Training Begins

"Hm?" Zhang Ruofeng stared blankly for a full two seconds before remembering what he'd said offhandedly. He couldn't help feeling bewildered. It had only been a casual compliment—was the catgirl in the shop really smitten with him now? That shouldn't have happened. And what was with Xin Mu's expression? Jealousy? He'd never imagined seeing that look on her face.

"This is a world where the strong rule." Fura watched Zhang Ruofeng's dazed expression and couldn't help chuckling. "A Level 6 adventurer could walk out of Orario and take on an elite army from another country single-handedly, then walk away unscathed. The strongest adventurers are practically the rulers of this world. Most of them aren't interested in that sort of thing, though. It only happened once, a hundred years ago."

"What happened?" Zhang Ruofeng had no interest in getting close to other women, so when the goddess brought up something else, he hurriedly asked about it.

"Back then, a Level 5 adventurer from Odin's Familia, known as Hammer of the Earth, had his hometown massacred by an enemy country during a war between two nations. His parents were both killed. When Hammer of the Earth heard the news, he flew into a rage. He and a Level 4 adventurer he was very close to, Weeping Spear, left Orario together. In several raids, the two of them killed more than seven thousand soldiers from the warring countries, leaving their people terrified. They even forced the king of the country responsible for the massacre to come out and apologize in person. But Hammer of the Earth kept killing until he'd slain the general who'd ordered the massacre. Only then did he stop. After that, he vanished from sight. No one knew whether he'd died or gone into hiding." The goddess slowly recounted a tale she'd heard from other gods. According to the gods who'd already come down to the Lower World at the time, the Guild had even hired three Level 6 adventurers to stop Hammer of the Earth's revenge. In the end, though, they'd only made a token attempt to block him, allowing him to slip quietly out of Orario and set off the uproar that followed.

"Level 5 adventurers are really that powerful?" Zhang Ruofeng couldn't quite believe it. But the goddess wouldn't have made up the story, so he couldn't dismiss it outright. What kind of strength did it take for two people to wipe out a force of seven thousand?

"And this time of year, from late spring to late summer, is mating season for beastfolk. They're not like Amazons, who spend almost the entire year seeking out the strong to bear their children, but beastfolk have both human and animal traits, so their desires also rise during certain seasons." The goddess gave a teasing laugh. "Do you think you might have said the wrong thing just now?"

"I was wrong." Zhang Ruofeng shrugged helplessly. He thought it was absurd that someone could fall in love with him over a single compliment.

"You may not be strong yet, but don't forget the saying that clothes make the man. Since the two of us picked out that outfit for you, we must both think you look good in it. What, don't you trust your own goddess's taste?" The goddess pressed him, seeing how little attention he was paying. "And you always seem strangely insecure about yourself. Do you think you're ugly?"

"Hm? I'm just an ordinary person. I'm not ugly, but I'm not good-looking either." Zhang Ruofeng found the goddess's sudden aggressive questioning hard to handle, though something about it still felt off.

"Hmph." The goddess made no comment and quietly took a sip of the drink she'd ordered. Zhang Ruofeng had just been scolded, so he didn't dare say much. He continued sipping his lemon water in silence and went back to thinking about the training plan he'd just come up with.

The three of them left the shop in silence. Once they were outside, the goddess started chattering and teasing Xin Mu again. Xin Mu kept a cool expression, occasionally retorting and getting even with her, while Zhang Ruofeng followed behind them, still mulling over his own thoughts.

"He's turned back into a block of wood," the goddess whispered to Xin Mu. Xin Mu nodded. She and Zhang Ruofeng had both experienced mana exhaustion, but she'd passed out as soon as hers ran dry. Zhang Ruofeng, on the other hand, had forced himself to finish many tasks before dragging his shattered mind to Perman's shop. Mana exhaustion had harmed her far less than it had him. Besides, Zhang Ruofeng had never been as cold and distant as she was, so now he seemed almost sluggish. Zhang Ruofeng had often acted like this back when he was known as a monk, but now he really did seem like a block of wood.

"Never mind, never mind. We'll make Zhang Ruofeng cook something delicious for us tonight as compensation!" Fura came up with a great idea. Without even asking Zhang Ruofeng, she took Xin Mu by the hand and headed toward the market. She knew he wouldn't get lost. Just then, Zhang Ruofeng came to his senses and could only smile wryly.

After two days of rest, Zhang Ruofeng had finally returned to peak condition. The dazed look was gone, and with his status updated, his vitality and spirit were even stronger. He was now among the top fighters at Level 1. In a one-on-one fight, he could probably defeat more than half the people in all of Orario, since over eighty percent of adventurers were Level 1.

"Are you ready?" Zhang Ruofeng asked, facing Xin Mu, who had finished putting on her armor, arm guards, and elbow guards. The two of them stood no more than ten steps apart. Zhang Ruofeng wore no protective gear at all.

"I'm ready." As soon as Xin Mu finished speaking, Zhang Ruofeng sprang forward. They'd already agreed to practice fighting. He would teach Xin Mu some close-combat techniques to protect herself and help her develop her battle instincts. When it came to fighting, she was a complete novice.

"Whoosh, whoosh!" Zhang Ruofeng heard the rush of air coming straight at him. Xin Mu had thrown two wooden daggers. He slammed on the brakes and pitched his body forward, letting the blades fly over his head. The speed of the daggers she'd thrown now shocked him. His plan to tank their impact and reach Xin Mu more quickly had failed. Her daggers were far faster than he'd expected. Even though they were wooden, getting hit by one would still hurt like hell.

"Whoosh!" Zhang Ruofeng heard the rush of air again. He knew Xin Mu had aimed at the spot where he'd stopped and thrown another dagger. Leaning forward as he was, he couldn't easily dodge it, so he gritted his teeth and charged straight ahead. Xin Mu had already prepared to throw another dagger, but a flicker of panic crossed her face. His refusal to dodge as she'd expected had disrupted the angle she'd set herself up to throw from.

"Five steps." Zhang Ruofeng silently counted the distance between them, readying himself to charge forward again.