Chapter 4: Training x Testing

*Bang!*

Irumi crashed into a large tree, sliding down slowly from above. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he immediately turned around and darted into the forest, running swiftly.

"Oh, you took my punch and can still run?"

Tsubone looked surprised. With a "whoosh" sound, she started sprinting through the forest, soon catching up with Irumi ahead.

"Hmph."

Irumi, who was sprinting at high speed, suddenly groaned in pain, slowing down his pace.

"My stomach hurts, and my left hand is no longer usable."

Irumi didn't actually take Tsubone's punch head-on earlier. Instead, before Tsubone hit him, he blocked the fist with his left hand.

The fist struck his left forearm, and then his left arm collided with his abdomen, sending Irumi flying.

But even so, the pain was unbearable, and his left forearm was swollen and bruised. To recover quickly, he would need to soak in a bath with medicinal herbs unique to the Zoldyck family.

"Hahaha..."

A peal of eerie laughter reached Irumi's ears. He turned his head and looked down the forest path, where Tsubone was smiling kindly at him.

"What's wrong, Young Master Irumi? Can't run anymore? Feeling tired?"

As soon as the words fell, Tsubone suddenly rushed towards Irumi and threw a punch at his face. Irumi's eyes went blank, and as Tsubone swung her fist at him, he bent over and threw a punch, aiming for Tsubone's waist.

*Bang!*

The sound of flesh colliding echoed.

"Ugh..."

Irumi bent over, his eyes wide open, mouth gaping open, drool hanging from his mouth.

He had predicted Tsubone's punch and immediately countered with his own attack, but it seemed that Tsubone had already anticipated his intentions.

Just as he was about to strike the waist, Tsubone raised her left knee abruptly, and with a "bang!". It hit Irumi's abdomen, causing his whole body to bend over.

"Puh..."

Irumi was sent flying, sliding on the ground for a considerable distance before coming to a stop, lying down.

"Cough, cough..."

Lying on the ground, facing up, Irumi looked at the blurred face of Tsubone in front of him, trying to breathe but coughing in pain. He clutched his abdomen with both hands, his eyes wide open, mouth gaping open, uncontrollable drool streaming from his mouth.

The pain was unimaginable.

The intense pain made every breath a torment.

"You didn't just use 30% of your strength just now..."

Trembling all over, Irumi flipped over, his lower body unmoving as his upper body turned from lying back to facing down. His body pressed against his right arm, and sweat dripped from his chin onto the ground.

"Hahaha, Young Master Irumi is right. I actually used 50% of my strength just now."

"However, the reality is that Young Master Irumi is weaker than me. I'll use as much strength as I want to deal with you."

"The weak have no choice. That is the privilege of the strong."

Tsubone smiled kindly.

"But, Young Master Irumi, you have already surpassed more than 99% of your peers at this age."

"Just now, I didn't expect that you would dodge my punch."

In these three years, Tsubone was most satisfied with Irumi's performance. Irumi's understanding ability was more potent than children of the same age. Whether it was learning assassination techniques, theoretical knowledge, and so on, he learned at a breakneck pace.

His strength grew rapidly. He finished the arduous training that should have taken six or even nine years to complete in just two and a half years.

And his talent was not only reflected here. His persevering character, and his eager heart to become stronger through diligent training.

Combining all these things, Irumi was a genius in Tsubone's eyes.

"Can you still move?"

Tsubone squatted down, looking at the sweat-drenched Irumi, and smiled.

"Young Master Irumi?"

Irumi's eyebrows twitched, and he struggled to flip over, propping himself up with his hands and standing up with great difficulty.

"Amazing, after taking my knee strike with 50% of my strength, you still have the strength to stand up."

Tsubone praised Irumi as he watched him struggle to stand up. Although Tsubone was not in his peak state at the moment, it should be noted that his 50% strength amounted to 16 tons.

"It hurts so much."

Irumi frowned and glanced at Tsubone, trembling legs as he walked towards the Zoldyck family's residence. Today's practical training had come to an end, and now it was time for the daily routine, including harsh training such as poison, electric shocks, and counter-attacks.

And all of this had become a habit.

...

At night, 8:30 PM.

Inside Silva's room, Tsubone stood straight, facing Silva and Kikyo with a respectful posture.

"How is the training of Irumi and Illumi going?"

Silva sat on the sofa, propping his chin with his right hand, casually asking.

"The training of Young Master Illumi is progressing according to the normal schedule. Although he is still very young, it can be seen that Young Master Illumi is undoubtedly a very disciplined assassin." Tsubone truthfully replied.

"Disciplined?" Silva murmured, and Kikyo looked at Silva.

"Discipline is a characteristic that every excellent assassin must have. Illumi will definitely become a top-notch professional killer."

Silva nodded in agreement with Kikyo's theory and asked again.

"What about Irumi?"

A flash of light crossed Tsubone's eyes, and she pressed her glasses with her right hand, speaking seriously.

"I believe that Irumi can already fulfil the role of a qualified assassin."

As soon as these words were spoken, Silva immediately frowned, and Kikyo also opened his mouth, showing a very surprised expression.

"Tsubone, why do you think so?"

Silva frowned and looked at Tsubone, his eyes narrowed, exuding a sense of pressure.

"I know the progress of Irumi's training best. In fact, half a year ago, Irumi had already completed the training that should have taken six or nine years to complete."

"The past six months have been spent forcefully keeping Irumi by my side, enhancing his combat abilities."

Tsubone explained Irumi's performance over the past three years, causing Silva's tightly furrowed brows to loosen, and the atmosphere in the room became less oppressive.

"Lord Silva, Irumi is the most talented person I have ever seen. He is likely to possess formidable strength that is not inferior to yours at a young age."

"I believe it is time to let Irumi have earlier exposure to the dark world."

"This will be beneficial for unleashing his talents and allowing him to grow quickly."

The room fell temporarily silent. Silva remained silent for a moment, looked at Tsubone, and said,

"Well then, let's test his abilities first."

"I will take him to the Sky Arena, and if he can reach the 200th level there..."

"I will let him carry out assassination missions."