As they regrouped after dinner, Anyi had initially thought to let Karen ease into training without too much structure. However, after some thought, he decided they should have a hearty meal beforehand to keep everyone in top form.

They assembled on the training grounds, preparing themselves for the session.

“Mr. Layton, do you think you’ve fully understood your role?” Anyi asked, casting a probing glance at Layton. They had covered everything during the meal, but now on the training field, he wanted to ensure.

Layton nodded firmly. “I do. I want to learn how to protect my teammates.”

“Good to hear,” Anyi replied. He didn’t press Layton for details but proceeded with the rules. “Unlike our earlier training, Princess Karen will join us this time. The objective is similar—treat me as a Goblin Centurion and attack. Don’t worry too much, Princess; heroes can’t harm one another in combat.”

A flash of white light lit up Anyi’s hand as he swiftly swung his sword directly toward Ariana.

“Wow?!” Karen gasped, watching in horror as the blade appeared to slice through Ariana. But when she looked closer, she saw that the sword had vanished just before contact, leaving Ariana unscathed.

Ariana blinked, realizing that the attack hadn’t hurt at all—she hadn’t even felt it.

Anyi retracted his sword, which returned to its normal state. “Any attack that would normally cause harm won’t affect other heroes. However…”

He switched the sword to his other hand, then swung it lightly behind him, connecting with a loud “Bang!” to Ariana’s back.

“Ouch!” she cried, spinning around to punch him lightly in the chest.

Anyi smiled, explaining, “A light blow will still cause some pain, and a high-impact hit, like breaking a bone, will also be dulled down to just pain.”

Ariana rubbed her back and eyed him warily, recalling past pains. “Anyi… you didn’t experiment on us to figure this out, did you?”

Anyi answered nonchalantly, “Actually, I did.”

“You could at least try to deny it!” she exclaimed.

“I was exaggerating.”

“Oh, good…”

“Or maybe I wasn’t.”

“Anyi!”

Karen stifled a laugh, covering her mouth. This man was terrifying! But, of course, Anyi was exaggerating. He already knew these things from his previous life—no experimentation required. Not on them, at least.

Layton’s laugh broke the air. “Hahaha! Well then, let’s begin!”

“One more note,” Anyi added. “In this session, Mr. Layton and Princess Karen will be the primary fighters. Miss Miruku, try to create openings for the Holy Maiden to strike. Ariana, watch for those moments and seize them to attack me. This time, I’ll use both a greatsword and a slime sword to simulate a situation where Mr. Layton is temporarily pushed away in a real battle.” He glanced around. “Any questions?”

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Layton shook his head. “None here.”

Karen grinned. “It’s my first training. Nothing to add just yet.”

Miruku simply nodded.

Then Ariana raised her hand with excitement. “Anyi! When will you come to train as part of our team?”

“Once we have more heroes to train with,” Anyi replied casually.

“Wait… What?!” Ariana’s eyes sparkled as realization dawned. She grabbed Anyi’s sleeve in excitement. “Of course! We could set up training within the League of Heroes! We wouldn’t get hurt, and we’d be up against others our own strength!” She looked up at him, beaming. “Anyi, you’re a genius!”

Anyi shrugged. “You thought of it yourself; nothing to do with me.”

He was being honest. In his past life, it was the Holy Hero of the League of Heroes who had proposed that heroes train with one another. As for Anyi back then—he’d only faced real battles, no training. If he couldn’t win, he leveled up. If he could win, he wiped them out. No teammates, no sparring. But in this life, things were different. He wanted to help others grow.

And it was paying off. The experience they gained here would serve them well in the battles ahead.

“Before we start, let me explain the injury and death mechanism,” he said, drawing everyone’s attention. “A direct hit counts as an injury; a vital hit—like a blow to the head or a stab through the heart—counts as death. If you’re injured, just move towards the Holy Maiden for healing and then return to battle. Death ends your training session. Got it?”

“Understood!” Ariana said, brimming with excitement.

“Alright, then let’s begin.”

With that, Anyi leapt backward in one tremendous bound, clearing over a hundred meters. Layton, Miruku, and Karen retreated to position as well, and Ariana took off, running wide circles around the training ground.

“Woo woo woo woo woo woo!!!” The soldiers cheered from the sidelines like enthusiastic spectators.

“Karen, go for it!” her father, the king, bellowed from the edge of the field. Even if Karen couldn’t see him, his voice rang out clearly, filling her with determination. 'Little by little, I’ll show him what I can do,' she thought, smiling to herself.

“Boom!”

A deafening crash shook the training ground as Anyi’s greatsword slammed down, marking the start of their mock battle.

“I’ll go first!” Layton shouted, brandishing his Goblin Centurion Bone Shield. Raising it toward Anyi, he called out, “Taunt!”

It was only a simulation—Taunt couldn’t actually affect heroes. But the call to battle was real.

“Boom!” Anyi closed the distance in a single step, greatsword in hand. Layton braced himself, lifting his shield and charging in.

A heartbeat later, sword and shield collided with a mighty “Bang!!” that echoed across the grounds.

“Swish—!”

A Water Arrow whizzed from the side just as Layton and Anyi clashed. Ariana seized the pause in the fight, aiming perfectly.

Anyi shifted his footing, spinning his greatsword to knock Layton’s shield sideways—right into the path of the Water Arrow.

“Pfft!” The arrow struck Layton squarely.

“Mr. Layton, sorry!” Ariana called, still dashing in wide loops around the field.

But as she did, a faint blue monster appeared beside Anyi, its claws slashing forward. In response, Anyi’s slime sword gleamed white as he struck with a swift arc, sending Layton flying back. Using the slime's slippery coating, he dodged Miruku’s strike with a smooth glide.

Karen lunged in, her fist swinging. Anyi dismissed the slime sword, grabbed his greatsword, and crouched low, swinging it in a sweeping arc.

“Bang!”

“Ouch!” Karen yelped as she went flying, colliding with Miruku who was in mid-attack.

“Swish—!”

Another Water Arrow soared toward him, but Anyi didn’t even glance back as he swatted it aside with a flick of his hand.

The three were scattered across the training ground, and Ariana, still running in circles, looked at him helplessly.

The soldiers exchanged glances, bewildered. “What just happened?” one muttered.

This man… is too strong.

Anyi took a breath, wondering if perhaps… he was being a bit too harsh.