A wise man once said that power doesn't come without struggle. Before I started training with Synthia, I thought it might be the case for other people but not for me. I thought with my unlimited stamina and perfect adaptability, I could breeze through the training. I thought with a system as overpowered and sarcastic as mine, I could get powerful easily.
That delusional version of me died with his face kissing the ground on the second day of training.
It's been 4 weeks since Synthia started training me. At first, I smugly thought,
"How bad could it be? It's just some training."
Oh, how wrong I was. If I could go back in time, I would slap the past me who was a fool to believe he could easily do the training.
(I told you not to be delusional, but you didn't listen to me, host. Now you are paying the price. In a hilarious way might I add.)
Pixia's mocking voice resounded in my head while I was sitting beneath a waterfall, shirtless, bleeding slightly. My body was filled with bruises that a normal person would faint just looking at.
Did I mention that the water was crashing down at me at the speed of a bullet train. It was a comical sight and Pixia seemed to enjoy my suffering more than she should.
"I get it, you are jealous that I'm spending more time with Synthia, but can't you be supportive for once?"
(Supportive? I'm literally monitoring your muscle density and calculating your chances of dying to that rockslide you call a waterfall. And no, I'm not jealous. Tch. Seeing you suffer while flirting keeps me less jealou-. I mean entertained.)
"…"
One thing I learnt over my weeks of training is that Synthia can add or remove things from this realm whenever she wants.
At the start, I thought she was purposely making the training so hard to make me quit. But after only 2 days, I could see the results of the training.
I was gaining more stats in a single day than I did in more than 10 days when I was self-training these past few years. Let me remind you that the higher the rank of a person is, the more difficult it is to increase their stats further.
Even though I couldn't get tired, I could feel the pain. And boy did I experience pain.
Synthia's training in one word was HELL.
On the first day, she told me to perform the basics with a sword, and when I showed her my sword moves, she looked at me with such disappointed eyes that even Pixia started laughing.
(Congratulations Host. You managed to surprise the Sword Empress.)
After that, she truly started training me.
Synthia didn't hold back. Even though she was weakened to the grandmaster rank she still had her sword techniques. She didn't teach me any sword arts saying that I have the talent to make my own. She only taught me the basics and all types of sword forms and techniques.
I wasn't even allowed to breathe properly until my posture was perfect. She would correct my stance with a sharp hit using the flat side of her blade or just kick my legs apart when my balance faltered.
"You're holding the sword like it's a chopstick!" she had snapped once.
"Technically, I'm great with chopsticks too," I said with a smirk, which earned me a bruised shoulder.
(Host, for someone with an EQ of 170, your self-preservation instincts are severely lacking.)
"And Pixia, your sarcasm is not helping."
(Neither is your flirting, but that doesn't seem to stop you.)
Even with infinite stamina, Synthia had a way of breaking me in new and innovative ways.
Sword slashes against steel poles while blindfolded, parrying phantom illusions that attacked my mind and spirit, fighting monsters she summoned from her memories while she kept throwing blades at me, dodging her sword slashs while running after calling and her MILF.
Hey, the last one couldn't be helped, I had to do it, even though I wasn't able to sing that day.
(Your face was swollen just like your narcissism Host. And what's so great about her body? She only has a perfect figure with big boobs and thick thig- (-̩̩̩-̩̩̩-̩̩̩-̩̩̩-̩̩̩__ -̩̩̩-̩̩̩-̩̩̩-̩̩̩-̩̩̩). No, no, I'm not jealous Host.)
I mean, what can I say?
Synthia does have thighs that one wants to get their face crushed by them. Without realising, I started staring at her thighs, which she seemed to notice, and threw a sword at my face. I swear I saw a blush on her face.
There was a training where I had to balance a boulder on one foot while punching the air.
Another day, I was made to run up a mountain while holding 300kg weights chained to my wrists. Every time I reached the top, the mountain was reset by her.
And yet, I adapted. Slowly, but surely, I began to understand the way of the sword, not just through repetition but instinct. My body moved before I commanded it. My adaptability evolved with every hit I took.
(Stat increase detected. Swordsmanship mastery level: expert- 34%, Strength +11, Agility +14 Defence +13.....)
After two weeks of this hell, I was thrown into another and much worse hell.
Synthia started sparring with me.
We only used training swords, but even with them it still hurt like hell. After two weeks of surviving that hell, I got a bit delusional again and thought I could at least land a hit on her.
Before the start of our spar, I foolishly made a remark that I still regret.
"I think I can now land a hit on you. I have improved a lot in these past weeks."
"Oh, are you sure. I hope what you say is true. That way I won't have to go easy on you and fight seriously."
