 11:00 p.m.
Curfew.
For most trainees, that meant sleep. Recovery. Complaints about sore muscles and tomorrow's drills.
For Axel Kaiser—
It meant silence.
Real silence.
He waited.
Counted his breaths.
Listened to the steady rhythm of mana generators humming beneath the facility.
Felt the faint pressure of the compliance seal resting dormant under his skin.
Five minutes.
Ten.
When he was certain no one was nearby, Axel swung his legs off the bed.
Every joint protested.
He ignored it.
The blue screen appeared immediately, like it had been waiting.
[Host remains active outside designated recovery hours.]
[Warning: Continued exertion may cause permanent damage.]
Axel stared at the message.
"…You sound concerned," he whispered.
The system didn't reply.
He stood anyway.
The moment his feet touched the floor, pain flared up his calves, sharp and bright. His body begged him to lie back down.
He didn't.
"Show me," Axel said quietly.
The screen pulsed.
[Manual Training Request Detected.]
[Analyzing Host condition…]
For a second, nothing happened.
Then—
[Request Approved.]
[Generating Supplemental Training Routine.]
Axel's heart thumped.
"…You can do that?"
New lines formed.
[Night Routine — Risk Level: High]
[Objective: Accelerate neural adaptation.]
[Failure Condition: Loss of consciousness.]
Axel let out a breathy laugh.
"Of course."
He moved to the small open space beside his bed. No equipment. No weights. No mana constructs.
Just his body.
"Alright," he muttered. "Let's see how bad it is."
The screen flickered once.
Then the pressure hit.
Not external.
Internal.
His muscles tightened against themselves, nerves firing all at once like overloaded circuits. His vision dimmed at the edges as his balance vanished.
Axel dropped to one knee with a sharp gasp.
"What—"
[Muscle Fiber Override Active.]
Pain exploded.
It wasn't blunt like the daytime drills.
This was precise.
Targeted.
Every muscle group activated in sequence, forcing micro-movements his body wasn't ready for. His hands clenched and unclenched uncontrollably. His core locked tight, spine straightening as if pulled by invisible strings.
Axel bit down hard, stifling a scream.
His teeth rattled.
"Y-you're trying to kill me…"
No response.
Only the pain.
Sweat poured down his face as he forced himself upright. His legs shook violently, but they didn't give out.
Not yet.
He started with slow movements.
A step forward.
Another.
Each one felt like wading through molten lead. His balance wavered constantly, forcing his mind to stay sharp or fall.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
Axel's breathing became ragged. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
The screen flickered again.
[Neural Load: Increasing.]
[Motor Control: Improving.]
His eyes widened.
"…So this isn't pointless."
He pushed harder.
Faster movements now. Short bursts. Controlled turns. Basic sword forms—imaginary blade, remembered motions from training.
His body resisted violently.
Then—
Something clicked.
Not strength.
Timing.
Axel adjusted unconsciously. Less wasted motion. Less force. Better balance.
The pain didn't lessen.
But it stopped overwhelming him.
[Adaptation Threshold Reached.]
[Minor Neural Reinforcement Complete.]
Axel staggered.
His legs finally gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor, chest heaving, vision spinning.
He lay there, unmoving.
Alive.
Barely.
"…You're insane," he whispered to the empty room.
The system displayed one final message.
[Night Routine Complete.]
[Warning: Repetition without adequate recovery increases mortality risk.]
Axel smiled weakly.
"Yeah… figured."
He dragged himself back onto the bed, every movement slow and deliberate.
As his consciousness began to fade, one thought echoed clearly in his mind.
This thing isn't here to protect me.
It's here to force me to survive.
Outside the dorm, unseen, a surveillance crystal flickered briefly—then returned to normal.
No anomalies detected.
No mana surge.
No reason for concern.
Inside, Axel slept.
And somewhere deep in his nervous system—
Something had begun to change.