Chapter 130 Intense Training and the Ultimate Reward System Dungeon Fantasy
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Well then, let’s do this. Are you sure you’re ready, Takeru?” Fujisaki asked, her voice laced with amusement.
”Yeah. Just get it over with fast,” I grunted back.
I was sitting on the ground, legs spread wide in a full straddle split. Fujisaki positioned herself behind me, ready to push me down in a forward bend—a ‘groin split’ exercise.
”Eeei!” she chirped.
”Gyaah!”
Her Level 20 Evold strength smashed me down to the sand without mercy. I heard a sickening thwack! from my hip joints, a nasty noise accompanied by a simultaneous jolt of sharp and dull pain. This was the infamous split exercise, which I’d heard new sumo wrestlers had to endure. They say it won’t land you in the hospital, but man, did it hurt like hell.
”——–!!” I was stuck to the ground like a dried-out squid, my body plastered flat, and I had to frantically gesture to Fujisaki because I couldn’t even force a sound out.
She immediately offered the mug she’d prepared. Still glued to the dirt, I desperately sucked down the Universal Potion. The pulling sensation in my tendons slowly eased, the pain receding like a tide, and I finally let out a ragged breath. After holding that position for a moment, I quietly raised my torso.
”Hmm…”
My legs were now perfectly splayed a full 180 degrees. I flopped my upper body down again, then twisted left and right, easily grabbing my toes. Yeah, that looked fine. I stood up to do some knee bends and move around. My legs lifted with ease, and I swear the power of my roundhouse kick felt stronger.
”Honestly, you’re so reckless,” Fujisaki sighed, watching me with a look of utter amazement. But Sogahara-senpai had stressed that this kind of flexibility was crucial. “Well, I did similar stuff when I was a kid, you know.”
”Wait! You were a sumo wrestler!?” I demanded.
”No, I wasn’t! I did rhythmic gymnastics!” she sharply corrected, a hint of annoyance in her tone. Ah, right. Rhythmic gymnasts are insanely flexible.
”I actually went to nationals and was chosen for the national training team right up until I entered middle school.”
”So, you hit a wall there, huh?”
”Yeah. My body—and my chest—got too big. You have to be petite to compete on the world stage. Once I realized I couldn’t stand on that dream stage anymore, I just suddenly lost interest.”
”Then teach me how to do a back handspring or a backflip! And something else cool!” I insisted.
Fujisaki fixed me with a weary, knowing look, then let out a deep, theatrical sigh.
”…Alright, alright. As you wish, Master,” she purred. She was still annoyed, wasn’t she?
* * *
The rest of the morning was a blur of intense work: practicing movement with the Blast skill, doing kata drills, and then a grueling hour-long run across the desert. After a tiny break, I started the kata again with my already exhausted body. My mana recovered, so I went back to Blast practice. Another run, but only twenty minutes this time, because an hour would kill me. Back to kata drills—over and over, until we finally hit noon.
”Takeru, don’t you want to drink a Universal Potion?” Fujisaki asked, concerned.
”Nah. If I drink it, I can keep going, but I won’t train my actual recovery power.” I explained. If I ran out of stamina in a real long-term battle, the situation would spiral downhill fast. To build practical, real-world stamina, I had to train in a balanced way. I was practically collapsing from exhaustion, the kind where you can just barely move, but using a Potion now would completely waste the training.
”Then take it off. I’ll wipe the sweat off you. The sun out here will dry your clothes in no time,” she commanded.
”O-Okay…” I stuttered.
Fujisaki approached, wringing out a towel that had been soaked in the spring water. I tossed my white jacket and shirt—the sleeves had been cut to improve airflow—into the basin. The cool towel pressed against my face, and she carefully began wiping the sweat away, starting from my head and moving down.
”Come on, the pants and underwear too. Off,” she urged.
”Eh!? No way! I can handle that myself!”
I tried to bolt, but she swiftly embraced me from behind. Then, her free hand reached down and firmly grasped my crotch.
”Wha—?! Hey, stop it!”
I desperately twisted my body, but there was no escaping her grip.
”It’s a bit late to be shy, isn’t it? But… ufufu, you really are Level 1, aren’t you? Once I catch you, you can’t get away,” Fujisaki teased, whispering right into my ear while she deliberately massaged my sore shoulders after the long fight.
I had already explained my Gift to the others, just as they had to me.
