Chapter 21 Morning Training
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I stumbled back to the boys’ dormitory feeling exhausted. I changed into slippers at my shoe locker and was about to pass by the reception desk when Gil-san stopped me.
”Hey, wait up! Did you leave and come back right away all covered in blood and reeking of s*men? Did you kill and r*pe a girl or something?”
It’s definitely suspicious, right? Even I don’t know why this happened.
”No, it’s the opposite. I was attacked, or rather, played with… I think it was a pretty dangerous situation.”
”Oh… now that I think about it, you were Level 1, huh?”
”So what?”
”You should know that when you level up, whether you’re a man or a woman, your strength and s*xual desire become abnormally strong. The only difference between men and women is whether they have it or not. If you’re Level 1, you’re the perfect prey. If you don’t level up soon, you’ll be thrown into a pack of hungry wolves like a helpless sheep. Especially Level 1 men, it’s tragic when they get g*ng-r**ed. They can’t stay er*ct for long, so they’re forcefully drained with dungeon-made aphrodisiacs. It’s not enough to just eja**ate, no matter how much doping a man take, it won’t keep coming indefinitely. It gathers materials from their blood, flesh, bones, and so on, so their body quickly falls apart. Actually, most men who are leveling up don’t realize it, but that part doesn’t change, so after a few months, women become stronger on average.”
Seriously…. So, leveling up increases your s*xual desire, huh? Does that mean I, at level 1, am as weak as a little girl?
”I’ve been defeating monsters, but I’m still stuck at level 1. Can I keep going like this?”
”Huh? You’re not leveling up? What does that even mean?”
”Well… there’s a reason for it.”
”Oh, so there’s a reason… Well, I guess there’s nothing you can do.”
Oh, so that’s how it is. This person might be easier to deal with than I thought.
”Well, if you want to play it safe, it’s probably best to have a guy who’s already leveled up protect you. Do you have any friends?”
”I don’t have any.”
”Maybe you could try pleading to join some party or something…”
”I won’t do that.”
”…Well, good luck then.”
Oh, he threws it.
”Instead of saying that, don’t you have any advice or something?”
Please, Giemon, I’m counting on you!
”No matter what you say… Anyway, make sure you don’t attract any strange girls.”
She might already have her eye on me. But Shitone-senpai, I hope that was early enough to make her lose interest in me.
”The school management committee doesn’t get involved in those kinds of troubles at all. However, as the dormitory head, it’s my duty to maintain the safety of this dormitory. In other words, this is a safe zone for you. If anything happens, come here first to escape.”
Wow! How reliable…!
It was definitely the right choice to enter the boys’ dormitory. Having a safe zone brings peace of mind and stability.
”Understood. I’m counting on you, Gil-san!”
”Enough talk, go take a shower right away. The towels and such are already provided, so use them as you like. Put your laundry in the basket and attach a tag with your room number, the staff will take care of it.”
”Got it”
I still haven’t bought a towel, so I’m grateful. Like, am I going out without pants? It’s even dripping onto my pants, this…
I went straight to the bathroom and washed my head thoroughly. My hair was even covered in blood, you know.
Since I couldn’t calm down my excitement from Shitone-senpai’s intense kiss, I had to relieve myself twice. But instinctively, I felt it was weird to do it with Shitone-senpai in mind, so I remembered Higurashi’s service in the morning while doing it. It’s better not to recall Shitone-senpai’s thing too much. Otherwise, it becomes a pleasure that’s engraved in my soul. If I’m not careful, I could really become a wreck.
There was blood on my shirt too, so I’ll clean it up with the water from the spring of recovery. It’s like a multipurpose medicine, but I’m using it like bleach. Well, it’s fine. I’ll lightly wash the trunks I was wearing and put them in the laundry basket after pouring the water from the spring of recovery. I don’t feel like wearing pants, so I’ll put them in the laundry basket too. The shirt got wet too, so into the laundry basket it goes. I don’t have anything to wear.
Even I wouldn’t think of going out with just a waist towel after hearing the previous story.
First things first, I dry my hair using the hairdryer in the changing room. Since I have less hair now, it doesn’t take long at all. Washing it was easy too.
