014 If I had known that hanging up would also be painful

```

[Swordsmanship·Wild Greatsword Mizugami-ryu (Expert 46/1000)]

An entire week had already passed since the paper figure began its swordsmanship training ritual.

That afternoon, Kamiyagawa sat alone in the cafeteria, eating a 300-yen set meal while checking the progress of the paper figure's training in the game on his phone.

Today's set meal was curry with potatoes on rice.

The taste was somewhat acceptable.

"Speaking of which, the game data shows that Wild Greatsword Mizugami-ryu has been promoted to Expert Level. But in reality, my own level of swordsmanship hasn't improved at all compared to when I started."

Kamiyagawa chewed on a potato, feeling quite perplexed.

A week ago, after acquiring [Swordsmanship·Wild Greatsword Mizugami-ryu], Kamiyagawa had taken the time to buy a practice bamboo sword for sword dao.

Sword dao protective gear is quite expensive, but bamboo swords are cheap.

Buying a few to keep at home for the occasional swing also allowed him to test the results of the training.

However, judging from the results, Kamiyagawa's current level of swordsmanship did not seem any better than when he had just grasped the basics of Wild Greatsword Mizugami-ryu a week before.

"Maybe, I need to log into the game again. Only then will the techniques and experience gained by the paper figure during this time be fully transferred to me?"

Such was Kamiyagawa's wild guess.

You see, even with idle games, you need to log in every so often to reap the rewards.

This assumption seemed quite reasonable.

Kamiyagawa scooped up a spoonful of curry-soaked rice and stuffed it into his mouth, "Ah, what a hassle. Maybe I should log into the game and try it out today?"

People's joys and sorrows are not the same.

While Kamiyagawa was lost in his worries, the group of high school girls at the next table was all abuzz—

"Hey, hey! Have you heard about the incident in the third-floor girls' restroom on the west side of the teaching building?"

"Is it the one where you're rumored to be able to see Hanako?"

"Yes! Let me tell you, last night a student from Class B of the first year snuck into the school and went there to test their courage!"

"Ah? And then? What happened?"

"Listen up. They went there last night... and came back without a scratch, nothing happened! Hahaha!"

"That's it? But then again, it's just a school rumor about Hanako."

"Hey, hey, how about we sneak into the school and test our courage on Saturday night too?"

"Ah? Maybe not? It sounds rather scary."

"C'mon, it'll be fun!"

"..."

As the girls were discussing so animatedly, Kamiyagawa, who was sitting nearby, could naturally hear every word.

"It's Hanako again... Why does it feel like more and more people at school are talking about this lately?" Kamiyagawa frowned slightly.

He had received two so-called regional tasks when he first logged into "Strange Tales" and unlocked the Hualing Haunted School Map.

One of the tasks was to vanquish Hanako, a Rank D Ghost School specter.

If nothing else, Hanako was likely to be the main line BOSS of the school region in the game world.

Meanwhile, in the real world, the students' discussions about Hanako seemed to be inexplicably heating up again.

Though no direct connection could be made, Kamiyagawa always felt like some ill fortune was about to happen.

It left him feeling quite uneasy.

"Maybe after I log back into the game, I should explore the third-floor female restroom on the west side of the teaching building. However, there are too many Kaku demons inside the school building, making it hard to delve deep..."

While he was thinking, his phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

A system notification from "Strange Tales" popped up—

[Your game character has died during training.]

[Cause of death: Sudden death from overwork.]

[Idle training gains begin settlement.]

```

Kamiyagawa: ?

Sudden death, really?

Wasn't it just practicing swordsmanship non-stop for a week, 24 hours a day?

And, since when can a paper character die suddenly?

Does that even make sense?

Kamiyagawa almost choked on his food, and as he was internally ridiculing "Strange Tales" for its absurd game mechanics, he began to feel something odd with his body.

First came the soreness.

In an instant, every muscle in Kamiyagawa's body, even the sphincter, started to feel sour and swollen, the pain was unbearable.

That kind of soreness was something everyone has experienced—the kind that comes from doing a lot of high-intensity exercise, causing an accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles, making it too painful to get out of bed the next day.

Then, exhaustion and drowsiness followed.

Kamiyagawa had lived two lifetimes, yet this was the first time he experienced fatigue of this magnitude.

It felt as if he had been up all night for several consecutive nights, with both body and mind nearly numb from exhaustion.

It hurts... so tired...

Kamiyagawa's thoughts became incoherent, and his body slowly leaned forward until his handsome face plopped into the plate...

...

Kamiyagawa didn't know how long he slept.

In any case, by the time he woke up, he found himself in the school infirmary.

"Are you awake, Kamiya student?"

Apparently hearing some noise from Kamiyagawa's side, the curtain beside the bed was gently pulled open.

He was greeted by the sight of a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties, with a gentle and elegant demeanor. Her long black hair was pinned up, she wore a loose white doctor's coat over her torso, and tight blue jeans outlined her legs.

This beautiful big sister was someone Kamiyagawa recognized, the health teacher of the infirmary, Miyu Mikami.

Because of her eye-catching appearance, she was very popular among male students who liked older women.

Her current relationship status was single.

Back when Kamiyagawa's body was still under the control of its original owner, he often visited the infirmary due to poor constitution, and thus he became quite familiar with Teacher Mikami after many visits.

"What happened to me?"

Because he had just woken up, Kamiyagawa was still a bit unclear about the situation.

"You suddenly fainted in the cafeteria, and then you were brought here."

"Fainted?"

Oh, that's right.

Kamiyagawa was becoming more alert now.

Just as he was having lunch a little while ago, he suddenly received a game notification from "Strange Tales," saying that the paper character practicing fencing had died from overexertion.

After that, his condition started to deteriorate, and he collapsed.

"Kamiya student, I'm telling you, how long has it been since you've had a proper sleep? Also, all the muscles in your body are very stiff. Exercise is good, but if you don't know your limits, it will only backfire."

Teacher Mikami's tone was filled with concern, the kind a teacher has for their student.

After Kamiyagawa was brought to the infirmary, Miyu Mikami gave him a quick check-up.

Finding that all his vital signs were normal, it seemed that he had merely passed out due to excessive exercise-induced fatigue, so she decided to let Kamiyagawa sleep it off in the infirmary.

"Uh... overexertion? Me?"

Kamiyagawa thought to himself that he had indeed been eating, drinking, and sleeping well recently.

However, just before he passed out, he indeed felt an indescribable soreness and fatigue.

Even now after sleeping, he still felt an overwhelming sense of both mental and physical exhaustion.

His muscles throughout his body were still incredibly sore.