Chapter 33: Train

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Train

After finishing his work of leaving the underground cave and shedding the exhaustion of a busy night, Kirito took leisurely steps back into the bustling Hian city. The early morning sunlight cast a glow over the old wooden walls, shining onto the streets crowded with people passing by. He dropped by the bustling trading markets to select and purchase a full supply of essential living items, food, fabrics, and the necessary materials for sustaining the livelihood of a collective about to be formed.

When he returned to the cave, Kirito stood proudly on the high stone step, coldly directing his sharp gaze down at the three children standing straight and orderly within the spacious courtyard of the secret base.

"Listen well, the core mission of you kids from this exact second onward is to train frantically and stand ready to take on life-or-death missions. I will personally train all of you to become true Shinobi, proficient in assassination techniques, infiltration, and eliminating targets in the shadows," Kirito’s steady yet commanding voice echoed throughout the cave walls.

The three kids widened their eyes, their expressions full of shock and disbelief at the enormous prospect just painted before them.

"But... but we’re so weak, even providing food for ourselves is difficult, how can we possibly do such terrifying things?" The brown-haired boy Akai asked with a tremble.

Kirito let out a faint, mocking smirk, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "That’s why I am here to train you to surpass your own limits."

With that, he bent down to pull a thick, bulky book out from his supply bag, tossing it straight onto the ground before the kids with a heavy thud. "This is the first basic martial art that all of you must learn quickly."

Without stopping there, Kirito turned and walked over to a large, sealed wooden crate, using his foot to shove it firmly into place right before the three children. "And this is the chest containing advanced combat technique books from various martial arts schools."

He pointed his finger straight down at a book with a uniquely colored yellow cover placed separately on the ground. "Pay special attention: this is the paramount secret manual that only the three of you are permitted to study and research, absolutely forbidden to be taught or let anyone other than the three of you see."

"The reason is simple: I need the three of you to stand in my place to manage, operate, and supervise all the other children I will bring back in the future. To accomplish that, you must all become stronger than everyone else by a tier."

Kirito crossed his arms over his chest, scanning each of them before speaking in a slightly warmer tone.

"Alright, before we begin, stand up straight and introduce your names."

The black-haired boy stepped forward, speaking clearly: "I am Haruto."

The girl standing beside him gently gripped her hem, speaking in a soft voice: "I am Mimi."

The remaining brown-haired boy also took a deep breath, shouting out: "I am Akai."

Kirito nodded with satisfaction. "Very well. Then starting today, I will establish the first harsh lesson schedule exclusively for you."

The remainder of the day unfolded with absolute ruthlessness. Under Kirito’s strict supervision, the three children were put through high-intensity physical conditioning exercises to the point of draining their very last drop of sweat. After only a few hours, all three collapsed sprawling onto the cold earth, their entire bodies numb, panting in broken breaths from sheer exhaustion.

"Alright, today’s training pauses here. Go eat and rest," Kirito waved his hand in command.

Hearing that, the kids rejoiced, dragging their shattered bodies to find food to recover their physical strength.

Taking advantage of the children’s rest time, Kirito left the cave. Unlike usual, this time he moved via the secret pathway along the perilous cliffside instead of plunging down into the freezing water current.

As soon as he stood firm atop a towering branch deep in the forest, the familiar reconnaissance eagle swooped down swiftly from above, landing obediently right before him.

Tied tightly to its leg was a brief letter. Kirito quickly untied it, opening it to read attentively: "Three days from now, meet at the coast of Alex Island."

He narrowed his eyes, pondering every single word. "Alex Island lies entirely within the control and defensive perimeter of Queen Mika. For her to suddenly want to meet me in such a desolate place, could this be a deadly trap?"

Thinking of the toxic worm he had previously planted inside Queen Mika’s stomach, Kirito understood he couldn’t afford to be careless. That worm was nurtured and created by his own hands, and according to his calculations, there was only a single antidote method he had ever researched. However, it was impossible to rule out the possibility that the Queen’s imperial court possessed genius physicians or individuals capable of finding a way to neutralize it.

