Chapter 25: Training in Progress!

“Tsk, the gift I gave you shouldn’t have granted that many bonuses in theory? How did your strength increase so much?”

Carola’s puzzled voice rang in Phyllis’s ear.

“Maybe I just have good adaptability!”

Phyllis started lying through her teeth.

Carola’s words confirmed Phyllis’s previous suspicion.

The reason her attributes randomly increased might be partially due to Karolla’s Gift, but more than that, it was because of her System. It was her cheat code, after all.

However, the conditions were quite strange.

Carola had to suck her blood for it to work.

“Hmm… let’s test your combat power first.”

Carola snapped her fingers, and a row of weapon racks opened along the wall, containing various types of weapons.

“Catch.”

Carola took a pair of wooden daggers used for training and threw them to Phyllis.

Phyllis caught the daggers clumsily and handled them for a moment; they felt lighter than she had imagined.

“Let’s have a match. Are you ready?”

Carola picked up a wooden sword and casually performed a flourish.

“Okay…”

Before Phyllis could even finish her sentence, Carola’s figure vanished from the spot.

“Uh…”

Phyllis didn’t even have time to react before she felt a chill on her neck.

The tip of the wooden sword was resting lightly against her throat.

“Too slow.”

Carola’s voice came from behind her.

“So fast…” Phyllis marveled.

“Wait! I didn’t say start yet, and you—”

“In battle, no one will give you the chance to count down. Therefore, you must always be prepared for an enemy’s attack.”

Carola lectured Phyllis.

“I understand, meow!”

Phyllis focused her attention, her eyes fixed on Carola.

“Again, meow!”

“Remember, sometimes, don’t just use your eyes.”

Carola nodded and returned to her original position.

Then, she moved again.

This time, Phyllis saw the trajectory of Carola’s movements through her Dynamic Vision.

She hurriedly raised her daggers to block.

*Thud!*

The wooden sword and daggers collided, producing a dull sound.

Phyllis felt her arms go numb, and she stumbled back several steps.

“If you lack strength, use Force Deflection techniques.”

Carola didn’t continue her assault. Instead, she stood there and demonstrated a sidestepping Force Deflection movement.

“This way, you can guide the opponent’s power into empty space rather than taking it head-on.”

“Mhm, mhm…”

Phyllis studied seriously, unconsciously imitating Carola’s movements, swaying left and right to find her balance.

Over the next two hours, Carola demonstrated dozens of combat techniques.

Each movement was precise, concise, and efficient, without any unnecessary fluff.

Phyllis imitated her clumsily, sweat soon soaking her clothes.

“No, adjust your wrist angle by another 15 degrees.”

“Your footwork is too messy; maintain your center of gravity.”

“Breathe. Pay attention to the rhythm of your breathing.”

Whenever Phyllis made a mistake, Carola pointed it out immediately.

To Phyllis’s surprise, Carola never showed impatience.

Instead, she corrected her over and over until Phyllis grasped the essentials.

“I’m… I’m exhausted, meow…”

During a break, Phyllis sat on the floor panting, taking a cup of water from Carola.

She felt every muscle in her body protesting.

**[Rest! Rest!]**

“You’re calling it quits at just this level?”

Carola stood to the side, looking down at Phyllis.

“I’ve never trained before, meow~”

Phyllis tried to make excuses for her fatigue.

“Then rest for five minutes, and then we continue.”

Carola put away the wooden sword and sat on a chair in the room. Five minutes passed quickly.

“Aw, five minutes is way too short, meow!” Phyllis lamented.

She tried to get more rest time out of Carola.

“In a real battle, the enemy won’t give you time to rest,” Carola replied.

“I know, meow!”

Phyllis pouted and stood up obediently.

This was her choice, so she had to endure it.

The subsequent training became even more rigorous.

Carola suppressed her strength to a level similar to Phyllis’s to spar with her.

Even so, Phyllis couldn’t beat her.

The gap in skill and experience was massive.

She was subdued within a few moves almost every time, and bruises soon covered her body.

“Ow, ow, ow…”

After falling to the ground again, Phyllis lay there grimacing in pain.

“Stand up.”

Carola’s voice was cold.

“I… I think I need a moment…”

Phyllis wanted to rest on the floor for a bit.

“I said, stand up.”

The wooden sword poked Phyllis.

“I’m up! I’m up!”

Poked once, Phyllis jumped up from the ground and continued training.

After being toyed with a few more times, Phyllis finally found an opportunity and launched a counterattack.

She thrust her dagger at a tricky angle, but Carola blocked it effortlessly.

“Not bad,” Carola evaluated.

“Let’s end the training here for today.”

“Phew~”

Phyllis placed the daggers back on the weapon rack and couldn’t help but take a few deep breaths.

“Does it hurt?”

Carola’s voice came from behind Phyllis.

It had turned soft, a complete contrast to the strict instructor from moments ago.

“It hurts… it hurts a lot, meow~”

Phyllis said, her eyes beginning to well up.

Even with wooden weapons, Carola’s attacks had left several bloody scratches on Phyllis’s body.

However, because she had Karolla’s Gift, the injuries from the start of the training had already healed.

The ones remaining were just from a moment ago.

“Then remember this pain.”

Carola’s fingertips touched the wounds on Phyllis’s body.

“Remember why you were hurt, and remember how to avoid getting hurt.”

Phyllis stared blankly at Carola, her heart fluttering uncontrollably.

“Wh-Why must it be like this…” Phyllis was a bit puzzled.

“You could have used a gentler way to train…”

“Because reality will not be gentle with you.”

Carola stood up, her back to Phyllis.

“Enemies will not show mercy, and danger will not give advance warning. If I am not strict with you now, you might pay with your life in the future.”

Carola paused and patted Phyllis’s head.

“I… will not allow that to happen.”

Phyllis opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.

“Alright, training is over. Next, it’s feeding time…”

Carola’s words made Phyllis feel a chill on her neck.

“Um… shouldn’t we take a shower first?” Phyllis suggested.

Although she didn’t resist the blood-sucking anymore, she had just exercised, and her body was…

“Fine, shower first, then feeding…”

Carola looked at the sweat-drenched Phyllis and agreed.

*Slurp… slurp… hiss…*

***

Phyllis was half-supported and half-carried back to her room by Carola.

“Get some rest.”

Carola placed Phyllis on the edge of the bed.

“We’ll continue tomorrow night.”

“I understand, meow~”

Phyllis was truly worn out this time.

The moment she touched the bed, she became drowsy.

Carola leaned over and left a gentle kiss.

“Goodnight, Phyllis.”