The Long and Thorny Road Back from Training

On the way back home from that so-called "healthy training," the path felt both endlessly long and brutally rough. Every step made my ass burn through the skirt.

The moment I opened the front door and stepped inside, I flung my bag aside and stood in front of the full-length mirror.

"Haa... haa...".

The mirror reflected a total wreck of a beauty. Sweat-soaked silver hair clung to my nape, and my face was flushed red from shame and heat.

With trembling hands, I pulled down my skirt, leaving only my underwear, and turned around.

Clear handprint marks stark against my pale skin. Park Dusik. That muscle-bound pig had left them.

It felt like a man's pride was being shredded to pieces.

"Uwaaaaaah!"

I screamed into the bedsheets.

Rage and humiliation. And an inexplicable heat all tangled up, messing with my head.

"This can't go on."

I'd taken living in this adult game world way too lightly. In the game, one click was enough. But those shameless settings had now become reality, crashing down on me.

'How was I supposed to know the Body Transcendence trait had a function like that!'

That instinctive arm-twist on Park Dusik.

I hadn't realized not knowing my body well could spiral into such a huge problem.

No matter how much of a game vet I was, I was powerless against this kind of bullshit.

Stuff like this would happen all the time from now on.

To stop playing the fool and getting screwed over, I needed power in the end.

"I need to get stronger. Overwhelmingly so."

I didn't need to take down the student council president right away. Just enough growth to get on track, strong enough not to need the academy's help.

Once I hit that point, I could just drop out of this insane school.

'Things that changed when the game became reality... I'll use those.'

Something came to mind.

I quickly straightened my clothes and headed out again.

That's when my smartphone buzzed shortly in my pocket.

Vrrr—.

"...".

The old me might've hummed a tune and bolted out for dinner with Hayeon.

But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not now.

The throbbing pain with every step, and this body's involuntary twitching—regardless of my will—were ruthlessly scraping at something inside me.

With shaky fingers, I typed a reply.

I felt bad, but I shoved the phone back in my pocket and headed straight for the training ground.

###

The training ground was quiet late at night.

Academy students had zero interest in actual training. They were all lost in hypnosis, rubbing up against each other under the excuse of "resonance."

Thanks to that, this whole vast space was mine alone.

I stood in the middle of the empty training ground and grabbed a wooden sword from the wall rack.

In the original story, besides hunting monsters, you could gain stats and skills through training.

The game limited it to once ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a day, but this was reality. Results came with effort.

'I'll get the Basic Swordsmanship(F) skill I missed in class today.'

In my past life, I was a gym rat benching 500 for three. I prided myself on knowing muscle movement and power transfer better than anyone.

But this slender body moved nothing like my old common sense.

Whoosh, swish...

The wooden sword cut through air weakly.

Forget the fragile arms that'd snap at a tap—these heavy tits wrecked my movements mercilessly.

A slightly vigorous swing, and my center of gravity crumbled, body wobbling.

'Pathetic. Now I get why no skill popped in class.'

The problem was my mindset.

Trying to move like my old muscled body created a mismatch with this one.

The biggest gap? Having skills or not.

'The system doesn't lie. With Insight showing the status window, that Body Transcendence listed ain't fake. I just haven't caught up to this body's insane talent yet.'

Plus, I'd glimpsed it in class—that fluid, elegant motion was pure combat genius.

I wiped my past life's memories and focused on this delicate flesh now.

Snap my slim wrist, twist my waist flexibly.

Swish!

A much sharper sound rang out.

Still not satisfying.

'Blade path's wobbling. Loose wrist?'

I moved to the mirror and swung again.

Once, ten times, a hundred.

Every swing on the right track—just a hundred swings got me the skill.

I shook my head to dismiss the annoying alert.

Skills didn't matter.

The thrill of this body finally moving at my will beat any skill correction by a million times.

'Not lack of power—imbalance between upper and lower body. That's why the blade path's unstable.'

This body looked muscleless, but the lower body's power ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was solid. Martial arts class laps proved it.

'Prep with twenty laps around the training ground first!'

The track was 400m. Twenty laps made 8km. I ran it fast without tiring.

Impossible for an untrained woman's stamina. But this world had stuff beyond science.

'Not stamina or muscle—it's mana.'

I looked down at my straight legs.

The short skirt bared my thighs fully, but no time for shame now.

I could see it. Blue mana grains flowing over my skin.

And my upper body blocked by the tight uniform shirt, mana unable to flow.

'Damn this adult game bullshit...'

Cursing inwardly, I undid the buttons one by one.

Each release brought a weird sense of liberation. Fullness swelled in my chest.

Entranced, I threw the shirt front wide open.

Cool night air kissed my skin. Dizzying stimulation tempered my overheated training body.

'This... is what taking in mana feels like?'

Nothing like Park Dusik's sticky mana.

His was a filthy intruder binding nerves, churning insides. This mana washing my body was cool spring water cleansing every inch.

Clothes gone, mana circulation surged.

Felt like ambient mana seeped through every pore.

A euphoric confidence that I could control any move perfectly welled up.

I gripped the wooden sword again.

Shwick—! Shwaaak!

Sharp whooshes filled the training ground.

Breasts jiggled with gravity on each move, but miraculously no longer hindered. The recoil even converted to sword power.

Thighs under the short skirt crossed smoothly, kicking the floor.

Sweat beaded on my skin, blue mana igniting along it.

I ramped up speed.

Not just swinging the wooden sword—I followed its lead.

Trance-state steps. Fluid motions closer to dance than swordplay.

How much time passed?

Legs gave out, I collapsed—only then did sanity return.

Thud!

"Haa, hngh, haha... hahaha—!!"

Breath to my throat, but laughter wouldn't stop.

Alerts poured like a storm before my eyes.

"Hngh! Haha, hek, hngh...!"

I lay there, lost in ecstasy, giggling for a while.

'I did it...'

Sweat-slick bare skin on cold floor felt refreshing.

Steam rose from my whole body. That's how immersed I'd been swinging.

Result: two A-rank skills.

I opened the status window to read their descriptions.

Not in the original game. But considering S-rank was the top there, this was huge.

'No wonder they go around half-naked. Totally efficient gear, huh?'

I was so pumped I thought crazy shit like that.

To grow using the game system, start by embracing this game's settings.

At this rate, taking down that student council prick would be quick.

"Hngh, hee...".

Lost in dumb giggles, savoring the afterglow.

Screech—.

A small friction sound shattered the silence.

"...Huh?"

I turned. Training ground entrance. A figure stood blankly.

Neatly buttoned uniform.

Alchemy tools bag in hand.

And crucially, a face I knew.

"...Eunha?"

Baek Hayeon.

She stared at me in shock.

'Wait, why's her face like that.'

Then I realized my state.

Shirt flung far away sometime ago, upper body just a cute pink bra.

Fierce workout rolled my short skirt up, not even covering panties.

Worse, whole body slick with sweat and mana, glossy lewdly.

And there I was, idiotically grinning, panting raggedly.

Hayeon's gaze swept my half-naked form.

"Y-you... what the hell are you doing here right now...".

Her voice quivered.

Her face turned beet red instantly.

I grasped the situation late and tried to scream, but no voice came.

"No, hngh... Hayeon, wait, hngh... it's training, see, hngh...".

"S-sorry! Training...? Yeah, keep at it! I won't bother you!"

Bang—!

Hayeon slammed the door shut, fleeing faster than she'd come.

"Wait, no... Hey! Listen to me!"

I wailed at the hastily shut door.

But the water was spilled.

How must I have looked in the eyes of Baek Hayeon, the one semi-normal person here.

...Yeah. Better not think about it.