Training was tough, but the three people took good care of Doah.
Even a monotonous life was enjoyable if you had someone to share it with.
Doah realized that most of the factors that determine an environment are people.
Doah learned here that eating something delicious made her happy.
Even when training was hard and she felt depressed, eating the magical food prepared by Elibas made her happy.
Doah also learned from Josephine that pain doesn’t necessarily come with shame and anger.
Although her training was painful, Josephine was not scary.
In fact, it was Josephine who hugged Doah the most, calling her ‘cute’ and ‘lovely’ while giving her kisses.
After hearing this for about a hundred years, Doah started to believe that she was truly cute and lovely.
‘So what? If you don’t agree with it, you can go argue about that with Josephine.’
Doah could now act confidently and boldly.
Since that day, whenever Doah struggled, Rakshasha would let her pet or hug her, which was give the best feeling.
Touching her round head and soft ears, and burying her face in her fur, made her incredibly happy.
Honestly, in her heart, Doah thought of:
Elibas as her mother.
Josephine as her father.
Rakshasha as her grandmother.
But she never said it out loud.
She passed her graduation tests from both her mother and grandmother.
Today was the last one.
Josephine’s test.
‘How can I defeat my master?’
Doah glanced at Josephine, but Josephine just smiled brightly.
‘No, I’ve worked hard too.’
Doah ate her meal with determination, and Elibas watched her with satisfaction.
Elibas gently placed her hand on Doah’s head and then removed it.
“Your mana has accumulated quite well. Moreover, the mana here is pure, so your mana core is of good quality and strong.”
“You are our disciple. It would be a problem if you don’t become an S-class.”
Josephine grinned.
Accumulating mana in the body was as important as swordsmanship.
Rencia was full of mana, so just by breathing, your body would accumulate some mana.
According to Josephine, even an ordinary 70-year-old person could crush an apple with one hand.
‘Well, if it wasn’t such a world, it would be hard to clear dungeons or fight monsters.’
Doah took a deep breath.
‘The people who fight those monsters are also extraordinary.’
Doah could now bend steel with her bare hands.
It was so fascinating that she kept bending spoons and forks, which annoyed Elibas.
Josephine shook her head.
“It’s not that you must defeat me. But it would be a problem if you don’t even have the will to win. I just want to see if you have what it takes to pass your graduation test.”
Her expression and tone were serious.
Elibas listened with arms crossed, adding nothing.
Doah nodded deeply.
“I understand what you mean.”
When Doah finished her soup and stood up, Josephine spoke.
“The test starts in an hour.”
Doah swallowed hard and nodded.
“Okay.”
After the meal, Doah sat down but couldn’t meditate properly.
She kept imagining herself dying at Josephine’s hands.
‘No, I can’t win if I’d be like this.’
Doah tried to imagine herself defeating Josephine.
‘I can’t win just by normal means.’
Instead of just sacrificing some flesh to hit the bone, it could turn into giving up a bone and still being cut.
But she had to do it anyway.
Doah took a deep breath and prepared for battle.
Training was always realistic, so they never used wooden swords.
She gathered her weapons and auxiliary tools.
Once she was fully prepared, Doah went out to the training ground.
The wide training ground behind the house could be restored to its original state at the press of a button, even if it got destroyed.
Moreover, the terrain could be set as desired, so here―
‘I’ve died a lot.’
Doah laughed lightly.
Various square terrains were set up here and there today as well.
“You’re here?”
Josephine, already waiting, smiled.
She had a sword on her back and a chain sickle in her hand.
Josephine nodded, twirling the chain.
“Shall we start?”
Doah exhaled and stepped into the training ground.
“Let’s start.”
Thud!
With just one step, Josephine closed the distance in an instant.
Doah barely dodged the attack and swung her sword.
She learned through experience that it was better to counterattack and redirect the opponent’s movement than to clumsily defend or dodge.
Clang! Clang!
The sounds of clashing continued as their battle went on.
Josephine’s mana attribute was wind.
The green-tinted mana wrapped around and moved with the chain sickle.
As soon as the mana left the mana channels, it began to disperse.