I check my hairstyle in the big mirror. I haven’t seen myself since Higurashi cut my hair about five days ago. There were no mirrors in the dungeon, so I hadn’t had a chance to look at myself.
”Wow, she did a great job!”
I can’t help but admire it. I was a bit worried about getting a deliberate crime-inspired haircut, but I can’t find any faults with Higurashi’s cut. She did a great job with just a knife. Higurashi chatted away while carefully pinching and twisting my hair, then trimming only the tips.
The cut itself is fine, but I feel a bit uncomfortable about exposing my face, which hasn’t been properly seen since elementary school. I have a complex about looking a bit feminine. I used to get teased a lot as a kid, and I especially hate that I have some resemblance to my crappy dad. I wish I had a more masculine face, like Schwarzenegger. But I guess that’s just something I can’t change.
Anyway, I’ll try something because I can’t move like this.
I wrapped a bath towel around my waist and went out through the back of the dormitory from the back door. Then, I approached the garbage mountain.
The unspoken rule is that I can only move with slippers until the concrete area, but it’s not a problem because the garbage mountain is huge.
When I launched the storage app on my smartphone, it locked onto the garbage mountain in front of me.
At first glance, it’s just a garbage mountain, but when I opened the detailed view, a list of tens of thousands of items appeared. I could go into even more detail, but I didn’t have time for that.
I entered the word ‘Tsuchimiya’ in the search field and tried searching. Then, items like ‘Tsuchimiya’s textbook’ and ‘Tsuchimiya’s nameplate’ appeared in the item list.
Alright, it worked!
Everything in the list is clearly my belongings, but when I expanded the range, even small things like ‘Tsuchimiya’s toothbrush’ and ‘Tsuchimiya’s cup noodles’ appeared, so I put them all away in the storage. The mountain shook a little and made a rattling sound.
I have a proper suitcase with underwear, spare uniforms, and everyday clothes inside.
Now I’m starting to worry about the pile of garbage. I guess I just have to dispose of it and collect any usable items. For now, I’ll grab some unopened tissues, snacks, and instant noodles. There’s also an intact monitor and a game console. Surprisingly… this could be a treasure trove.
After collecting various usable items, I went back to my room and put on underwear and a tracksuit. Then, I started arranging the layout of the room.
An hour later, the space somehow turned into a lovely place. There was a plush sofa and a glass coffee table that seemed to belong in the special room of a wealthy donor. The carpet looked expensive, possibly from Turkey. I also replaced the bunk beds with a semi-double bed from a high-end brand in Finland. Since it was previously used by someone else, I sprayed some spring water from a mist bottle and fanned it. It quickly turned back into water, so it was a race against time.
When I finished placing everything, the electric kettle played a musical electronic sound. It seemed that the mineral water had turned into hot water. I poured hot water into the cup noodles and waited for three minutes.
There were quite a few cup noodles stocked by the dormitory students. With the game console and Blu-ray player available, maybe I could survive here for half a year.
As I imagined my dream life of being a shut-in, my phone rang with the three-minute alarm.
When my stomach is full, I become too lazy to go outside. I’m not a very active person in my personal life, except for my hobbies. Today, I won’t leave my room anymore. I can do the shopping tomorrow after class.
Once I made that decision, I suddenly felt tired and sleepy. I changed into my pajamas and lay down on my soft bed. I’ll save all the thinking for tomorrow. Goodnight.
* * *
I woke up around four in the morning. Did I sleep for about twelve hours?
I drank bottled tea and changed into my jersey. Then, I went out to the dark courtyard to practice the Phoenix Temple Spear Technique (Hououin-ryu) spear technique. I activated my skills to check any unclear movements and then returned to standby mode. I think it’s important to be able to use these skills without relying on them in order to become truly strong, even with Tina’s cheat support. If I want to reach the deepest part of the dungeon at level one, I have to work harder than others.
When it starts to get light, I finish practicing and run quietly on the school grounds.
I plan to do this every day from now on.
When I was in Japan, I never thought about doing simple training like this. But now, it’s different.
I’ve really felt what I’m lacking when it comes to life or death situations. If I think that being lazy could cost me my life, I get serious about it.
Even the other students should be engaging in self-training… or so I thought, but it seems like I’m the only one running even after all this time. What’s going on?
