My head is spinning.
My face hurts as if I've been hit somewhere.
Despite the discomfort making me shudder, I resisted waking up, but the bright light piercing my eyelids and someone's presence finally forced me to open my eyes.
"You're awake!"
A bright female voice reached my ears.
Crimson hair, a color difficult for humans to possess.
Yet it matched her confident and bright demeanor perfectly, creating a unique aura unlike anyone else.
She's the type who would be popular with both men and women.
"Sorry, I couldn't control my strength. I didn't mean to hit that hard. But the feeling of the punch..."
"...You're beautiful."
"Huh?"
"Ah..."
I hurriedly covered my mouth.
This isn't even a slip of the tongue—what a disaster.
The woman's eyes widened in surprise, but then her expression quickly changed to a mischievous grin typically seen on young men as she lightly punched my arm.
"Oh come on, you're joking? Anyway, thanks!"
"Ugh...!"
It hurts.
It really hurts.
She seemed to just tap me, but why is it so painful?
It felt like being struck by a heavy piece of metal.
If I'd been a moment slower to regain my senses, I would certainly have fallen off the bed.
"Rose. I'm sure I told you to apologize properly."
"I did."
"You didn't cause more trouble, did you?"
"Ahaha."
While my attention was on the woman called Rose, a man approached my bedside.
He had an impressively tall stature with noticeably sharp eyes.
Unlike the woman, he wore a uniform with bolder lines, though it gave a similar impression. It was so immaculate without a speck of dust that it created an intimidating atmosphere.
Simply put, he seemed like a perfectionist.
With natural movements, he positioned me to lie straight, adjusted the bed, and then checked the display on the device attached to the bedside.
"It's normal. Vital signs are within stable range. Just this morning they were at dangerous levels."
"Really?"
"Yes. With medical support, you should be able to return to duty by tomorrow."
Was I on the verge of death?
Looking around, I realize the room is indeed a hospital room.
Though it had a futuristic feel with devices decorating the space, unlike any hospital room I'm familiar with, there's no mistaking it.
Only then did it sink in.
'This wasn't a dream.'
I didn't want to accept as reality the bizarre conversation with that intruder in my home and being sucked into a book.
But I can no longer deny it.
Moreover, the pain I'm feeling in my body is too vivid.
I was sure I had sustained injuries that would take weeks to heal, yet according to this man, I'll be better by tomorrow—hard to believe.
No, wait.
If this is truly that place, the world from my writing, then it makes sense.
Around the 28th century CE.
About six centuries since the beginning of the space age.
In other words, this is approximately 800 years in the future from the world I lived in, making such things entirely possible.
So who is 'Rose'?
Judging by the uniforms, this must be the COH (Cradle of Hero) Academy, which gathers the greatest talents of the Human Alliance.
'Maybe she's just an extra.'
The world-building in my novel is extensive.
Set in the advanced future space age, it has many characters.
Even though the academy arc is important, I couldn't have created detailed settings for every single character.
Yet, something about the name 'Rose' and her appearance seems familiar.
"Ah!"
I remember now.
She has many nicknames like 'Blood Rose,' 'The Cruel Queen,' and countless others.
Above all, what precisely identifies Rose's position is the title "Miracle Generation."
It refers to the five incredible talents who appeared miraculously during the darkest period, possessing unbelievable abilities—the final treasures of the Human Alliance.
The issue is that the time when these five were at the academy was at least 25 years before the original storyline.
A period when the Human Alliance's population had decreased by more than 30%, and their living space had shrunk even more pathetically.
The protagonist would have just been born, if at all.
I'll need to confirm the exact time, but it's clear he would either have just been born or be very young.
I couldn't stop my expression from darkening rapidly.
Yes, if you want to find dreams and hope, intervening as early as possible makes sense.
But this is too much!
I can't even confront a protagonist who's just been born.
"Are you really okay?"
"There could be a neural issue. Don't forget that you were hit by your fist. No one could be perfectly fine after that."
"What?"
I looked at the man who was checking the medical devices again.
If this woman is Rose, then that man must be 'Barton Stingray.'
Known as the 'Cold-blooded Slaughterer,' he's a man who has brutally killed countless aliens.
Though he's completely opposite in temperament to the fiery Rose, like two sides of a coin, they surprisingly form a good team.
It's exciting and strange to see these two with my own eyes.
"Heart rate has increased. Pituitary hormone secretion has risen."
"Is that bad?"
"Emergency medical support might be necessary. Don't worry, the emergency call system is automated, but it wouldn't hurt to notify them in advance."
"W-wait..."
I need to stop this escalation first.
I raised my upper body and waved my hand to stop Barton, who was about to operate some medical device.
Fortunately, both of them focused on my actions like model students.
"I'm fine."
"That's great!"
"Are you sure? Individual judgment can hardly be an objective criterion for evaluation. Especially after being hit by such an ignorant fist—gack!"
Hey, are you okay?
I just heard something burst.
Among the five of the Miracle Generation, Rose is the strongest physical fighter.
Few people across the entire universe could remain unscathed after taking a punch from Rose that contained her true feelings.
Oh, come to think of it, I should be concerned about myself first.
Seeing that I'm lying here, I must have been sparring with Rose.
I'm worried.
Fortunately, Barton quickly straightened his posture.
Although his face was bright red as if enduring the pain with superhuman patience, and he showed slight trembling from the sudden muscle contraction.
"Don't mind this idiot. Anyway, I'm glad you're okay. I hope you recover soon, Lemon."
