Training

Smack!

Asmodeus slapped me again

"Ahhh." I was in pain..

" Wrong Again, you idiot!" he scolded "I've told you so many times already: focus on your breathing too!"

I clenched my teeth, anger inside me was growing by the second.

Fuck....!

Two Days Earlier

Two days had gone by since i returned from the mountains, and I didn't wanted to waist any more time.

I had to prepare for the academy.

Two Days Earlier

Finally.. home sweet home.

A heavy sigh of exhaustion left my lips as I let myself fall onto my bed.

These last few days, since I departed for the mountains, I didn't rest for even once. My body hurt, my muscles protested, and all I wanted was to have a nice sleep.

But before sleep could claim me, I whispered a single name in my mind.

Asmodeus.

A black fog-like figure stepped out of the dragon tattoo on my arm in response.

"What is it?" Asmodeus aksed ,his tone full of boredom.

I was still on the bed, exhaling. "I want you to start training me."

He scowled slightly. "Train? What do you need my training for? Don't you already know everything about this world?"

I groaned , sitting up a bit. "What are you even talking about, man? Just because I played the game doesn't mean I know every single thing about this world."

I went on, massaging my temple. "My old world didn't contain magic. And I certainly don't know anything about actual fighting."

"Ha." He released a gentle laugh, clearly amused by my answer.

"So, what do you want me to teach you?" he asked.

I hesitated."I'm not really sure myself."

"Hah? What rubbish are you talking?" His frustration was becoming apparent. "You played this game before didn't you? Then you should know what you need to learn too."

I sighed once more. It's really exhausting to explain every single thing to him.

"When I said this was a game world and I played it before,I didn't mean I was a god or something," I explained. "I played the entire game from the protagonist's point of view—not mine.

I don't even know how to use magic."

Asmodeus' frustrated look changed to one of acceptance.

"Oh. So you're telling me I can train you however I want,huh?"

An evil, slow grin started to spread across his face.

Shit.

I swallowed hard. This bastard—he was definitely going to take revenge for all the teasing comments I had thrown his way.

But I don't have any choice. I was helpless, and he was the only one who could teach me everything from the scratch and make me stronger.

"Yes," I said. "You can train me however you want."

And that… was my biggest mistake.

Present Day

This fucking bastard is going to kill me.

To start the training ,he instructed me to improve my physical abilities.

That involved running twenty laps around the mansion in the morning, accompanied by two hundred push-ups and two hundred sit-ups.

When my so called "warm-up" according to him was over.

Following that, my next training was swinging my sword two thousand times—both horizontally and vertically.

According to him- this hellish training would prepare me for the sword technique that he was going to teach me.

I had hardly started my training on the training grounds of the mansion when Asmodeus added another sweet touch to my misery—slaps.

Every mistake,every shallow swing, every wrong movement executed poorly… met with another slap.

"Pain is the best teacher," he said while grinning.

This shithead.

If I had a shaman who can torture the souls , I would have made him curse this bastard minimum of thousand times.

Smack.

"You cut too shallow," he scolded me again.

I fell to the ground, gasping.

"Focus, brat."

He was certainly enjoying every moment of this.

With my hazy vision, I saw his satisfied , evil smile as he lifted his hand to strike again.

Before he could do it..

I continued with my training, knowing that any mistake would be followed by another slap.

Slap.

When the day finally ended, I fell onto my bed, my body feeling like I had just gone through a trip of hell.

I'm alive…

I could hardly muster the strength to whisper any words.

Just as I was thinking I could finally catch a break, a voice rang in my head.

"Oi."

I groaned.

"What are you doing just lying there?"

I cracked open one eye in confusion. "Huh? What do you—"

He interrupted me. "We have to start your mana training. Get up."

What.

Is this bwstrd really crazy?

I jumped up in bed, eyes wide open. "Are you insane? How can I possibly do any more training after everything that I have gone throgh today?!"

Mana? No. Hell No.

I protested with every last bit of strength remaining in my body.

"You want to die in the academy?"

Asmodeus' tone was calm, near-disinterest but those words struck like a hammer.

I clenched my fist. Shit. He knows exactly how to shut me up.

With no choice left, I dragged myself to the training room, my legs feeling like they can break at any time.

Even after reaching the room, I tried one last time to resist.

"Mana training… can't we just do it later?" I asked, just a little hope.

