Chapter 141: Overwhelming Proficiency
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 141: Overwhelming Proficiency
I finally woke up from the dream after managing to catch even the cannonballs.
I had worked like a dog for three months, but when I opened my eyes, hardly any time had passed.
It’s morning.
In real-time, only about seven hours must have gone by.
To think I spent a full three months grinding in a dream, yet not even a day has passed in reality. The efficiency is truly absurd.
If the Villainesses hadn't been so intent on pushing me, I might have wasted that surplus of time entirely on personal rest.
Perhaps, as Mabel warned, I might have ended up trapped in the dream, satisfied with mere illusions. But the Three Villainesses kept the pressure on, never letting me grow complacent.
The training with them was undoubtedly painful, but it was also incredibly helpful.
"Yuria is still asleep."
Since the sun had only just risen, no one else was awake yet.
I quietly slipped out of the room and into the living room. Everyone was still dead to the world.
Now, what was I supposed to do today?
I sat on the sofa, lost in thought. To me, "yesterday" felt like three months ago, so my memory was a bit hazy.
Right, I bought a mansion before I went to sleep.
I had purchased the Cursed Mansion and ended the curse by capturing that fellow, Henz Ainhel.
What came after that?
I went to the guild. I remember now.
I met Moira and spoke with Mabel. That was when I received the Ring of Lucid Dreaming. My memories were finally starting to click back into place.
That’s right. Today, we were supposed to clean the mansion and check for areas that need repairs.
The plan was to head to the Cursed Mansion, identify what needed fixing, and give the place a general cleaning together.
I think Rosier and Lady Leah were supposed to drop by the house around lunchtime, though I couldn't remember the details clearly.
Oh, and I need to buy slaves.
I had decided to purchase more slaves to manage the mansion. I was planning to get about three more. Come to think of it, I felt like there was a meeting I had to attend as well...
—That is tomorrow, child.
"Helena! It’s been a while!"
—Just how much time did you spend in that dream?
"About three months..."
—You were in there that long?
"Yes. You see..."
When I told her about my training with the Villainesses, Helena asked questions with great interest.
—To catch all manner of things... impressive. Then, do you think you could even catch magic?
"Magic? I’m not sure about that yet."
—I see. If you truly could catch magic as well...
"Then I’d probably be a real monster."
The Tower Lord had said something similar.
If I could catch magic, I would essentially gain absolute defense against all ranged attacks.
I would become the ultimate disaster and nightmare for any ranged damage dealer.
—Splendid. So, what do you intend to do now?
"First, I want to loosen up my body."
I wanted to spend the time remaining before my lunch appointment warming up.
Physical training in a dream is pointless, after all.
In a dream, it’s not muscles I need to build.
No matter how many barbells I lift in a dream, my physical strength won't increase by a single point, and interval training won't improve my stamina at all.
The training I should utilize the dream for isn't physical conditioning, but rather improving my "situational response" and "technical proficiency."
Since I’ve increased my technical proficiency through the arrow-catching training...
From the next session onward, I’ll likely focus on situational response.
The Three Villainesses will probably summon monsters I’ve never encountered before in the dream, and I’ll learn how to fight them.
The perceived danger of a monster you're facing for the first time versus one you've killed dozens of times is worlds apart.
They said they’d help with combat-related things too.
The second of the Three Villainesses had given me that characteristic smirk of hers and said she’d oversee my combat training.
Humanoid monsters appear as you go deeper. I need experience in player-versus-player combat as well.
Below the 7th floor, humanoid monsters with intelligence similar to humans begin to appear. Therefore, I had to learn how to fight them.
Ordinary adventurers who rarely descend to the 7th floor only learn how to fight monsters, but if one is seriously aiming for the 7th floor and beyond, they must become proficient in fighting humanoids.
By increasing my technical proficiency through sparring with the Three Villainesses and training my physical body with Gon during the day, I’ll be able to grow rapidly.
And when it comes to building muscle, the Martial Arts Hall is the best place. I headed toward the hall at a light jog.
"Hm? It’s the Porter."
"Hello, Rika."
After warming up with a light run through the streets, I arrived at the Martial Arts Hall and ran into Rika, who had been pumping iron since the crack of dawn.
She puts an incredible amount of effort into her physical conditioning. As a knight, her techniques were already perfected, so her main goals seemed to be mana adaptation and increasing her physical capabilities.
"Seeing you here so early, are you finally ready to get serious about building some muscle?"
"Yes. I’m planning to push myself to the limit."
"Good. You have an appointment with the Young Lady at lunch, right?"
"You knew?"
"I keep track of everything regarding the Young Lady. She mentioned yesterday that you bought a mansion. She seemed very excited."
"I see."
"Alright. I’ll let you go before lunch, so let’s really get to work."
Rika grinned and led me into the world of weightlifting, sharing her daily routine with me.
"Guaaaah!"
"One more! Just one more!"
"Dammit!! That’s the seventh time you’ve said that...!!!!"
"Lift it! You’ll get hurt if you don't! Drive it up!"
My eyes glazed over for a moment, but I managed to heave the barbell up.
Because I had consumed the Giant's Essence, I had to lift absurd amounts of weight just to tear my muscle fibers.
I could feel my muscles ripping and splitting. When they knit back together, I’d have even larger, more impressive muscles.
"Here, drink this."
"What’s this? I’ve never seen this drink before."
"It’s a muscle recovery potion the Alchemist Guild has been selling lately. They say it helps immensely with muscle growth."