”Kuh… Just so you know, in a real fight, I’d blast you to pieces!” I warned.
”Oh, how scary,” she drawled, completely unfazed.
She squatted down, helping me remove my muddy boots and socks so she could properly wash my feet in the hot spring.
Then, she used the cool towel to meticulously wipe the sweat and dirt from my face and neck. It felt utterly humiliating to be treated like a child.
After cleaning both my legs down to my boots, Fujisaki looked up with a mischievous smile and kept scrubbing my arms vigorously.
”Hey! Stop… now…!”
I tried to back away, but the half-removed boots and wet socks at my ankles kept me tethered, allowing only a slight shuffle.
Fujisaki gripped my shoulders firmly and splashed warm water over my head playfully.
”Uugh…!”
In an instant, I was soaked again, and the strength to push her away completely vanished.
As my mind spun from the sudden dousing, she suddenly stopped and laughed.
Fujisaki stood up, placed her hands on the edge of the spring, and leaned back relaxedly.
As if to provoke my stunned state, she shook her wet hair, sending droplets flying toward me.
”Here you go. Your reward for working so hard, Takeru,” she offered with a wicked grin.
She reached back, wrung out her long hair, and let the water cascade down.
I felt a surge of resistance at her provocative smirk, but after the long battle I was too exhausted to keep refusing help.
”Who’s the reward for, anyway?” I growled.
I grabbed her wrists to stop another splash attack, and Fujisaki wriggled happily.
”It can be a reward for me, too.”
The reason didn’t matter anymore. I let her continue washing my back whether I liked it or not.
”Aahn♪ Not the ears!” Fujisaki cried, arching away laughing when I retaliated by pouring water over her head.
At the same time, she kept scrubbing with surprising strength.
”Ugh… Kuh!”
Clutching her wrists, I tried to push her away, but she just laughed louder.
With every splash! that echoed, water flew everywhere.
”Ahn! Ahn! This is fun! It’s the best, as always!” she panted. She still sounded like she had reserves of energy, while I was completely spent.
I was annoyed by her (yoyū¹), so I flicked water straight into her face. The way she blinked in shock actually made me smirk a little.
Fujisaki glanced back, a sly smirk on her face, and then splashed an even bigger wave right back at me.
The unexpected counterattack nearly knocked me over, and I halted my retreat right at the edge.
But Fujisaki had anticipated it; she lunged forward with another handful of water, drenching me again with a loud splash!
She grabbed my wrists and began a full-on water fight with relentless splashing sounds.
”Wa-Wait!”
”Go on! Admit I win! Hurry up, hurry up!”
My hands were guided to block my face, and as the water hit me over and over, I couldn’t endure the ridiculous onslaught.
”Aaaahhh!” I cried out, finally raising the white flag.
Splash! Splash! Splash!!
”Ah-ha! That’s what I wanted to hear!”
Fujisaki immediately redoubled her splashing attack with childish glee.
”St-Stop… please…!”
The relentless barrage felt like it would never end.
”Aaaaaahhhhhnnn!”
A final massive wave hit me with a heavy splash! and I stumbled backward, completely defeated.
”Uaaah…!”
Completely drained and utterly soaked, I collapsed sitting on the rock, but as an Evold, she didn’t even budged.
Holding my wrists, Fujisaki kept playfully shaking me, giggling the whole time.
Struggling, I somehow managed to free myself and catch my breath leaning against the rock.
The compounding fatigue made it impossible to stand on my own for a while.
After a while, I finally managed to sit up properly, and Fujisaki released my hands and turned to face me with a triumphant grin.
”You—”
Before I could complain, she swiftly ruffled my wet hair and stuck out her tongue.
A wet sound echoed as she shook her head one last time, and Fujisaki offered me a knowing smirk.
”We’re all wet now, aren’t we? We’ll have to dry off properly again.”
”A-Ah…”
I felt completely played. Honestly, which one of us was the helpless one here?
* * *
For lunch, Fujisaki made me fried rice (chāhan), and it was incredible. Dishes like fried rice or curry really highlight the distinct flavor of home cooking, and hers was completely different from mine, which felt like a refreshing change.
I was relaxing on the sofa when Fujisaki came into the living area, removing her apron after doing the dishes.
”Thanks,” I mumbled.
”Fufu. I’ll try to cook as much as I can. My grandmother trained me well, after all,” she chuckled.
”Yeah, that helps a lot.”