"No."

I clenched my fists. "But if I train now, when will I sleep?"I said.

"You won't," he replied, completely unfazed.

I blinked. "Ha… what?"

Did I hear that right?

"Do you even know how much my body hurts right now? I'm tired! How the heck do you expect me to stay up all night without sleep?"

That's when it happened.

His face, which was calm and indifferent until now, changed. That wicked grin—the one I knew going to my worst nightmares—crept slowly onto his face.

"You're mistaken, brat," he said. "I am not just talking about tonight."

A shiver ran down my spine.

"What… what do you mean?"

"You won't be sleeping for the entire month."

I laughed. "Ha… good one. That's a joke, right?"

I searched his face, hoping to find some humour in his face.

But there wasn't any.

His calm eyes penetrated me, and my nervous smile began to break.

Shit. He's serious.

This bastard is actually going to kill me before I even set foot in the academy.

"Alright," he said unfazed. "Let's start."

"Wha—wait! At least tell me why the hell I'm going through this!"

"You'll know soon enough," he said. "For now, we begin your mana training."

I wanted to protest further, but I knew by now that protesting against Asmodeus was like trying to battle the wind. Totally useless.

"Okay, brat. First, we have to make you an awakened."

I scowled. "What? What are you talking about? I already awakened when we made the Soul Contract."

"You did," he paused, "but not completely. Your mana path is still not completely opened."

I stared at him. "And that means…?"

"When one gets awakend naturally, they get a Bloodline Ability, a special power. But more importantly, they get the ability to use mana. Your awakening was partial, so your path of mana never completely opened."

I blinked. "Wait. so I don't have a Bloodline Ability yet?"

"Not yet," he replied.

Oh, wonderful. Another slap to my face ,Just what I needed.

"So," I sighed. "What's the plan?"

"We force it open," he said simply.

I stared at him in awe.

".And just how are we going to do that?"

"Don't worry," he instructed, gesturing for me to sit. "Just stay there."

I hesitated, but I realized now that fighting it was futile. With a defeated groan, I sat where he pointed.

"Good," he said. "Now, I'm going to force some mana into your body.

When that occurs, your mana path will begin to open. It's going to hurt—a lot. And when the mana begins flowing, you must listen to my directions very carefully."

I swallowed.

"Because if you don't," he added with a smile, "you might die."

Oh, great.

Another death flag.

Why am I getting the feeling that probability of me being alive is decreasing by the second?

He started to pour mana into my body.

Nothing, at first.

Then—pain.

A sharp , searing feeling exploded in my chest, like molten lead being poured directly into my veins. My whole body stiffened, muscles clenching as if I'd been hit with lightning.

"Gah—!" I doubled up, clutching my ribs.

"Don't fight it," Asmodeus told me, utterly unbothered by my suffering. "Let the mana build up. Push it into your core."

"Push it?! It's tearing my body in half!"

"That's the idea."

The mana within me roared chaotically, like a furious animal, trying to burst free. My veins tensed. My bones cracked as if being reshaped.

" good. The mana is flowing now," Asmodeus noted. "Now, store it—concentrate all of it into one point close to your heart."

I tried to.

I really did.

But the instant I tried to circulate the energy, it protested .

I gasped as my eyes went blurry. The agony grew intolerable—it was as if my very soul was shattering.

"Asmodeus—"

"Shut up and concentrate!" he barked. "You're at the breaking point. Either get past it, or your body will rip itself to shreds."

Oh, great. Death or slightly delayed death?

I had no option. I gritted my teeth and concentrated all of my energy into pulling in the mana.

The wild storm raging within me started gathering inside, creating a single focused center of energy.

And then—BOOM.

A shockwave burst from my body.

For an instant, everything was quiet.

Then, I sensed it.

The Mana Core.

A throbbing power deep inside me, stable, strong—mine.

I fell, covered in sweat, gasping for the air.

Asmodeus grinned. "Congratulations. You didn't die."

"Gee. Thanks," I said.

My body was lighter, stronger. My senses had shifted—I could now sense mana in the air around me not fully though.

For the first time, I realised.

This was power.

And just as I was about to relish this newfound strength…

"Alright," Asmodeus said, cracking his knuckles. "Now we start your real training."

I stared at him, wide-eyed.

"…You've got to be kidding me."