Chapter 116: Joint training

That morning passed quickly, so quickly that afternoon arrived and the sun was still up while Strax lay on the sofa, still recovering from the aftermath of his fight with Beatrice the previous night.

"I wonder how many times it will take to level up..." Strax murmured to himself, trying to find a way to understand Dual Cultivation. "Anyway, any excessive activity can cause problems in the future.

I'm not indestructible, and this isn't like the novels I used to read where the protagonist has infinite stamina to keep going endlessly." He thought, many things crossing his mind, but he didn't want to rely on dual cultivation; that was his main stance.

"I'll continue cultivating through meditation as I always have. Using dual cultivation will be only for very specific moments. I still don't know the purpose of the System or how it was given to me, but I can't rely solely on this tool. I need to become strong on my own, not as a tool of the system."

He was both right and wrong at the same time, presuming a lot and thinking deeply about what he could or couldn't do with the System. He saw the System as an entity beyond his conventional reality, something like an auxiliary program from some strange god who wanted to have fun.

Perhaps it was just his vast knowledge of novels and things he had seen in his past life on Earth, but he was someone on the path to Absolute Strength, and if a System wanted to give him that, he would accept it only if he could surpass the system.

"So lazy..." Strax said as he settled back on the sofa, closing his eyes, trying to get some more peaceful rest.

BOOOOOOOOM!

"Damn... what's happening outside?" Strax murmured, a bit annoyed, feeling the ground tremble as he just wanted to relax for a bit. After all, in a few days, he would have to be back at his best. But what was happening? Well...

There were three women in the center of that makeshift Training Field, surrounded by trees and large rocks, which served as markers for their bursts of strength. The air was fresh, filled with sweat and complicated emotions, but the energy emanating from those three... that was what made the ground slightly tremble. They were excited.

Beatrice, with her long purple hair tied in a ponytail, was in the center, focusing. Monica, the perverted maid, was moving with surprising agility, especially for someone who had only just started real combat training, despite her still delicate appearance... Well... as for Samira... how to put it... She was still acting as the guild master, wasn't she?

Her stance was firm, and her eyes, burning like flames, were closely observing every movement of the women in front of her.

She sighed and focused on a target... Yes, a single woman would receive her attack, the very one who had... well, mocked her for having enjoyed a wonderful night with her husband.

"Let's see what you're capable of, Beatrice!" Samira shouted, launching a swift and fierce attack with her fists engulfed in flames. Beatrice, seeing this move, elegantly dodged, spinning in the air and landing softly a few meters away.

"Don't underestimate my daughter," Monica murmured inaudibly... well, she couldn't say that out loud. With a mischievous smile, she moved to support Beatrice, turning the battle into a two-on-one. She was still inexperienced but wanted to improve; she needed to become stronger to keep up with the man she loved.

"Can you all stop?" The man's voice entered the arena, making them all turn, curious. "I thought you were sleeping," Beatrice said, running to hug him. But Strax didn't reciprocate; he had a scowl on his face. After all, he wanted to rest a bit, but they didn't let him with all this noise.

"He's angry," Samira said, observing how Strax was acting.

"You deserve to be punished," Strax said, changing his scowl to a mischievous smile.

Beatrice stopped, looking at Strax with a mixture of expectation and caution. "Punished? How so?" she asked, trying to decipher his tone.

Strax crossed his arms, his smile widening. "You think you can make so much noise without facing the consequences? Let's see if you can handle a bit more training... with me."

Samira, still panting, smiled back, accepting the implicit challenge. "So, the great Strax finally decided to join us? This will be interesting."

Monica, noticing the seriousness in Strax's eyes, prepared herself mentally. "We're ready. Show us what you've got."

Strax took a few steps forward, his presence imposing an aura of authority and power. "Very well. Let's begin."

With a swift movement, Strax released a wave of energy that made the ground tremble even more intensely. The three women felt the pressure but didn't back down. Beatrice was the first to react, channeling her own energy to form a protective barrier around them.

"Good, Beatrice," Strax said, impressed. "But you'll need more than that."

He disappeared from sight, moving with impressive speed, and reappeared behind Samira, launching a direct attack. Samira managed to dodge at the last second, but the force of the blow created a fissure in the ground.

Monica seized the opportunity to attack from the side, her hands glowing with concentrated energy. Strax blocked the attack effortlessly, spinning to face her. "Monica, your precision has improved, but you need to be faster."

The fight intensified, with Strax pushing each of them to surpass their limits. Beatrice, Monica, and Samira fought together, synchronizing their movements in an attempt to overcome the powerful adversary. With each strike, the training field was marked by the force of the battle.

"And I thought you would be resting," a fourth woman's voice emerged, making them all stop immediately.

"And I thought you wouldn't come after me for now, Diana," Strax replied, seeing the woman shrug. "The Patriarch wants to see you," Diana said.