Chapter 5

Makima was in her office with Himeno, talking about their newest recruit.

"I have to admit, he is impressive. His speed is more than twice that of a normal human," Himeno said. "He could increase it, but that would only last for ten minutes. That's quite impressive for someone who has never trained. At first, I didn't believe his story, but now I doubt that he had a contract with a devil," reported Himeno. "As for his story, it's more believable now."

"He hasn't made any contract with a devil," Makima replied. "I have verified that myself."

"Well, boss, you have your way of telling who is lying," Himeno shrugged. "Other than that, I think I quite like him. He's sarcastic, quite childish, sometimes funny."

"That's why you'll be responsible for his training," Makima said. "You too are quite childish."

Himeno's face almost turned red. "That was low," she muttered and then said, "I don't think I'm suitable. He wants to be a swordsman, and I'm not good at teaching that."

"It's okay. We have a dojo. Besides, you are required to teach him about the ways of devil hunters," Makima said. "As for your request, it's down there."

"Oh, you got it," her eyes lit up.

"A katana made of life span by the Angel Devil. It's sharper and more suitable for cutting devils."

"I see, thank you, boss," she said.

-x-X-x-

Sam was at his new home, holding a few bags of chips. It was good to have something to lessen his stress.

Now that he'd gotten good sleep and had fewer stressful days, he had time to think about his life and the direction he would like to take.

Most of his choices were quite forced, but now he had the time.

Currently, he was playing along with Makima so he wouldn't be controlled against his will. But even without Makima, this world was so cruel. He could die at any given moment as any random devil could appear.

Taking a chunk of chips into his mouth, he decided, 'I have to become so strong that no one can hurt me. After that, I can buy a video console and enjoy the rest of my life.'

If it were the past, he would have laughed at his idea of becoming the strongest.

But he wasn't a normal human being. Most people weren't like gaming characters, but he was.

"Geez, it is so boring. I'll test the limits of this body anyway."

Sam threw the potato chips away and got into a push-up stance, starting to do them one after another.

Although his body had limitless stamina when it came to running, apparently, his strength was limited. After 20 reps, he collapsed on the ground without warning. He expected that he wouldn't be able to do more, but he was wrong.

[-3 HP]

Just after taking one breath, his pain vanished, and he could get into the push-up stance, doing another set.

[-3 HP]

[-5 HP]

[-7 HP]

The more sets he did, the more the damage increased.

'So I can do this until I die, literally. Oh, now I see how strength can affect my HP.'

He then opened the fridge and grabbed water and some snacks to eat. [+10 HP] [+10 HP]…

Sam found that he was physically prepared. So he got into a push-up position again, and this time, he could do up to 25 reps in a single set. Obviously, he lost some health points, but he could still do more sets. After losing enough health points, he would eat and then repeat the cycle of working out.

When he reached 40 push-ups in a single set, he drank a bottle of water and heard a notification.

[Strength + 1]

He put the bottle back in the fridge. Smiling, he thought, 'I don't have limits as a gaming character, right? So this means that I can become the strongest one day.' He stood up in front of the mirror and started flexing his yet-to-show muscles.

Knock Knock

Sam stopped flexing and put his shirt on. He then walked to the door. "Who is it?"

"It's me," echoed Himeno's voice.

He opened the door and found her standing with a weapon in her hand. It was a katana with a black sheath.

"This?"

"Your weapon. HQ got this for you," she said as she handed it to him.

Sam felt its weight, and he smiled. "Oh, nice."

"It's not an ordinary weapon. Be careful with it. It can cut through you like butter if you make a mistake."

"I know," Sam said. He looked around the house, thinking about where he should hide it.

"You should have your weapon with you all the time," Himeno said. "Don't think about leaving it in the house."

"So I should strap it to my back."

"I don't care if you even stick it between your butt-cheeks."

"No need to say that," Sam said. "Anyway, I don't think you just came to hand me the sword."

"You are right. I'm here to inform you that you are expected to go to the HQ's training center every morning around six o'clock. Also, I'll occasionally take you to patrol the city. I want you to know that you are there to watch and learn. Under no circumstances should you interfere until I tell you to."

