Totally Average Training Continues

Hilde walked up to Ayaka and Kumi while clapping.

Crouching down in front of Kumi, she spoke.

Kumi was slightly panicking in her head.

'Ah shit. What now?'

She thought as Hilde crouched down to meet her at eye level. Patting Kumi on her head, she spoke.

"Good job out there. I bet it was hard, yeah?"

'No comment.'

"You handled the effects of that bracelet really well. I couldn't even tell that you were feeling any pain. Is that a part of your racial benefits I wonder?"

Hilde spoke out loud. Kumi didn't know if she was speaking her mind accidentally or not. But she could tell where Hilde was going with this.

'Damn. So she is catching on? That I fell asleep with that thing on? Or that I just lied about using it? I'd bet on the latter, though I don't think either is good.' Kumi thought as she touched the bracelet in her pocket.

'Nothing but trouble.'

Hilde still had her trademark smile on her face as she looked at Kumi. And without a single change in expression, she moved her hand and a slap rang out, audible to everyone there.

Kumi, now looking to the side and at the ground and avoiding eye contact stood there silently. Not a single change in her expression was visible.

"Blood was found on your bedsheets,"

Hilde said and continued.

"You resisted the elemental damage a lot easier than anyone would have no matter their race or properties and you aren't even looking back. You used the bracelet, didn't you?"

Hilde wore an intense and serious expression as she looked at Kumi and flicked her on the head.

"I am not mad that you used it without permission. Kids will be kids.

I am mad that you lied. You can not and will not lie to me anymore. Understood?"

Kumi stayed silent, her eyes locked on the ground. She was currently reading the bubble messages that had appeared while thinking to herself.

'Shit. Shit, shit, shit. I almost died from that. If she had used a bit more force my neck would have snapped. The flick to the head was painful and unnecessary too damn it!'

She cried out in her mind as she felt her face sting, focusing back on the bubbles.

{Resistance Skill: Fear Resistance Level 1 Is Aquired}

{Resistance Skill: Ace Level 1 Is Aquired}

{Fear Resistance Level 1}

{Resistance}

{Fear is something Primal. Carved deep into the very souls of almost every living being. Having resisted against the primal urge to escape, you gain a slight added resistance to assist you in doing the same again.}

{Ace Level 1}

{Resistance}

{A Mortal Rank challenging foes hundreds of Levels stronger than them is almost entirely unheard of. Having resisted the paralyzing effect that High-Rank individuals have on those weaker than them and surviving an attack from one, you gain the rare resistance Ace, helping you more easily resist similar paralyzing effects and slightly increasing damage done and experience gained against and from higher level beings.}

{Side-Effect: Skill Levels only from killing or surviving Higher Rank encounters.}

{Side-Effect: Your adaptability may be interpreted as arrogance. Tread carefully.}

'Well I have to admit, feeling my neck crack and almost shatter from a light slap did scare the shit out of me. Ace might come in handy if I'm ever caught lying again. It's not because of lying that I find myself in this situation but because I got caught.'

Kumi thought, trying to ignore the still lingering fear that she currently felt.

Hilde did her trademark sigh as she stood up and looked at Ayaka before speaking.

"Make sure to confiscate the bracelet after every session and keep a closer eye on her free activities."

Hilde said before taking another glance at Kumi and walking away, guards following from behind.

Kumi could finally breathe again after Hilde had turned the corner. Looking at Ayaka as she rubbed her face where she had been slapped, Kumi gave the bracelet to Ayaka without saying a word.

Ayaka looked deeply into Kumi's eyes as she took the bracelet and asked.

"Did you actually use it?"

Kumi, still holding her cheek, looked down before slowly nodding. "Fell asleep with it on," she said and continued after a quick pause, "wanted to get used to it."

Ayaka sighed slightly as her expression changed dramatically.

"You know we just don't want you to get yourself some unhealable scar. It might not seem like it but we care. Honestly, you're lucky she let you off with a slap."

Ayaka said as she glanced towards the direction Hilde had left towards.

"Hmm. Well, let's keep the rest of training slowly for today." Ayaka said before asking.

"Still sting?"

"Mmm."

Kumi nodded as she touched her forehead.

'Did she have to go that far? It's a small white lie. Future assassin or not, aren't I a kid first and foremost?'

She asked herself, still slightly confused about the situation.

"Well don't count yourself too lucky either, your training continues whether you are at death's door or not."

Ayaka said while walking off, Kumi following behind a moment later, the rather bad joke had flown right over her head.

After a few ten minutes of walking, they reached a storage building after passing tens, if not hundreds of guards on their way.

