A New Life in Eleceed

After finishing my breakfast, I headed straight to my room to change. I had no intention of wasting time. Today, I was going to train, and I needed to dress comfortably for it.

I rummaged through my wardrobe and pulled out a black hoodie jacket, pairing it with cream-colored cargo pants. Comfortable yet stylish. Next were my white rubber shoes, well-worn but still pristine, and finally, a black beanie to complete the look. Satisfied, I turned to the full-length mirror, tilting my head slightly as I examined myself.

Dark, tousled hair peeked from under the beanie, framing my face. My sharp jawline and high cheekbones gave me a striking appearance, despite my young age. My deep, obsidian eyes reflected a cold, calculating intelligence—eyes that often made people uneasy when they met my gaze for too long. I had noticed it before, the way others hesitated when speaking to me, as if sensing something beneath the surface. Not bad, I thought, smirking slightly. If I had to compare, I resembled a younger Sung Jin-Woo, though my features still carried a certain youthful softness.

Turning away, I walked toward the height chart my mother had placed on my wall. I aligned myself against it, marking the tape just above my head with a red pen. Stepping back, I examined the measurement.

"137 cm... 4'6," I murmured, rubbing my chin in thought. Not bad. At this rate, I'll be taller than most kids my age in no time.

With that, I grabbed my phone and made my way outside.

Jung Seok, my driver, was already waiting by the car, his usual professional demeanor intact. As I approached, he stepped forward and opened the door for me.

"Where to, Rheon-nim?" he asked once he settled into the driver's seat.

"The Union headquarters," I responded. "I'm going to train there today."

Jung Seok smiled, a knowing glint in his eyes. "Gladly, Rheon-nim."

I sighed. It took me weeks to get him to stop calling me Doryeonnim or young master if translated to engish, but this was as far as he would go. The man was stubborn. No matter how much I insisted that he drop the formality, he remained adamant that, as the heir to the Lee family, I needed to be addressed with respect.

I leaned against the window, watching as Seoul's towering skyscrapers passed by. The city was more advanced than I remembered from my past life. Even though it was still 2006, the infrastructure here surpassed what I had known before. Perhaps it had something to do with Awakeners.

I recalled my tutor explaining how only the President of South Korea was aware of the true existence of Awakeners and that knowledge will be passed down to their successors. I wonder if it's the same for other nations…

My thoughts drifted to my mother. Her stomach was starting to show—she was probably four months pregnant by now, though I could only guess. In a few months, Subin Lee would be born. The thought of having a little sister was oddly exciting. I'd never had a sibling in my past life, and I was curious to see what kind of person she would grow up to be.

Pulling out my phone, I snapped a picture of the cityscape. The technology here was another marvel. Despite it being 2006, the smartphones were already leagues ahead, comparable to the ones from 2020 in my previous world. Touchscreens, advanced processors—this world had definitely evolved differently.

After a while, the car finally pulled up to the towering structure that was the Union's headquarters.

Stepping out, I thanked Jung Seok before making my way toward the entrance. As I approached, I casually pulled out my identification card and presented it to the security guards. The moment they saw it, their expressions stiffened, and they immediately bowed.

"Welcome, Sir."

They knew exactly what that card signified. It was proof that I was a direct member of the Lee family. With a simple nod, I walked inside and made my way to the elevator reserved for VIPs. Just before the doors closed, three other people stepped in—an older man and two children, likely teenagers.

I could feel their stares. They were probably wondering why a child was here. Tch. People always stared. But they didn't ask questions, and I wasn't in the mood to entertain curiosity.

The elevator dinged as we reached the executive floor. As I stepped out, I noticed that the two children did as well. They glanced at me once more before heading in the opposite direction. I ignored them and continued toward my father's office.

I didn't bother knocking as I entered. My father already knew it was me. No one else would dare to walk in unannounced.

As I stepped inside, I waved at the secretaries working nearby. They greeted me back with polite smiles before returning to their tasks. Through the transparent conference room walls, I could see my father seated at the center of a long table, surrounded by men in suits. A presentation was ongoing, but I had no interest in whatever business they were discussing.

Instead, I walked into my father's personal office and settled down to cultivate my Force Control.

This wasn't just any Force Control technique—it was unique to the main family. Unlike the methods used by Union members or cadet branches, ours was refined over generations, allowing for greater precision and efficiency. But I wasn't satisfied with simply inheriting it—I was modifying it, optimizing the way energy flowed through my body, making it smoother, more natural.

Most people wouldn't dare tamper with their Force Control. A single mistake could disrupt the internal flow, leading to permanent damage, or worse. But I wasn't most people.

As I focused, I could feel the energy circulating within me, sharpening, condensing. Each breath I took refined it further, making it more efficient. I pushed the energy through my body, allowing it to course through my organs, strengthening them from within and also refining my abilities. The process was slow but meticulous—like sculpting a masterpiece from raw stone.

After twenty minutes, I let out a slow exhale and opened my eyes.

Just as I did, the door opened, and my father stepped inside.

I greeted him informally—there was no need for stiff pleasantries when it was just the two of us.

"How was the meeting?" I asked.

"Minor issues within the Union," he replied, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. Then his sharp eyes studied me. "You were cultivating."

I nodded. He ruffled my hair.

"Have you eaten?"

"Yeah," I said, smoothing my hair back into place. "Where's Mom?"

"She's meeting Yoo Min-ah."

To which I nodded. Jiyoung's mom? She's pregnant with Jisuk right now, isn't she? Those two are probably planning something.

"Can I train in the underground facility?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "Your formal training starts next week."

"I won't push myself," I reassured him.

