"After-School Tutoring"

"Huff... huff..."

Bai Ye lay prone on the ground, gasping for breath. Over the past hour, he had been brutally killed more than a thousand times in a row by a madwoman clad in silver armor.

Yes, it had been a massacre. He had not had the slightest chance to fight back.

The woman's sword was too fast. Bai Ye simply could not catch her movements. He was killed again and again, revived, then killed once more, trapped in an endless cycle of death.

Dead, dead, dead, dead...

In this space, Bai Ye would not truly die. After being killed, he would lose consciousness before reviving again. Yet he could still feel the pain and helplessness of nearing death, though most of the time, he died rather peacefully.

The madwoman gave him no chance to catch his breath. Another sword thrust came at him.

Bai Ye did not raise a hand to block it. First, the madwoman's sword was sharp enough to slice through his arm without effort. Second, he could not see the sword's trajectory at all... emmmm, all right, the latter was the main point.

Bai Ye clenched his fists. This time, he neither dodged nor begged or cursed. He simply charged toward the direction from which the silver-armored girl's sword was slashing down.

"Pfft—"

Under the girl's astonished gaze, the blade pierced Bai Ye's body, but it successfully came to a stop.

"You... don't... go too far!"

Bai Ye's delicate face twisted in pain, fine beads of sweat covering his pale forehead, yet he reached out and grabbed the sharp blade.

"Ugh—"

Blood trickled down the blade. Bai Ye yanked hard, driving the sword deeper into himself, but bringing himself closer to the silver-armored girl.

Bai Ye raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist. The boy moved slowly because a sword was lodged in his body.

The next second, Bai Ye threw his fist at the silver-armored girl...

"You crazy woman... aren't you being way too petty?! You've killed me so many times already, can't you at least let me hit you once?!"

Bai Ye was beside himself with frustration. In the end, he had failed to hit the silver-armored girl. The instant his right hand touched her, everything returned to the beginning.

Bai Ye stood unharmed in the center of the field, as though his earlier deaths had been nothing but a dream. Still, he felt a faint ache all over his body, especially in his neck.

"First, I'm not called crazy woman. My name is Anna." The silver-armored girl sheathed her blade and walked over to Bai Ye. "You... pass."

Bai Ye was somewhat bewildered as he looked at Anna in confusion.

"My lord ordered me to train you. After all, as her contractor, you are still far too weak."

Bai Ye suddenly seemed to understand something. He asked uncertainly:

"So this is that 'after-school tutoring'?"

The silver-armored girl nodded.

"Then why did you have to kill me so many times?"

Bai Ye gritted his teeth in anger. He felt like he had been tricked. This was not some I Wanna game, and the boy still had not recovered from it.

"This is a necessary step." Anna sneered as she drew her sword again. "You come from a peaceful country, and you're a good little boy. You probably do not even know how to fight."

"When blades stab at you and fists swing at you, you will instinctively close your eyes or dodge wildly. Either of those will get you killed!"

"That is why you need special guidance—to teach you how to fight, how not to forget to act because of pain, and how not to run around like a headless fly because you fear death."

"The test just now was to see whether you had the courage to fight in the face of death!"

The girl's voice was cold and stern, like a winter wind, making Bai Ye shudder.

It was a problem the boy had never realized, or rather, one he had always avoided. But now, Anna had laid the issue before Bai Ye in its entirety, bare and exposed.

"I understand." Bai Ye bowed to Anna. "Please teach me how to fight."

"Of course... we'll begin right now!"

Anna drew her silver longsword again. Perhaps it was an illusion, but Bai Ye felt that the girl was smiling.

"From now on, I'll attack at a speed you can follow. If you don't want to experience death again, then keep your eyes wide open!"

"I... I don't have a weapon. Isn't that a huge disadvantage?"

Bai Ye's eyes widened. He had not expected that after being slashed so many times already, he would still have to be slashed again!

Coach, this isn't what we agreed on!

"Your body is your best weapon!" Anna slashed open Bai Ye's left arm. "If you don't want to die, then move!"

Bai Ye pursed his lips and began seriously accepting Anna's training. He needed to deal with the silver-armored girl's slashes coming from every direction.

"Don't close your eyes. Watch your opponent's attack path!"

"Don't let your movements fall apart because of pain!"

"Where are your fists? Just because you look like a girl doesn't mean you're a girl! Where did all your strength go?"

Bai Ye improved quickly. He effectively absorbed what he could from Anna's guidance. His gaze grew sharper, and his movements began to become swift and decisive.

"What are you smiling about?"

Anna flicked her wrist and thrust her sword forward.

Smiling, Bai Ye knocked the strike aside with his left arm before throwing his right fist at Anna.

"My body used to be very weak. Just walking a few steps would leave me out of breath."

"But now, I can feel this strength and speed. They're hidden within my body..."

Bai Ye did not continue, because Anna's second strike had arrived.

"Bai Ye, we need to get ready to leave."

The next morning, Texas shook the sleeping Bai Ye awake.

The early morning sunlight still carried a hint of chill. Bathed in its glow, Bai Ye felt the Holy Light within him becoming more active as well.

"You seem a little different?"

Texas looked Bai Ye over curiously. His appearance had not changed; he was still so... beautiful. Yet she felt that Bai Ye had changed greatly.

"Because a certain teacher taught me a lesson."

Bai Ye smiled and looked at his status panel. Two new skills had appeared on it.

[Unarmed Combat (Basic)]

Skill Description: Through brutal training, you have gained a certain understanding of how to use your body in battle.

Note: I want to prove that even without ninjutsu or genjutsu, I can still become an amazing ninja someday. This is everything I have! —Rock Lee

[Blind Fighting] Passive

Skill Description: Brutal combat training allows you to judge your opponent's movements through perception alone. You fight better while blind, in darkness, or against invisible opponents.

Anna was not a good teacher, but her "after-school tutoring" had been highly effective. Bai Ye had gained a great deal, obtaining two skills at once.

"I'm really envious of geniuses like you..."

Texas shook her head and began packing up the tent and putting out the campfire. She had no interest in prying into other people's secrets.

"Are you sure you're not eating?"

Texas pointed at the canned food Bai Ye had placed on the ground earlier. The special metal can would heat the food to a suitable temperature the instant its lid was opened.

"I'm not hungry."

Texas glanced at Bai Ye, then continued packing up the campsite.

One minute later...

"Texas, it's beef and potatoes. Smells amazing."

Well, Bai Ye had not eaten anything for an entire day, so naturally he was hungry. In the end, he could not escape the law of "smells amazing."