Kumi, now no longer holding her cheek as the pain had dulled down quite a bit, returned to her regular speculating self.

'So is this where they keep the kids? I couldn't ask anything about that since I was busy barely surviving a regular fucking slap.'

She thought while thinking back to the three weird boys she had found crawling in the dirt and bushes.

Focusing on the surrounding security measures that consisted of quite a few teams of guards and a few invisible walls like they had near the baths, Kumi wondered what she would have to do if she ever had to escape the place.

'I'd have to prepare quite a bit.'

She thought while thinking of the lacking quality of all her items.

'I'd need to get my skills as high as they can go too. I don't know what Level counts as Max so I might have to do some research.'

As she was thinking so, Ayaka led her inside the mostly metal building.

"Stay here."

Ayaka said as she walked off deep down the hallway before entering a side room. The inside of the building was a long hallway with tens of numbered doors, most of which had symbols on them.

'I wonder if this place has multiple floors?'

Kumi thought as she leaned on the wall, only to stand straight again as she saw Ayaka return.

'That was quick.'

Ayaka looked at Kumi and stood there silently.

'...'

"..."

'Alright.'

Kumi thought as she walked closer to Ayaka and followed her further down the hall and into a room.

The room was big and empty. With sizeable craters and dents in the entirely metal floor, walls and ceiling clearly visible.

'Ah. Well. Okay.'

Kumi thought, not really having any good references or comments to make.

Hearing a Loud thud, Kumi looked over only to see a rather giant wooden crate sitting next to Ayaka that seemed to have just fallen out of nowhere as it kicked up dust.

'Teleporting crates. Terrifying, I'd be crushed instantly. But hey, at least it isn't a barrel. I hate those things.'

She thought as she glanced at Ayaka who was still silent.

'Don't tell me I'm actually going to be crushed for training. This can't be another resistance. That's dumb... shit.'

Kumi thought but was interrupted as Ayaka kicked the lid off the box and reached inside.

'Well isn't she flexible?'

Kumi thought, noting that the box was just as tall, if not slightly taller than Ayaka herself.

Ayaka pulled out a strange cyan orb before placing it down and reaching in again and taking out another.

The process continued for a minute as the floor was soon littered with cyan, orange, emerald green and pink coloured orbs and crystals, some more colourful and radiant than others.

'So jewel resistance?'

Kumi sarcastically thought as she watched Ayaka pull out a small knife, a notebook, a pen and an odd book right after.

'Joking. I was joking. No sacrifice please.'

"This should be all of it. Sit down." Ayaka said while looking at Kumi.

"Now listen, you can see your Properties right?"

Before Kumi could nod or react or do anything else, Ayaka continued, as she had guessed that Kumi had already opened her Properties bubble.

"Great. We will be staying here for the foreseeable future while I have you learn some Skills and increase your Properties. I'll bring you food a few times a day so don't forget to eat and rest between training. There are some tough to learn Skills included in what you have to learn. Some of which even I don't have but you must have. Got it? Great."

Ayaka continued.

"The requirements for the Skills we will go over after you reach sufficient strength. See those?"

Ayaka pointed at the crystals on the floor.

"Those are Monster Cores. Exorbitantly Rare Material that will increase your maximum Mana by a very slim margin and has a rare chance to increase one of your Properties. The increased Property will depend on the colour of the Core. Since you are going to be an assassin and considering that you are a kid, we will be focusing entirely on Vigour, Agility, Endurance and Arcane. Vigour Cores are orange coloured, those ones there, Agility Cores are Cyan, coloured like the sky there, see? Endurance Cores are emerald green, those there and Arcane Cores are Pink like your hair, those few over there see?"

Kumi appreciated how Ayaka explained things. 'Seemingly the only person here who thinks of me as a kid.'

She thought as she looked at the orbs.

'So that is Emerald Green? Thought it'd be more blue.'

"Since you know how to read your Attributes, you should be able to read some of this book here too. I'll teach you how to write properly as well so you'll need the notebook and pen. While you absorb the orbs, which I will teach you how to do later, you will also train your knife skills with me since you aren't very suitable for many other weapons."

Ayaka stated as Kumi felt slightly hurt regarding her comment attacking her height, but only momentarily as she remembered that she was indeed short.

"Let's start with Arcane. These are Very Rare so we don't have many, come over, I'll teach you about mana absorption."

Kumi came closer and sat down near Ayaka who handed her an octahedron-shaped pink crystal.

"Now listen and concentrate."

Ayaka said as she started her explanation, entirely ready to repeat it a few tens of times.