This was due to its natural tendency to return to its original state.
Therefore, manifesting mana outside the body required an enormous amount of mana and precise control.
Doah couldn’t yet handle mana as freely as Josephine do.
“Argh!”
A scream involuntarily escaped her mouth.
As Josephine swung the chain sickle like a third arm and approached, she attacked with a dagger.
It felt like fighting a huge monster rather than a human.
The fight dragged on.
Josephine’s purple eyes shone brightly with excitement.
‘This is ridiculous!’
Doah felt a bit resentful at Josephine’s calmness.
Mana rotated rapidly through her mana channels. She squeezed her mana core with all her might. Her heartbeat pounded.
She squeezed every last drop of mana and clashed with all her strength.
Their sword and sickle collided, and she deflected blows with her shield.
They got very close, then moved far apart.
Having trained together so much, they knew each other’s patterns well, making their moves perfectly coordinated.
It was a precarious balancing act.
Despite having significantly increased her stamina, maintaining focus for over twenty minutes and continuously making life-or-death decisions drained her mental energy.
Humans were clearly not designed for such prolonged combat.
‘But still. I can’t be the only one who’s struggling, right?’
Even moving her limbs freely and unleashing strength beyond human limits was enjoyable.
It was enjoyable, but it would be more enjoyable if it worked.
‘If there’s no gap, I’ll make one.’
Doah deliberately pretended to misstep. Josephine seized the gap ruthlessly.
‘I knew it. Then I’ll do this!’
With a pop, a smoke bomb exploded, blurring visibility completely.
Doah charged in and swung her sword mercilessly.
‘I hit her!’
She felt the impact.
Josephine’s arm fell to the ground.
For a moment, Doah hesitated, feeling a pang of guilt, and Josephine counterattacked even with one arm.
Doah wasn’t the only one in a vulnerable position.
The returning chain sickle pierced Doah’s chest from behind.
“Ugh―!”
In her fading vision, she saw Josephine smirking.
Doah struggled to swing her sword one last time.
‘Now…!’
Doah swung her sword, and Josephine’s face showed surprise.
Whether the blade landed properly, Doah didn’t know.
She lost consciousness right then.
❖ ❖ ❖
The familiar ceiling of her room came into view.
“Ugh.”
Groaning, she sat up and instinctively checked her chest.
The wound was completely healed.
‘Did I lose…?’
She sat in a daze for a while.
Waking up after dying always left her in a foggy state, which she disliked.
She waited for the fog to clear, then got up.
‘I guess I lost…’
Feeling somewhat dejected, Doah hesitantly went downstairs.
Elibas smiled as he saw her coming down.
“Doah, you did well.”
“I guess I lost….”
As she admitted this honestly, Elibas burst into laughter.
It was a warm, familiar laughter that always comforted Doah’s heart.
“No one can beat that thousand-year-old monster.”
Yet, his words were sharp.
“Who are you calling a monster, who?”
Josephine appeared from behind, eyes blazing.
“Josephine….”
Hearing the lack of strength in Doah’s voice, Josephine widened her eyes.
“What’s this? You should be happy. You cut off my arm!”
“But I lost.”
“You hesitated and lost. Geez. After you dying cause of me so many times, you hesitated just because you cut off my arm? But the final move was excellent.”
Josephine pointed to her neck.
“Look.”
Doah saw the bandage wrapped around her neck. Josephine chuckled.
“If it had been a bit deeper, I would’ve died on the spot too. It’s lucky Rakshasha was there. You did great.”
Doah’s face brightened a little.
Her tone now carried a hint of childishness.
“Still….”
“Look at you? Expecting so much after only a hundred years of training?”
“I trained for a hundred years….”
Josephine hugged her tightly as she muttered.
“Wait, Josephine, I can’t breathe.”
“This much means you pass, pass. Or would you rather train for another five hundred years?”
“No thanks….”
“Then be satisfied.”
Josephine smiled and let Doah go.
“All your graduation tests are now complete.”
Doah gasped.
The moment to leave had arrived.
Seeing Doah’s face twist, Josephine teased, “Oh, you cute little rascal,” and Elibas poked his head in.
