Training as a Slime (96)

A crackle of lightning sizzled across the room, invoking harrowing cries of pain and misery. The nimble beast-kin twisted her flexible body, dodging the attacks and deflected the powerful discharge with her whip. Her trainees failed to react in time and were struck in their tracks. Determined to escape the torture, Cori tried to escape from the lightning attacks with 'Swift Steps' but was immediately blocked by the trainer and slapped to the ground by the powerful lightning.

The golden slime recalled just mere moments ago, every slime in the room was excited to attend Bodicea's lesson. Her shy and gentle nature made everyone feel safe. She could be clumsy but the 1st years eventually warmed up to her due to her calm and sweet personality. "Very demure" was the majority's consensus; to the point where the trainees had a fantasy-like impression of her external arts class. But their excitement slowly cascaded into horror as her shy demeanour took a 180-degree turn; as if an alter ego possessed her. However, she did bow and apologise before the torture began. No one knew what was coming for them from the petite innocent trainer.

"System, 'Observation'!" Cori commanded, refusing to buy into the reality. How could such a naive-looking trainer hide such a sadistic nature? It was beyond his comprehension. 

System, "No abnormal status can be detected from the target," Cori gritted his teeth at the news.

Cori cast his skill again.

System, "Raijin's Lightning is a condensed form of spiritual and qi energy, commonly used in body tempering. It is ranked amongst the top 5 body tempering materials, with only deadly pain as the side effect." 

Cori gritted his teeth and tried to embrace the impending strike. Alas, his body reflexively avoided it with little success.

"Class, there is no point in avoiding being zapped by the Raiju's lightning storm. It will reach you even if you try hiding under the desks. You have to take it to train and temper your body," Bodicea shouted her advice to the screaming slimes as another electrical discharge slammed against a group of them. The tortured slimes scrambled helplessly as the lightning whipped and slashed at them. But as soon as they turn to escape, either the trainer or the hall guardian will appear in their path to stop them from leaving.

"Don't worry about death, I will keep healing you. That's the first step towards earning your golden diamond body. Endure!" Bodicea roared with veins popping out from her brown fur, fists and kicks healing every injured trainee. It was excruciating but also extremely effective.

"Enjoy the pleasure of this training! Don't resist!" she roared as she used her whip to lasso the lightning and used them like acupuncture needles. The kebab-ed slimes cried in pain as the lightning coursed through their meridians and purged the filth trapped in their body.

"The floor is lava! the floor is lava!" screamed a black slime resembling a Xiao Long Bao. 

"Endure! This is nothing!" the trainer shouted and heal-punched every slime in the room, not even breaking a sweat. Her students puked black blood as her fist and kick healed them impactfully.

Despite training with the duchess every night, Cori could not avoid her casual hyper-sonic healing kick. He could only cry in pain and silently accept his fate. 

As the lava floor ate away the filthy byproducts, the slimes huddled together in corners of the room; making them easy targets for lightning to zap. 

Meimei who seemed unperturbed had long given up and surrendered her body to the torture of lightning and lava, leaving a creepy smile on her empty lifeless expression. Bodicea was impressed by her tenancy and deemed her an exemplary trainee, commending her in front of the other slimes who couldn't care less, "Follow her example! Look how she had reached the pinnacle of emptiness! Endure like Meimei!"

The paralysed and burnt slimes could only weep in fear, losing all hope to leave the place alive. The trainer laughed maniacally as she healed their abnormal status with potions and her kung fu.

Like momos flying off the frying pan, Bodicea kicked everyone onto their desks. The trainees landed with a thud, their bottoms became harder than steel after being forged by lava. After experiencing such extreme tempering, their mental fortitude increased sharply without a doubt. The trainer scanned through the room and nodded in satisfaction as her trainees were refreshed with renewed facial expressions. With a crack of her whip, she laughed manically like a mad woman, "Finally, you are ready to start the class!"

The faces in the room darkened, with some joined in her maniac laughter upon reaching a mental 'breakthrough'. Cori whose mental fortitude was higher than the rest found Meimei's laughing with empty and soulless eyes. "What kind of body tempering method is this?" he wondered.

Bodicea snapped her finger, and the trainees returned to their normal selves. Their eyes brimmed with life again, yet they all felt something was amiss. Perhaps it was the cold sweat that dripped down their back or the shudder they felt creeping up their body when they saw the lecturer.

Cori was perplexed, the torturing lesson was registered in his mind as something refreshing. "Is this the power of suggestion? Is this hypnosis?" he wondered. A fear crept into his heart as he thought of a similar recent event. "No... it couldn't be," he reassured himself.

"Our basic external arts requires a refined body. But you will need to evolve before you can learn martial arts. Before your evolution, you will undergo training to understand and build your foundation," Bodicea's explanation echoed, the trainees relieved she was back to her usual self.

"Don't underestimate every effort you put in," she emphasised. "During the warm-up, I have tailored a lesson plan for each of you. Log it into the system and train every day at the sports village."

A window opened up. "Install external foundation training plan? Yes/No"

"Yes," Cori thought.

Bodicea, "Preparation is the foundation of success. Let's proceed to the sports village and I will correct your stance if it needs any adjustment." A portal opened up and everyone formed a line to enter.

"Hey Meimei, are you alright?" Cori asked with concern.

Meimei gave a slight nod. "Actually... we were trained for war from a tender age... this, this level of training is still acceptable," she whispered.

Cori was taken aback, "An advanced city like Atlantis had to train their young for war? What have you gone through?" Cori bit his tongue before spilling out his thoughts.

As they made it through the portal, rows of greenery and cobblestone cottages appeared before their eyes. "It is a village!"