It’s finally Saturday. This first week was both boring in the morning except for monster studies.
The worst class though was reinforced PE. It seems it's only a class for unique children like me so I was the only one. The location is outside on the field between the school and forest. When I got there I waited a while on the first day before the teacher came and boy did she come in style.
Out of nowhere a shadow jumped out at me from the forest and crossed the distance before I could even react and threw a punch which I barely dodged.
It buried its fist in the ground making a 10 meter wide crater and leaving me trembling and pale like a ghost.
I lost complete control of my body after jumping back out of fear, making my body hit the ground, and only when I saw who it was did I realize why. Standing while smirking was the demonic amazon that trained me the three years after I was reborn in this world.
“M-Master Be-Bellado-dona, wha-what are you doing here?!” I asked, still trembling on the ground.
Having felt my fear from our link, my pets appeared by instinct because I couldn’t summon them. Shame though that as soon as they saw the reason they cowered before the amazon.
“Hehe, good. It seems the fear I instilled in you is still kicking. Well, I'm not going to be so nice from now on kiddies.” She was grinning like the devil and we could only shrink as we helplessly squirmed backwards trying to get away.
Sadly it seems we won’t get away ever from this demon.
The first thing she did on the first day was to get an authorization to use unorthodox methods to train me because of my body. Not only that, she gained extra authorization so that Peach, Glop and Rama could stay summoned on school grounds and even in class. This info has already been handed to all teachers.
First thing she did was to have the slimes transform into their demi human form. She then put magic cuffs on their neck, wrists and ankles. These kept the slimes from reverting back to bubble shape as well as act like gravity weights. For Rama he gained riding harnesses that were painfully heavy. Lastly for me, I had new bracelets put on and these can’t come off whatever I do. I wouldn’t be allowed to take them off even when I sleep.
She then dropped three wooden swords on the ground.
“You three, pick those up.” She commanded with killing intent. “You will do 100 vertical swings, 100 horizontal swings, 100 diagonal swings from the left to right and 100 going to the opposite. GET TO WORK NOW!” She yelled making the slimes and I grab them quickly and started swinging only to receive a hit to the head and she showed us the proper pose.
She then turned to Rama and pulled out a 5 kilograms rock and tied it around this waist.
“Fox, run once around the field and return here, you can’t stop or you will run another.” She said that in a tone just as deadly as she did for us, and Rama quickly ran away and started to circle the field.
From there we received instructions that we should train one hour like this after our last class and then I was free to go.
Now getting up from bed I coat my entire body with mana so I could lift myself up. Around my neck fell the now thumb sized dungeon heart bud.
As you can guess, with my mana capacity I can feed it a lot. Like everyone that has one, we feed all our mana to the dungeon heart before going to sleep where it’s the time of least interference to our lives. The day after I made the bud, the dungeoneering teacher came early in the morning to confirm it and was shocked to see me with it. She did bring a special belt that would hold the gem even as it grows. It is fully grown when the bud is the size of a handball. About 10 cm in diameter is the end result.
Normally it would take about two and a half months for normal children with the regular mana capacity of around 800-1000 to reach max size. For really talented kids and elves it’s about a month and a half since they had less than 2000mp.
And for the top five broken kids. The teacher estimated that Nova and Stephanie will be first and will complete it next week. Followed by the remaining three the week after.
Because of this fact the dungeoneering teacher is working feverishly to try and change my class or add it to my curriculum.
What negotiation that came from it was that the alchemist teacher wouldn’t care if I changed from his class as long as I produced dungeon herbs and products that have been running low since the end of the year when everyone had to bring down the dungeons.
I simply sighed when I heard the results but since I didn’t really care about the alchemy class I accepted it. But instead of dungeon herbs I traded one of the three herbal slimes I had with the professor and taught him how to produce the herbal extract. From there he was free to experiment.
With that I was out of alchemy class and in dungeoneering now. And here I thought I would at least get the basics but from the looks of it that isn’t happening.
Well, with the weekend on us I wash up and put one of my sundresses on with a small light blue hairband. The dress went down to my knees but even then I wasn’t going with just that so I put a pair of loose jean shorts under.
Kumi was already gone so she was eating already so I simply left with half broken pets in tow.
We sluggishly walked out and went to the dining hall. I first go to the table the others are on and pull out a bowl for Rama and drop his food.
The others saw how tired we were especially when the normally vigorous slimes sat down without changing into slimes and let their heads hit the table with a resounding ‘Thump’
“Woah! What are you guys doing to make even slimes tired?’ Asher asked with a worried look on his face.
