Chapter 6

The next day, Roy found himself in a massive training chamber. The training chamber was nothing like the cramped basement Roy had sparred in before. This was a battlefield—a vast metallic arena reinforced with thick, scarred walls.

Roy rolled his shoulders, cracking the bones.

"This will be a live combat test," Dr. Chen's voice came through the speakers. "We need to push your limits."

Roland grinned, his excitement barely contained. "Let's see if you're truly a miracle or just another failure."

A deep mechanical groan echoed through the chamber. Metal doors along the walls slid open, revealing figures in the darkness.

Chimeras.

There were six of them—humanoid, but grotesquely twisted. Their movements were unnatural, jerky yet fluid, their glowing eyes locking onto Roy with predatory focus.

Roy exhaled slowly, tightening his grip on the baton Cade had drilled him with. Only this time, there would be no instructor to step in.

The first chimera lunged, its elongated limbs propelling it forward in a blur. Roy barely had time to react—his instincts screamed at him to dodge, and he obeyed, twisting to the side just as the creature's claws slashed through empty air where he had been standing.

He retaliated instantly, swinging the baton with all his enhanced strength. The metal struck the chimera's ribs with a dull crack, but the creature barely flinched. It whipped around, jaws snapping, forcing Roy to leap backward to avoid its fangs.

"They're fast," he muttered under his breath.

"No talking—fight," Roland's voice crackled through the speakers, filled with barely restrained excitement. "I want to see what you can really do."

The other five chimeras moved in, encircling him. Their distorted forms shifted with unnatural grace, their eyes glowing with eerie intelligence. Roy had no time to think—only to react.

The second chimera struck from behind. Roy spun just in time, raising his baton in defense. Claws raked against the reinforced metal, sparks flying from the impact. He ducked low and swept the creature's legs out from under it, sending it crashing to the ground.

But there was no time to finish it off. The third chimera pounced.

Roy shifted, barely dodging as its clawed hand grazed his shoulder. The impact sent a jolt through his body—strong, but not enough to wound him. His heart pounded. He was keeping up with them.

A grin spread across his face.

His movements felt smoother, his reactions sharper. The world around him slowed just slightly as his body adapted, calculating his next move before his mind could fully register it.

This time, he attacked first.

He surged forward, slamming the baton into the jaw of the third chimera with enough force to crack bone. It reeled, stumbling backward, and before it could recover, Roy pivoted, driving his knee into its midsection. The creature gasped—a human-like sound, choked and distorted—before it crumpled.

One down.

The remaining five hesitated for the briefest moment. They had expected an easy kill.

Roy exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "That all you've got?"

Roland laughed over the speakers. "Yes! That's it! More!"

The chimeras attacked as one.

Roy moved without thinking. His body responded on instinct, weaving between their strikes, countering with precise, devastating blows. He wasn't just fighting them—he was outpacing them. Each movement felt more refined, more efficient. Every step, every dodge, every strike flowed together as if his body had been designed for combat.

It was exhilarating.

But he wasn't invincible.

A chimera clipped his side, claws tearing through his shirt and grazing his skin. Pain flared, sharp and hot, but Roy ignored it. He countered immediately, driving his baton into the attacker's throat. It gurgled and collapsed, its unnatural body twitching violently.

Two down.

A low beeping noise sounded overhead. Dr. Chen's voice cut through the arena. "His vitals are spiking. Roland, we should—"

"Not yet," Roland snapped. "This is extraordinary! Let him grow!"

Roy barely heard them. He was too focused, too deep in the fight. His body felt alive, like it was adjusting, growing stronger with each second. He ducked under a chimera's swipe, grabbed its outstretched arm, and flipped the creature over his shoulder.

It hit the ground hard, and before it could rise, he drove the baton into the back of its skull.

Three down.

The remaining chimeras hesitated again.

They were afraid.

Roy's breath came in steady, controlled bursts. Blood dripped from the cut on his side, but he barely felt it. His body was buzzing, his senses heightened.

He could finish this.

The fourth chimera lunged—slower now, more cautious. Roy met it head-on. He ducked beneath its swipe and struck upward, his baton slamming into the underside of its chin. The force snapped its head back, and with a swift, brutal kick, he sent it crashing into the wall.

