Passing through countless walls, penetrating through the dark earth, and traveling across thousands of miles, Azure saw a certain group of people arrive at his body’s location.
The smile on his face remained, but a hint of coldness crept into his glowing blue eyes, which immediately disappeared.
Azure had initially come to see what the disturbance in the ley lines was about, not expecting to see a fellow traveler from that same era.
Sadly, the time of their meeting was too short.
He raised a hand and pressed the tip of his finger against the little girl’s forehead.
The laboratory that the girl was in right now should still be safe for a little while, but Azure decided to leave a spiritual mark just in case.
This way, her mental domain would be safe from the artificial intelligence department’s clutches.
[Now then, dear Alice.
It’s time for your training to start.
This world is not the peaceful place you think it is, so make sure to train well.]
Ah.
The little girl finally woke up from her daze, touching her forehead and feeling a sudden sensation there.
The world is not a peaceful place…
Alice repeated in her mind.
Alice finally recalled that she had previously been plagued by concerns about the unusual event related to the pendant inside the underground chamber.
She wanted to know if Azure knew why she was brought there and why the pendant was there.
Before she could ask, Azure already understood.
[This is not the right time to discuss it yet.
Tonight, when you finally rest, you can ask again.]
Alice was alarmed.
Azure, are you leaving?
Why do you sound like you’re going somewhere?
[I’m not exactly here to begin with.
You can always talk to me, I told you, I am your exclusive artificial intelligence butler, your new companion.]
Alice finally settled down and nodded obediently.
Alice had been very excited upon meeting the Tower Player due to two main reasons: first, she truly admired and felt gratitude towards this person, and second, because she finally saw a way to clear all the confusing questions in her mind.
Going around in circles by herself was no use.
It was just waiting for a little while more, and Alice had no problem waiting a while longer.
Since there was no need for in-depth communication, Alice decisively declared:
Please return the privacy preferences to previous settings.
Seeing how straightforward the girl was in showing her utilitarian side, Azure chuckled.
[You must be aware now that your situation is not exactly the most ideal.
Rest assured, you are still at the safest place within this organization.
Don’t take kindness seriously, since they treat you as a test subject, then take advantage of this rare chance to experience firsthand the benefits of this world’s forefront technology.]
Although you already mentioned it, I still want to confirm it.
I am currently in no danger, correct?
This was very important to Alice, it spelled whether her next few days would be spent in a tensed or relaxed manner.
[Yes, you are in safe hands at the moment.]
It was not that she trusted this person wholeheartedly, Alice just felt that there was no reason for Azure to lie to her.
Throughout their interaction, Alice had been observing his tone and words.
Her honed instincts told her that the man held no malice.
Most importantly, gathering from the few clues during their interaction, this man clearly had opinions against the organization.
Azure’s confirmation aligned with Alice’s instincts and observations so far that she was not in immediate danger, although there was indeed some unknown dangers outside her current area of residence.
As a person who inherently possessed a rather laid-back and Buddhist personality, the current situation, after thinking about it a little more, was still within Alice’s scope of acceptance and tolerance.
…..
…..
In the end, Alice was not able to have an in-depth conversation with Azure that night.
She miscalculated and overestimated her physical state.
Like chickens injected with blood, the researchers were triggered by the outsiders’ interference and decided to up the game.
They want results as soon as possible!
They pestered the medical staff while Alice had been undergoing the second update, and successfully convinced the medical staff to add some changes to the rehabilitation plan.
If the previous difficulty had been on normal mode, they raised it to difficult mode.
They initially wanted the hell-mode, but the medical staff vehemently refused and said that it would be counterproductive to the patient’s smooth recovery.
They stood their ground and gave an ultimatum, so the researchers relented and settled with the difficult mode.
The instructors who were forced to change their plans had black faces.
“Starting today until tomorrow,” they announced.
“You must finish the main quest of the Apprentice Hero rank.”
The little girl was perplexed as she stood in front of the tall instructors, her small head looking up at them with wide eyes.
“Ahem,” the instructor coughed, feeling a little ashamed of being the one to push the little girl hard.
“We received a message from the Lord’s castle.
More and more monsters have been spotted around the Lord’s territory, and we fear that a beast tide may happen soon.
However, we lack manpower.
“In order to keep our village safe, we need to train hard as soon as possible and join the ranks of the Senior Hero who can patrol outside the village.”
“You must muster the ability to run on your feet as soon as possible.”
Ding!
[The main quest “Fast as the Wind” has been updated.]
[As an apprentice hero, you must be able to run quickly on your feet and familiarize yourself with the village’s interior map, especially the shortest route between the important landmarks within the village.]
[Objective:
□ Visit the Village Square
□ Visit the Healing Hut
□ Visit the Training Grounds
□ Visit the Village Market]
[Reward:
• Rank promotion to Novice Hero Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
• Access to armory, complete basic training tools, obstacle course
• Additional bonus rewards]
[Time limit: 34 hours]
It was already eight in the morning, so the time limit meant that Alice needed to accomplish the objectives by six in the evening tomorrow.
Alice stared at the instructors, her eyes silently accusing them.
But it was no use.
At nine in the morning, Alice wore a harness on her torso and walked non-stop through the bars.
After a full set, the little girl would take a short ten-minute break, and then do it again in a much shorter period.
Because she had to walk a little faster on her unsteady feet, Alice almost fell down several times, saving herself from slamming into the ground by the help of the harness attached to the top bars.
[Vitality +1]
[Mobility +1]
[Balance +1]
[Endurance +1]
[Coordination +1]
At ten in the morning, Alice was carried inside the healer’s hut, where a neuro-medical pod was waiting for her.
She was soaked in a warm liquid that was said to help improve her body.
At the same time, her sore muscles and acupuncture points were being massaged.
After spending two hours in the healer’s hut, the little girl was revived, and the medical staff rejoiced at the data gathered from the neuro-medical pod.
Perhaps in order to compensate the poor little girl, Alice’s lunch was truly bountiful, a luxurious full-course meal with lots of protein, vegetables, and carbohydrates, painstakingly prepared by Vitto.
Two appetizer plates were served first, one warm and one cold.
The warm plate contained seared sea scallops with sunchoke puree, drizzled with a citrusy sauce, and the cold plate was a yellowfin tuna and avocado tartare, layered with beetroot gazpacho and small greens.
The entree was a farro and quinoa pasta with wild mushrooms and black truffle sauce, topped with a runny egg yolk and shaved asparagus.
Alice was almost half full with this bowl.
Then the fish course was served, a pan-seared Chilean sea bass served over black rice and bone broth, followed by the main course, a wagyu striploin grilled in charcoal, served with sweet potato fondant and roasted broccolini and baby carrots.
How delicious!
Alice’s tastebuds were once again making a trip to heaven.
She was so full and satisfied when she finally ate her dessert, a cup of avocado chocolate mousse topped with berries, hemp seeds, and honey.
It’s just training, isn’t it?
It’s not difficult at all!
Alice clenched her fists, burning with energy.
The afternoon training was intense, but what was surprising was that unlike in the morning, Alice no longer needed the harness, nor did she need to hold the low-hanging bars for assistance.
The little girl was small, but at this moment, she was like a brightly shining star in the entire underground gym.
Everyone watched in awe.
Because of the last-minute changes, everyone held worries that the little girl would not be able to endure it well.
At least they expected a scene where the little patient would be very exhausted and almost dragging her tiny body around on the floor.
But now they realized that if they had not adjusted the plan, they would have been the ones holding back the patient’s recovery speed instead.
“She might really just complete the main quest by tomorrow…” one of the medical staff murmured.
It helps me a lot.