Training (3)
The door rattled open.
The moment I stepped inside, sharp glares stabbed at me from every direction.
I ignored them, walking calmly to my seat and sitting down before letting out a quiet breath to ease my stiff, aching body.
Strengthening the body with mana also dramatically boosts its recovery power.
Elcia had clearly calibrated the training so I could recover, but I still couldn’t help being shocked that the body which had felt on the verge of death was completely fine after a night’s sleep.
It meant she had gauged my exact physical condition perfectly after seeing it only once, despite never having trained a disciple before.
Haa…
That didn’t mean I wasn’t mentally exhausted. My body just happened to be in decent shape.
I slumped over the desk, breathing out slowly, and closed my eyes.
Still, one thing was certain. I was handling mana more efficiently than before.
That makes sense.
Mana aids the body’s recovery.
The more damaged the body is, the harder recovery works, which naturally accelerates the circulation of mana.
Faster mana circulation increases consumption, and to heal the body with insufficient mana, the body instinctively learns to use it more efficiently.
It’s complicated, but the end result is that brutally overworking the body produces an astonishing increase in mana efficiency.
Just coming up with this method was impressive in itself.
Though it feels more vicious than impressive.
Elcia truly was an extraordinary person. Her personality might be hard to predict, but that wasn’t a reason to look down on her.
“……What’s so special about that guy anyway.”
I ignored the male student nearby who clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Results would prove everything soon enough.
Why waste energy on jealousy or envy?
I just needed to focus on doing my own work well.
That’s what I told myself, but the truth was that those who envied me had no real way to touch me.
Harassing me openly would draw Elcia’s attention, and even the political games they excelled at wouldn’t work on me.
Why?
Because I have no family.
No family to protect. In other words, no family to target.
Political exile? That only works if there’s something to safeguard, and a playable character has no family to shield.
At most, they could only manage subtle ostracism.
Honestly, I was most worried about that part.
Yet for some reason, there had been no noticeable moves at all.
Normally, Class A should have united against me as one, but they weren’t banding together the way they should.
It felt like they were all dissatisfied with each other.
Well, it doesn’t matter.
If anything, it was an advantage.
I could focus solely on training without distractions. As I said, the period before the first major event was the easiest time for a player to grow.
If some annoying group started bothering me now, even I might reach my mental limit.
I left the classroom lightly and headed for the training grounds with a spring in my step.
My body was still screaming for rest and I wanted nothing more than to collapse, but…
This is the only way to grow.
Elcia’s training was brutal.
Skipping regular training to focus only on hers made no sense. If I did both?
Efficiency triples… no, quadruples…!!
Missing an event that offered this kind of explosive leveling would be unforgivable for a gamer.
I gave a small nod and kept walking.
Damn right.
Proud of my own mental fortitude, I headed toward the training grounds with light steps when I sensed someone suddenly popping out from around the corner and stopped.
“Hya…!! I’m so sorry!!”
Shining white hair fluttered as she moved her short legs in quick, hurried steps.
Even in her rush, she didn’t forget to apologize. I blinked slowly as I watched her.
Isn’t that the Saintess?
The heroine from the original story, one of the main leads.
……Did I just reflexively dodge one of those ridiculously common cliché events?
For some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the probability was high.
……No way.
The original story didn’t have an event like that. It couldn’t be.
I pushed down the rising anxiety and comforted myself, then continued walking while rationalizing the situation.
Logically, that kind of event is way too old-school, right?
There’s no way they would use such a worn-out cliché.
That would be… far too stale.
……I still haven’t found him.
Miya began walking with a downcast expression.
She had an unremarkable appearance, and she knew all too well that finding someone based on looks alone was no easy task.
Yet it was also an undeniable fact that failing to find him would make the vision of the future pointless.
Besides, among fewer than five hundred first-years, not finding him was simply ridiculous.
The Church’s intelligence network was said to rival that of the Empire itself.
After running around all day again on yet another piece of faulty information, Miya let out a deep sigh.
She had run so hard she forgot her dignity as the Saintess, only to discover it wasn’t the person she remembered.
When will I be able to meet him?
Why had the Goddess shown her the future?
Was it simply to warn her of the coming disaster?
It can’t be that simple.
She couldn’t afford to think that way.
Recalling once more the image of light standing alone against the darkness, Miya clasped her hands together at her chest with a reverent heart.
I must support him.
This was the Goddess’s will for her to serve the one who had fought the darkness in solitude. With that thought, Miya clenched her fist with a determined expression.
I can do this…!
She had to find him. No, she would find him.
Only then could they overcome the catastrophe that would strike this world and prevent countless innocent sacrifices.
He was probably still struggling alone against the darkness even now.
I have to help him as much as I can.
If necessary, she would borrow the Church’s power to aid him.
Her eyes sparkled with that resolve.
Of course, that means I have to find him first.
She quickly returned to reality and grew dejected again, but her eyes still burned with determination.
You can do it, Miya!
“Haa… haa…”
I collapsed onto the ground, breathing raggedly.
The scenery and situation were exactly like yesterday, except I had run about two more laps this time.
“Hmm… Your growth is less than I expected.”
It’s only been one day! What growth?!
I wanted to shout it out loud, but I didn’t have the courage, so I simply swallowed my frustration in silence.
Besides, I was too out of breath to speak properly. All I could do was gasp harshly, trying to steady my heaving chest.
Elcia hadn’t been criticizing me. It sounded like simple muttering to herself. The problem was that even her muttering hurt.
Don’t use yourself as the benchmark, damn it.
At my age, she had already possessed the strength to easily defeat Academy graduates, so comparing herself to an ordinary student was absurd.
Of course, geniuses never understood ordinary people.
“At this rate, it might take longer than I thought…”
But who was I?
I was the possessed regressor who had stopped the Demon God’s descent in the previous timeline despite horrific stats and even worse relationships. Now I had returned.
“That won’t do…”
I struggled to push myself up, bracing my hand against the ground.
Every movement made my entire body scream in protest, but I bit down hard on my lower lip and swallowed the pain.
Falling short of Elcia’s standards was only natural?
There was no bigger load of nonsense. The bar was too high to reach?
Then I would endure it with sheer grit and willpower. My mind wasn’t soft enough to start whining at this point.
Forcing my trembling, screaming legs to obey, I stood up and met Elcia’s eyes with a smile forged from pure determination.
She didn’t look surprised, nor did she wear an indifferent expression.
It was as if she were thinking, If you’re my disciple, you ought to show at least this much spirit.
Her lips curved upward to match mine.
“I will definitely catch up to you.”
Running away would never let me clear this game.
Even if I moved to the next round, there was no guarantee the situation would improve.
No, to be honest, a situation this favorable—one where the entire world seemed to revolve around me—would never come again.
Therefore, I had to aim for a clear in this timeline.
“……Good. No changes, then.”
Watching Elcia smile, I forced my own lips to curve upward.
Even if it killed me, I would give it my all.