He studied me for a moment before nodding. "Fine. But don't push yourself. Understood?

I smirked slightly. "Of course."

He sighed, as if already expecting me to ignore that advice, but said nothing further. With his approval secured, I turned on my heel and walked back toward the VIP elevator, pressing the button for the underground training facility.

As the elevator doors slid shut, I leaned against the railing and let out a quiet breath. This world had given me another chance—a better chance. One where I wasn't just another cog in the machine, scraping by to survive. Here, I was born into power. Into influence. And I wasn't about to waste it.

The ding of the elevator pulled me from my thoughts. The doors opened to reveal a vast underground facility, far larger than what one would expect hidden beneath an office building. It was a private training ground exclusive to high-ranking members of the Union. While the upper levels were filled with meeting rooms and political maneuvering, down here was where true strength was forged.

I stepped out onto the sleek black flooring, the air humming with the residual energy of countless battles. The facility was divided into multiple sections—combat rings, sparring areas, gravity-controlled chambers, and even an isolated zone for ability testing.

Despite being underground, the space was illuminated by artificial skylights that mimicked natural sunlight, making the environment feel open rather than claustrophobic.

As I walked in, a few instructors glanced in my direction but made no move to stop me. They knew who I was. More importantly, they knew better than to underestimate me just because I was a child.

I made my way toward one of the private training rooms, a reinforced chamber designed for solo practice. The moment I stepped inside, the door sealed behind me with a quiet hiss.

----

The underground training room was silent except for the faint hum of the temperature regulation system. As I stepped inside, the reinforced walls and high-tech monitors reminded me of exactly where I was—this was not a place for casual exercise. The Union's training facility was designed for awakeners, meaning every square inch of it could withstand inhuman levels of force.

I rolled my shoulders, loosening the stiffness from the morning. I wasn't here to go all out. Just light training. A warm-up, really.

I started with light stretches, focusing on my joints and muscles. Flexibility was just as important as strength—one wrong move, and even an awakener could snap something they'd regret.

Unbeknownst to me, I wasn't alone. Behind the reinforced glass of the observation deck, some of my relatives—likely uncles, aunts, or distant cousins—watched my movements with silent scrutiny. I ignored the feeling of being observed. It was nothing new. I had been under watch since the moment I was born into the Lee family.

Once my muscles were loose, I moved to the center of the training facility.

First, Ice Armor.

I exhaled slowly, feeling the familiar chill spread through my veins. A thin layer of ice formed over my skin—a barely visible, crystalline sheen that reinforced my body against impact. The trick was to keep it thin enough that it wouldn't hinder my mobility. The cold was nothing to me; it never had been. I let a launching projectile hit me. Not too hard but something that I can withstand without injuring myself. Projectile struck me and the thin layer of ice cracked. Hmm, good. I thought to myself. Towards the next.

To push my mobility further, I activated Frozen Air Boost. I concentrated, supercooling the air beneath my feet. Tiny micro-explosions of condensation erupted, launching me forward in bursts. I tried stepping off the air itself—attempting a brief, weightless glide—but my control wavered. I landed awkwardly, sliding across the ice I had unintentionally created.

Tch. Still not good enough.

I repeated the maneuver several times, adjusting the temperature, the force, the angle—each attempt improving my control, but it still wasn't perfect. After a few more tries, I stopped. There was no point in repeating something that I hadn't fully grasped yet. I needed to refine the technique later.

I turned toward one of the impact dummies—a reinforced construct built to withstand awakened strikes. Time to test raw force.

Activating Cryo-Adaptive Muscles, I carefully lowered my muscle temperature to reduce metabolic waste buildup. If my theory was correct, this would allow me to push my body further without immediate exhaustion.

At the same time, I triggered Hydraulic Ice Compression. I focused, freezing the water within my muscle fibers at a controlled level. The result? A temporary but immense increase in strength. My body tensed, muscles coiling like compressed springs.

I struck the dummy.

The first punch cracked through the air. I followed with another, then another—each one sharper, heavier, faster. I transitioned into kicks, utilizing my entire body. My knee connected, then my elbow—everything was a weapon.

When I finally stopped, I examined the dummy.

Barely scratched.

I clicked my tongue in irritation. As expected. This thing is built to take a beating from high ranked awakeners. My current physical enhancement alone wasn't enough to break it. Yet.

Time to shift to ranged attacks.

I conjured ice spheres in both hands and hurled them at another dummy. The moment they struck, frost spread across its surface, encasing it in a thick layer of ice.

I moved to the next technique, channeling frost through my feet. The freezing energy traveled across the floor, creeping toward another target. The moment it reached the dummy, ice bloomed upward, locking it in place. The temperature in the facility plummeted, my control over the environment expanding naturally.

For my next test, I conjured Frost Blast. I release a wave of cold energy into the air, towards another dummy on my right. The frost moved silently, barely perceptible, but the effect was immediate. The dummy froze over completely, a perfect sculpture of ice.

I wasn't done yet.

Gathering frost beneath me, I unleashed a wide-range AoE freeze—a technique designed to immobilize multiple opponents at once. Ice spread rapidly across the training facility, crawling up walls, freezing the air itself. The entire space darkened, coated in an ominous shade of blue ice as I intentionally lowered its temperature to a significant degree.

For a moment, everything was utterly still.

Then, at my command, the ice melted.

Water dripped from the dummies, pooling on the floor before evaporating into mist. My breath was steady, my body relaxed.

Not bad. But not good enough, either.

I exhaled, taking a moment to recuperate myself then glancing toward the observation deck. I could see the shadows of people standing there, undoubtedly murmuring to each other about what they had just witnessed.

Let them talk.