HECTIC TRAINING I
At 7:30 p.m., Ariel Sebastian arrived at the dining room to eat her dinner. Dinner was a sumptuous meal of grilled chicken rustled up with lemongrass and chilies with some red wine sauce. The baked chicken wings were served with cheese fondue, an old Swiss delicacy made with melted cheese, and were generously covered with seasoned garlic. The cheese was Ariel Sebastian's favorite. She couldn't wait to dig into her dish.
Ariel Sebastian stuffs her fill. Her next step was a good night's rest. She is already fantasizing about the night's rest. Unfortunately, and truly unfortunate, the night ahead will be one of horror rather than restful sleep. Unexpectedly, a system notification pops up in front of her. She was the only one who could see the notification. The notification was not visible to those present in the dining room. They only saw Ariel Sebastian remain motionless, as if in deep contemplation.
[SYSTEM ALERT: You have less than a half hour to arrive at the VTC for your training.
Countdown: 21 minutes, 17 seconds
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PUNISHMENT: A warning shock will be issued if you arrive one minute late. Three minutes behind the expected time. Electrotherapy will be meted out.
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Good luck!]
"Shit"
Bam!
Ariel Sebastian's kneecap crashed into the dinner table. Her kneecap hurts, but that was the least of her worries. She was dead tired and only needed to have a good night's rest. Unfortunately, it was all a dream. She knew the training would zap all the nutrients stored in her body. Although she bragged in the morning that the training was an easy feat. It was meant to give a glimmer of hope.
["Girl, you are in for a rough night."]
'Arvina, please; I am already messed up. I only need comforting words,' Ariel mentally replies to Arvina.
["Hihihi, sweetheart, if being messed up will grant you strength. I am sorry; I will have to betray you. The stronger you are, the better it is for both you and me. Plus, I will have the opportunity to visit interesting places because you are unfettered in every realm."]
'That's it. I will pretend you don't exist.'
["Hihihi, keep lying to yourself, dear."]
"Are you alright, sweetie?" the worried voice of Annie Abilene-Sebastian echoes.
Without an ounce of hesitation, Ariel Sebastian was dashing towards her room. She has to take a shower and get ready for training. Her reply came absent-mindedly.
"I will be totally fine, mother. Please don't worry about me."
"..." Everyone in the dinner table.
It's a lie. Deep down within her, she knew the training would screw her up.
Minutes later.
Ariel Sebastian was refreshed. She was straight out of the bathtub. She gave a call to Lisa Maya, requesting that she supply a lot of emergency nutrients to her room. Such an absurd request perplexed Lisa Maya. She still completed the request.
The previous exercises taught her a hard lesson. Ariel Sebastian made certain everything was in place. She sent a mental note to V01D. She was ready for transport.
[Host will be transported in 5 seconds...
Generating an energy clone
Replacing the host's actual body with the energy clone.
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Hint: This process will be done because the host requires an alibi.
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5... 4... 3... 2... 1.]
Shua!
Ariel Sebastian arrived at the V01D training center. Unlike other arrivals, there were so many training types of equipment for all purposes. Those pieces of equipment function beyond the limits of the human body. Equipment to increase physique, speed, constitution, whatever you can think of, can be found.
[System Alert: The time in V01D space has changed. It does not correspond to outside reality. Twelve hours in V01D space is equivalent to an hour in outside reality.
Time remaining: 131 hours, 59 minutes, 40 seconds / 5.5 days to leave V01D space.]
Woooo... Woooo...
The gathering of energy atoms and molecules piled up and created seven energy races. Same race as Arvina.
The energy lifeforms talked in perfect harmony, as if they had performed their choreography together.
[Hello Host, we are your personal tutors.]
It was perfect, but who will enjoy it when they are aware hell follows up? Making a mental request to look up the seven tasks.
Shua!
[Achieve the initial level of these skills.
Aikido: An ancient Japanese martial arts style focused on redirecting attacks away from you. Aikido concentrates on throwing, joint locks, traditional Japanese weapons, etc. Completion rate: 0%.
Aikijujitsu: An ancient sub-genre of Jujutsu. In contrast to Jujutsu, Aikijujitsu focuses more heavily on blending with the opponent, moving joint locks, and other esoteric principles. Completion rate: 0%.
