Screw this! Kill first, ask questions later.
I swung at her with the Blade of Calamity, the weapon barely biting into her shoulder before she grabbed hold of my wrist. In a frightening display of skill, she disarmed me with ease and pinned me to the bed while seated atop me.
"You know, you're the type of kid who grows up to be a serial killer or a mass murderer. I'm going to have a lot of work on my hands if I'm going to educate you properly."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You're borderline psychopathic! Who stabs someone for no reason?"
"Who sneaks into the bed of a minor? We both have our issues."
She chuckled.
"Tell me something: has anyone ever gotten close to you without you wanting to kill them? Have you ever received a hug from a parent, or maybe a teacher embraced you after you did something good?"
What the hell is she talking about? What game is she playing?
"Don't tell me the only human touch you've ever felt was a punch to the face or a kick to the stomach."
We both stared at each other in silence, and that's when I noticed the tears welling up in her eyes.
"Maybe a pat on the shoulder or a peck on the cheek from a crush. There has to be something!"
I stared at her blankly, gauging the strong emotions in her voice. I could also feel her grip tightening around my wrist, so much so that my hand was going numb. She was trembling ever so slightly. I looked up at her and…
There it was again, the same look that everyone else gives me—pity! They all act like I'm missing something—something that separates me from the rest of them. They are all vultures, all of them, except they won't wait until I'm dead before they start eating.
I had the middle finger stored in my inventory too; I was ready to pull it out and end this farce, but just then, she released her grip.
"How anyone live like that" her voice was full of emotion. She looked like she was having a break down until her demeanor changed entirely. "You should go take a shower; our training begins in an hour."
"Huh?"
She got off me with a sad look in her eyes and headed for the door.
"I'll leave some fresh clothes out for you," she muttered as she exited the room, closing the door behind her.
I did as she instructed, and when I stepped out of the shower, I was greeted by the same cheerful lady as yesterday, as if nothing had happened. It worked out well for me since I'd rather deal with her cheerful side than whatever BS that was this morning.
"Good morning again! I made breakfast since I thought we could eat together."
She smiled at me while ushering me to the table. I immediately noticed that the stab wound on her shoulder had healed.
"Take a seat."
Around the table were two plates, each containing bacon, eggs, and cheese, along with two glasses of what seemed like orange juice. The classic. I sat at the table, inspecting the food.
"Thank you for the meal," I said, bowing slightly.
We both sat at the table silently, not touching the meal. She looked me dead in the eyes, and that's when I knew she understood what I was thinking.
"It's not poisoned," she said cheerfully, but I was dead set on not eating until she took a bite first.
With a resigned sigh, she picked up her meal and began eating, and I followed suit.
"I'm not trying to hurt you, Liam; I'm trying to help."
I understood her intentions perfectly; she was trying to take advantage of me because I didn't have anywhere else to go.
I just nodded along as she spoke.
"What was your mother like?"
This again.
"Just humor me," she insisted.
"My mother was a peaceful woman. She was the person I got along with the most."
"Really?" Her face lit up with excitement.
"Yeah, we stayed out of each other's way and hardly ever spoke."
Her smile slowly faded, and her tone turned solemn.
"How did she die?"
"I don't know. She just disappeared one day, and my father told me she died."
She was a beautiful woman, quite young too.
Our conversation ended after that, and we quietly ate our meal until it was time to begin my training.
She handed me a katana carved out of wood and kept one for herself. Something I noticed when she handed me the wooden sword was that the system recognized it as a weapon. In fact, it seemed everything I held was recognized as a weapon—even the spoon I had just been eating with.
I tried opening the stats on them, and sure enough, they had different stats than those of the katana and knife. It seemed I could use the enhancement skill to improve the properties of any object.
"Wouldn't it be better to train with real weapons?" I asked.
"No, in this case, you learn better by getting hit. We'll start with the basics by working on your breathing and your stance."
The first thing I learned was how to properly grip the weapon, with my right hand near the guard and my left hand near the bottom. Then we moved on to the basic stance, where I held the katana at waist level, aimed directly at my opponent's throat. Apparently, this stance balances offense and defense.
As for the breathing, I was taught to inhale before striking or making defensive moves and exhale during execution. We didn't do any sparring; instead, I swung that wooden katana for the whole day while practicing my stance. I practiced without stopping, even though my arms felt like they were falling off.
The only thing that kept me going was the addictive sound that emanated every time I made a powerful swing. Alliah mostly watched, chatting away while I practiced. She didn't seem bothered at all by me blatantly ignoring the nonsensical topics she brought up every chance she got.
At the end of the day, I had no choice but to collapse onto the floor from pure exhaustion. Every muscle in my body ached.
"Good job today! You did better than expected, and you didn't even complain once. You deserve a treat."
She held a piece of paper up to my face. In big, bold letters, it read: 'Limitless Hero Academy Application Form.'
"You have two months to prepare for the entrance exam," she said, giving me a stern look. "I really think this academy is the best place for you, but it won't be easy. You'll be going up against people with some of the most powerful systems. You'll have to work extra hard if you want to stand among them."
To me, this hero academy was just a means to an end. A part of me wanted to see how far I could take my system, while another part wanted to do what I had been doing all my life—survive. I wanted to survive in the best condition possible, and for that, I needed all the basic human necessities: food, shelter, clothing, and water.
All of that would be easy—if I were a top-ranked hero.