Even the sports club members who were doing morning practice aren’t coming out…
Right now, I’m focusing on myself more than others. Around the fifth lap, it’s already tough. I was planning on doing 20 laps, but that seems impossible. Maybe I’ll stop at 15… no, maybe at 10 laps. Pushing myself too hard isn’t good. It’s better to gradually extend little by little.
While I was running, three boys in gym clothes came out to the schoolyard, but instead of running, they started a mock battle with wooden swords.
It seems like everyone is leveling up, but compared to Asagiri, their movements are not good at all. Thinking back to Higurashi at level 2, they are definitely below that.
But there’s one person who seems a bit better, and it looks like he is guiding the other two, but if it were Asagiri, she would probably defeat these three in an instant.
Maybe Asagiri is just special. I was worried if that was the standard for level 2, but I feel a little relieved.
Finally finishing 10 laps, I sat down to catch my breath, and the group who were having the mock battle approached me.
”Hey, you’re level 1, right?”
Their gym clothes have “2-E” written on them. Same grade, I guess. Doesn’t really matter what his name is. The way he talks seems kind of condescending, like he’s looking down on me. Well, it’s pretty obvious if I’m at level 1 just by looking at how I run. He might want to think about where I’m running, too.
”Yeah, but?”
”Why are you running?”
”I thought I’d build up my stamina.”
”Instead of doing something so pointless, it’s faster to level up. Are you stupid?”
Oh, I see. That’s the way they think. If your level goes up, your strength and stamina visibly increase, so it’s better to focus on leveling up rather than training that only shows subtle effects after a month or two.
”You’re running away from the dungeon because you’re scared of goblins, right? We’ll be your practice partners.”
”Yeah, yeah, it’s not like you’ll die even if you get beaten up. That must be a relief.”
It doesn’t sound entirely unkind, surprisingly. It’s like they’re surrounding me as if they won’t let me escape, with a nasty smirk on their faces.
”Oh, okay.”
The three of them looked surprised, then burst out laughing. I’m also interested in seeing how far I can go against level 2 opponents without any skills.
I stand up slowly. My breathing hasn’t fully adjusted yet, but my body is relaxing.
”Can you lend me your weapon?”
”Yeah, sure. You can do anything except killing since you can get treated in the medical room. I don’t know if you can afford the medical expenses though.”
When the leader-like guy says that, the other two burst into laughter. I don’t understand what’s so funny. It’s hard to get along with someone whose sense of humor is different.
When I receive the wooden sword, one of the weaker guys stays behind while the other two take a step back.
”And if you have trouble with this, you won’t be able to beat the white guy.”
Is he talking about White Hob? Come to think of it, even though he’s supposed to be level 2, why don’t I feel as much pressure from him?
”Are you having trouble doing this? It’s only good for practicing your strikes.”
So this guy just came at me without any warning. Can’t you at least say thanks, dude?
Sure, a monkey’s speed might be surprising at first, but after seeing Asagiri and Higurashi in action, it’s not really that impressive. I was even helping with a Level 5 Higurashi training session yesterday.
I deflected the wooden sword coming straight at my left shoulder with the tip of my sword, then stepped forward and smacked the hilt right into his face with a satisfying “thud!”
”Aarrggh!”
The monkey fell over, clutching his face and rolling around. Looks like I might have broken something; his nose and mouth are bleeding quite a bit.
I thought my attacks might not be as effective at Level 2, but it seems like they’re doing just fine. Should I go easy on him? Nah, they say injuries heal as long as you don’t die, and they’d probably prefer a more realistic experience anyway.
”Hey, you okay?”
”Hey you bastard! Quit messing around!”
Socially, I tried to talk to him, but he ignored me and the weaker one picked up a fallen wooden sword from the ground and came at me. So, at least say something. Are you a goblin?
Now the goblin is aiming straight for my head. Hey, if that hits, it might be game over.
I’m curious about the power of level 2, so let’s check it out. Gripping both ends of the wooden sword and holding it overhead, there’s a heavy impact.
I manage to cushion it with my arms and knees, but it’s still a considerable force. If I was to clash head-on, with my current strength, I’d be overpowered in no time.
