Teaching the Worn-Out Slave

The ragged sound of desperate breathing filled the air, yet her grip on the two-handed greatsword never loosened. Her body screamed for mercy, but Kate swung her blade with unshakable mental fortitude. This wasn’t reckless flailing. Every ounce of her concentration and willpower was poured into each strike. Her fervor, which had begun at dawn, continued unbroken through lunch and into the evening. She didn’t even drop the sword when I stopped forcing her body to move. At this point, she showed no intention of coming back inside—she simply trained out there, swinging relentlessly.

I gazed down at Kate from the window, carefully examining her status.

Her current value had naturally dropped after I modified her abilities. But the part called talent had risen.

She wants to get away from me? Of course. If she gave up that easily, she wouldn’t be Kate. Everyone’s always acknowledged her tenacity and stubbornness since we were kids.

As a human being, the desire for freedom was understandable. But Kate was officially my slave, recognized by the Empire. More than that, she was already bound by my skills. No matter how hard she struggled, she could never escape my grasp. This was because, while I possessed non-combat abilities, I held overwhelming superiority in the realm of skills and domination. Most people who weren’t renowned powerhouses ended up as my slaves once caught by my abilities. I was that confident.

Still, seeing Kate grow her talent in just a single day filled me with a sense of tension. A slave’s growth? That was a good thing. The stronger my slaves became, the more powerful the slave-exclusive skills I could use. I had made my decision. The next slave I would tame would be Kate. I would put off Arona and Becky, who were still whining and complaining, for later.

“Master. Are you perhaps more fond of that bitch Kate than me?”

At that moment, Liris suddenly appeared from behind and clung tightly to my right arm with her entire body.

“My breasts are bigger than hers, and I listen to Master so well. Please look at me. Look only at me. Please?”

By touching Liris’s body yesterday, I had somewhat relieved her pent-up sexual frustration. But her obsession was only intensifying. I had a feeling that if this continued, something serious might happen. No matter how good a woman she was, Liris was my slave. She had a history of abandoning me. She was reflecting on it now, and there was the excuse that it hadn’t been her will from the beginning, but becoming too obsessed with me could become a problem.

At this point, it should be fine to make a slight adjustment to her personality, right?

Before adjusting her personality, I checked Liris’s status window as she rubbed her body against my right arm.

Her value has skyrocketed?

Not only her current abilities, but even her talent had grown dramatically. Liris, who now possessed both healing and combat capabilities. At this level, she could skip the academy entrance exam and go straight to the graduation test. She was incredibly tempting. It was fortunate that she was obsessed with me. Yet at the same time, Liris was starting to scare me a little.

What if one day she grew far beyond my expectations and my abilities no longer worked on her? A woman with powerful abilities and outstanding achievements could be granted a noble title. A noblewoman was guaranteed the right to own one male slave. What if Liris performed some incredible feat, caught someone’s eye, and became a noble?

This wouldn’t do. I would let Kate continue growing on her own and focus on training Liris first.

A day had passed.

Tonight, too, it seemed Divine and Liris were doing something again. They weren’t openly mating, but they were embracing each other under the same blanket, rubbing their bodies together and touching one another. Kate, lying on the floor atop a thin sheet, tried to ignore it, but the strange heat rising in her body made it impossible to sleep.

Having decided to get some proper rest tonight, Kate quietly slipped out of the room with her two-handed greatsword and went outside. She would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠swing her sword a bit more, and once she calmed down, she would sleep. With that thought, she began swinging her blade.

She was stronger than ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠yesterday. As if to prove it, her body ached less and felt less exhausted. Each downward strike of her greatsword carried weight and a sharp, lethal edge.

Kate swung her sword beneath the clear moonlight, so focused she lost all sense of time. Eventually, she reached a state of complete concentration. Pouring her desire to escape her life as a slave into her arms, she gripped the hilt with renewed strength.

She was so absorbed that she didn’t even notice someone approaching.

“Kate.”

Divine, who had brought a stamina recovery potion, called out to her from behind, but Kate showed no reaction. She simply continued swinging her sword like a machine.

Divine stepped in front of her, dodging the path of her blade. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Only then did Kate finally notice his presence. A fleeting impulse to strike him down surged through her, but she barely managed to suppress it and lowered her greatsword.

“You’re pushing your body to the limit, enduring pain just to become stronger. Yes, of course. You want to escape your life as a slave.”

Divine deliberately prodded at her true feelings as he held out the potion.

“But just swinging your sword like that won’t get you anywhere. Power Strike. You have a habit of using your skills as if you’re trying to kill your enemy. It might work for now, but it’s a bad habit. Drink it.”

She was exhausted. She hated Divine. The mixture of those two emotions flickered across Kate’s face as she snatched the potion without hesitation and drank it down. The sensation of her completely depleted stamina suddenly surging back hit her. This was an extremely expensive potion—she could tell just from the feeling.

Giving a slave a potion like this? Unless it was a cherished slave, potions were never shared. Startled by the refreshing, light sensation, Kate looked at Divine.

“What? Surprised I gave you a high-grade potion? You’re my slave. If I don’t take good care of you, how can I use you properly?”

Divine deliberately provoked her as he extended his hand.

“Give me the sword.”

The casual way he asked for her weapon ignited a flame of vengeance in Kate’s chest, but her body obeyed regardless. Divine took the two-handed greatsword, stepped back, and assumed a stance.

Kate’s eyes widened in shock. Divine was a non-combat specialist. His abilities were specialized in analyzing situations and giving commands. Yet here he was, holding a sword in a flawless stance. Even to Kate, a swordsman, there were no visible weaknesses.

“Watch closely. This is the Power Strike you use.”

A black current flowed from Divine’s body. The dark aura, fitting his messy black hair, wrapped around the steel greatsword. At the same time, his body moved. He raised the sword with both hands and executed a light, swift Power Strike from above to below.

“You pour every ounce of your strength into the skill. It’s an effective finishing move if you’re killing the opponent or if they’re weaker than you. But what if the opponent is stronger, or faster? Are you just going to overpower them with brute force? If you put too much power into it, even if you see their next move, it becomes difficult to respond.”

His stance was perfect, and he had replicated her exact sword strike. He had even manifested the skill. Up to this point, Kate had to acknowledge it. But she wanted to ask what a non-combat class who had never properly fought in a real battle could possibly know about swords and swordsmanship.

“If you’re not certain, don’t pour all your strength into the first attack. Forget nonsense like ‘a lion uses its full power even to catch a rabbit.’ Watch carefully.”

Divine used Power Strike again. He raised the sword high and brought it down in a slashing arc—then suddenly, the trajectory changed. The path halted mid-swing and curved to the left. As Divine moved his body, freely altering the sword’s path in every direction, Kate watched with wide eyes, studying his movements.

He wielded the heavy two-handed greatsword with complete freedom and without hesitation. The scene unfolded like a vivid one-on-one sword duel. A greatsword was a weapon that sacrificed speed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and agility to focus entirely on destructive power. Yet Divine’s movements now incorporated both offense and defense. It looked exactly like someone dodging an opponent’s blade and counterattacking.

Gulp.

This was a side of Divine she had never seen—new and deadly serious. Captivated by the sight, Kate swallowed dryly without realizing it.