"Ahem, AHEM! Don't overlook even the slightest abnormality. For quick recovery, it's necessary to pay close attention to your body's warning signals."
"Come on, Ice Tag. Let's go now. Lemon needs to rest."
They came like a breeze and left like a storm.
As soon as the two left, the chaotic atmosphere calmed considerably.
My wild thoughts also settled down.
Now it's time to confirm the most important thing.
I recalled the name they called me.
'Lemon.'
There's almost no chance this is my real name.
It's probably a nickname or a shortened form of a longer name.
I looked around for more clues.
There wasn't anything particularly notable within reach.
Instead, I spotted an academy uniform hanging on the wall right next to the door they left through.
A name was embroidered with bright thread on the top of the pocket on the chest of the uniform.
'Leonard Monarch'
Leonard Monarch.
The memories return.
Like watching a film, various scenes flashed before my eyes.
Memories from the moment of birth until losing consciousness after being hit by Rose's fist.
And simultaneously, I understood why I had been placed in the body of this 'Lemon.'
He's dead.
Lemon, who had been sparring with Rose, didn't just almost die—he actually died.
A common occurrence in the academy, which emphasizes practical education.
Why wouldn't it be?
The very purpose of the COH Academy is to cultivate superhumans who can effectively eliminate aliens.
The Human Alliance is fully aware of this, and has no intention of creating mere strong youngsters, so some sacrifice was an inevitable result.
But this gave me a different kind of shock.
'A character who exited the stage.'
In my writing, Lemon definitely died.
Who saved him?
Was it that damned protagonist who jumped out of the story and dumped me here?
Or was it me, suddenly invading the body of Lemon, whose will to live had approached zero due to his complicated family situation?
I don't know.
'But what should I do now?'
This is bleak.
In this world, it's not strange for people to die anywhere, anytime.
I didn't want talent as insane as the Miracle Generation that I had created, but Lemon is problematic.
He's a complete extra.
An extra character who dies pathetically before the curtain even rises.
Of course, being admitted to COH itself clearly proves that he is one of the Human Alliance's finest talents with a "one-in-ten-million" ability.
But it's ambiguous.
Being mediocre can be worse than having nothing at all.
When I graduate from here, the battlefield awaits me.
Retirement? Not an option.
It's a lifetime position until you either become disabled from injury or die of old age.
I signed agreements and took vows when enrolling.
And I did it during a live broadcast with over 30% viewership!
Ah, there is one exception.
'Until aliens are eradicated.'
That's one phrase from the vow.
The founding purpose of COH is, naturally, to combat aliens.
Aliens are the only enemy, and they don't get involved in any other political conflicts.
Humanity, which had been sharply divided before the appearance of aliens, united their interests and established the Human Alliance, simultaneously founding the COH Academy with various support and benefits.
Therefore, discharge is possible if aliens are eliminated.
But how likely is that?
'Or maybe a safe rear position... no, don't think about it.'
I tried to imagine being assigned to a safe area and having it easy, but it's impossible.
In the war against aliens, superhumans are the most certain and effective solution, and the Human Alliance never wastes such military power.
Crucially, nowhere in this world is safe.
It means I could suddenly die for any reason and it wouldn't be strange.
I can't help but sigh.
How can I survive?
Only now, in this situation, do I realize how terrible the story I wrote really is.
'Come to think of it, what's his ability?'
Lemon is average by academy standards.
Looking at his grades, he's barely maintaining a middle ranking.
But in terms of 'physical limits,' one of the most important indicators when evaluating talent at the academy, he's close to being below standard.
So why was Lemon able to enter the academy?
His ability.
Another power given to humanity in the space age.
It's the reason that caused the most division and opposition within humanity, but also became the light protecting humanity from alien invasion.
Lemon's strength lies in this ability.
Abilities are broadly divided into two categories:
The Orthodox, who receive power from a planet and possess abilities unique to that planet.
The Heterodox, who receive power from a planet but possess entirely new abilities rather than ones unique to that planet.
Lemon is Heterodox.
Among the Heterodox, he has quite a unique ability.
'This guy used it wrong.'
Lemon's ability can be called [Analysis] [Application].
It's an ability that allows him to analyze an alien's body upon contact, extract information, and apply that information to his own body.
But Lemon certainly didn't use this properly.
The source of information currently applied to Lemon's body is from one of the representative land-based entities called a Mammoth.
Mammoths, being a charging type, have powerful strength and very tough armor to break through the Human Alliance's firepower.
They are especially resistant to beam-type weapons, making them one of the most difficult entities to deal with.
By using his ability on such a Mammoth, Lemon's previously substandard body was able to achieve middle-ranking grades at the academy.
However, his skill in handling the ability was so poor that he lost most of the information during the application process.
In fact, he couldn't help it.
In Lemon's life, he only used it once when he encountered a Mammoth.
And that was on a dead specimen displayed like an exhibit, covered with various toxic treatments to prevent contamination.
'There's potential.'
This means it's not a complete loss.
If refined well, it could become a joker card.
Though it seems impossible to compare with the 'Miracle Generation,' having something you can do is what matters.
'By the way, the Monarch family...'
There are many problems to solve.
No, wait.
Should I worry about surviving at the academy first?
The COH Academy during this period, with the highest mortality rate during sparring, is like a den of demons.
I felt cold sweat running down my back.
The body, overworked from the recent sparring with Rose, still ached to the bone.
'Let's sleep for now.'
Sleep is the best way to shake off worries and find peace.
I closed my eyes.
My exhausted body quickly pulled my consciousness down.
And that night, I had a nightmare of being chased by a monster that embodied dreams and hope.