015 It really... I'm crying to death

I figured it out.

The only reason I must have fainted was because of the swordsmanship training with the paper avatar in the game.

Until now, Kamiyagawa had been puzzled why his actual swordsmanship hadn't improved much, even though the game panel showed that "Wild Greatsword Mizugami-ryu" had reached expert level.

Considering the current situation, he almost understood the operating mechanism of the AFK gameplay in "Strange Tales."

It was pretty much as he'd guessed.

The gains from AFKing with a paper avatar in the game wouldn't be reflected back to him in real time.

To settle the AFK gains, one had to log in to reap the rewards and manually end the training; or simply wait for the paper avatar to "die of overwork" and force the training to end.

Aside from the direct benefits of AFKing, any negative feedback it generated would also be settled at that time.

The so-called negative feedback was the fatigue state caused by the relentless training of paper avatar 007.

But even with the cheat, the fatigue value generated by the paper avatar was certainly not transferred one-to-one to Kamiyagawa; or to put it another way, the fatigue value the paper avatar accumulated from daily training was certainly far less than that of a regular person.

If it weren't so.

Kamiyagawa might already be queuing up in front of Meng Po, waiting for her soup.

"To gain the benefits of AFKing, one must also accept the corresponding consequences. But it's not unacceptable; there's no such thing as getting something for nothing in this world," he thought to himself while lightly pressing his right index finger's joint against the upper row of his teeth.

This was an unconscious habit of his when pondering.

By the way, might the setting that the paper avatar could die from overwork not actually be because the game's paper avatars could really die of exhaustion, but rather a protective measure for me, the player?

Maybe if I AFK for a day or two more, the negative feedback from the settlement could exceed my body's tolerance?

If that's really the case…

Damn, this crappy game is really gentle. I'm crying.

Kamiyagawa was sitting on the bed, pondering things related to "Strange Tales," entirely on his own.

Meanwhile, Teacher Mikami, the pretty sister in a white coat, was unwittingly left hanging by him.

Mikami Yui gently furrowed her eyebrows: "Kamiyagawa, are you listening to me at all? I am getting angry, you know?"

"So… Sorry."

"You should take more responsibility for your own health. Make sure to rest well from now on, understood?" Mikami Yui acted serious.

"Understood."

After getting an affirmative reply from Kamiyagawa, Teacher Mikami smiled like a girl easily comforted:

"That's more like it. By the way, Kamiyagawa, you talked in your sleep just now, I wrote it down for you."

"Ah? What did I say?"

"Let me think. 'A long road lies ahead, only the sword for company.' Also, 'May I speed forth like the wind, and remain vigilant of what follows.' Oh, and there was a very imposing line—'The might of this sword, ever slashing with increasing fervor!' Pfft, Kamiyagawa, have you been striving to become a great swordsman lately? How cute."

Kamiyagawa: ?

Kamiyagawa, once a happy-go-lucky guy, cringed so hard his toes curled into the bed.

While he was out cold, it must've been like he was numbed with anesthetic, and the effect hadn't worn off yet.

Shoot, I've definitely been pegged as a chuunibyou.

"Well, Teacher Mikami, I… I should be getting back."

Feeling a mysterious sense of shame in front of the beautiful older sister, Kamiyagawa didn't dare linger in the health room. He left with a red face and his body still achingly swollen, limping away.

"Go and have a good rest," Mikami Yui reminded him with a beaming smile as he left.

After leaving the health room, Kamiyagawa realized that it had already grown dark outside.

Turns out he slept away the entire afternoon.

With his current condition, there's no way he could work.

He picked up his phone and made a call to Kawai Ikumi, the owner of the convenience store, to take a day off.

After hanging up, Kamiyagawa noticed there was a "Strange Tales" system notification left on the phone—

[Your continuous training has enhanced your physique, Constitution +1!]

Well, it looks like there was an unexpected gain.

…

After returning home, Kamiyagawa did indeed rest well.

He didn't attend classes the next day, unable to get out of bed, and lay like a corpse all day.

On the third day, he barely made it to school.

On the fourth day, he barely resumed working.

By the fifth day,

Kamiyagawa got up early in the morning.

He felt a slight soreness in his limbs, but it no longer hindered his movement.

As for the feeling of fatigue, it had vanished over the past few days of recuperation. He didn't know if it was due to the increase in Constitution points, but he even felt an unprecedented clarity and refreshment.

"Ah, I'm alive again. The lingering effects of AFKing are just too strong."

Now, Kamiyagawa's Strength Dexterity Body close-combat three-dimensions had gone from a pathetic 343 to a pathetic 344.

Comparing to himself as a reference, he estimated that the average adult male has an average Strength Dexterity Body three-dimensions of about 555.

And with his Charm at 8 points, combined with his real-life attractiveness as a reference, every increase of one attribute point in "Strange Tales" is akin to a qualitative leap.

"Moreover, I feel like after the swordsmanship AFK training session ended, my strength, speed, and reflexes have all been enhanced to some extent."

In simple terms, it's that the experience points for both strength and agility have increased, just not enough to level up like Constitution did.

After warming up his body a bit, Kamiyagawa picked up the bamboo sword that was leaning against the head of the bed.

The bamboo sword was lifted high above his right shoulder. He regulated his breathing, using his waist and abdomen as support and coordinating the muscles of his whole body, then swung down ferociously to the left and bottom!

A practice swing (air striking exercise).

Zi la!

The bamboo sword sliced through the air, pulling out a whistling sound, and the air wave surged upward.

A very imposing and spirited strike!

"Seems not bad," Kamiyagawa was quite satisfied.

This air strike, whether it's body coordination, breath control, muscle memory, or even state of mind, was entirely different from when he was at the beginner level of "Wild Greatsword Mizugami-ryu" a week ago.

It was incomparable.

Without any exaggeration, an ordinary person without three to five years of hard practice, and without making their mind as cold as the blade, simply could not produce such a practice swing.

AFKing for a week and being a corpse for three days had resulted in this expert level mastery of swordsmanship.

AFK training in "007" is a bloody good deal, okay!

The only results were a sore sphincter and fainting on the spot.

I would dare to do it again next time.

"Now that I've recovered physically, it's the perfect time to really push the progress of 'Strange Tales'. Today I might be able to explore deeper into the teaching building area, and maybe I'll even meet the infamous Hanako."

Kamiyagawa felt he was ready again.

Carrying the "Mirage Pouch," he took the early morning train and arrived at Karin High School,

and sat down in the cherry blossom forest, full of determination.

"Strange Tales," start!