Her voice was filled with amusement, and a beautiful smile bloomed on her face, which didn't reach her eyes.
But to me, that smile was anything but beautiful. I suddenly got goosebumps all over my body and I started sweating.
"I'm fucked aren't I?"
I mentally asked Pixia, praying to all the gods there are for my survival.
(Yes.... You fucked up. I'm surprised at how, even with your high IQ, you messed up so badly. Just look at her eyes, it's clearly written on her face that she is going to enjoy this.)
That was a day I will never forget for the rest of my life.
After that, she continued sparring with me. She drilled instinct into my muscles, and my body adapted. She taught me how to channel my mana and killing intent in my blade, to strike with an intent to cut through anything.
Yet, beneath her cold face, I could sense warmth. I could sense her secretly looking at my body covered in sweat, while I was training, and how her fingers would twitch when I got hurt.
She offered me no praise, but when I perfected a stance, I saw her lips twitch. When I could not continue any longer due to pain, she would carry me to her house.
Yeah, she just summoned a house out of nowhere after the first day of training. Even Pixia was surprised.
With my high EQ, I could easily read through her microexpressions and could see her worrying about me.
After surviving the fourth week of what I can only call Sword Empress Synthia's Personal Hell Camp, I finally had a moment to myself. Not that she gave me one—I earned it.
I collapsed onto the grassy plain beside the waterfall, staring at the crystal-clear sky. The air smelled cleaner here, like the realm itself was rewarding me for not dying.
I plucked a blade of grass and put it between my lips, chewing it absentmindedly.
(Pathetic. Look at you. Wounded, shirtless, and chewing grass like an idiot. Where is the pride of my host?)
"Pixia," I said, mentally, my voice tired. "You keep mocking me, but who was the one screaming when I nearly blacked out while completing the gravity sprint through the blade field?"
(I wasn't screaming. I was offering tactical feedback. And by the way, that was your fault for flirting with her right before training started. You know she punishes you harder when you get cocky.)
"You mean when I told her she looked extra hot with her hair tied back and her arms crossed in judgment?"
Pixia didn't answer.
(Hmpf.)
Small victory.
I took a deep breath and stood up. Even after all the shit I went through, my body is still perfect, without any scars. My muscles are more defined now and my abs are clear to see even through my shirt.
My sword techniques, agility, and mana control had increased far more than I ever thought was possible in a month. But it wasn't just my stats that were improving—my relationship with Synthia had started to shift.
Each evening, after the torturous sessions ended, I cooked. At first, when I brought breakfast for her on the first day of training she ate without saying anything. But after the first day of training, she sat beside the fire and watched in silence as I cooked.
(Why do you cook outside when you have a whole kitchen inside the house, Host?)
"It's more romantic this way, and I get to sit beside her."
Her usual armored form was gone. She wore a simple training robe, her long hair cascading over one shoulder. I offered her a bowl without speaking.
She took it.
"It smells divine," she murmured, eyes downcast. "What dish is this?"
"Spiced flame hare stew with mana herbs. The secret ingredient is love."
She raised an eyebrow, but took a bite. Her expression didn't change, but I noticed her posture relax slightly.
"...Not bad."
(Host, please stop trying to seduce every woman with your cooking. It's working and it's annoying.)
Pixia's voice was like a cat hissing jealously.
That night became a ritual. Training would end, I'd cook, and she'd join me. Some nights, I'd bring out my flute or guitar—thankfully, Pixia could materialize them within the realm.
When I played, Synthia wouldn't speak. She'd sit near the fire, eyes distant but peaceful. Sometimes she'd close her eyes and listen.
One night, after a particularly brutal session involving boulder dodging and elemental traps, I played a slow beat song. Emotional Resonance, one of my best support skills, gently drifted in the air. The wind calmed. Even the realm's harsh energy softened.
She looked at me that night—really looked at me.
"Why do you keep pushing yourself like this? You have no one backing you. No war to fight. Why endure this hell?"
I smiled. "Because I want to protect people. And I want to be strong enough so I never have to see someone precious to me break again."
Her eyes widened, and for a moment, I saw something crack behind that icy gaze.
"...You sound like someone I knew long ago."
(Oh ho~ She's comparing you to a past lover. Rivals-to-lovers arc incoming?)
"Pixia, shut up." I was also starting to fall for her and didn't like being compared to a guy who is long dead.
(Jealousy level: Mild. I'll allow it. But only because I like your flute playing.)
That night, Synthia didn't go back to her chamber immediately. She stayed, silently watching the fire until I fell asleep. When I woke up, there was a blanket over me. One I didn't summon.