If the Queen had genuinely found the antidote, it meant she held the upper hand over him, and this rendezvous was definitely a dangerous trap tailored for him. Conversely, if the poison remained uncured, the initiative still rested securely in his hands.

Pondering for a moment, Kirito folded the letter away and headed back inside the underground cave.

The next two days passed in the silence of the mountains and forests. He continued training the children relentlessly.

On the third day, the three kids Haruto, Mimi, and Akai began entering the phase of simulated free-for-all sparring practice against one another. Looking down from above, Kirito observed that their movement, evasion, and counterattack maneuvers had become remarkably steady, proving their immense innate potential and aptitude.

The following day, Kirito walked up before the three children, dropping a heavy, gold-stuffed leather pouch straight onto the ground.

"This is the gold meant to take care of your living expenses and everyday sustenance. Keep it and spend it very carefully."

He paused for a beat, looking deep into their eyes before continuing: "The three of you should prepare yourselves to head out there and seek out more orphaned children to bring back here. From now on, the three of you will directly manage this entire facility whenever I am absent."

Mimi raised her head, her face full of bewilderment and worry: "My... my lord, are you leaving somewhere?"

Kirito nodded decisively. "Indeed, I have important business requiring me to travel far."

"I will stay here to guide you through the rest of today, and tonight we will organize an expedition outside to gather another batch of children back here."

When night fell, wrapping the suburban forest in darkness, Kirito donned pitch-black ninja attire, leading the group forward with the three children moving extremely cautiously behind him. Through stealth and flickering movement techniques, they brought back over thirty other orphaned children of all ages into the cave.

The newly arrived kids stood blankly, trembling as they observed the bizarre and expansive underground space.

Right in the middle of the cave’s main courtyard, Kirito abruptly threw down dozens of sharp weapons consisting of daggers, shuriken, and short swords emitting a chilling, cold gleam.

Kirito at this moment felt exceedingly dangerous.

Mimi, Haruto, and Akai were ordered to step out and stand at the front, facing the entire panicking crowd of children.

"The first survival test begins from this exact second," Kirito’s cold, merciless voice rang out, cutting through the silence.

"The thirty-five newcomers will engage in direct armed combat against these three. Anyone among you capable of slaying one of those three will be granted an immense reward. Conversely, Mimi, Akai, and Haruto’s mission is to fight and eliminate the weaker ones until the number of survivors drops to exactly fifteen."

Hearing this, Mimi, Akai, and Haruto all changed expressions, their weapon-gripping hands trembling from fear and shock at the cruelty of the command. Meanwhile, the newly arrived kids instantly plunged into utter chaos and extreme panic.

"Start immediately! Anyone who hesitates shall die at once!" Kirito growled threateningly, his killing intent suffocating the entire surrounding space.

Cornered against the wall by the instinctive fear of death, the kids had no other choice, screaming frantically as they lunged at one another to slaughter each other savagely without mercy.

Slash! Thwack! Rip!

The sounds of butchery, cries of agonizing pain, and pathetic weeping echoed continuously, reverberating across the dark cave walls. Fresh blood from wounds began splashing wildly across the wooden walls and stone floors, dyeing a corner of the space crimson. Kirito stood from afar with arms crossed, observing, the corner of his mouth lifting into a faint smile of satisfaction and amusement at the bloody spectacle before him.

"Very good, from now on this is the standardized training trial for anyone stepping foot into my world."

To consolidate discipline, Kirito walked over and pasted a piece of parchment detailing extremely harsh survival rules onto the wall of a large wooden house nearby, compelling all of them to memorize and strictly obey if they wished to keep breathing.

After a prolonged, bloody interval, the life-or-death battle finally drew to a close.

Everywhere in the cave was filled with the pungent, heavy stench of fresh blood and piled-up corpses. The children lucky enough to survive the purge were those possessing lightning-fast reflexes, ruthlessness, and familiarity with stripping the lives of others.

Fortunately, the three core seeds—Mimi, Akai, and Haruto—all fought resiliently, and none of them perished.

Kirito looked coldly across the bloody battlefield, speaking in a calm tone: "Well done. Now, take all of these corpses away to be disposed of cleanly, then take the survivors to wash up and change into clean garments. From today onward, this place is both the grave burying your past and your new home."