I thought it was surprising she had such a domestic side, but the bikini armor kind of ruined the family-friendly vibe. Fujisaki hung the apron over the back of a chair and sat down next to me.
”This afternoon, we’re doing sparring practice.”
”Okay. I’ll wear my leather armor, but does that thing even have any defense? It doesn’t look like armor at all.”
”Oh, this? It’s a high-performance, rare item. It has a powerful defensive barrier attached. It’s the kind of thing the upper management would normally confiscate, but I found it when I was scouting alone and secretly kept it.”
Ah, so that’s what she meant by them taking ‘at least 80%’ of the spoils. They’ll even confiscate strong items, so sometimes you could lose 99% of your result.
”I get that it’s strong, but why not just wear armor over it?” I asked.
”If I put clothes on, the performance drops drastically. The thicker the clothing, the worse the performance, so if I wore a full suit of armor, only a few special effects would remain. It’s stronger than any flimsy armor, so this state is my strongest form.”
Stronger the more you take off!? Who came up with that specification?! It smells like some kind of Japanese pervert made the rules!
”When I was still on the other side, I used to wear normal clothes so they wouldn’t catch on, but then Sendou’s Gift found me out. He blackmailed me with that information and forced me to join his group.”
Sendou, huh? I wonder how he’s doing. He’s probably having a massive free-for-all with the spirits right now. He said a normal human wouldn’t last a week, so I guess I’d be dead by now. I pictured a smiling Sendou giving a thumbs-up on top of a pyramid.
Oops. I should offer Fujisaki some dessert.
* * *
—I’ve got you!
The staff I thrust out in a momentary opening, however, passed through only the afterimage of Fujisaki, sending a spray of sand where her feet had launched her. My eyes followed, but where she’d been, only a column of flying sand existed, closing the distance between us. Realizing my danger, I used Blast to instantly dodge forward, only to feel the tip of a wooden sword graze my back.
”Dammit!”
I landed, scattering sand wildly, and spun around—no sign of Fujisaki. The instant I reflexively searched for her, I realized my mistake. Sure enough, a wooden sword was pressed firmly against my neck.
”And that’s one point,” Fujisaki announced, standing right behind me, ending the match.
”Agh—shit! I knew it! This pattern again!” I roared. I could sometimes manage a single point when she attacked head-on, but since she switched to attacking my blind spot, I barely managed one point out of ten tries.
”Level 20 is really just a different dimension. I can’t have a proper match with her like this.”
”You stick around for so long and then complain. Getting even one point occasionally against a Level 1 is absolutely insane, especially when I’m nearly Master Level myself. Fleeing when we fought before was the right choice,” Fujisaki scoffed, resting the wooden sword on her shoulder.
”You were Level 16 when we fought before, weren’t you?”
”Gah! How do you know that!?” she demanded.
”Oh, you know. Tina appraised you and told me right away.”
”…I was careful to watch your movements, but you’re telling me that some invisible thing automatically Appraises people and tells you in a voice only you can hear? That’s incredibly annoying for the opponent.”
“That means I’m useful, you see!” Tina boasted, folding her arms across her tiny chest. Yeah, Tina definitely was useful.
“Should I offer battle advice? If I join in, you’ll have no blind spots!” Tina offered excitedly.
”No, not yet. But Fujisaki, there’s something I’ve been wondering about. You used a skill called ‘Absolute Escape‘ before, the one that causes a miracle.”
”Hey! Stop! Seriously, how do you know that!? I’ve never told anyone the real effect!” she shrieked.
”Tina knew about it,” I shrugged.
”That’s basically cheating!” she protested.
“Useful!” Tina insisted.
It was true. Tina casually gave me information players shouldn’t know. That advantage was huge.
”Anyway, I was blinded by the flash that time. If you’d attacked me then, I would have been in a really tough spot, so why didn’t you do it?” I asked.
Fujisaki snorted derisively. “Attack just because there’s an opening? Only a second-rate fighter does that. Once I decide to run, I run, no matter what!”
”O-Okay…”
That was a remarkably clean, cowardly philosophy. But I guess it made sense. If you use a skill to ensure a definite escape, that’s the correct answer in the long run. If you switch to offense, there’s a small chance of a counterattack, and your survival rate won’t be 100%. Her judgment prioritized living over winning.
Characters in manga and anime who are the bad guys and never die must be really annoying to deal with in real life.
