Chapter 25: Third Phase

"Well? What's the final evaluation?" a voice asked, its owner hidden from view. 

"I'm surprised. I didn't expect such a good result in so little time," another replied. 

A group of people conversed among themselves, their eyes seemingly able to see everything happening in the missions and the test center, except for a few areas that remained obscure even to the most influential among them. 

"The kid got lucky. I mean, they all did," a harsher voice mocked. "They almost died, all three of them." 

"A success is a success, no matter how you see it," a man with a deep voice countered. "Indeed, they lacked a bit of composure, but I see that they managed to resolve the situation as best they could." 

The beings in the room turned their attention to the last speaker. 

"If you're saying so, then it's the correct conclusion." 

As he said this, the projection showed the trio exiting the mission environment. As soon as they stepped into the hall, Jihan and Wang collapsed to the floor, exhausted. 

"They're worn out... though it's nothing unusual. Despite resting within the system, they weren't fully healed when they came out," one of the voices said. 

"This system is really quite interesting. Unless you die in the mission, your wounds are 'healed' and turned into mental exhaustion." 

"What did you expect? It was Brígida herself who built the entire training center from scratch." 

"That woman is truly a genius. No wonder she ascended." 

"In any case, that monster finally started to move." 

"Forget him, I'm more interested in the berserker kid." 

"We all are. High Humans are as rare as phoenix petals. Who would have thought one of them would take the initiative to appear before us!" one of the voices snorted disdainfully. 

"Take your eyes off him, Dolion. The boy is already under the gaze of another monster," a female voice interrupted. 

"Why do these worms always get the best servants?" 

"Hahaha, if he were here now, you wouldn't dare say such a thing." 

The grumpy man just turned his face away in reply. The owner of the female voice looked back at the projection. 

"The real challenge is about to begin." 

Back in the hall, Akemi was talking to both men on the floor. 

"Who would have thought you'd be so tired." 

"And you seem perfectly fine," Wang commented. 

"Blame yourselves for choosing such dangerous roles, hehe" Akemi made a V sign with one hand and smiled. 

Li said nothing, having not seen the woman smile in a long time. "It's truly a relief that she still knows how to smile," he thought. 

"URGH! Can't stay on this floor forever," Jihan said, struggling to his feet. "I'm heading to my room. I need a nap before I report for training again." 

SNORE 

Akemi and Li turned toward the sound and found Wang fast asleep on the floor. 

"Apparently, it's quite possible to stay on this floor forever..." Akemi remarked. 

"I hope we can join other missions together..." Li said, extending his hand to the woman. 

The Half-Elf looked at Jihan for a few seconds and, with a serious expression, agreed, shaking his hand. 

"Next time, I'll be the one receiving the laurels." 

"I'm sure you will," Li replied without a hint of disdain. Wang, still sleeping, didn't disagree. 

And so, the trio said their goodbyes. After reaching his room, Jihan went straight to the bath. Although he didn't get physically dirty within the system, the feeling of water running over his body and the peace it brought him was still something he missed. Resting his head against the bathroom wall, he thought about everything that was happening. 

"It seems crazy... if someone had told me three months ago, I'd think it was madness." 

Taking a deep breath, Li closed his eyes and slapped both palms to his face. When he opened them, he exhaled. 

"It's not a dream. I'm not going to wake up in that storage room again." 

It was a constant thought for Jihan, the fear of blinking and finding himself back in his old body, in the place where he was trapped, with the future that had been laid out for him. 

"Even so... even if I go back to how I was before, it won't be the same. I will never regress." 

And once again taking a breath, Li turned off the shower and went to bed. 

A dozen hours later, he was abruptly awakened and thrown out of his bed. 

"HEY, YOU IDIOT!" 

Startled, Jihan jumped, falling to the floor. 

"What the hell!?" he complained, but as soon as he saw who had awakened him, he simply calmed down and smiled. "Ah, it's just you?" 

"What do you mean 'it's just you,' boy? What kind of student have I raised that doesn't have the slightest respect for his master!" The strong woman with brown hair reprimanded him. "You should have reported the mission to me as soon as it ended! Instead, you chose to take a nap? You owe me a thousand push-ups, kid!" 

"Now?" he asked calmly. 

Jihan's reaction didn't seem like a question or a challenge, but rather a request for confirmation. Not knowing how to react, Amélie just nodded, and right there, on his bedroom floor, Li began to do push-ups one by one. His teacher just sat next to him, avoiding his gaze. 

"What happened to you, boy?" she asked. 

"What do you mean?" 

"You're different... normally, you would complain and struggle, sometimes out of laziness and sometimes just to make a bit of a scene, but you rarely react so well to my provocations." 