"Oh. Isn't it expensive?"
"Well, I can afford to share this much."
"Rika...!"
This was like someone sharing their protein powder with me. Why was I so moved? An athlete sharing their protein? That’s basically a confession of love.
"You’re helping me train and even sharing potions. Aren't you being a bit too kind?"
"Well, it’s no big deal. But by any chance... are there any spare rooms in that mansion?"
"Spare rooms?"
"Yeah. Since you’re going to be living with the Young Lady... well, for her protection, I should also..."
"Ah. Right, you are Lady Leah’s personal knight."
Thinking about it, Rika’s situation made sense.
To protect Leah, her charge, Rika always had to be near her.
Until now, they had lived in the same lodging, so they shared a room, but now that the Young Lady was moving into a mansion, Rika had to follow.
However, since I was the owner of the mansion, she couldn't just move in without my permission, which was why she was asking so cautiously.
Furthermore, Rika was currently volunteering her services without receiving a knight's salary. If I didn't allow it, she’d have to find separate lodging near the mansion, and she was likely short on funds.
"There are plenty of spare rooms. Come and live with us."
"Really?! Hahaha! How much should I pay for rent..."
"Just move in. Why talk about rent between us?"
"Truly? You mean it?"
"Yes. In exchange, please help me with my training. It would be great if you could spar with me occasionally."
"That’s no problem at all. I’ll help you as much as you want."
Rika looked overjoyed at my offer to let her live in the house for free.
Honestly, I could have charged her rent if I wanted to. But what would be the point of trying to squeeze blood from a stone like Rika?
I’d only get a few silver coins at most. It was far more beneficial to make her a guest in my home and exploit her labor instead.
Besides, the house needs cleaning and maintenance. It’ll be great to have someone as strong and energetic as Rika helping out.
Wouldn't she work even harder on the cleaning if it was the house she was going to live in? While I was at it, it might be a good idea to give rooms to Rien and Erika as well.
Rien probably wasn't very well-off either, and Erika was currently relying on the Church's support.
"Alright. Let’s wrap up the basic strength training here."
"Next is sparring, right?"
"Yeah. Gon should be here soon. Want to have a quick round with me until then?"
"Sounds good."
I decided to have a light spar with Rika before Gon arrived.
I stood facing Rika with my axe and shield. Rika, who had been watching me quietly, looked at me strangely, then lowered her sword and spoke.
"Porter. Has something changed?"
"Pardon?"
"No... something is different. The difference between the day before yesterday and now is too great... It’s as if you’ve been training alone for several months."
"Is that so?"
"Hmm. Yes. Something is definitely different."
Come to think of it, I had sparred with Rika the day before yesterday when I went to meet Lady Leah. From Rika’s perspective, I must have seemed completely different overnight.
The current me is definitely different from back then. Three months have passed, after all.
The current me was entirely different from the version of me two days ago, who hadn't even properly adapted to the Dynamic Vision Enhancement Goggles.
I was practically a different person.
"Shall I go first?"
"As you wish."
Rika took a starting stance, looking visibly tense.
I lunged at her.
Clang—!!
"Urgh!?"
Rika’s expression twisted sharply as her sword vibrated violently. I had always overwhelmed her in terms of raw strength. But now, I even surpassed her in reaction speed, and thanks to being fully adapted to the Dynamic Vision Enhancement Goggles, I could read all of Rika’s movements.
This is insane.
When I hadn't been adapted to the goggles, I felt dizzy and nauseous if I wore them for even a short while. But now it was different. Thanks to wearing them constantly for three months in the dream, I no longer felt any side effects.
The world slowed down. In that slowed-down world, I alone was dancing.
"Haaah!!"
Rika tried to deny the situation, thinking it was impossible, but my speed and power began to outstrip her technique.
Soon, a crack appeared in Rika’s training longsword. She tried to retreat as far as possible to dodge, but...
Snap—!
The sword snapped in half, and the match was decided.
"Hah. I can't believe it."
"Huff... huff..."
Rika looked down at her broken sword in disbelief. I figured her spirit might break if I just celebrated my victory, so I decided to explain the situation.
"Rika, there’s a reason for this."
"A reason?"
"Yes. To be honest, I’ve actually lived three months longer than everyone else."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
I told her about the dream.
"Such an unbelievable item exists? No, wait... could I borrow that for just one day?"
"I’d like to lend it to you, but you might not be able to wake up from the dream because of the curse."
"A curse?"
"Yes. You see..."
After hearing about the ring's curse and the Three Villainesses, Rika waved her hand dismissively.
"No way. You endured that? You’re crazy. You’re not human."
"Hey, calling a person 'not human' is a bit much..."
"Unless you’ve been completely consumed by the madness of the Labyrinth... you endured all that pain? In a sense, that’s a talent in itself. But wow. I couldn't do it."
Rika cleanly gave up her desire for the ring.
She said she’d rather build muscle honestly than undergo training while feeling deathly pain for months.
"Oho? Is that Sion? It’s been a while."
"Mr. Gon. It’s been a long time."
While I was talking to Rika, Gon arrived for work.
He was a barbarian who was strictly punctual about leaving but arrived whenever he felt like it.
"Shall we have a light spar?"
"Yes. I was actually waiting for you, Mr. Gon."
"I see. What about Rika?"
"I’ll just watch. My hands are a bit sore."
"Understood. Well then, come at me."
Gon waited for me, holding a training greatsword.
Could the current me take down Gon?
Gripping my axe and shield, I charged toward the massive barbarian.