Four down.

The last two circled him, but Roy was already moving. He sidestepped one, grabbed its arm, and twisted—hard. A sickening snap echoed through the chamber as the limb broke. The chimera howled in pain before Roy silenced it with a final blow to the head.

Five down.

The last one turned to flee.

Roy didn't let it.

In a blur, he closed the distance, grabbing the creature by the back of its head. With a single, effortless motion, he slammed it face-first into the ground. It twitched once, then lay still.

Six down.

Silence filled the training chamber.

Roy stood amidst the fallen chimeras, breathing heavily. His body ached, his heartbeat thundered in his ears—but beneath it all, there was something else.

satisfaction.

Up in the observation deck, Roland was grinning like a madman.

"Incredible," he breathed. "Do you see it, Mei? He's adapting—not just fighting, but learning at an impossible rate!"

Roy barely heard them. He clenched his fists, his muscles still thrumming with energy. He had fought chimeras before, but this time was different.

This time, it had felt natural.

As if he had been made for this.

He looked up at the observation deck, meeting Roland's gaze.

Roland clapped, his laughter ringing through the chamber. "Amazing! Better than I could have hoped! You are a marvel, my boy!"

Dr. Chen, however, wasn't smiling. She was reviewing data on a tablet, her brows furrowed deeply. "Roy, I need you to come with me for a medical scan—"

"Not yet," Roland interrupted, waving her off. He leaned forward, his gaze burning with excitement. "Tell me, Roy, how did it feel?"

Roy clenched and unclenched his fists. The pain from his wound was already dulling, his body working overtime to heal it. "It felt… different," he admitted. "Like I wasn't just reacting—I knew what to do before I even thought about it."

Roland nodded eagerly. "Yes! Yes! That's the mark of true evolution. You're not just learning—you're adapting at an exponential rate."

Dr. Chen cut in, her voice sharp. "Roy, listen to me—your neural activity during that fight spiked beyond expected parameters. You shouldn't be able to adjust this quickly."

Roy glanced between them. "Are you saying something's wrong with me?"

"Not wrong," Roland said, stepping closer to the glass. "But special. You were already unique before S12, but now… you're something else entirely. Something more."

Dr. Chen's expression darkened. "Or something unstable."

The tension in the air thickened. Roy swallowed, suddenly aware of how differently the two of them viewed him.

To Dr. Chen, he was a human being who had undergone something unnatural.

To Roland, he was an experiment—an exciting specimen to be studied.

Roy exhaled. "So what now?"

Roland's grin widened. "Now, we push further."

The doors to the chamber slid open with a metallic hiss. Two armed guards entered, carrying a case between them. They set it down in front of Roy and unlocked it. Inside, nestled in foam, was a sleek combat suit—dark gray, reinforced at the joints, with the Order's insignia subtly engraved on the shoulder.

"You're ready for a real mission," Roland said.

Roy frowned. "I thought I was still in training."

Dr. Chen crossed her arms. "He is." She turned to Roland. "You can't just send him out—"

"Mei, he's beyond ready," Roland interrupted, his voice smooth but firm. "You saw what he did in there. He's already operating on a level above most recruits. The sooner we test him in real conditions, the sooner we unlock his full potential."

Roy looked down at the suit. He had trained, fought, and grew. But was he truly ready?

He met Dr. Chen's gaze. Unlike Roland, her concern was genuine.

"Where would I be going?" Roy asked carefully.

Roland's grin returned. "A minor containment breach at one of our research sites. Simple cleanup. A single escaped chimera—B-rank, at most."

Roy tensed. B-rank? That was Cade's level. That was a whole different scale from what he had just fought.

"Someone else capable should be handling that," Dr. Chen said coldly.

Roland chuckled. "Oh, they would be, but they're occupied elsewhere. Which makes this a perfect opportunity for Roy." He turned back to Roy. "You want real answers? You want to know what you're capable of? Then take the mission."

Roy inhaled slowly.

This was it.

A chance to grow further more.

He reached down, running his fingers over the armored plating of the suit before lifting it from the case.

"When do we leave?"

Roland's eyes gleamed. "Right now."