The next morning, Shunya woke up sore.
His back ached from the Spirit Bacon battle. His neck hurt from sleeping weird. Even his hair felt like it had fought a war.
"Why does my scalp feel bruised?"
DING!
[Recovery Progress: 81%]
[Tip: Consider stretching like a human being today.]
"Thanks, system. Very helpful."
---
In the training field behind the city branch, groups of new cultivators practiced basic techniques. Some swung wooden swords. Others meditated with glowing pebbles.
Shunya was sitting cross-legged under a tree, holding a stick like a sword, trying not to fall asleep.
That's when she arrived.
A sharp whoosh cut through the air.
Everyone turned.
A tall girl walked into the field, dressed in deep crimson robes with golden trim. She moved like a blade— sharp, silent, and deadly.
Naomi Smith.
Shunya didn't know who she was yet.
But he would remember this moment forever.
Especially because she walked right past him, looked down, and said:
"Are you the one who beat the Spirit Bacon?"
Shunya blinked. "Uh… yeah?"
She stared at him.
"No offense," she said plainly, "but that was probably luck."
Shunya opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Then pointed at himself. "Me? Lucky? I tripped over my own foot during the fight. Twice."
She nodded. "Exactly."
DING!
[New Character Encountered: Naomi Smith – Cultivator (Hard Rank)]
[Personality Tag: Ultra Serious / No Chill]
Jean Keyar walked up behind them, hands on his hips. "Good, you've met."
He looked between them. "Naomi's been assigned as your training partner."
Shunya blinked again. "Training… what now?"
Naomi gave a small sigh. "They said you passed with a decent combat rating. So I'm here to help sharpen your basics."
"Sharpen? Like… nicely? Or like a whetstone to the face?"
"Depends how slow you are."
Shunya swallowed.
He looked at Jean, betrayed. "You're giving me a sword-shaped storm cloud as a partner?"
Jean grinned. "You'll thank me later."
Shunya didn't think so.
Training began instantly.
Naomi didn't waste time.
"Swing."
Shunya swung his stick.
"Too soft. Again."
He tried.
"Wrong angle. Again."
He adjusted.
"Still wrong. You're bending your knees like a dancing duck."
Shunya dropped the stick. "Do you even like ducks?"
"No."
Hours passed.
Sweat poured from Shunya's face.
Naomi didn't even look tired.
"How are you this calm?" he asked, breathing hard.
"I don't waste energy," she replied.
"That's not human."
"I'm a cultivator."
"That's what I said."
She looked at him for a second. Then, very faintly… very quietly… her lips moved.
Was that… a smile?
No. Maybe a micro-smirk.
---
Later that evening, Shunya collapsed under the tree again.
Vikoria joined him, handing him a cold rice drink.
"She's intense, huh?"
"She might be a secret robot."
Vikoria laughed.
"I saw her smile," she said.
"Where?! When?!"
"You were too dizzy to notice."
Shunya took a long sip of the rice drink. "She's going to kill me with compliments one day."
✦✦✦
Meanwhile, Naomi stood alone by the practice targets.
She stared at the training logs.
Then at her own hands.
"...He's weird," she muttered.
She didn't say it like an insult.
More like… something she didn't fully understand.
✦✦✦
DING!
[Relationship Status Update: Naomi Smith – "Mild Annoyance" → "Tolerates Your Face"]
[New Skill: Pain Resistance Lv.1 Unlocked]
That night, Shunya wrote in a blank notebook he'd been keeping.
It didn't have much in it yet.
Just weird dreams. Notes about the system. Doodles of pigs with wings.
But now, he added something new.
"Met sword girl today. She doesn't laugh. But she listens. That's probably important."
He closed the book, looked up at the moon, and smiled.
---
[Next: Jean's Secret Plan – Team Up Mission Starts!]