Alex stood frozen in the small changing room, staring at the white strapless padded bra in his trembling hands.
His heart began beating hard against his ribs. The fabric was soft, stretchy, and clearly designed for a woman's body without large breasts.
"I can't do this," Alex whispered, his face burning so hot he felt like he had a fever. "Fuck what ever… I've already paid, the money won't be returned back and it's just temporary."
He didn't have a choice… It's either being grouped with hundreds of half naked men or a bunch of beautiful women.
He chose the women without another thought.
Holding his breath, he pulled the white strapless padded bra over his head and slid his arms through it.
"Nnngh!" Alex bit his lip hard to stop a breathy moan from escaping.
As the tight, elastic fabric fitted into place against his chest, the friction sent a small jolt of electricity straight down to his groin.
But once it settled, a wave of profound relief washed over him.
The smooth, moisture-wicking material compressed his sensitive chest perfectly, stopping the painful rubbing he usually felt against his rough cotton shirts.
It held his slightly swollen nipples firm and tight without any discomfort.
"Now I know why women like to wear bras," He looked in the mirror.
The bra flattened his chest, but the tight fit still gave the undeniable illusion of a very small, firm A-cup.
"Fuck," he muttered, turning his face away from the mirror.
Next came the high-waisted black spandex shorts. He stepped into them, pulling them up over his hips.
The synthetic fabric was incredibly tight. It hugged the soft, widening curve of his hips and lifted his bottom, clinging to his thighs very tightly.
Because his "little brother" was still resting, the tight spandex easily compressed it flat against his pelvis, hiding any obvious male bulge.
But even if there were a slight change, it would be difficult to hide it.
Unless his little brother wanted more attention, his identity would be safe.
He didn't want to be caught and be labeled as a pervert in a room full of young women.
He looked like a flat-chested, incredibly fit tomboy.
"Oh, look at you," the Empress whispered in his mind, her voice dripping with dark amusement. "You look like a proper little lady. See? That wasn't so hard. The white really complements your pale skin."
Alex ignored her, grabbing his wooden training sword.
He took a deep breath, pulled the curtain back, and stepped out into the training hall.
Lily, who was waiting nearby, stretching her arms. When she turned and saw him, her bright eyes widened.
"Wow!" Lily clapped her hands together, a rosy blush instantly rushing to her cheeks. "I knew it! They look so cute on you. Your skin is literally glowing. What kind of lotion do you use?"
"I... uh, just basic soap, Thanks for the clothes, Lily." Alex stammered, crossing his arms nervously over his chest to hide the bra. His voice came out soft and breathy.
Lily giggled, her eyes darting down to admire the tight fit of the spandex around his waist and thighs. "Come on, the instructor is waiting for us to start the session."
There were about twenty girls in the class, all holding heavy wooden swords.
Alex noticed immediately that there were no soft padding mats on the floor like he had seen from before.
This should be the serious training from now on.
They were all looking toward the center of the room at the instructor, a stunning woman named Sylvia.
According to what Lily had whispered earlier, Sylvia came from a high-status noble family.
She was already a 'B' Rank Swordsman at a very young age, together with a terrifying talent for swordsmanship.
However, from what lily knew her bloodline was notoriously low-level from birth, and she seemed to have left her wealthy home and began to work here at the Gene Association to earn enough money to survive and grow stronger.
Sylvia stood tall and confident.
She wore a skin-tight, dark crimson training top and black leggings that hugged every powerful curve and toned muscle on her body.
A light sheen of sweat already made her collarbone glisten under the bright lights.
As Alex and Lily hurried over, Sylvia began to speak.
Her voice was loud and deeply passionate, commanding the attention of every girl in the room.
"Listen closely, everyone," Sylvia called out, pacing slowly in front of them. "Since the Mana Recovery, the Gene Association has analyzed the absolute basic requirements for the Swordsman profession."
"A true Swordsman must establish four solid foundations: Body, Sword, Mind, and Mana. Only when these four resonate perfectly with each other can you successfully form a Sword Seed."
"Only by being able to form your sword seed will the world's consciousness recognize you, grant you your first professional seed, and can be considered as a True Awakener."
She stopped pacing and planted her boots firmly on the hard floor.
"The first awakening requirement is Physical Conditioning," Sylvia explained, her eyes sweeping over the group. "Your body must be capable of handling mana-enhanced swordsmanship without tearing itself apart."
"As for what Mana is, it's basic and even if you all are just F rank, you should have already felt it inside your bodies."
"However, the amount of Mana inside your bodies is limited and therefore, an F rank is never considered a True Awakener."
"This means both your Strength and Agility stats must reach above 25 points. To do that, you need to practice the Iron Body Foundation Art that I teach to the proficient-level."
"It will painfully, but effectively, strengthen your muscles, tendons, and bones"
"There will be a time limit of three months, if you can't even do that in three months, then please do bother."
Alex and others on the side began to listen carefully, as to not miss a single word.
Seeing that everyone was concentrating on her words, Sylvia nodded her head in approval.
To demonstrate, Sylvia suddenly dropped low to the ground, her legs sliding apart into a perfect, completely flat split.
The tight fabric of her leggings stretched tightly across her thighs and groin.
Without using her hands, she bent her upper body backward, her incredible flexibility on full display, until her shoulders nearly touched the floor behind her.
A few girls in the crowd gasped. Alex felt his own tight chest squeeze as he watched her move so smoothly, acutely aware of the female clothing clinging to his own body.
Sylvia easily pushed herself back up to a standing position in one fluid, powerful motion.
"In order to practice the sword technique that I'm going to teach, your body must be as flexible as possible, like I showed you before." She didn't even look out of breath.
"If you can do that, it'll be easy to learn the Flowing Water Sword Forms."
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