"Who told you not to leave me any hot water? Who told you not to leave me any hot water? Who told you..."
Inside the room, Carl wore an indignant expression as she performed a rear naked choke from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu on Hopp.
Her entire body was wrapped around Hopp from behind. Her legs encircled Hopp from the rear, and she used both feet to pin Hopp's hips, forcing her legs apart so she could not close them.
Both arms were locked around Hopp's neck. Each time Carl repeated her complaint, she exerted force all over and stretched Hopp's body.
Whenever Carl tightened her hold, Hopp in her arms would roll her eyes back, open her mouth, and stick out her tongue.
Hopp's hands weakly clawed at Carl's arms. Rather than stopping Carl, she looked more like she was tickling her.
This continued for a long time, until psionic energy began to ripple around Carl. Only then did she finally release her.
Hopp and the wooden cabin immediately turned into illusory shadows and faded away, while the surrounding environment returned to the default state of the second layer of the Dream World.
"Phew... I accidentally did something like that in the Dream World. It seems that without psionic energy to rein in my thoughts, my consciousness is still easily controlled by my emotions. I need to train more!"
Covering her forehead, Carl rose from the ground and, like a normal man who had just attained sagehood, reflected on her behavior moments earlier.
The moment she had entered the second layer of the Dream World, the lingering resentment she had felt toward Hopp before going to sleep had projected the scene from earlier, giving Carl a chance to "take revenge" on Hopp.
Carl could have used psionic energy to calm herself directly, but she had not done so.
"Next time I enter the Dream World, I should get used to the first layer before going deeper. My self-control still isn't strong enough to resist the temptation to do whatever I want."
As the master of this Dream World, Carl could always make her wishes come true within it.
Anything within the scope of her understanding could be manifested by her.
Especially in the second layer of the Dream World, where the realistic physics engine made everything seem extraordinarily real.
If she wanted to, she could even create the famous actresses from her previous life here and spend every night indulging with them.
Its tendency to make users become addicted and fall into depravity was probably the only drawback of this cheat derived from a Mind Flayer Tadpole.
No, putting it that way might be shirking responsibility. A cheat was merely a cheat.
The one with the flaw was actually Carl.
"Looks like I'll have to focus on strengthening my state of mind when I get the chance. How did the warrior monks in the monastery do it again?"
Muttering to herself, Carl created an illusion of Hopp in the Dream World and prepared to begin combat training.
Perhaps influenced by the scene from earlier, the two newly created Hopp illusions were extremely enthusiastic about close-quarters combat.
They even abandoned their Hand Axes and instead used the techniques Carl had employed earlier to deal with her.
"Unarmed combat? I remember there was a feat specifically for that, too."
Carl was distracted for only a few seconds, but the illusion opposite her seized the opportunity, lowered her body, and charged at Carl.
An entirely unrestrained straight punch shot toward her face, but Carl blocked it with her left hand.
Just as Carl was secretly pleased, thinking she was no longer the same amateur as before, the other illusion directly raised her red-clad leg and hooked it around Carl's neck.
Holy shit! Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!
The instant this thought appeared in her mind, Hopp's illusion twisted her waist. Using the thigh clamped around Carl's neck, she began performing gymnastics on her.
The combined force of centrifugal force and inertia caused Carl to lose her balance completely. By the time she reacted, she had already been thrown away.
Can these illusions level up using the combat techniques I know?
Carl rolled on the ground and quickly got back up.
Arm guards and a breastplate materialized over her body. Using the armor on her hands to grip the ground, she halted her backward momentum.
An inexplicable feeling surged through Carl's heart. She had a premonition that if she could defeat the two illusions before her, she would gain enough spirituality to advance to level 3.
"Why are you looking at me like that again?"
Early the next morning, Carl stared blankly at Hopp, who had just woken up.
Hopp lowered her head to look at what she was wearing and carefully adjusted the edge of her underwear.
"Hopp, it looks like the rain outside has stopped. How about we go out today and see if we can hunt something?"
Irritated, Carl scratched at her hair and tried to persuade Hopp to go hunting outside.
"No! We don't find prey every time we go out. If we come back empty-handed, we'll have wasted the entire day."
"Besides, didn't you say earlier that you wanted to make us both some spare clothes? Since it isn't raining today, put the remaining leather outside to dry."
Hopp shifted her body awkwardly, frowned, and opened the door.
Ever since she had torn her Leather Armor, she had been waiting for Carl to make her a new one.
She did not know whether it was because of her regular diet and sufficient sleep, but she felt that her body had been developing rapidly lately.
Her hips in particular had to bear the weight of her tail, and she felt that they were becoming more and more prominent.
If this continues, I might not even be able to wear my current underwear.
Looking at the briefs that had gradually become low-waisted because of her physical development, Hopp felt her face grow hot.
"Sigh... All right, then."
Seeing that Hopp refused, Carl could only abandon the idea.
Every hunt outside carried risks. Before the two of them had enough ways to save their lives, they really should reduce the frequency of their outings as much as possible.
But it's so frustrating. I was beaten that badly by Hopp's illusions, and I was clearly just one step away from advancing to level 3...
Carl skillfully took out some lizard steaks, and she and Hopp prepared breakfast as usual.
Seeing Carl looking so troubled, Hopp sighed and took the initiative to suggest,
"How about we do some practical combat training outside later? Since you think ordinary training accumulates spirituality too slowly, we can switch to actual combat. But if your clothes get dirty later, you have to wash mine!"
Like training, practical combat that did not aim to kill one's opponent could also allow someone to gain spirituality.
Hopp's suggestion made Carl's eyes light up, and she immediately nodded in agreement.
If she had still been far from reaching level 3, Carl would not have been so anxious.
But she could clearly feel that she was only one final step away from level 3.
That was the most torturous part.
After the meal, Carl and Hopp stripped down to their underclothes and prepared for a close-quarters practical training session.
The surface of the Petrified Mushroom had not become slippery despite the rain these past few days. On the contrary, when the two of them stepped onto it, it felt almost like solid concrete.
When both sides shouted "Begin" at the same time, Carl took the initiative, relying on her advantage as a spellcaster.
Without needing a spell, she directly cast Mage Hand with the help of psionic energy.
Hopp came flying toward her, but after being slightly drawn aside by the Invisible Force Field that formed a giant hand, she veered away from her original target.
Seeing this, Hopp grunted and activated Rage.
Just as she was preparing to attack again, there was a loud ripping sound, and the clothes on her body were torn apart by her expanding frame.
Her body grew rapidly, stopping only after she had reached a height of more than three meters and become as enormous as an ogre.
Seeing Carl completely dumbfounded, Hopp hurriedly covered herself.
Feeling the surging power within her body, she said hesitantly, "I think... I've reached level 3."