I simply fed Rama and went to grab my food before returning and letting my weight drop.
“Show all those on this table last week’s stats increase.” I said in a monotone voice and started to eat. What appeared for everyone was a series of stat’s updates from me.
In total, that amazon demon trained me so hard that even my normally slow growth experienced a boom. Last week I gained 5 strength, 7 agility and skill for sword mastery.
“Kuroko… what are you ...doing in that… reinforcement PE class?” Stephanie asked slowly while a bit of sweat began to form on her forehead.
“Running with five kilo rocks tied to my waist which becomes fifteen kilo because of the gravity weights. Swinging sword 100 times each in vertical, horizontal, diagonally from left to right and opposite direction.” I replied with an empty voice and continued eating.
Everyone swallowed hard and sweat was falling as they imagined the tortuous training.
As I'm close to finishing the food, the demon arrived. She looked around and grinned when she saw me, making a chill run down my spine as well as making Rama and the slimes jump and hide behind me.
Everyone was startled at their reaction and looked towards the amazon that was coming this way with a gentle smile.
“Good evening kids. How is everyone? My name is Belladona Gotev and I am Kuroko’s reinforcement PE teacher.’ She said with the warmest smile.
Everyone looked in wonder how such a gentle person was making me so pale that it looked like I was drained of blood.
“Um… Miss. Gotev, what did you do to Kuroko to make her like this?” Asher asked curiously as he saw me pale and only getting worse after he asked. I looked at him as tears began to form.
“If you want to know you can participate today, I bet you kids could gain a lot especially the sword users.” She replied with a smile. It was a small smile but to me that was the smile of a snake trying to reel in new victims. “Will you come with us Kuroko?” She said, looking at me.
“I… was going to rest. I need to rest… or my body won’t be able to take the stress from training.” I replied in a weak tone.
This made the amazon tilt her head and think before she nodded understanding. This was the only good part about her. She knew how to recognize the proper line she can and can’t cross. I was also telling the truth about the rest.
Even now, to eat my food, I was drinking a juice made to help my recovery speed, fruit juice with herbal slime extract. What is cruel though is that I only get the weekend for this and yet it’s only half way since I still need to wear the weights.
“Still, would you come with us? It wouldn’t be any fun being alone right?” She said, trying to hook me into this.
“Kuroko, come on, just to watch it shouldn’t be too much right?” Emily said, helping Belladona with her ignorance.
“I’ll go… as long as I know I will get to rest.” I said in a serious tone of a negotiator which kind of took the others by surprise.
“Done, while I show these kids what I teach you, you can learn by watching from the outside. It’s a win-win.” She said, smiling brightly.
I simply turned to my food and finished it while the others talked. She told them what I did but they were having a real hard time believing. I really pitied them if she made them actually do it.
The other kids from rank 10 and on were also interested but didn’t come along because they were busy. Lucky them. Only up to rank 9 were unfortunate enough to get hooked in.
After we finished breakfast we all left. We headed to the field of nightmares that mysteriously had gear set for at least twenty.
I walk over to the nearby trees and sit down with Rama behind me and me resting on his side with the slimes right next to me.
The three went to sleep and I lay down there. The rest were taken to the field and when they got there, the devil smiled on them.
With a single snap of her finger a light barrier was built around the field and in an instant she had the gravity weights on them which pulled them down to their knees.
I could only sigh as I saw their panicked faces. The weights are all made to accompany your strength. An example for this is like this.
Take a player for example. A human begins with 10 strength. This is a base for all normal humans. At this strength the regular amount of weight a person can carry is about 15 kilos when you put force in.
Since this extra weight is dropped on your body you need to put force so that is obvious. Eventually you will gain strength from this and the impact that 15 kilos has on your body will get weaker until it becomes light.
What these infernal weights do on the other hand is multiply the weight of our body. The enchantment it possesses makes the gravity holding our body three times heavier but once our strength can handle that the enchantment changes.
This normally happens at about 25 strength. It will change to ‘The weight is at the limit you can carry while still being able to move and work.’
For me, I have yet to reach this because I only have 24 strength after training with Master Belladona. This demon will definitely make monsters out of anyone she seriously trains. I guess that is why she was brought here just for me. If I didn’t train with her, I would be left behind in the physical department.
“God did say I wouldn’t gain strength through normal means so I guess it was why I met her… Damn you god! WHY DO I HAVE TO SUFFER FROM HER!!” I shout mentally
Well for now I watch this demon have all of them stand for starters. With all of them having more than 25 strength, their weight was as I said before so they are at the limit weight where they could move.
