Mikael continued his relentless assault, evading the mage's attacks and cutting down goblins one by one. The two hobgoblins, however, remained motionless near the shaman, seemingly guarding it. As the fight dragged on, Mikael sustained minor injuries from the mage's spells and occasional strikes from the goblins. None were life-threatening, but they slowly wore him down.
'These goblins are weak, but they're still annoying,' he thought as he dispatched the last of them.
Inwardly, Mikael reflected on the mage and hobgoblins' lack of strategy. 'The hobgoblin and the goblin mage are unbelievably dumb. If they had attacked me alongside their minions, things would have been much harder. Even weak goblins can't be ignored entirely, but they just stood there watching. Idiots!'
"Gobito! Gobiro! Attack strong human! Delicious food!" the goblin mage bellowed, signaling the two hobgoblins to charge while launching magical attacks to cover them.
The two hobgoblins attacked simultaneously, but Mikael's superior swordsmanship allowed him to hold his ground. However, the mage's interference made it difficult for him to gain the upper hand.
'I need to take out the mage, or this fight will drag on forever!' Mikael thought, rushing toward the goblin mage.
Gobito, one of the hobgoblins, intercepted him, forcing Mikael to halt. He swung his sword at the hobgoblin, but Gobito managed to parry the blow. Mikael retaliated with a powerful kick to the hobgoblin's ribs, sending it skidding several meters away from the impact.
As Gobito was pushed back, Mikael noticed a wind slash from the mage speeding toward him. With no time to dodge, he activated his aura cloak at maximum strength, bracing himself.
The magical attack tore through the aura cloak, slashing Mikael's chest and leaving a deep, bleeding gash. "Urgh!" he grunted in pain but had no time to dwell on the injury. Gobiro, the other hobgoblin, was already swinging its sword at his head, aiming to decapitate him.
Mikael raised his sword just in time to block the attack and simultaneously controlled his flying sword with an aura thread. The second sword shot toward Gobiro from behind, piercing its heart.
"Gobiro!" Gobito roared in anguish.
The pierced hobgoblin fell to the ground instantly, lifeless. Mikael didn't waste a moment celebrating. A fireball was already heading his way, and Gobito was charging at him with a furious expression.
Seeing the fireball closing in, Mikael jumped aside. Though he avoided a direct hit, the explosion sent him tumbling across the ground, leaving him with burns. His aura cloak and resilient body absorbed most of the damage, but the impact left him winded.
Before he could fully recover, Gobito was upon him. Mikael, still on the ground, barely managed to parry the hobgoblin's ferocious attacks. His position left him at a disadvantage, but he kept his focus, controlling his flying sword in secret.
As Gobito continued its relentless assault, Mikael directed his flying sword behind the goblin mage, who was preparing a large spell. With a subtle flick of his finger, the sword plunged into the mage's neck, cutting off its chant. The shaman's lifeless body collapsed to the ground.
Gobito, unaware that its allies had all been defeated, continued fighting fiercely. Mikael finally regained his footing and turned the tide of the battle. With a swift and precise movement, he drove his sword into the hobgoblin's chest, dropping it to the ground.
Mikael exhaled a sigh of relief. "Ah, that was pretty har—"
Shnk.
He froze, looking down to see the supposedly dead hobgoblin clutching a sword buried in his stomach. The light faded from the creature's eyes as it released the weapon, but it was too late—the blade remained lodged in Mikael's abdomen.
A burning pain flared through his body as Mikael fell forward, the movement driving the sword deeper into his flesh. He coughed violently, each spasm sending waves of pain through his chest. His vision blurred, his mind muddled as weakness spread through him.
Just as the darkness threatened to overtake him, the sword in his body vanished, replaced by a soothing energy that enveloped him entirely. Within moments, the pain disappeared, and his strength returned.
Voices broke through the haze.
"Human!"
"Food!"
Mikael murmured weakly, "Stop the time."
The surroundings froze instantly, but Mikael didn't care. His mind was elsewhere, lost in thought.
He ran his hand through his hair, lost in thought. 'So that was dying... Honestly, really scary,' he thought as a shiver ran through his body.
"Ahh," he sighed aloud. 'What am I even doing?'
'Nearly dying—even knowing it wasn't real—sure puts things into perspective. Even if it was "fake," I can't shake the feeling of weakness enveloping my body or the sensation of gradually losing touch with reality... It was honestly terrifying.'
As his heartbeat slowly steadied, Mikael pondered further. 'Why am I so obsessed with gaining strength? It's kind of weird now that I think about it. Maybe it's some sort of compensation. Back when that Eye appeared in the sky—what feels like a lifetime ago—it completely obliterated all the work I'd put into building and leading a gang. Maybe I'm trying to make up for that?'
He considered it for a moment before shaking his head slightly. 'Hmm, maybe. But honestly, even though that sensation of dying was terrifying, this is still a thrilling way to live,' he thought, absently touching his chest where his heart was now beating erratically.
'When the Akashic Records connected to Earth, I lost years of effort in the blink of an eye, but my life became infinitely more exciting. Sure, it's dangerous, but I'm now a superhuman, living a fantasy-like life. That's... pretty amazing, to be honest.'
He chuckled softly. 'So, the reason I train is because I like it? That's a good enough reason. It could even be considered a hobby. No need to overthink it.'
His thoughts drifted to a conversation he'd had with Kiara. 'But speaking of overthinking... When I talked to Kiara about having a harem, I didn't express myself well. No, that's not it. I just didn't know what I wanted back then. So yeah, I said I wanted a harem, but I haven't acted on it at all. Even while talking to Kiara, I wasn't sure of myself.'