"Just this?"

"Yes, just that. You can take a bus. I won't pick you up every day," she replied to him and turned as she was about to leave.

"Wait," Sam stopped her.

"What?" she asked.

"I have no money." He extended his hand to her. "I'll pay you back when I get my first check."

"Geez. Just find a part-time job," she said, reaching for her wallet and taking out a note.

Sam smiled, "Don't worry. I'll pay you back with interest."

"Better you do that," she sighed as she handed him the note, turned, and left.

Sam smelled the money and exhaled a happy sigh. 'She is a sweet summer child. She even believes that I'll pay her back with interest.' He then placed it back in his pocket.

"Well, I have time until tomorrow, don't I?"

He then got back into the push-up stance. He needed to make the most of his time if he wanted to become strong enough to survive.

-x-X-x-

The new day arrived, and Sam managed to increase his push-up count to 70, gaining one point of strength.

Apparently, it would take more time to get stronger than he thought, and he needed plenty of food.

But with such a rapid improvement rate, he couldn't even complain.

Now, he was standing at one of the dojos that belonged to the HQ's headquarters. They taught novice devil hunters here how to use swords and martial arts like Kendo (a Japanese martial art for swords).

At the entrance, Sam showed his ID card to the man at the counter, who verified it using his PC.

"Oh, Sam. You are a newbie, aren't you? Your sensei will be here by now. Please get to the changing room and change your clothes. You'll find them in locker number 90."

"Thank you."

He then went inside.

"Take off your shoes," said the man at the entrance.

"Yeah, right," Sam sighed and did as he was told. He then went to the locker room and changed into a black kimono with a chestplate.

A man in a kimono was waiting for him. He was old, with long white hair and a thin body.

"So, we are about to train."

"You should let older people speak first or start by introducing yourself. Where are your manners, young brat?" said the old man.

"Somewhere, crying in shame," replied Sam, shrugging his shoulders. "Never mind. My name is Sam Lee. I was told that I'm expected to be here at this moment, so I didn't think I needed to introduce myself."

"And you need to learn to be more humble," the old man stood up. He was tall, very tall. "Okay, let's start. Pick up a wooden sword from the basket over there."

Sam did as he was told and walked to the middle of the dojo. 'My speed is double that of a normal human, so my speed attacks should be top-notch.'

"Attack me," the old man held a stick. "We'll start with the basics."

"Hey, shouldn't we talk about the history of Aikido or something?"

"You need to learn to talk less first."

"Whatever." Sam held the stick and dashed, swinging the sword as fast as he could.

But before he could even realize it, a wooden stick slapped his cheek, sending him back.

'So fast.'

"First of all, you are holding it wrong. Second, your footwork is even worse. And lastly, your speed isn't as impressive as you think. You're too predictable and somehow slow."

"Who are you, old man?"

[HP -3]

"You can call me Sai. Sensei Sai to you."

"Yeah." Sam exhaled a long sigh. He got slapped. So what? He's here to learn. "So, how do I hold my sword?"

"Since you are a beginner, hold it like this, with two hands," Sai demonstrated.

"Oh, so like this?" Sam held the sword with two hands.

"Lower your stance a bit and approach slowly, like this," Sai explained as he slowly moved toward Sam while crouching a bit.

"Oh, I get it." Sam replied. His efforts seemed to yield results when he heard the notification.

[Swordsmanship + 50 XP (50/100)]

Apparently, the notification meant that he had mastered the movement instantly. He started playing with the sword, and unsurprisingly, he performed better.

"Not bad, you have talent. Good, it means that I'm not wasting my time," Sai said, before muttering to himself. "It would be a waste if he died young. But that's likely."

Sam felt goosebumps running through his skin. That old man had bad hearing, so he must assume that talking normally was like whispering to himself.

"I'm not going to die," Sam replied loudly, determined as he pointed his wooden sword forward. "Come on, I was just warming up. I bet I can learn your whole life's experience in a couple of weeks."

"Oh please, kid. The only way you can do that is by becoming an artificial intelligence," mocked Sai.