[Quest Name: Six Days of Special Training.]
[Quest Requirement: Raise overall combat capability to D Rank before the official examination begins.]
[Quest Reward: 300 Lust Points, one random D Rank Skill Fragment.]
[Quest Failure: No reward.]
Asher stared at the newly appeared quest, his expression gradually becoming serious.
He possessed no active combat skills. Although his E+ Rank physique and Hyper Regeneration allowed him to defeat a combat puppet through tactics, that did not mean he could defeat an actual D Rank hunter.
A puppet’s attacks could be predicted in advance.
An intelligent enemy would not repeatedly follow a fixed combat program.
Six days was not long But it was enough for him to gain a deeper understanding of this body.
...
Lower District.
Black Iron Hunter Training Center.
It was a private training facility converted from an abandoned mana factory. The entire building was surrounded by thick metal walls. Not only did it possess defensive barriers capable of withstanding C Rank attacks, it was also equipped with large quantities of combat equipment retired from the Hunter Association.
"Him?"
The owner glanced at Asher standing beside Irene.
"You’re sure you want to rent a D Rank training area for a rookie who hasn’t even obtained his hunter license yet?"
The training center’s owner was named Ron, a middle aged man who had lost his left eye. His physical strength had already reached C Rank, but because of severe injuries he had suffered inside a Gate years ago, he could no longer fight for extended periods and had eventually retired from hunter teams to operate this training center.
"I’m sure."
Irene placed three D Rank monster cores on the counter.
Ron did not immediately take them. Instead, he released his mana and carefully sensed Irene’s aura.
The next moment, his remaining right eye widened slightly.
"You advanced to C Rank?"
"I completed my certification yesterday."
Irene placed her bronze hunter badge on the counter.
Ron remained silent for several seconds before collecting the three monster cores and pushing an access card toward her.
"Six days. You don’t need to compensate me for ordinary equipment, but if you damage the defensive barrier, that’ll cost extra."
His gaze returned to Asher.
"And if he dies in there, the training center takes no responsibility."
"Don’t worry."
Asher picked up the access card.
"I won’t die."
On the first day, Asher did no strength training whatsoever. Instead, he stood in the center of the training ground and had Irene continuously attack him with Life Threads.
Whoosh!
Dozens of pale blue threads shot toward him from different directions.
Asher quickly twisted aside, avoiding some of the attacks, but three threads still slipped through his defenses and wrapped around his right arm, ankle, and waist.
Irene moved her fingers slightly.
Powerful pulling forces erupted from three directions simultaneously.
Bang!
Asher lost his balance and slammed heavily onto the ground.
"Your reaction speed is too slow."
Irene withdrew the threads.
"And you’re too accustomed to relying on your regeneration to endure attacks. If your opponent has an ability capable of destroying your heart or head in a single strike, you won’t even have a chance to regenerate."
Asher climbed back to his feet.
"Again."
The second time, he lasted twenty seconds.
The third time, thirty five seconds.
By the fiftieth attack, he could already predict the direction of most of Irene’s Life Threads by observing the subtle movements of her fingers.
On the second day, the intensity increased.
Irene stopped deliberately avoiding his vital points, and Asher finally understood just how troublesome the evolved Life Threads truly were.
Those seemingly delicate threads could not only slice through metal with ease, but could also change direction at any moment. Once they wrapped around a target, Irene could even drain the target’s life force to rapidly restore her own mana.
Over the course of that single day, more than two hundred wounds appeared across Asher’s body.
During the most severe incident, a Life Thread pierced straight through his abdomen.
Yet under the effects of his Gate Destroyer Bloodline, no matter how severe his injuries were, as long as his vital areas were not directly destroyed, they healed at an astonishing speed.
[Host’s Adaptability to Cutting Attacks has increased.]
[Muscle density has been slightly strengthened.]
[Physical Strength: E+]
On the third day, Asher began attempting to actively concentrate the abundant life force within his body into a specific area.
At first, no matter how he tried to control it, the life force merely circulated throughout his entire body according to the bloodline’s instincts. However, after hundreds of failures, he finally managed to compress a portion of it into his right arm.
Boom!
He threw a punch.
The D Rank strength tester shook violently.
[Strength: E+]
There was still a gap between him and D Rank.
"Again."
Asher clenched his fist once more.
On the fourth day, his fist left a slight dent in the tester for the first time.
On the fifth day, Asher had already become capable of briefly erupting with movement speed approaching D Rank whenever he concentrated life force into his legs.
However, every forced eruption of life force caused severe tearing throughout his muscles, while Hyper Regeneration consumed enormous amounts of stamina to repair the damage.
Every night, Irene used Life Link to replenish what he had consumed, and as the two repeatedly engaged in deeper exchanges of life force, her strength gradually stabilized under the enhancement of the Secret Essence.
Not only had she completely mastered her C Rank strength, but the number of Life Threads she could control had increased from the original few dozen to more than a hundred.
Even her appearance was subtly changing.
Her skin, which had once become slightly rough from spending long periods inside Gates, gradually turned fair and delicate. The curves of her figure became even more perfect, and even her slightly dry chestnut hair regained its softness and shine.
If Irene six days ago had merely been an ordinary female hunter with fairly attractive features, then now, even if she stood beside celebrity hunters who maintained their appearances through expensive potions and special abilities, she would not appear inferior.
And her transformation proved that the effects of the Secret Essence could continuously accumulate.