Then it began with anyone with pets having to summon them and the poor pets were subjected to the same torture. Any animals were made to run and the slimes with human form were made to train.
It was rather sad but even then I continued to watch their training. Specifically Asher and Owen. The two were already experienced with the use of the sword so when they needed to do the sword slashes they took up a natural pose. Not once has Belladona-sensei corrected them.
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Their stance reminds me of a kendo swordsman I saw in anime. In the relaxed position, the right leg is just a little forward with both arms lifted partially with both hands holding the sword.
It was a purely neutral pose that allowed them to shift to quickly do whatever they wanted, like guard, attack, thrust, etc.
I saw several things I haven’t done when I watched them because of the fear I had of my demonic teacher.
I sit up and tilt my head while I look at them. Before, I never did kendo but boxing and Muay Thai. I would prefer to use that than a sword since I was already used to it.
I watch their struggles and out of curiosity I get up and pull my practice sword out and copy Asher’s movements and pose. After several adjustments on my own I get a message
Swords Mastery has leveled up to Basic Level 3
I blink several times with my jaw hanging. “Is it that easy to raise my level.” I thought in surprise.
I took monster beating from master but even then I couldn’t get the forms properly. Why is it that now that I am looking from far and leveling up simply by copying. I frown and put the sword away and summon glove slimes from Peach’s set and have them put on my hands.
I walked over to a tree and took a boxing pose and began doing the regular boxing hoping to be ready to move and began to punch.
I experimented with all the punches I knew and as soon as I tested the last one it appeared.
Hand to Hand Combat learned
Hand to Hand Combat
Basic lvl 1
You know how to use your own hands as weapons to fight with.
Damage when using fists will increase by 5%
Sub skill: Boxing Learned
Sub skill: Boxing
Basic lvl 6
A form of hand to hand combat. This martial art was developed focusing mainly on the arms strength and punches.
Increases punching power by 14%
I guess it’s true. My real world skill was transferred over. That means that Muay Thai is the same.
I summon leg guard mimics and arm myself and start going through basic forms which is what I can only do thanks to this body's flexibility. Still it gets the job done.
Sub skill: Muay Thai learned
Sub skill: Muay Thai
Basic lvl 5
An art of martial arts that focuses on kicks, clinches and some strikes. This martial art focuses mainly on kicks as its main fighting style but does have other forms.
As I smile I turn around and instantly bump into my greatest nightmare.
“Kuroko~!” She said, dragging my name. “What were you just doing?” She asked in the deadliest tone I ever heard in my life.
Behind her the others were looking my way with pity.
“I-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i…” My voice was trapped because of the massive amount of killing intent I was feeling and made me want to faint already. When I started to collapse it seems she saw her mistake and killed the pressure while putting me down next to my pets who I instinctively hugged and hid behind.
She sighed and saw that she screwed things up and returned to the field leaving me alone.
The terror I felt was so great that I kept hiding my face in Rama’s fur for a long time until I finally calmed down and sat up.
I saw everyone was sitting nearby exhausted but eating so I stood up and walked over. Belladona wasn’t there so I was able to calmly walk over.
“Are you alright Kuroko?” Margaret asked while eating some cookies.
“Yeah, mostly. Master released her killing intent to max power so I couldn’t handle it.” I said as I shivered, remembering that.
Emily holds out a small box with some biscuits and a cup of tea. I took both and noticed that my hand was still trembling so I held the cup with both hands.
“Wo~~w! I really hope I never feel her killing intent at that intensity.” Kumi said with a face that showed her fear of the teacher.
Though I wasn't someone who drank tea before, mainly because I didn't like it, I didn't resist this one since the herbs used in it helped calm the nerves and relax the muscles. It had a less than desired scent though but thankfully it wasn't cinnamon.
Having calmed down I looked up and saw it was still early morning. Around nine o clock. “It's quite early. I thought master would have worked with you guys longer?” I said, inquiring about the demonic teacher.
“She said since we weren't having a class and more of a demonstration we only worked one hour and we were free. It was you who stayed with your face buried in Rama for an extra hour.” Owen said in a matter of fact tone.
“Is that so? Anyway, what are you guys planning for today?” I asked to get away from this topic.
“We were going to explore the city part of the school grounds. We can leave but only about five blocks out of campus.” Stephanie said in a cheerful tone.