The days that followed became... different.
Her corrections during training turned less cruel, more precise.
"Tighten your grip. Lower your stance. Your footwork is improving."
Compliments. From her. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was beginning to care.
In return, I kept flirting.
"That aura slash was beautiful, Empress. If I weren't so busy dodging it, I'd have written a poem."
She rolled her eyes.
"Focus, Ravin."
But her lips twitched. A small smile.
There was a moment, one evening, when she sat with me under the stars. The legacy realm had artificial stars, but it still felt real.
"Why do you keep trying to talk to me?" she asked. "Don't you have your... what's her name? Alicia?"
I blinked. She remembered? I had casually talked about her while singing.
"Yes. She's precious to me. But that doesn't mean I can't care about others."
Synthia frowned. "You intend to make a harem, don't you?"
"Yes. A sincere one. I'll love and cherish every one of you. I'm not building a collection. I'm creating a family."
That seemed to stump her. She turned away.
(Affection +10. Current Affection: 64/100. CP +10000)
At night, I sang softly. Songs about loss, hope, and redemption. She never interrupted. Sometimes, I thought I saw her lips mouthing the lyrics.
She was warming up to me.
And Pixia? Oh, Pixia was having a field day.
(Host. Her affection level just spiked by 3 points after your serenade. CP earned: 3000.)
(I swear, if you make her fall for you too, I'm going to upgrade myself into a sword and stab you.)
"Add it to the total," I asked her ignoring her comment, which I found cute. Yeah, something is wrong with me and I love it.
(Making waifus fall in love through food and song. You're like a romantic tyrant. I should be mad but... I'm a little impressed.)
"You are jealous."
(I plead the fifth.)
Each night brought a new dish. From seared wind-fish with elemental butter to roasted mana-sweet tubers, she started bringing a plate and sitting beside me, uninvited. One time, I caught her humming after she ate.
That night, she whispered something as we watched the stars.
"Thank you, Ravin. For everything."
I turned to her, eyebrows raised.
"You saved me. Not just with the elixir, but... from being alone. I was prepared to die alone and didn't think I had the will to live, but you made me want to live again. I never thought I'd meet someone like you."
I smiled, my voice low.
"Good. Because I'm planning to keep you."
She blushed. The Sword Empress. Blushed.
And Pixia nearly imploded.
(AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.)
"Pixia?"
(Just updating the Yandere Alert Level. We're officially in the Dangerously Obsessed zone.)
I laid back, satisfied. The sky above shimmered with stars. My muscles ached, my mind was tired, but my heart was filled with joy.
{Synthia's POV}
It had been four weeks since I began training Ravin.
Four weeks of relentless sparring, elemental combat, forced meditations, and strength testing under conditions even seasoned Grandmasters would consider cruel. And yet, not once had he complained. Not once had he begged for it to stop.
He bled. He fell. He stood again.
Every time I increased the difficulty—doubled the weight of his sword, made him fight blindfolded against summoned dummies, or forced him into combat with mana suppressed—he adapted. Not easily, no. But rapidly. Irritatingly so. And worse, he smiled.
That damn smile.
The one that curled at the edges of his lips whenever he accomplished something. That subtle, charming smirk that always made my heartbeat skip—not that I'd admit it aloud.
At first, I thought he was arrogant. Then I assumed he was simply too proud to break. But now I was beginning to see it more clearly.
Ravin was not ordinary. Not even extraordinary. He was unnatural.
And still, there was something human about him—fragile, despite all his power. I saw it in the way he talked to me. Or the way he still offered me a bowl first every time he prepared a meal, even when he was injured.
He shouldn't care.
But he did.
He shouldn't be so kind.
But he was.
Even now, as I watched him from a distance—shirtless, sweat-soaked, bruised and battered under the waterfall training—his eyes were not cold or bitter. They burned with resolve. A light that made my cold, centuries-old soul ache with something I hadn't felt in a long time:
Love.
I never intended to stay with him. This realm was meant to test, to break, and to measure his worth. I didn't even expect to survive. Yet here I was—restored slowly day by day, not by potions or elixirs, but by the rhythm of his cooking, his voice, and his presence.
He teased me. Constantly.
"You know, you look great when you frown. It brings out your inner milf aura," he said yesterday, with the most infuriating grin.
I should have sliced him in half.
Instead, I blushed.
Me. Synthia Virelle, Sword Empress of the Azure Flame, blushing like a maiden.
When he told me about Alicia—a girl from the orphanage who had captured his heart—I felt something twist inside me. But I understood. Even a monster like me... longed for connection. And now I was hopelessly, stupidly beginning to crave his attention. His presence.
His praise.