The goblin seems to be trying to push me back, but before it can put more strength into it, I give it my all and kick it in the groin.
Bam! A heavy sound echoes as it connects with the ankle, and there’s a nasty sensation. When I think back to Shitone-senpai’s kiss, I’ll remember this feeling. The after-effects are kind of a hassle, to be honest.
The goblin had a face with wide-open eyes and mouth like a comic book character. He tried to escape the impact by jumping up and down. But, I grabbed his hair and swung down him down, accelerating his falling speed. I smashed my knee into his face and he fell to the ground, clutching his groin and twitching. Ouch, that must really hurt. But I have to admit, his face earlier was perfect.
”H-Hey bastard! What’s the big idea? That was a coward move, you know!”
As I remembered the comic book-like face and funny movements, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. The remaining goblin leader said something strange.
”Huh? But anything goes as long as we don’t kill each other, right? Should I have held back?”
”Grr… Don’t mess with me, you level 1 weakling! Just so you know, I’m level 3!”
”What!?!”
Surprised, I couldn’t help but raise my voice, and the goblin leader smirked and got ready with a wooden sword.
”It’s too late for regrets! You got carried away, so I’m going to crush you to pieces!”
Wow, I was seriously surprised. Is it really level 3? It can’t even compare to Asagiri’s level 2.
Well, I guess it’s good practice for real battles so let’s leave that aside for now.
”Hey, I wanted to ask, can the treatment in that medical room regenerate a missing eyeball?”
”Huh?”
I’ve never actually crushed a human eye, so if any kind of treatment is possible, I want to experience it here. The Phoenix Temple Spear Technique (Hououin-ryu) has techniques like that. But, I’m still curious if treatment is possible even if the eyeball pops out and disappears after being crushed.
”N-no… I heard that injuries like that can’t be healed.”
”I see… It’s not good to poke with your finger. Maybe a palm strike… no, that wouldn’t work.”
”What, are you trying to threaten me, huh?”
”No, it’s fine. I’ll just drop it.”
In the name of practice, if we use wooden swords as weapons, the school council won’t intervene, but I don’t really understand if it would cause serious injuries that can’t be healed.
”What, are you underestimating me?”
The Goblin Leader pulls back his big wooden sword and quickly closes the distance, thrusting it towards my chest.
No, it’s you who’s underestimating me.
I carefully watch the sword’s movement and smoothly move to the side while pulling my wooden sword back. Then, while still moving my feet, I quickly strike under the Goblin Leader’s armpit.
”Oof!?”
Using the footwork of the Phoenix Form, I keep a certain distance and continue to unleash a series of rapid thrusts while circling around the Goblin Leader in a counterclockwise direction.
”Oof! Urgh! Gah! Huh!? Stop! Gahh! Argh!”
The Phoenix Temple Spear Technique (Hououin-ryu) has four forms: Phoenix (Houou), Black Tortoise (Genbu), White Tiger (Byakko), and Azure Dragon (Seiryu). Genbu focuses on defense, Byakko on powerful attacks, Seiryu on fast attacks, and Houou is the most balanced and prestigious form.
I tried to adjust my footwork a little to get closer with the wooden sword than the spear. It seems like this move fits perfectly with the Leapstone. It looks like it could be useful.
When I aimed for his face, I saw hos teeth flying as the attack landed. But before I could make another move, I got stuck and the attack stopped. It’s obvious, but I still have a long way to go before it’s perfect. To move smoothly, I have to keep practicing repeatedly.
As the attack stopped, the Goblin Leader stumbled and became defenseless. But without letting my guard down, I took a step back and prepared myself, causing the Goblin Leader to throw away the wooden sword and cower.
”Huh?”
”Eek!”
The Goblin Leader folded his hands behind his head and curled up in a defensive posture like a turtle. Is that even a technique?
”Can I attack now?”
”Pl-please stop! Sorry! I surrender! I surrender!”
I was hoping for a development like “Haha, try your best! Your attack won’t work on me!” but it seems it’s not going that way.
”Okay, I understand. I think there was something to gain. Let’s do it again!”
”I’m sorry! I’m sorry because I messed up!”
I placed the wooden sword in front of the apologetic goblin leader and bowed, then I left the place.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.