Otto: Why Not?

Looking at the gentle smile on Gwen's face, perhaps because of her jumbled thoughts just now, Anna did not quite dare meet his eyes. With a grin, she ruffled Gwen's hair.

"When you reach my age, Gwen, your grades will definitely be even better than mine."

Because Anna's mission dossier contained no detailed information about Gwen, she could only judge from his height that he was around eleven or twelve years old.

"Uh... I'm actually already sixteen..."

Being patted on the head like a child by Anna, who was several years younger than even his physical age and would have been middle-school age in his previous life, made Gwen feel rather uncomfortable. He could only speak up to remind her.

"Sixteen!?"

Hearing Gwen's somewhat embarrassed words, Anna's hand suddenly froze, and the smile on her pretty face stiffened.

Drawing back her hand, Anna lowered her head and carefully examined Gwen, who was much shorter than her.

Although Anna tried her best to control her emotions and did not continue questioning him, Gwen could still feel her very obvious gaze.

"Mm, Anna, you know my health hasn't been very good. I was born weak, so I developed slowly as well.

It was only after I was rescued and brought back to headquarters, where I received treatment and conditioning, that my body recovered to its current state."

Before Anna, who seemed to have quite a lot going on in her head, could start another little inner drama, Gwen took the lead and briefly explained his situation.

After all, both his vague memories and the hospital's conclusions said the same thing, so Gwen was not exactly lying.

As for whether all of this had been deliberately arranged by that Overseer of Schicksal, who might have used him as a pawn in some experiment... whether it was some mistaken result caused by Otto's handiwork, what did that have to do with Gwen?

"Mm..."

Hearing Gwen's perfectly reasonable explanation and looking at the handsome youth before her, whose face still wore a warm smile, Anna suddenly felt that this boy, whose head she could so easily pat, had become taller in an instant—

Regardless of his body, being able to calmly, even smilingly, speak of his own physical shortcomings was itself tremendous courage. It represented great strength of spirit.

Seeing Gwen's resolve, all kinds of worries in Anna's heart vanished. Her long legs, wrapped in white stockings, bent slightly as she crouched down and said with a smile,

"Modern biological research shows that boys generally enter their growth period a little later, and it does not end until their twenties.

As long as you maintain a balanced diet, exercise actively, and get enough sleep, Gwen, I'm sure you'll grow taller."

"Mm..."

With two cheat abilities at his side, Gwen believed he would not be troubled by something as trivial as his height. His response was naturally full of confidence.

And the sincere concern from the girl before him also made Gwen feel a warmth in his heart.

No matter what, getting along with a kind person always put one in a good mood.

"Mm... There's still some time before lunch, but you learn so quickly that this morning's lessons are already over...

How about we spend some time at the training grounds?"

After comforting Gwen, Anna, who was in a good mood after seeing such a strong person, stood up, glanced at the time displayed on her wristwatch, and made the suggestion.

As Anna rose, the slight wrinkles that had formed on the white stockings over her legs from crouching disappeared. Under the bright sunlight, they took on a faint golden sheen, looking exceptionally smooth and soft, enough to make one want to reach out and touch them.

"I'll listen to you, Anna..."

His gaze swept politely over that sight before naturally moving up to meet Anna's eyes. Gwen nodded slightly without objecting.

Or rather... he was looking forward to it.

Though he did not say it aloud, Gwen was also dissatisfied with this frail body, which could not even lift anything slightly heavy, and desperately hoped to train it up.

"Mm, let's go."

Anna nodded, moving her long, toned legs as she led Gwen toward the training grounds.

"Today, we'll first learn how to use some of the equipment. Don't rush into training.

You have to know that Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither can physical training be completed in a single day.

Only after you master the essentials of training and put in hard work and sweat can you reap final success."

Anna could somewhat understand the desire of a reserve trainee like Gwen to train and grow stronger. She herself was still at this stage, so she hoped Gwen would not rush for results—

Anna had seen many cases in the files of people who had overtrained and left themselves riddled with injuries.

If possible, Anna did not want Gwen to end up in that situation too.

"I understand."

Gwen nodded and answered solemnly.

Very soon, the two arrived at the nearest training grounds.

Since Gwen had only just started, they remained in the outermost area, where much of the equipment was the sort one could see in any ordinary gym. They began with the basics.

Anna had already wanted to be conscientious, and with the many good impressions she had of Gwen, she naturally taught him with even greater care.

And Gwen, with his powerful mental strength, learned at an astonishing pace whenever he focused.

Amid the girl's gentle yet serious voice, time passed bit by bit.

By the time Gwen had basically familiarized himself with the usage and training points of every piece of equipment in the area, noon had quietly arrived, and his stomach sent him a hungry reminder.

"Growl~"

Hearing the sound coming from his own body, the smile on Gwen's face, which had just been there because his learning was going smoothly, instantly froze. Meanwhile, Anna's smile gained a hint of teasing amusement.

"Ahem..."

Coughing strategically to conceal his embarrassment, Gwen forced himself to stay composed and said,

"It's lunchtime. Do you have plans, Anna?"

"Mm, it is time for lunch..."

Anna nodded in agreement.

Although she had not intended to tease Gwen, the corners of Anna's lips simply would not stay down. In the end, she smiled and asked,

"I don't have plans to eat lunch with anyone today. Gwen, are you planning to treat your diligent instructor?"

"With the money I have on hand, I can't afford anything too nice. I can only treat you to an ordinary lunch.

So if you want a reward, Instructor, you'll first have to work hard to make sure your student turns out well..."

Hearing the teasing in Anna's words, Gwen joked back with her.

