I woke to the sound of my own gasp, the remnants of another nightmare—this time featuring a broom-wielding moon chasing me through the cosmos for unknown reasons—still clinging to my skin like sweat. Whatever, I am long used to them anyway; they are working in my favor, waking me up at the right time every day.
Rolling out of bed, I washed my face, the cold water shocking the sleep from my bones. Then, the real pain began: my daily "warm-up."
100 push-ups. 100 sit-ups. 100 squats. A 10-kilometer run.
(A certain bald-caped hero’s regimen, minus the going bald part. Hopefully.)
By the time I finished, my muscles burned, but the exhaustion was familiar, almost comforting.
Then, as I returned to my room—
A familiar rip in reality.
Virion’s emerald portal yawned open beside my bed, the serpent’s grinning face peering through.
"Jie jie~ Ready for today’s beating, boy?"
I sighed, wiping sweat from my brow. "Bring it on."
I spent the next seven hours in Virion’s domain. While only one hour passed outside.
And as usual, the turtle brothers were waiting.
For the first twenty minutes, I held my own—dagger flashing, deflecting, footwork almost passable.
"Alright, boys. Level up."
And the real beating began.
Dono’s bo became a certain monkey’s staff. Mike’s nunchaku twisted like living snakes. Ralph? Ralph just dropkicked me from every possible angle. And let’s not mention Leon. That guy is the most ruthless of them all.
But what I was proud of was obviously my results.
The past month has carved its lessons into my bones.
Daggers no longer felt foreign in my hands—they were extensions of my will, dancing between my fingers with lethal precision. Swords, though still not my forte, no longer made me look like a toddler swinging a stick. And archery? Well, at least I could hit the target now without skewering a bystander.
Not that the turtle brothers cared.
"AGAIN!" Leon barked as my dagger went spinning from my grip for the umpteenth time.
I wheezed, rolling to avoid Dono’s staff—only for Mike’s nunchaku to whip my ribs.
"Pathetic," Leon sighed, twirling his sword. "You drop your guard like a drunk dropping coins."
Ralph, ever helpful, cheerfully added, "At least you’re unbreakable!"
But despite the pain, despite the bruises, I grinned. Because a month ago, I wouldn’t have lasted five minutes. Now? I could hold my own for twenty before they had to "level up."
That counted for something.
By the time Virion dismissed me, my body was one giant ache. But the pain was familiar, almost comforting. A hot bath and a quick nap later, I dragged myself to class, my brain still half-steeped in combat reflexes.
Thankfully, I managed to secure my scholarship on last week’s midterms—barely.
Those two months of all-nighters had paid off, though my eyebags now had their own gravitational pull.
Just a few more months of this, I reminded myself. Then, I will catch up.
Even though I didn’t have to worry about money because of the system’s rewards, I still wanted to keep studying. Guess I was also becoming accustomed to it.
Lunch was a welcome reprieve.
Emilia and Livia had resumed their routine of packing absurdly lavish meals for Aeron—and, by extension, me. Today’s spread included honey-glazed roast, buttered rolls, and a suspiciously heart-shaped dessert.
Aeron, to his credit, didn’t blush. Not that much.
"You start first," he muttered, his eyes gesturing to the ’heart’.
"I am not that fond of desserts," I replied, snagging a roll. I then gave him the ’don’t count on me’ look and continued eating in silence.
Livia giggled. "Aeron, you liked desserts, right?"
Emilia nodded, pushing the dessert toward him. "Mmm, you look like you really want to eat it."
Damn, did they become more ’sweet’ after the incident.
But, for a moment, it was easy to forget curses and combat and cosmic entities. Just us, four idiots eating too much food and pretending life wasn’t absurd.
And this was another piece of peace I found.
The library was my next stop.
Books sprawled across the table, notes piled like miniature fortresses. My scholarship depended on maintaining top marks, and I’d be damned if I let a few near-death experiences ruin my GPA.
Advanced Alchemy. Political Theory. Empire’s History.
I cracked my knuckles.
My neck cracked as I lifted my head from the mountain of notes, blinking at the dimming lanterns.
I stretched, my muscles protesting from both the morning’s training and hours of hunched studying. But there was no rest yet—Zephyr awaited.
The silver-haired menace didn’t even greet me as I stepped through his portal. Just tossed me a vial of something that shimmered like liquid mercury.
I eyed the concoction warily. "This one’s new."
"Mn." Zephyr’s glacial stare didn’t waver. "Your resistance is improving. Time to escalate."
I downed the vial in one go.
For three seconds, nothing happened. Then—
It erupted in my veins, a white-hot scourge that turned my vision red. My knees hit the training room floor as I choked back a scream, fingers clawing at my throat.
Zephyr observed dispassionately, stopwatch in hand. "Breathe through it. Your body knows what to do."
Easy for you to say, I wanted to snarl, but my tongue felt like molten lead.
Then—miraculously—(after 4 damn minutes of suffering)—the pain began to ebb. My ragged breaths steadied. The fire dulled to embers, then to nothing.
I slumped forward, sweat pooling beneath me. "...What... was that?"
"Midnight Lotus extract." Zephyr pocketed the stopwatch. "Common in assassination attempts. You survived."
A flicker of something almost like approval crossed his face. "Let’s continue."
[The Knowledge Emporium: Just Before Dawn]
The twins were tidying up when I arrived, their usual bickering filling the shop.
"Manager!" Mira (or was it Lira?) waved. "Your new guy’s amazing! He cleaned the entire dining area in, like, ten minutes!"
Her sister nodded vigorously. "And he made the windows sparkle! Even the ones we didn’t know were dirty!"
Of course he did. His pride wouldn’t probably allow anything less than perfection, even in menial labor.
I forced a smile. "Glad to hear it. Where is he now?"
"He came just not long ago, he’s on the third floor."
"Right, he said he will start from the information room,"
"Alright, see-wait did you say the information room?!"
"T-Take care, you two, I have to go!"
I sprinted toward the third floor.
I hope nothing bad happens.