“I was hoping to get some dragon spice candies. Those are so sweet~~!” Nova said with a blissful look but everyone was the complete opposite.
As she said, they are spice candies. For a draconian or dragonoid they are sweet since the fruits used to make them are a natural delicacy for the fire dragonoid and draconian. For other subspecies it's all different types each devised to their taste.
Put simply it is candy only for them. If someone who can't handle it eats this candy. At least a second degree burn is guaranteed.
“Urh...I think I'll pass on testing my courage with that candy.” I said holding my stomach.
The others nodded and did the same thing. It seems everyone here is a comrade in pain.
Yep, it's an unfortunate natural curiosity of a child to try it even when someone says not to. The burn for me was luckily only as far as second degree because I quickly covered my insides with mana after feeling the spice. It was an instinctive response which I can't repeat yet. Still after that I spent three days with diarrhea and could do nothing to stop the burns of the spice from spreading.
It was the worst experience in my life. The royalties even say that when someone isn't compliant enough during an interrogation, forcing them to eat this candy is used as a viable torture technique.
Still we are done, we get up and leave. Like always, through suggestions from both my tamer teacher and master Belladona, I ride on Rama so he can build up his strength.
He has grown tremendously in a single week and is surpassing peach in speed already while being just below in strength. The slimes unwillingly learned the sword mastery skill like me but it was good they did.
Anyway with me laying down on his back we walk out of the campus and start exploring. The area around the school was quite diverse. Shops for school materials, clothes, food and all were around.
Pet shops were few, they have small pets, dogs and cats, but no wilder animals that can be trained for combat.
Still a good tamer can make it a combat pet.
What was really interesting was the shop we were in now.
At the border edge of where we were allowed to go. The shop 'Dan's Dungeon shop, Tools of the Trade'. As you can tell the shop holds tools used for dungeoneering.
From what I have learned in dungeoneering class. This world's system for dungeoneering is a bit different from others.
In fanfictions I read about dungeons from their pov. The dungeon uses mana to expand the dungeon and make the layouts different. In this world though, that only happens for greater dungeons. New ones use the minions it captures to chip away at the walls, expanding it while it spawns or captures monsters.
Also, dungeons in this world contain complete ecosystems which are different from other games, here the dungeon monsters survive from hunting other inhabitants or invaders. Unlike other games where the dungeon monsters survive off mana, this world makes it this way so that they would have to hunt to survive as well as get stronger.
For artificial dungeons it’s even more predominant. We can supply the dungeon with mana but we also need to supply the monster or knowledge of it. This knowledge is things like identifying a beast you encounter or bringing a dead corpse into the dungeon.
For me, my dungeon would only summon slimes, rabbits, fox, wolves and bear since that is all I have seen since I came to this world.
The slimes and fox would probably be the main species because my knowledge of them is greater.
In the shop we could find many types of mining tools. By mining tools I mean pickaxes. For quadrupeds there were special metal claws that would protect the animal while digging.
Any basic dungeon would have at least basic animals to dig for them so as I am currently is alright for now, but in the long run I would fall behind the five royalties who all train in the royal dungeon.
Still, monster studies are here to supplement the knowledge we have so we don't need to worry.
Anyway, we just look around for a while at the many tools and seeds for herbs and such that flourish in the dungeon before leaving.
At noon we return to the school to eat. Afterwards, we spent some time near the forest in the shade of the trees sharing what we learned and helping each other.
It got boring quick though and Owen and Asher decided to spar and took to the field to do it. They held back a lot but it’s still above regular human status.
After about ten minutes of watching Margaret came to me with a question.
“Hey Kuroko, how is it that you can control your mana so naturally and be able to use a mana coat better than me? I've trained since I was four to use what I can you know” She asked with a questioning gaze.
“I've been able to use it since I was five. I have some strange memories of the people I don’t know but I don't know how I woke up in Elunia. I already had the ability to control mana and to use mana coat.” I replied half truthfully.
She frowns a bit hearing another of my cheats. I bet it kind of hurt when I out did her so splendidly using the same thing she did.
She sat down next to me and held her chin while thinking deeply.
While I looked at her in the corner of my eye, the elves caught my eye and then an evil glint appeared in my eye. I slowly cover my hands with mana. I turned to the focused redhead and quicker than she could react I put my right-hand on her chin and the left on her head and started patting.
“Wha-what are you ahhhhh… Stop~~!” She shouted with her rapidly weakening strength.
I grinned at how impressively dangerous petting was. I saw the two elves grinning evilly and suddenly I had a bad premonition and I stopped with the redhead.