"It seems... that even if it's only for my reward meal, I'll have to train you well from now on, my dear trainee Gwen..."

Anna said in a deliberately stern voice.

Yet even as she said that, the curve of the girl's lips rose a little higher...

Chapter 24: Otto: Why Not?

After having a simple lunch with Anna at noon, Gwen parted ways with her and returned home.

Before beginning his afternoon classes, Gwen still had an hour and a half of nap time.

He had barely gotten home and had not even had time to sit down for a drink of water when he received a message notification.

Taking out his terminal and checking it, Gwen found that it was a message from You Lan Dai Er—

"How has your morning been? Is there anything you don't understand?

If you need it, I can come over and explain it to you in person."

Looking at the simple words on the screen, Gwen could practically see through it the blonde girl staring intently at her terminal, ready to grab her clothes and head out at any moment.

"It was a very fulfilling morning. Anna's explanations were excellent. I've memorized and understood all of it, and with the remaining time, I also learned how to use some basic training equipment."

A smile played on his lips as Gwen quickly replied to You Lan Dai Er.

"OK!"

Sending Gwen a laughing emoji, You Lan Dai Er said,

"Then I won't come over and disturb you. Time is limited, so take a quick rest. You should still have classes this afternoon."

"Mm, good afternoon, Bianca."

Gwen typed out his greeting with a smile.

In You Lan Dai Er's bedroom, You Lan Dai Er had just returned to her bed from its side when she received the message. Smiling, she typed, "Good afternoon, Gwen," then placed her terminal by the bedside, pulled over a thin blanket, and began her nap.

Although Anna being Gwen's instructor surprised You Lan Dai Er slightly, it also completely reassured her. Anna's theoretical knowledge would pose no problem in helping Gwen get started.

On the other side, after receiving You Lan Dai Er's reply, the curve of Gwen's lips grew a little wider.

After drinking a glass of water and replying with an acknowledgement emoji to Anna, who had told him she was home, Gwen happily lay down on his bed. Smiling, he closed his eyes, his breathing steady, as though he had already fallen asleep.

In reality, after closing his eyes, Gwen brought up his system and began looking it over.

Though this life of gradually growing stronger in the company of beautiful girls was indeed intoxicating, Gwen always remembered the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, named Otto.

Before he possessed the power to withstand the strongest force Otto could mobilize, or even before eliminating the hidden danger of Otto causing trouble, Gwen had to constantly remind himself that he could not relax yet.

If he carelessly immersed himself in the comfortable life before him, then the fate of the tuna in the story would become his own warning.

Perhaps his situation would be even worse.

After all, as the core of the Sirin Project, Otto would not be willing to let Kiana die.

But Gwen... did not believe he held such an important position in Otto's eyes.

Glancing at the Chat Group, which still contained only himself, Gwen sighed inwardly despite having been mentally prepared, then opened his ability stats panel.

Seeing the pitiful values displayed there aside from his mental strength, Gwen once again deeply recognized the essence of his own weakness and cast the tiny bit of comfort born from life's pleasantness far out of his mind.

As for why, despite having obtained mystical cultivation techniques from another world and successfully cultivated them after receiving empowerment, the energy system at the bottom still displayed only "None," Gwen had some guesses—

The so-called energy system perhaps referred to a system with a certain internal logic, one that at least had relatively clear classifications of levels and conditions for advancement.

By that standard, it was not difficult to understand why his energy system still displayed "None"—

Although the Spirit Awakening Scripture was indeed miraculous, it was ultimately only a part dependent on the power system of its original world. It could not be counted as a complete energy system on its own.

Of course, it was also possible that the leveling system had categorized it under mental strength rather than the energy system.

As he pondered this, Gwen gradually fell asleep, and his exhausted body relaxed during this rare period of rest—

Although Gwen could easily understand and memorize what Anna taught through his powerful mental strength, his frail body did not have it so easy. Or rather, it was under quite a burden and badly needed rest...

Meanwhile, in the office of the Overseer of Schicksal, Otto stared intently at the image of Gwen studying seriously, lost in thought.

"If this image got out, it could be given the title 'The Overseer and the Little Boy'..."

Void Archives, whose mute had ended, spoke up to "remind" Otto as it watched him.

Originally, Void Archives, which had gradually taken on Otto's shape, had not been so talkative.

However, perhaps because Otto now had a new focus of attention, Void Archives had also become somewhat more lively.

"Void Archives, are you reminding me that I can revoke your limited internet browsing privileges too?"

Otto came back to his senses, folded his arms, and retorted.

Otto, who regularly played Kallen Fantasy and knew modern entertainment culture quite well, naturally understood what Void Archives meant.

"You can certainly do that."

Void Archives seemed not to care about Otto's threat. A faint smile colored its voice.

"However, I'm still looking forward to seeing what you can make of this fine son of yours.

Could our respected Welt the Third be about to take the throne?"

"Welt the Second has already proven that without that talent, even obtaining the Core does not make one a true Herrscher."

Otto neither confirmed nor denied it, showing little interest.

"And if one cannot truly wield that power, then possessing a Herrscher Core is only a burden and a threat."

If Otto had still been wary of Anti-Entropy's Welt before the millennium, then after the Second Honkai War, once he had figured out Welt's limits, Otto no longer regarded him as a threat.

"But without power, he will ultimately be like duckweed without roots in this world, liable to be overturned at any time."

Void Archives seemed extremely interested in what Otto was planning to do and kindly "reminded" him.

"That is why I will give him the best resources and the best upbringing..."

Otto did not reveal his plans to Void Archives, which was itching with curiosity.