“If you’re done talking, come quickly. The foods is getting cold.”
Doah, surprised, looked at him, and Elibas chuckled.
“I prepared all your favorite dishes to celebrate passing your graduation exam. I promised earlier, remember?”
When they went to the living room, the table was filled with Doah’s favorite foods.
Rakshasha smiled as well.
“Come here, you hairless little one.”
“Humans are all hairless.”
“Thule always feels sorry about that for humans.”
Rakshasha offered them seats.
The food was warm and delicious, as always.
The four of them laughed, talked, ate, and drank.
Elibas smiled gently and said, “Doah will do well even after leaving this place.”
“Yes, you’re the first person to ever get the better of this Josephine.”
“You did great.”
Rakshasha praised her too, making Doah smile shyly.
But suddenly, tears started falling.
Josephine, surprised, asked, “Doah?” while patting her head and hugging her.
It was a natural and composed gesture.
But it touched her heart deeply.
“Can I really do well…?”
Although spoken very softly, all three could hear even the smallest sounds.
Josephine laughed.
“You’ll do well. Don’t worry. You’re so cute, Doah.”
“That’s right.”
Elibas nodded.
Doah cried her heart out in Josephine’s arms. Elibas approached and gently stroked her head.
Rakshasha laughed and said, “Oh dear, oh dear.”
That was how the night of graduation passed.
❖ ❖ ❖
The next day, Josephine slapped Doah’s butt to wake her up.
In the porch, a magic circle appeared that they had never seen before, glowing brightly.
Since the three acted as usual, Doah could remain calm.
They had eaten so much the night before that it was hard to have breakfast.
They substituted breakfast with tea with milk and light biscuits.
“It’ll be the last time having Elibas’ tea.”
“I’ve definitely passed on the way to brew it.”
After drinking tea, they went out to the porch for coffee.
Rakshasha lived on coffee out of habit, so Doah learned to make it too.
‘Don’t you need a morning coffee to get energized?’
Maybe because she was Korean, tea was good, but caffeine was always the best.
Rakshasha often smelled like coffee, and her workshop was filled with the scent.
Rakshasha taught her how to roast coffee beans herself, and Doah followed her.
“It’s not harmful to your body. It’s just the caffeine that’s a bit addictive.”
Rakshasha said that.
“Isn’t that caffeine the problem?”
Elibas sighed and said.
Modern Koreans practically live on caffeine day and night, which might shock people in this world.
Josephine gave her a lot of final advice.
“Don’t let your guard down at the dungeon entrance, got it? You’re strong enough to handle yourself anywhere, but overconfidence can be a big issue. And when fighting in a group―”
Elibas also gave advice.
“Brush your teeth before bed, and don’t sleep with your stomach exposed. This is a packed lunch I made for you. And in the summer, food spoils quickly, so when you have leftovers―”
Rakshasha chuckled and said, “She’s not a child. You two should ease up.”
Josephine and Elibas murmured, “But still,” “However,” making Doah burst out laughing.
Despite laughing, tears welled up in her eyes.
Rakshasha smiled and said to teary-eyed Doah, “Here’s my first aid kit. Stop crying. Didn’t you say several times you were looking forward to the journey?”
“Y-yes, but still…”
Elibas, with a sweet and soft expression like milk chocolate, whispered.
“Wherever you go, you will always be our proud student. That won’t change.”
Josephine grinned and hugged her tightly, nearly squeezing the breath out of her, and then took out a cute headband from her embrace.
“Here, a gift.”
She placed the headband on Doah’s head.
“It’s an item with higher defense than an ordinary helmet. It suits you well. The three of us made it.”
The red headband had a ribbon that stood up like rabbit ears.
When she touched it, it felt thick and soft like velvet.
“We wove it from Rakshasha’s fur, I dyed it, and Elibas enchanted it.”
Doah softly said, “Thank you.”
“Now it’s time to go.”
With a smile, Doah smiled too, not sure if she was laughing or sobbing, and stepped onto the magic circle.
The three waved their hands.
The magic circle glowed, everything blurred and then became clear again.