Angampora: An ancient Sri Lankan martial art that focuses on unarmed combat, grappling, weapons, and pressure points. Completion rate: 0%.
Araki Ryu: An ancient Japanese martial art focused on traditional Japanese weapons such as the sword, spear, staff, etc. Completion rate: 0%.
Bartitsu: An ancient English martial art that combines boxing, cane fighting, jujutsu, etc. The revival of this martial art is due to renewed interest in Sherlock Holmes (as he was a fictional master of Bartitsu). Completion rate: 0%.
Karate: An ancient Japanese martial arts style focused on punches, hand/elbow strikes, knee strikes, and kicks. Completion rate: 0%.
LINE: An ancient close-quarters combat system, derived from various martial arts. Completion rate: 0%.
To be completed within 31 working days.
Holographic energy Tutors and live, legendary videos are now available.
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Punishment: Deducts 2000 V01D credits and electro-therapy every day until you complete the task.
Reward: 1000 V01D credits
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Hint: An initial stage has a 20% completion rate.
Completed: 0/7]
"This time, there is a completion rate." Ariel Sebastian said to herself that she would have to complete 20% to clear up each task.
Okay, here are the directions. She just needs to head back to her drawing board and map out her to-do lists. Arranging the tasks in an order of preference. Ariel Sebastian chooses to begin with the LINE task.
[System Alert: You have chosen LINE training. You are required to pay 150 v01d credits. Due to the task being necessary. You have unlocked loan features. Loan features are applied to all special tasks: Achieve initial stage.]
[100 V01D credits have been deducted.]
[You have borrowed 50 V01D credits.]
"Noooo... My sweat is gone", with folded layers on Ariel Sebastian's face and tears that can pass as blood tears streaked down her eyes. The pain was unbearable. All her saved v01d credits are gone. What a cruel fate!
"I never ask to borrow or spend my hard-earned v01d credits"
[The task is mandatory and must be completed at all costs.]
["Hihihi, this is getting interesting. Come on, sugar, time to work."]
...inaudible sobs
[Hello dear, I am Avery Bryn. I will be your LINE tutor.] Avery Bryn said she was not minding Ariel Sebastian's emotional pain.
[The LINE... In a nutshell, briefly tell me what you understand when you think of the training LINE.]
"I have never heard of such training. If my brain serves me right. I will just copy and paste the same description as the task. Close-quarters combat system, derived from various martial arts."
[Indeed, a close combat system derived from various martial arts. There are uncountable martial arts in this mortal realm. So, we will shift focus to... What is the essence of close combat?]
"Easy, bash and beat up annoying pests in carbon or other skins."
["On point, sugar. Beat em' up."]
[Haha... You are a wild one. I like it. Though it is a cruel, basic explanation. The essence of close combat is to cause physical harm or kill the opposition. Close combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense or can be used as a tool to impose one's will on others.]
[The question now is: why do we practice close combat?]
"Uh, I don't really know tutor Avery Bryn."
[You don't have to worry. I am here to guide you.]
[You know close combat will definitely occur when opposing military forces or enemies engage in violent physical exchanges in restricted areas. If you ever find yourself up close in a violent physical confrontation, knowing how to fight in close combat may help you save your wallet or possibly your life. When I mean wallet, you don't have to make useless expenses on medical bills.]
[So, as you learn ways to defend yourself in close quarters, you'll quickly find which types of strikes and attacks are more effective than others. We have to practice close combat to help unveil openings in your opponent's defense and ways you can exploit them.]
[Therefore, learning LINE is a must-have. I will teach you how to fight in close combat.]
[These are LINE tips collected through eons.
First tip: Keep your guard up - Easy! The most important thing for you to remember any time you're in close combat is to always be on guard. To be on guard means to have acute senses, sharp deductions and reasonings, and many more. An attacker will probably try to hit you from every angle. Make it a crucial point of duty that any time you throw a strike, you keep your guard up. Your hands, arms, and legs should always be ready to block or counter an opponent's attacks. Just like this, try to tackle me.]
Bam!
'Puff'
"Seriously..." groans Ariel Sebastian.
["That is not enough. I suggest..."] Arvina suggested a ridiculous training style.