”Let’s take a break now. Your movements are getting sloppy, Takeru.”
”Yeah… alright.”
We’d already taken several breaks, but moving around on the sand was strenuous, and fatigue was building up.
Near the recovery spring, we had set up a round table with a sun umbrella, like you’d see at an outdoor cafe. I walked over and sat down, pouring bottled tea into two glasses. We were going through so much tea; I should probably start boiling it in a kettle.
”Look at the time. We should probably stop the combat training here.”
I checked my watch; it was nearly five in the evening. Fighting on the sand was definitely great for strengthening my legs and core. My win rate against Fujisaki was firmly under 10%. I needed to figure out how to raise that.
”Maybe we can train against some monsters tomorrow. Can you take me to a hunting ground?”
”All you can see from here is desert, but if you head a little southeast, there’s a space connected by a rock formation. I was living there for a while and just happened to find this spot.”
”Lucky find, then.”
”I tried to see if ‘Absolute Escape‘ could get me off this floor, but every time, I was just teleported to that rock formation. I couldn’t fly directly here, but I guess it sent me to the place with the highest chance of survival.”
That was a seriously useful skill. Surviving was the most important thing, above all else.
”Also, when we go back to the Academy, I want you to join the fight.” I couldn’t afford not to use a fighting force this strong.
”I was already planning to. We’re fighting that hostile faction you mentioned, right? I’ll snatch their leader’s head for you in no time.”
”No, it’s a full-scale battle, and we’ll be cooperating with that hostile faction, Demiurge.”
”Wait, a Raid? Do monsters that powerful even appear on Beginner-level floors?” she asked, genuinely surprised.
”The enemy is a King Ogre.”
Fujisaki stared at me with a bewildered “Huh?” on her face.
”That… that can’t be right. A King Ogre is not a monster that appears on such a low floor. It must be a mutated Ogre or something.”
”No, that’s Tina’s reading, so it’s probably accurate.”
”No way, you’re kidding me! A King Ogre is a monster that Master-Level parties take on in Raids! If that’s true, even I wouldn’t be able to handle it!” she freaked out.
”Even though it’s a King Ogre, it’s a monster mutated from the Demiurge boss, so its actual level should still be Beginner. I fought it once and somehow lived.”
”A Monster Class Title holder, huh… then the level would be Beginner, yes… But I’ve never heard of a ‘King Ogre’ Class Title.”
”So, there are other monsters with Class Titles?”
”Yeah. They pop up occasionally as levels increase. The famous ones include several with ‘Dragon’-type Class Titles. I hear that the more powerful the Title, the more easily the monster is consumed by its own instinct, but perhaps getting a Master-Class Royal Title as a Beginner caused him to lose his mind. Alright. I’ll help you in any way I can.”
”Yeah, I’m counting on you.”
We finished the training with more kata drills until it got dark.
—
Summary:
The grind for strength is real! Takeru faces painful stretching—a key step to becoming a more flexible Dungeon explorer—only to find immediate comfort and release with Fujisaki. Their powerful, sexy bond contrasts sharply with the intensity of his Beginner-level training, especially as they prepare for a shocking Raid against a monstrous King Ogre. Survival hinges on Takeru’s new moves and Fujisaki’s Level 20 power.
—
Character Insight:
Fujisaki’s past as a national-level rhythmic gymnast explains her dedication to Takeru’s training and her own impressive body control, which she uses in both combat and intimacy. Her rare, high-performance Bikini Armor and powerful Absolute Escape skill show she’s always prioritized her own survival—a core trait that makes her a valuable, if dangerously unpredictable, ally.
—
Behind the Scene:
This chapter establishes the bizarre rules of the world: strong items are confiscated by superiors (hence Fujisaki hiding her armor), and the most powerful armor is actually a revealing bikini set. It also sets the stage for a massive, unprecedented Master-Class enemy appearing on a Beginner floor, raising the stakes for the next battle.
—
T/L:
1 yoyū: This term means ‘leeway’ or ‘spare time’ but in this context means ‘composure’ or ‘reserve of strength.’ It shows Fujisaki is not even slightly tired. ↩
Notes:
• Fujisaki – The female assassin from another school who appeared in Chapter 56. She, along with her late friend, battled with the MC in the abandoned floor of the dungeon. Black haired, use bikini armor, and big.
• Sogahara – Student Council Vice President
• Sogahara-senpai – Student Council Vice President
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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