14: Training and New Friend

After calming down, I looked at Mrs. Bibian and noticed she was watching me, as if she suspected something had just happened with me. And she wasn't wrong—something had happened, and something very significant.

"If you'll allow me, I'd like to keep your soul cores."

She looked at me and sighed.

"Yes, anyway, you'll be fighting one of these creatures every day. As soon as you arrive, stretch a bit and then I'll have you fight them, and you'll do it without that memory that pierced them easily. After you defeat the creature or it leaves you very wounded, we'll review your actions and improve them for the next day."

She glanced at the dagger in my hand and then spoke again.

"Since it seems you'll be using that dagger a lot, I'll teach you a dagger technique that focuses on evasion and quick attacks. I'll also teach you a sword technique. We'll train all the time you're here, and after learning all these things, you'll fight with me using your beast for the last 30 minutes of our class so you get used to fighting alongside your puppet."

Accepting this, I cut the two dead beasts and removed their cores, but when I squeezed my hand tightly, the spell didn't announce anything—the fragment just turned to dust and disappeared.

I decided not to say anything and kept the core. If she asks, I'll tell her I want to consume them before the solstice or use it to buy some armor.

Luckily, she didn't ask anything until the end of the class. The dagger technique she's teaching me is really good; I barely understood anything she said or did, but I'll learn it before the solstice.

Also, it's still very hard for me to fight with two bodies. Controlling the threads requires extending a part of my consciousness towards the beast's core to influence its soul, but it also allows me to move its body as if it were mine, which is really disgusting since it has several clawed arms and many legs.

Well, with time I'll get used to it.

...

After reaching my room, I lay down and inevitably started thinking about the things I would do.

'That superior god who changed my soul and gave me three attributes, I wonder what he wants.'

'I also have to prepare in case they send me with Sunny or somewhere much farther or closer to Ashen Barrow. With my "conscious mind" attribute, that cursed tree won't do anything to me.'

Even so, today I also learned a lot about my abilities. First of all, I can control puppets up to 100 meters away. Secondly, I can leave them inactive somewhere outside that range, and when I return, I can control them instantly again.

Also, my innate ability works like a kind of spider sense and allows me to know what the opponent will do or things that will happen around me. Apparently, I can activate it consciously or unconsciously, as happened when I fought Ludwin and the sleeping beast.

I learned I could activate it consciously when I was fighting Ascended Bibian, who used her environment to her advantage and hid or came out of my sight. But when I concentrated on searching for her in the surroundings, I could know where she would come from and what she would use against me one second ahead, although knowing what would happen, I couldn't do much against her.

'Damn monster.'

I better sleep. Tomorrow begins my exciting life of learning and beatings with Bibian and Master Julios officially.

...

Upon waking up, washing, and mentally preparing for what would be my daily routine, I headed to the cafeteria.

I took a plate and filled it with some things that seemed to taste good, and then walked to yesterday's table, where the same pink-haired, green-eyed girl was still sitting.

I sat where I did before and ate without bothering her. I had no intentions of becoming her friend; as long as she didn't speak to me, I wouldn't speak to her, and it's not like I really knew how to do it.

Back in my world, I really didn't know how to talk well with people. That's why I liked creating accounts on social media and talking differently from how I actually was. In person, however, it was quite uncomfortable if I didn't already know the person I was talking to, as I didn't know how to maintain a conversation properly, so I didn't bother trying.

Anyway, finishing my meal, I got up without hurry, and after leaving the dirty dishes in their place, I went to Professor Julius's classes, where I would spend the first hours of the day studying all kinds of information about the Kingdom of Dreams and its monsters.

When I got to the class and took a seat, I greeted Sunny, who was at the other table, and then simply focused on the class.

...

It was already 1 PM. I was entering the training room prepared for me, and as soon as I stepped inside, my ability screamed for me to roll forward, and I did. Where my body had been a second ago, the teeth of the deformed creature I fought yesterday were now embedded.

I immediately summoned my dagger Traitor Tooth, and felt a tap on my head.

It was Mrs. Bibian.

"No, use your fists. I want to see you fight with your fists this time, then with the dagger, and finally with a sword."

She disappeared from my sight, and I focused on the creature coming towards me at a fast pace.

I crouched low enough for its jaw to snap over my head and threw a punch at what I believed was its head, then rolled to the side and rushed towards the beast again, which immediately launched several slashes with its sharp limbs, missing each attempt to tear my flesh.

I must say, my innate ability is really useful—it's like fighting with an indicator telling me where the enemy will strike. Still, I have to be careful, as a mistake in judgment and its claws could do quite a bit of damage without my ascended armor.

After hitting it a bit more, I summoned my dagger and started using what little I had seen and copied from Bibian's style, but the damage from the dagger compensated for the lack of skill in its handling.

When the beast had four severed limbs, I discarded my dagger and took a sword that Bibian threw at me while running.

The stance I took with the sword involved pulling my right leg back while bending my knees slightly and holding the sword with both hands in front of me.

The beast had lost a lot of speed, and when it got close enough, I made a vertical slash as it lunged and managed to cut its head in two.

[You have killed a Sleeping Beast, Deformed Spawn]

[Your soul grows stronger]

I sighed and sent my puppet to extract the beast's core.

"Well done. Your dagger handling is terrible but acceptable for an uneducated novice. Now I want you to get up and practice the moves I taught you, then repeat them with the sword, and before we end the class, you'll fight me."

I sighed and got up, preparing for the rest of the class.

...

Leaving Bibian's class, I found myself with bruises in many places on my body and face. I had a slightly black eye thanks to a misjudgment, and Mrs. Bibian hit me with the pommel of her sword—damned soulless demon.

Anyway, I'll go to my room to wash up and then to the cafeteria for dinner before returning and sleeping.

When I got to the cafeteria and sat down to eat, I found the pink-haired girl again. She looked at me a few seconds longer than usual and scanned my body with her eyes, then just looked away.

"It looks like a bully beat you up with those injuries."

Surprised that she spoke to me, I casually replied.

"It would be more accurate to say a demon in human skin kicked my ass."

I saw her smile and then look at me.

"Are you training with someone that strong? I don't think many can hurt the second-ranked so badly."

It's strange that she wants to talk. What changed?

"Well, in any case, it's strange that you want to talk. Did something happen?"

I decided to be direct since I didn't know how to respond to her statement and mention of my second rank.

"You could say I got curious to know what happened to someone with that score who sits in front of me every day."

"Well, you win. An instructor will beat me up every day to teach me how to survive. He's a damned demon with no consideration for kids."

A small smile appeared on her face that seemed to light up this dark corner of the cafeteria before quickly returning to her neutral expression.

"Well, I should introduce myself since I was the one who spoke first. I'm Sasha, tenth in the ranking."

I looked at her before nodding and introducing myself.

"Jonathan, but it's too long. Just call me Jony."

Well, I managed to have a conversation with someone without much trouble.

...

'Shit shit shit, damn, what an awkward silence. I'd better go, this is too weird. Why did she have to talk to me today? I don't know what else to say, and it seems she doesn't either. What a bad combination. To hell with this, I better leave.

"Okay, see you later, Sasha."

"Sure, see you later, Jony."

Phew, finally.

When I lay down, I rested for ten minutes and then sat up again.

I don't know how to do this, but I'll try to assume the Buddha pose and explore myself from within. I'll try to enter my soul.

I closed my eyes and extended my consciousness inward.

I didn't feel anything strange; I really didn't know what I was supposed to be looking for, but I tried anyway.

One hour later, I gave up and lay down again, preparing to sleep. I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep.