Urek sat quietly at the dining table, where Instructor Selene could be seen eating with delight.
"Eat now, Rek. I didn’t beat you up that much for you to not be able to chew, right?" Selene gave him a reassuring smile, her eyes sparkling with warmth.
"Haha... of course." Urek then began eating his fill without hesitation.
The dish presented before him was an absolute feast, meat, fish, warm soup, and many more delicious items that he couldn’t name all at once.
It honestly felt as though he were a prisoner on death row and had been given a special choice of whatever final meal he desired.
"Chew... gulp... What happened to Miss Wenya, Instructor?" Urek asked after swallowing.
"Ah... she is doing perfectly fine now. Well, if not for a certain someone causing trouble, she would be right here dining with us."
"Well, I didn’t mean to cause that outcome, Instructor," Urek defended himself.
"Of course. Now, stop talking or I will personally beat the living daylights out of you again."
’Damn... I wonder if her moans are also as loud as the way she speaks?’ Urek thought wickedly.
"Yes, ma’am," he replied aloud.
Both enjoyed a highly pleasant meal as Selene smiled from ear to ear; she was in a genuinely fantastic mood today.
It could easily be classified as the perfect day for her, considering she had witnessed the impossible. Not only had she found an excellent candidate for the future, but Wenya had also made that kind of cute, flustered expression earlier.
Truly a blissful day for her.
....
After concluding their heavy meal, Selene guided him toward his assigned quarters down the hallway.
"Now, rule number one: do not make any strange noises at night."
"Rule number two: be completely responsible."
"Rule number three: do not be late. I will be personally supervising your training from today onward, so you must arrive early."
Selene raised three fingers sequentially, her expression turning dead serious. She was an instructor, after all, which meant she had to maintain a strict demeanor in front of her students.
"Yes, Instructor Selene... but what is the exact call time?"
"So you are completely clueless... well, you need to be there before the dragon wakes up," Selene stated with a solemn, serious look.
"Yes, understood, Instructor..." Urek nodded his head obediently.
’Man, I have no idea what time that giant dragon actually wakes up...’ Urek grumbled.
He didn’t even know if that massive creature ever rested. It was common knowledge that dragons slept a lot, but waking up early every single morning was unheard of.
’I don’t need to stress myself out over it anyway. I already know exactly when my dragon will wake up...’
"Goodbye, Instructor!" Urek waved his hand toward the retreating figure of Selene, who casually waved back over her shoulder as she walked away.
Urek entered his designated room, wanting nothing more than to catch some good sleep.
Of course, his physical clone needed to rest as well. The mental and physical toll on his main body would slowly accumulate if he pushed himself too hard; perhaps things would be different at a higher tier, but for now, proper recuperation was essential.
"Hoh... a good workout in another world isn’t half bad," Urek mumbled, observing his physique in the mirror as it dripped with sweat.
His internal dragon wouldn’t stay down, so he had headed straight to the training arena at exactly 4:00 AM. He firmly believed in the secret of the "One Flick Man," intending to follow that regimen so he could eventually defeat the hero with a single flick of his finger.
’But damn... I am incredibly handsome...’ Urek admired himself.
[ The host has air in his head... ] the system text popped up.
’Hey, I’m not joking... It’s the absolute truth!’
[ You are merely average. Below average, at that. ]
’I don’t care... I’m handsome.’
[ Suit yourself, if that delusion makes you happy. ]
Urek wanted to rip the system apart. Couldn’t it just play along with him for once?! How was he supposed to maintain a high self-esteem when his system companion was so thoroughly hateful to him?
Creak...
The massive door of the arena swung open, and Urek spotted an approaching figure. She was currently wearing a tight black suit that fitted her figure flawlessly, leaving her considerable treasures fully visible for him to admire.
"Good morning, Instructor Selene..." Urek bowed his head politely.
"O-oh... good morning to you too." Selene was visibly startled to find that Urek had arrived even earlier than she had.
But... what caught her off guard the most was the fact that he was completely shirtless!
His bare chest was fully exposed, showcasing packed muscles brimming with raw power as sweat cascaded down his abdomen. It looked exactly like a physique sculpted by the hands of a god. Not to mention his long crimson hair flailing down his nape and those ruby eyes that could make any woman feel a sudden warmth between her legs.
It was no exaggeration.
Gulp...
’In all fairness... he looks quite appealing.’ That was the solitary thought echoing in her mind as she swallowed hard, staring at him.
"So, what is the opening drill for starters, Instructor?" Urek smiled, glancing at the system notifications materializing right in front of him.
[ Selene was highly satisfied to see a healthy young man like you. Her evaluation of your physical build is exceptionally high... ]
[ Selene Affection +2 ]
’That’s exactly what I’m talking about... Heh, got any more complaints now, system?’ Urek gloated.
[ You are a fool to believe that validates your appearance. It is an evaluation of your physique, not your face. ]
’....Damn it, that’s still technically part of it...’ Urek argued. He felt like he had successfully retrieved his dignity. The face was part of the body, after all.
"Instructor?.." Urek prompted again, noticing she was still lingering in a silent daze.
"Ahem... You need to run laps around the field one hundred times starting from today. Every single day," Selene snapped back to reality. She pointed toward the massive oval track.
Every single revolution was roughly 2,000 meters long.
’Oh... isn’t that a bit excessive? The secret formula is only ten kilometers a day,’ Urek complained internally, staring at the stomach-churning dimensions of the track. Running one hundred laps meant covering two hundred kilometers.
That was far beyond standard limits, but he stretched his limbs, ready to push his Tier 2 body to the absolute edge to prove his worth.