'Before trying to pursue something like that, I need to decide what I really want. So, what do I want?'
Mikael took his time, sinking deep into thought. After a while, he came to a conclusion. 'Yes, I do want a harem—but not in the stereotypical medieval king's style. I'm not interested in a group of 20 women chosen solely for their beauty, with no real connection with the king beyond occasionally sharing a bed, all while they hate each other and constantly compete for the king's attention. That's not what I'm after.'
'What I want is a harem where I genuinely connect with the women. A group where I can call them "my women" and mean it, where they see each other as sisters or friends. I'm not interested in just having sex.'
His lips curled into a wry smile as he thought back. 'I was never in a relation. My cirscumstances didn't allow me and honestly I wansn't really interrested but now they have changed and what I'm looking for is a harmonious relationship—with all of them and with myself.'
'If that's the case, I need to start with Kiara. Right now, we're in a weird place. She agreed to be one of my girlfriends, but I left for this world almost immediately after. That wasn't exactly considerate of me.'
Mikael winced at the memory. 'If I really want a harem, I should treat it with the same importance I give to gaining strength. And that starts by visiting Kiara.'
He glanced around and corrected himself. 'After I finish this training. Once I'm back in my room, I'll figure out the logistics. For all I know, they might have a way to track my movements here, so it's better not to suddenly vanish.'
Having snapped out of his stupor caused by the near-death experience and everything that followed, Mikael finally focused on the screen that had appeared before him.
{Wave 4 charged. Enemies: 2 D- Rank Monsters, 5 E+ Rank Monsters, and 18 E- Rank Monsters.}
"No way I can win this," he murmured, though a smirk lingered on his face. The realization he had just come to left him feeling strangely lighter.
Even knowing he would likely lose, Mikael still decided to try. After all, every fight helped him grow. Each battle taught him new ways to fight, making him stronger, even though his stats remained unchanged and his rank stayed at F-.
As expected, the fight didn't go his way. Despite his best efforts, he was overwhelmed by the sheer number and strength of the enemies and ultimately lost. By the time he was defeated, only 2 D- rank monsters, 2 E+ rank monsters, and 9 E- rank monsters remained.
The low number of kills wasn't surprising. Facing a larger group of monsters simultaneously increased the difficulty exponentially. It wasn't just a matter of fighting for longer; the need to stay alert against multiple enemies attacking at once made every moment more dangerous.
Still, even after his initial loss, Mikael refused to give up.
On his second attempt… he lost.
On his third attempt… he lost.
After several more attempts, he lost again.
But each try he progressed and during his final try before exiting the virtual training pod, his results showed significant improvement. This time, only 1 D- rank monster and 5 E- rank monsters remained standing when he was defeated.
Clunk.
The door of the virtual training pod hissed open, and Mikael climbed out. 'In the end, I couldn't win, even after all those attempts,' he thought, while stroking his chin 'But it doesn't really matter. What's important is that I made progress. The me from five hours ago is weaker than the me standing here now.'
'Anyway, let's grab the things I need from the training zone before I go see Kiara.'
Mikael exited the room where the virtual training pods were located. After a short walk, he arrived at the main area of the training section—a large gym filled with students hard at work. Nearby was a shop with a sign that read Training Shop. Mikael entered, noting how the shop's interior resembled a mall with its sheer size.
Meanwhile, two students who were training nearby noticed him.
"Amy, look who just showed up," teased Aria, who was lounging on a chair near Amelia.
"Hmm?" Amelia exhaled as she set down the weights she had been lifting, turning to Aria with a questioning look.
Aria tilted her head in Mikael's direction.
Amelia followed her gaze and spotted Mikael, who had just walked into the shop.
"Okay, he's here. So what?" Amelia asked, her curiosity piqued.
Aria smirked mischievously. "Shouldn't you go after him?"
Amelia rolled her eyes, exasperated. "You're still stuck on this, aren't you?"
Grinning, Aria stuck out her tongue playfully. "It's not my fault! It's like the beginning of a romance novel—the commoner who beats the noble, beautiful lady before she falls in love with him." She sighed dreamily. "Ah, it would make such a good story."
A mischievous glint flashed in Amelia's eyes as she said, "Maybe you're right. I should go talk to him."
"Wait, what?" Aria's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious! He's a commoner and less talented than you. It'll never work. I mean, I get it—his bad-boy vibe might be intriguing, but you really need to let it go," she said, crossing her arms with a serious look.
"Pfft," Amelia burst out laughing, unable to contain herself at Aria's reaction.
Aria's expression twisted into one of outrage. "You were messing with me, weren't you, you little minx!" she exclaimed, lunging at Amelia in an attempt to tackle her.
Amelia sidestepped gracefully, leaving Aria floundering and shooting her an aggrieved glare.
"Alright, alright, calm down," Amelia said, trying to placate her. "I was just kidding. But when I said I wanted to approach him, I didn't mean it romantically. I just want to ask if he'd be willing to spar with me. He's the first person my age to beat me, and I want to get stronger." Her tone turned resolute, her expression firm with determination.
Aria let out a relieved sigh. "Alright, you had me worried for a second. But if that's all, fine. Just don't fall for him, okay?" she said, giving Amelia a mock-threatening glare.
Amelia barely held back another laugh but reassured her friend, "Don't worry about it."
Satisfied with her answer, Aria returned to what she was doing. Amelia went back to her weightlifting, while Aria either chatted with her or scrolled through her phone.