This Is Not A Training

Lian was in his dormitory, putting on his uniform as today would be his first class at the academy. It had only been a day since Lian was in the infirmary, thanks to Vida's abilities. Her skills far surpassed Elios' healing abilities. 

As Lian opened his door to head to his class, he found a woman standing in front of it. She was tall, with brown hair tied in a bun and striking green eyes. She exuded elegance. In that moment, Lian remembered who she was. 

"You're the vice director's secretary, aren't you?" 

"Also," the woman replied, glancing at her tablet before continuing, "How is your physical condition, Mr. Alvarez?" The way she asked made it clear she didn't actually care. 

"I'm fine. Vida's treatment was excellent," Lian said cautiously, feeling uneasy. This didn't seem like a good sign. 

"Come with me, Mr. Alvarez." Without waiting for a response, she began walking toward the elevator. 

Lian followed her but protested. "But, ma'am…" 

"Sienna." 

"But, Ms. Sienna, I have a class right now." 

She didn't answer, simply continuing to lead him out of the dormitory. Lian noticed they weren't heading toward the classrooms for his class, but he remained silent, realizing the woman wasn't likely to answer his questions. 

After more walking, they arrived at a building that resembled an enormous gymnasium. As Lian marveled at the grandeur of the place, Sienna didn't stop, simply ordering him to keep following her. 

She led him to a massive metal door. Using a code, she unlocked it, revealing an enormous training area inside, much larger than the arena where Lian had taken his Class A test with Ark. 

Inside were two people: Elios and Lena. Upon seeing Lena smiling in his direction and Elios with a defeated expression, Lian swallowed hard. 

"Thank you, Sienna, for your work. I'll take it from here." Lian and Elios didn't feel reassured by the way she said this, and they could only hope she wasn't as harsh with them as she was with her enemies. 

Lian and Elios stood side by side, looking at the director as she began to speak. "Before you start asking stupid questions, today marks the start of your training. As for your classes, don't worry about those, my training is better than any lesson," Lena said with a small laugh and a devilish smile. 

"Draw your weapons." 

The moment the two summoned their swords, Lena was already in front of them. With her bare hands, she punched both of them simultaneously. They barely had time to react, her speed more like that of a lightning strike or a monster. 

They managed to block the attack with their swords, but the impact sent them flying and crashing into the wall. 

"Are you trying to kill us?!" Elios exclaimed, spitting out a bit of blood. 

"Don't be foolish. I won't let you die," she said. At that point, they weren't sure if that was a good thing. "I need to test you. Come at me with everything you've got." She motioned with her finger for them to attack her. 

The two quickly got to their feet and charged at her, their swords emanating energy. They attacked simultaneously, each targeting her blind spot. 

Lena gave a small smile, caught the blades of their swords with her bare hands, and effortlessly threw them away. 

Lian managed to stay on his feet and began to concentrate. Moments later, shadows started to rise around the director, binding her arms and legs. 

Seeing an opening, Elios launched several light projectiles at Lena. She didn't try to escape; she simply stood still. The projectiles hit her, causing a large explosion. Dust filled the air, obscuring their view of her. 

"Fools." As soon as she said that, Lena appeared in front of Lian and punched him in the stomach, making him cough up blood and collapse to the ground. In a flash, she dashed toward Elios and kicked him in the abdomen, slamming him into the wall and forcing blood from his mouth with the sheer force of the impact. 

The two couldn't do anything against her. It was as if she wasn't human but a monster. They lay on the ground, writhing in pain. 

Lena looked down at them. "Maybe I overdid it a little," she murmured. 

After some time recovering, they stood up. "Finally, I was getting bored," Lena said. 

"Is this really training? Feels like you just called us here to beat us up," Lian said, holding his stomach, still in significant pain. 

"I needed to test you first, to know how to handle you. But I expected more from you," Lena said, shrugging as if disappointed. 

"You're the monster, not us," Elios thought to himself. 

"Regardless, you two are strong for your age. If you learn more about your weapons' powers and improve your energy control, I guarantee you'll become legendary heroes." 

"Director, even if we have potential, what's your real goal in training two rookies like us?" 

Lena was silent for a few seconds before answering, "I was just bored." 

Lian could tell that wasn't the real reason, but he wanted to get stronger, and with someone like her training him, Lian knew he could achieve power beyond what he had imagined. 

"Now go. You're not required to attend classes since you're training with me, but you can if you want. The main library is open for you." 

Lian and Elios struggled to their feet and headed toward the exit when Lena spoke once more. "Tomorrow, the real training begins, so be ready." 

They wanted to grow stronger and were happy to have someone so powerful helping them, but deep down, they were cursing her.