The two elves flashed their pearly white teeth and a devilish grin that made us both, me and the red girl sweat buckets. I instantly covered my whole body in mana and dropping the redhead I ran away as fast as I could.
My leaps covered several meters in a single bound each but out of nowhere the elf princess appeared before me and caught me mid lunge. Her devilish fingers instantly began to work and my strength vanished.
“Fufufu, escape is f-u-t-i-l-e. I played with all the maids in the castle. When we began I would never catch them but I went out of my way to learn short distance teleportation just for this. Since then, no one can escape me.” She said with a grin.
Her mana covered fingers worked their magic and took my strength away. I even lost control of my mana so I can't resist.
When I looked, the redhead was already being petted by Emily. The others looked at us shocked but the elves just kept petting away making us melt in their hands.
After satisfying themselves and leaving us weak on the ground they sat smiling. The others had a solemn look at them with the same thought on their mind. “This is dangerous. Let's leave the two for them and not touch on this subject.”
If I knew about this thought I would have wanted to beat them so hard for thinking this. Sadly I didn’t so I could only suffer.
Well after we regained our strength and hiding behind Rama we discussed a few other things.
The rest of the day we did classwork, studied together and then finally went to sleep. The last thing we all did was load up the rapidly growing dungeon heart bud that was in the necklace.
***
In an unknown realm overlooking the game world, many gods look down upon the world.
Of them, five in particular sit down near the front. They are the five gods that blessed the royal families.
The first one was the human goddess that blessed Elunia, the goddess Mona, she was a well endowed woman with a perfect figure that wore a loose sleeveless dress that allowed her cleavage to be seen. She had fair skin and brown hair. She is known as the Goddess of beauty and love.
To her left was the elf goddess that blessed Arbor Incola, The goddess Dian. She had long green hair that sparked as if stars were in her hair. Her beauty could be said to equal if not surpass the goddess of beauty but her figure was much thinner like the elves. She wore a similar dress as Mona since most gods use similar clothing as the ancient Romans did.
To Mona’s right was a cold man with white pale skin and all pure black eyes and hair. Unlike the woman, that still used the old garbs he wore a full black suit and tie looking like a rich businessman that held himself in great power. This man was the demon god who blessed Aurelia, The god Dorian.
Sitting next to him was a large man. His muscles seem to ripple through the thin shirt. Looking like a heavy body builder this man was the beastman god. On his head sat two brown wolf ears that showed him as a wolf beastman before ascending to godhood. This was the beastman god that blessed Werebestia, the god Klaus.
Lastly on the final seat, a child who has a grand resemblance to Kuroko sat. Small as the eight year old with long silver hair that went down near her feet, she wore a single white dress that went to the knees. What made her look different was the strange wings where her ears would be. She was of an extinct human subrace known as High Humans. This child's name was Karie and she was the goddess that blessed the old royal family of Monville.
The gods were assembled because of the awakening of nearly all the blessings.
“So, four of the five are already awake.” Mona said as they looked down into a pool of water that reflected the world below.
The image it’s showing was the island the gods made a long time ago.
“Karie, did your blessing die off? It would be a shame if it did because then there would be no fighting “it” ’ Dian said while giggling at the child goddess.
“Don’t tease her. You will make the brat cry again. It’s not her fault the humans were too stupid to kill off such a bloodline just because the blessing wasn’t manifesting.” Klaus said in an equally mocking tone as the elf goddess.
Karie and Dorian were the only two that actually focused on the image.
“What are you looking at brat?! The island holds our blessed children. I don't get why you are even here when it doesn't involve you who has no blessed bloodline anymore.” Mona yelled insulting the child.
“Quiet you horny bitch. The kid has all the right to be here because her bloodline lives as does ours.” Dorian said which shocked the three others.
Unlike them who never turned an eye towards the girl to even see her. He looked and saw her body.
The thing was that a god required someone with their blessing to grow. They have a similar look to the one with the blessing but they stop growing and stabilize their form when the child reaches adulthood. This is why the god of the demons defended the child.
“Thanks… Dorian. You three are idiots.” Karie said after a long silence.
It was then that the three finally took a look at the child. They finally realized what Dorian meant. Her bloodline lived and she grew as the blessing grew closer to awakening.
“I hope they will remain safe until it’s time… especially her. My last child.” She said.
Every god was wide eyed and looked down at the world, at the five sleeping children who knew nothing of what was to come. A disaster that was prophesied since the players first came to our world.