Li paused the exercise for a moment. 

"That doesn't mean you should stop," a malicious smile crossed Amélie's face, and Li quickly resumed the push-ups. 

"Miss Amélie, do you know about the mission 'Goblin King's Nightmare'?" 

"I've heard of it... why?" 

"Me and two others completed the challenge yesterday." 

"Hm... impressive, it's by no means an easy mission." 

"It was torturous. Hundreds of people died, and in the end, I could barely help. I keep thinking that if I didn't have a good memory or the processing capacity that my brain has, I probably wouldn't be here today." 

"It was a difficult mission, boy. You don't have to beat yourself up over it." 

"That's not the point..." 

"Then continue what you were saying." 

"The point is... I am... weak, very weak, so weak that it hurts me!" Jihan spoke with a forced smile on his face. 

"And?" But Amélie remained indifferent. 

Li again paused the push-ups and turned to his teacher, this time without receiving a critique for it. Folding his knees and pressing his head against the floor, he pleaded. 

"I want to get stronger! I never want to hear the cries of those who give their lives to defend what they love again! Even if just a little, just a little... if I can lessen the suffering of these people just a bit more..." 

"Will you be satisfied?" 

Jihan fell silent. 

"Will you be satisfied with just 'a little'?" 

"So..." 

"If you come with a paltry determination, I will simply ignore what you're saying, boy. If you're as willing as you say, we need to come to an agreement." 

"What do I need to do?" 

Amélie grabbed the collar of the boy's shirt and pulled him close. 

"I'll show you true hell, no cries, no complaints, and no excuses! From now on, you will always give 100% of yourself! If you're truly determined, don't be satisfied with saving one person, but everyone you can." 

Sharpening his resolve, Li agreed. 

"You better not back out, boy, because if you change your mind, I will kill you with my own hands," Amélie declared, quite pleased with her new guinea pig. "And don't be mistaken, kid, I may not be as powerful as those Lords and Gods, but I can guarantee you that I don't lose to many in terms of teaching." 

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you." 

"Haha, I'll show you why they call me the Dictator, boy. Now finish those thousand push-ups. We have a lot to do." 

"Yes, ma'am!" 

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Akemi was meeting with a friend. 

"Interesting..." 

"Something wrong, Michael?" 

"You didn't use all your strength in the mission. Why?" 

"The third phase is starting soon. Should I really show everything I can do in a simple mission?" 

"Hahaha, a different perspective. Li, on the other hand, seems to think the opposite of you." 

"Jihan has too good a heart. We think differently, but our goal is the same. We both want to get stronger." 

"It will be very fun when you really show what you can do..." Michael smiled. 

"Sometimes I think you're only doing this for your own amusement." 

"I thought I made it clear. I'm only helping you out of boredom, nothing more." 

"Truly a demon..." 

"You must be joking, miss. I am an angel!" 

As the two chatted amicably, Wang had woken up and was walking down a dark corridor. His face bore an extremely serious expression. After some time, Xu reached a dead end. 

"I know you're there. You can come out now," the barbarian said, looking into the darkness. 

Soon after he spoke, a step was heard. 

"Indeed, it seems your instinct is improving," emerging from the shadows, a slightly older man with red eyes and long dark hair appeared, praising the boy. 

"Sir must be joking. If you wanted, I wouldn't know where you were even if you were right next to me..." Xu commented without blinking. "Proof of this is that, while I'm seeing you, you've isolated this space from the rest of the training center." 

"Hehe, I should stop with the false modesty then. Indeed, not even the gods can see us here." 

"Why did you call me here?" 

"Straight to the point then? I need a small favor." 

"I will fulfill whatever is asked of me." 

"Like a good son..." he continued, "the final phase of the tests is approaching, and I need one of the participants to disappear." The man pointed upwards. "It's a special request..." 

"Special? But it's merely a testing field. What could be so important for you to use that term?" 

"Hahaha, you don't know anything, boy. History is starting to be written, and none of the great ones want rats interfering!" 

"So, who do I need to 'clean up'?" Xu asked, ignoring his curiosity. 

"A boy... you should be familiar with him. His name is Li Jihan." 

"Jihan? The kid doesn't know anything about anything. Why would he be a problem?" 

"Don't ask questions, Xu, just obey. You must carry out your mission in the upcoming third phase... one that you're already familiar with..." 

"Father, I…" 

"Just. Obey." As he pronounced these words, the man vanished back into the darkness, leaving Wang alone in the dark. 

"Li... I don't know what you did to attract the wrath of the monsters up there... but I'm sorry." Clenching his hands, Xu made his decision.