I wanted to be useful again. Not feared, not idolized. Just needed.
And Ravin made me feel that way.
Tonight, I finally thanked him. Words that had been stuck in my throat for weeks finally came out. He smiled, placed a hand over mine, and said, "You're welcome, Synthia. But this isn't just me saving you. You saved a part of me too. Also, how could I miss out on such a hot tsundere milf."
Damn him.
Damn his warmth.
I wanted him to myself. I wanted him to only ever love me, but when I saw him talking about making a harem with stars twinkling in his eyes, I couldn't say no.
He spoke about making family instead of a collection, and I believed him.
And maybe—just maybe—I wouldn't mind sharing him after all.
If the other girls didn't mind bleeding a little.
{Ravin's POV}
The air had settled into a calm, almost romantic quiet, only broken by the gentle sway of wind brushing against the edge of the cliff where Synthia and I sat after a particularly grueling day of training. The twin moons above the horizon bathed her crimson hair in soft silvery light. Her once emotionless gaze now held warmth, pride, and love.
During the past days, our relationship has improved a lot. She also told me about all her past and fully opened up to me.
I had just cooked us a warm dinner under the starlit sky. A light melody still lingered in the air from the song I'd played for her earlier.
"You've changed," she said, breaking the silence. Her voice was quieter than usual. "You're not just some brat with power and arrogance. You've actually… grown."
My hand brushed against hers, and this time, she didn't pull away.
"Well," I said with a playful smirk, "some credit goes to my mercilessly beautiful teacher."
She rolled her eyes, but her cheeks betrayed her, faintly pink under the moonlight.
I took a deep breath. The time had come.
"Synthia," I said, voice soft, serious. "You've given me more than training. You've pushed me to my limits and helped me grow stronger—not just in power but as a person."
She tilted her head curiously.
"And now, it's time I step out into the world again. I only have a week until Nelix Academy begins. I… I want you to come with me."
She blinked, confused.
"Join the academy… as a teacher," I clarified. "They need strong people. People with experience. With your skills, no one would even dare look down on you. Well, most of my reason is that I want you to be with me when I go out. I want to spend time outside this realm with you."
My voice was filled with my love for her.
Synthia blinked, caught in a whirlpool of emotions.
"I'll go," she said softly, her voice almost drowned out by the quiet wind. "I'll join Nelix Academy as a teacher. But not because I owe you. Because... maybe being beside you won't be so bad."
"I knew you were a softie. Under that cold mask." I teased, my voice lowering.
She looked up, meeting my gaze. Our faces were close. My breath warmed her cheek. Her eyes reflected fire and vulnerability—a dangerous, heady mix.
"Ravin..."
Her whisper curled in the air like silk. I leaned closer, fingers brushing her waist. Her hand rose to my chest, as if to stop me, but it lingered there instead.
We kissed.
Her lips touched mine.
It was soft at first—cautious, exploring. But the moment I responded, pulling her closer, everything snapped into intensity. Her hands tangled in my hair, lips desperate and warm against mine. My arm wrapped around her waist, drawing her into me as her chest pressed against mine. I could feel her curves, the warmth of her body. A soft moan escaped her throat when I brushed my fingers along her spine.
Her lips were hot, demanding, trembling as if she had waited centuries for this moment. My hand cupped her cheek, while the other moved around her back, pulling her closer.
The scent of sweat, blood, and perfume wrapped around us. My fingers grazed the hem of her robe. She didn't stop me.
"You really are trouble..." she murmured into the kiss, biting my lower lip.
"And you love it," I breathed.
Her hand slid under my shirt, fingers tracing the ridges of my chest. My own hand rested against her hip, thumb sliding over warm skin. Her breathing quickened as she pressed against me.
Until—
Crack.
Both of us froze.
A shift in the wind. A ripple in the mana.
Synthia snapped her head toward the distant horizon, her battle aura flaring like a blade drawn from its sheath. I, too, stood instantly, eyes narrowed.
"There are intruders in the realm," she growled.
Pixia's voice hissed in my head like a triggered alarm.
(ALERT: Multiple foreign mana signatures detected. High hostility probability.)
(I swear if they interrupt another romantic moment, I'm rewriting the laws of this world myself!)
Our lips parted, a string of saliva still attached to our lips, our gazes stayed locked for a heartbeat longer. A promise. A pause.
Then we turned, ready to face whatever—or whoever—dared invade the hell we had built together.
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(A/N: Man I didn't wanted this chapter to be this long, but I got too caught up in writing that I just went with the flow. Now I won't post any new chapter this week, and will start uploading next week. Do give me your reviews about this chapter and if you liked it.)