"Can I leave now?"
I asked the doctor quietly, and he answered immediately:
"Yes."
When I heard his reply, I froze for a few seconds. I couldn't understand how I healed this quickly. My bones had been almost melted, yet he managed to fix them in less than half a day. It was unbelievable.
I stood up slowly to leave, and at the door I turned to him and said,
"Thank you."
He simply replied,
"You're welcome."
I returned to my room and lay on the bed, replaying the memories of the game in my mind, searching for the fastest way to become strong—something I could use in my current situation.
The first thing that came to mind was that I had to learn how to control Ania properly. If I had mastered it before, I wouldn't have suffered all that pain. But how would I learn it now?
Everything I knew about Ania was nothing more than a few lines I read inside the game—superficial information that was far from enough.
I needed someone to teach me… but if I asked anyone, wouldn't they find it strange?
How could the son of the Taylor family not know how to control Ania?
Just thinking about it was enough to cause trouble.
The more I thought about it, the more my head throbbed.
"Damn… I need to stop thinking."
I let out a deep breath and decided to leave everything for tomorrow. I was exhausted, so I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
---
I was in the middle of class, trying my best to stay focused, but boredom weighed heavily on my head. I looked around and saw the students whispering to each other, discussing what happened yesterday with far more enthusiasm than they had for the lesson itself. The class was about imperial languages…
But no one saw any point in studying languages manually anymore—not after the appearance of the chips capable of instantly translating and understanding any language. And even though I knew that, one question kept bothering me:
If chips exist… why does this class still exist?
In the end, I didn't really care.
The teacher finished his explanation and said tiredly,
"Alright… that's all for today."
He gathered his things slowly and left the room.
I took a deep breath of relief.
Finally, the class is over… I thought the time would never pass.
I left the classroom and headed toward the training grounds. I walked without paying much attention to my surroundings, wandering through the hallways like someone who had lost his direction—until I suddenly bumped into someone.
I quickly said,
"Sorry… I didn't see you."
But the man snapped angrily,
"Are you blind or what?!"
I recognized his voice even before I looked up. When our eyes met, his expression changed instantly. His whole body trembled uncontrollably, and he began stuttering,
"I— I'm sorry!"
I tried to reply,
"It's fine, I was just—"
But he ran off before I could finish my sentence, as if a ghost was chasing him.
I watched his back as he disappeared and muttered to myself,
"Maybe… I did go a bit too far that day."
Then I added in my mind:
Though he deserved it too… whatever.
---
I finally arrived at the training grounds. When I entered, I was surprised to see the place almost empty. But at one side of the field, I spotted Zion and Lina training on a dummy—
or rather, on what was left of it.
The training dummy was cracked everywhere, barely holding together from the impact of their strikes.
I stared in disbelief.
These dummies were designed to withstand the power of a C-rank fighter…
How did they destroy it this fast?!
The scene alone was enough to call them monsters—and I wouldn't be exaggerating.
---
I walked to an empty corner and stood in front of a fresh training dummy. I was here to train on combining Ghost Step Sword Style with Altaria Threads. The idea of merging them was difficult… but I was determined to pull it off, no matter how long it took.
I began training.
Once.
Twice.
Ten times.
And every single time, I failed to activate both skills at the right moment. My timing felt cursed—like the two techniques refused to match no matter what I did.
Time passed… until the sun was nearly gone.
But I didn't stop.
Then, at a moment of complete focus, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. My body relaxed completely as I raised my hand slightly…
Then—
Ghost Flash.
My body moved lightly, like a streak slipping between shadows.
And at that exact moment—
Altaria Threads.
Thin, nearly invisible threads extended from my fingers…
For the first time—
the two techniques blended together perfectly.
I felt energy rushing from my feet to my fingertips, as if the air itself obeyed me. I struck once—and the dummy shook violently, leaving a deep crack on its surface.
I stood still for a moment, breathing heavily, a small smile forming on my face.
Finally… I did it.
---
After hours of training, I returned to my room. I took a hot shower, feeling my body relax as the fatigue washed away. I changed my clothes and fixed my hair, then opened the door and stepped out.
I was heading toward the person who would teach me how to control Ania.