The training begins

Free from the rope's restraints, Kazuki stretched his arms and shoulders, savoring the newfound freedom of movement. Finally able to move around, he took a moment to survey his surroundings. Not far behind him, he spotted what looked like a wooden house nestled in the otherwise barren plain. His curiosity piqued, he considered heading over to investigate.

But then something Enea had mentioned earlier during his long-winded explanations resurfaced in Kazuki's mind—something he'd dismissed in the whirlwind of surreal revelations.

"Training? So this isn't the place where I'll do my first mission?" Kazuki asked, turning to Enea.

"That's correct," Enea replied matter-of-factly. "That bastard might be a sadistic, morally bankrupt entity, but he doesn't send people to die for no reason. He ordered me to train you before your first mission, so I have a week to get you ready. I'll do my best, since you don't seem like a bad guy, and I don't want you to die. But fair warning—I'm not exactly the ideal teacher, and I can be a bit sadistic myself. If you don't want to die on your first mission, you'd better put in the effort."

"Sadistic? That's… definitely not reassuring," Kazuki thought grimly. Out loud, he asked, "If he wants me to survive, why didn't he assign me a real teacher?"

Enea smirked. "Who said he wants you to survive? I said he doesn't want you to die for no reason. Big difference. If you die, it has to be for a reason he finds entertaining. Do you remember what I told you about these kinds of questions?"

Kazuki sighed, resigned. "Because he finds it interesting."

"Exactly. See? You're starting to get it." Enea's smirk widened. "But we don't have time to waste. Training starts now, and the first thing we'll do is test your ability."

Kazuki's apprehension gave way to a flicker of excitement. Even though he'd never been particularly interested in superheroes or powers, the idea of having a superpower was undeniably thrilling. Trying to sound casual, he asked, "So… how do I use it?"

Enea chuckled, clearly amused by Kazuki's poorly concealed enthusiasm. "Start by rolling up the sleeve of one arm to your elbow—doesn't matter which. It's not necessary to activate the ability, but it'll help you understand it better. Then, imagine your arm wrapped in some kind of cloth."

Without hesitation, Kazuki pulled the sleeve of his right arm up to his elbow and focused, picturing his arm wrapped in velvet. As he did, brown bandages materialized around his arm, starting at his hand and spiraling upward, stopping just before his elbow. The bandages, the same shade as his hair, left most of his fingers exposed. They reminded Kazuki of the ones he used in boxing practice, but these were longer and of a different color.

He examined the bandages with both curiosity and a hint of excitement, though he tried to mask it. "I hope my ability isn't just making colorful bandages," he remarked dryly. "That would be pretty underwhelming."

Enea smirked again. "Technically, yes, your ability is to wrap your arms in bandages of different colors. But these aren't ordinary bandages. For one, not even bullets from a high-caliber gun fired at close range could penetrate them. And each color bandage has unique abilities. From what I was told, most of their effects are triggered by punching something—they either enhance the punch, create an effect, or both. Why don't you test it out? Punch the ground and see what happens."

Kazuki's curiosity got the better of him. Without hesitation, he crouched slightly and drove his fist into the ground. As soon as his knuckles connected with the earth, a wall of dirt erupted in front of him. It stood roughly two meters high, three meters wide, and thirty centimeters thick, composed of the same cracked, barren soil as the plain beneath their feet.

Kazuki stared at the wall, equal parts astonished and intrigued. Turning back to Enea, he asked, "So these bandages let me create walls of earth by punching the ground?"

"That's right," Enea confirmed. "The wall's composition will always match the ground it was created on. If you're indoors and not in direct contact with the ground, the wall will be made of the same material as the last ground you touched. But that's not all. These light brown bandages have two additional abilities.

"First, you can move any wall you create using your thoughts, as long as you keep the hand you created it with open. Second, if you touch a wall you've made with one of your bandaged arms, you can reinforce your arm by covering it with the same material as the wall."

The other two abilities Enea had described piqued Kazuki's interest, but before trying them out, he still had pressing questions. A thorough understanding of his powers could be the key to surviving his first mission, so he asked, "Is there a limit to the number of walls I can create at the same time?"

"According to the information that bastard gave me, there shouldn't be a hard limit. But," Enea added, "all abilities tied to your bandages drain your stamina. So while you might not have a fixed cap on the number of walls, you can't keep creating them endlessly."

Enea's words made Kazuki more aware of his own body. Now that it had been pointed out, he realized he felt slightly fatigued—nothing serious, just the sensation of having jogged about five hundred meters. It was manageable, especially given his endurance training as a boxer. Still, this detail about stamina consumption was worth keeping in mind.

He pressed on with another question, one he considered crucial. "You said my ability allows me to wrap my arms in bandages of different colors. So, there are other bandages with different abilities, right? How do I access them?" he asked, his excitement evident in his faint smile.

Enea nodded. "Yes, there are other colors, but sorry to burst your bubble—you don't have them yet." Seeing Kazuki's expression fall slightly, he continued, "Here's how it works: you'll earn a new bandage of a random color every time you successfully complete a mission. On top of that, there are special bandages you can unlock by performing certain actions during missions—kind of like side quests in a video game. But don't ask me what those actions are—I have no clue. That's all the information I was given about your abilities. If you want to learn more, you'll have to figure it out for yourself."

Kazuki couldn't help feeling a pang of disappointment. The idea of wielding multiple abilities had been enticing, and learning they were locked behind missions took the wind out of his sails. Still, he quickly refocused. The light brown bandage he had now wasn't flashy, but its abilities seemed practical.

"The abilities I have now aren't bad," Kazuki thought, analyzing his options. "The walls could be useful for both defense and offense, depending on how fast I can move them. And the ability to reinforce my arms fits well with my boxing style..."

As he mulled over his strategies, something caught his attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Enea stretching. Normally, this wouldn't have concerned him, but his instincts screamed that this wasn't a good sign.

"Well," Enea said, turning toward Kazuki, "since I've cleared up most of your questions, I'd say it's time to start the real training."

At that moment, a ring materialized on Kazuki's middle finger. It appeared to be made of ice, but oddly, it wasn't cold to the touch. Kazuki frowned, looking at it with a mix of confusion and unease. He mustered the courage to ask, "What is this?"

Enea smirked. "It's a ring that stops you from using your ability. If you try to activate it, the ring will send an electric shock through you. And trust me, it's not a pleasant experience."

Kazuki stared at him, incredulous. "Why?! Aren't you supposed to be training me for my first mission? Wouldn't it make more sense to help me master my superpower before I'm thrown into a mission where, as you've described it, I have a pretty high chance of dying?"

Enea shrugged, completely unfazed. "Simple. I don't want you relying on it during the training we're about to do. Besides, I have nothing to teach you about your ability. I don't have the same power, and I'm not exactly a tactical genius. It's better if you figure it out on your own. Don't worry, though—the ring's effects will stop working when I decide the day's training is over. It'll reactivate the next day when training resumes. Not that you'll have much energy left after the first few days, anyway."

Most of what Enea had said made sense to Kazuki. "If he doesn't have the same ability as me and isn't great at teaching, it's not like he'd be much help anyway," Kazuki reasoned. But Enea's final remark had left him uneasy, especially given his earlier admission about being "a bit sadistic." Still, Kazuki tried to suppress his concern and asked, "So, what kind of training do you have in mind?"

"It's simple," Enea replied with a casual shrug. "I'll attack you with physical strikes, and your job is to dodge. If you manage to avoid my attacks, I'll increase my speed and try again. This will continue until I decide you're ready. The purpose is to get you accustomed to your enhanced physical capabilities and sharpen your reflexes. Oh, and don't worry—if you get close to dying, I'll heal you."

Before Kazuki could respond, Enea vanished. In the blink of an eye, Kazuki felt a sharp, searing pain in the left side of his pelvis, and before he could process what had happened, he was airborne. He crashed into one of the large black rocks scattered across the plain, the impact jarring his entire body.

The pain was excruciating but oddly manageable. "If I were still a normal person, that would've killed me," Kazuki thought, wincing as he slowly stood. To his surprise, the sharp pain was already beginning to fade, and though his pelvis throbbed, his movements were unaffected. Lifting his shirt, he noticed the area was swollen, but nothing seemed broken.

"What did you hit me with? I didn't even see it coming," Kazuki asked, glaring at Enea, who had reappeared a few meters away.

"That was just a simple kick," Enea said nonchalantly, his hands resting on his hips. "I was moving at a speed your body can't perceive yet." He smirked as he added, "I thought you'd complain more."

Kazuki clenched his fists and shifted into a fighting stance, his eyes blazing with determination. "Don't underestimate me. Training is training. No matter how difficult or painful, as long as it makes sense, I won't give up."

Enea's smirk widened into a grin. "Good. Let's continue."

Two hours passed.

Kazuki's body was a canvas of bruises, his limbs battered and aching. Despite the punishment, his focus remained razor-sharp. His eyes, now accustomed to Enea's movements, were beginning to track the attacks. He couldn't see Enea's initial movements yet—it still looked as though he were teleporting—but just before each blow landed, Kazuki could finally catch glimpses of the strikes.

Enea, Kazuki realized, was deliberately slowing down at the last moment. It was still agonizingly difficult to react in time, but Kazuki clung to the hope that he'd soon dodge an attack.

Then it happened.

After enduring two more punishing blows—a punch to the face and a kick to the stomach—Enea launched another strike. This time, it was a kick aimed at the lower part of Kazuki's left leg. Kazuki's sharpened instincts recognized the movement instantly. Drawing on every ounce of strength, he leapt into the air with all his might.

For the first time, Enea's attack missed its mark.

A rush of triumph surged through Kazuki as he realized he'd successfully dodged. "I did it!" he thought, elated. But his joy was short-lived.

He quickly noticed something was wrong. His feet hadn't yet touched the ground. In fact, he was still ascending. Only then did it hit him—his enhanced strength meant his jump was far higher than any normal human could achieve. As gravity began pulling him down, he realized he was in freefall from a height of at least three meters.

"Damn," Kazuki muttered as he braced for impact.

He landed face-first, the ground knocking the wind out of him. After a moment of disorientation, he pushed himself up and exhaled in relief. His nose wasn't broken, and apart from the shock of the fall, he wasn't seriously hurt.

As he got to his feet, Enea approached, extending a hand to help him up. Kazuki hesitated for a moment before accepting it.

"Well done," Enea said, pulling him to his feet. "You managed to complete the first phase of this training. Don't worry about the fall—you'll get used to controlling your strength soon enough. But..."

That same unsettling grin from earlier spread across Enea's face, sending a chill down Kazuki's spine.

"Get ready, because from now on, I'm doubling the power and speed of my attacks."

Kazuki's stomach sank, but before he could respond, Enea disappeared once more, signaling the start of another round of their grueling training.

For hours, the relentless cycle continued, pushing Kazuki closer to his limits with each strike.