Chapter 254: 254......Fix...

Neo stood behind the small training stall with one hand resting against the wooden sign above his head.

COACH MC — SPECIAL TRAINING

The sign was simple, but it had already attracted more attention than Neo had expected.

He had discovered that in the Devil Kingdom, people were willing to pay surprisingly high prices for strange training methods. Mana stones were valuable, yet desperate people would spend them if they believed the result would give them an advantage.

Neo had learned that lesson quickly.

The woman standing before him was one of those customers.

She had arrived with her husband, and after listening to Neo explain his unusual training methods, she had become increasingly curious. Her husband seemed convinced that Neo was some kind of genius coach.

The woman, however, looked more skeptical.

She crossed her arms.

"Please teach me the secret technique you invented."

Neo smiled.

"You really want to learn it?"

She nodded.

"I paid for the training, didn't I?"

"Fair point."

Neo stepped closer.

The woman glanced around the stall before lowering her voice.

"Just make sure my husband doesn't find out about anything embarrassing."

Neo raised an eyebrow.

"Then don't do anything embarrassing."

She stared at him.

"You're the coach. You're supposed to handle that."

Neo laughed.

"Fine. Get ready."

The training quickly became far more intense than she had expected.

Neo's methods were unconventional, and the woman soon discovered that his definition of "yoga" had very little to do with the peaceful stretching exercises she had imagined.

He pushed her flexibility, balance, breathing, and endurance far beyond her normal limits. Every time she thought she had reached her limit, Neo introduced another exercise.

"Again."

She groaned.

"I've already done that one."

"Then you can do it better."

"I hate you."

"You'll thank me later."

The woman gave him an annoyed look.

"You're enjoying this."

"Of course."

After a long session, she was exhausted, flushed, and covered in sweat. Her red hair clung to her face, and she had to lean against the side of the training stall to catch her breath.

Neo watched her carefully.

"You still alive?"

"Unfortunately."

"Good. That means we can continue."

Her eyes widened.

"What?"

Neo laughed.

"I'm joking."

She sighed with relief.

The training eventually reached its final stage, and the woman was left physically exhausted but strangely satisfied.

She looked at Neo with an expression that mixed embarrassment, surprise, and genuine admiration.

"That was the best training I've had in years."

Neo folded his arms.

"I told you."

She hesitated before asking, "Was that really your secret technique?"

"One of them."

"How many secret techniques do you have?"

"Enough."

She shook her head.

"You really are strange."

"So I've been told."

By the time the session ended, nearly an hour had passed.

Neo checked the time and realized they needed to return.

"Your husband is probably wondering where you are."

The woman quickly straightened her clothes.

"Then let's go."

Neo nodded.

He helped her prepare herself before opening the teleportation passage.

A moment later, the world around them shifted.

The training stall disappeared.

The couple's home appeared before them.

The woman stumbled slightly when they arrived, and her husband immediately caught her.

"Are you all right?"

She nodded quickly.

"I'm fine."

Her husband looked at her flushed face and tired expression.

Then he looked toward Neo.

"Coach, thank you for your service."

Neo gave him a serious nod.

"Coach Mc."

The husband blinked.

"What?"

"Coach Mc."

"Right. Coach Mc."

Neo watched as the couple walked away.

They waved before disappearing around the corner.

Once they had gone far enough, the husband stopped.

He turned toward his wife.

"So?"

She looked at him.

"So what?"

"How was the training?"

A mischievous smile appeared on her face.

"The training was great."

Her husband smiled.

"I knew it."

She glanced back toward the direction of Neo's stall.

"I'm already thinking about going again."

Her husband nodded.

"Then we'll remember where his stall is."

Meanwhile, Neo had already returned to work.

He lifted his sign back into place and adjusted his clothes before standing beside the stall.

Business was business.

He had barely settled down when another customer approached.

This time it was a woman accompanied by a young boy.

The woman wore sports shorts and a sports bra suited for physical activity. Her appearance immediately suggested that she was an athlete.

The boy walking beside her looked much younger.

His black hair fell messily over his forehead, and his gray skin matched the woman's.

The woman stopped in front of Neo.

"You're Coach Mc?"

Neo nodded.

"I am."

She pointed toward the road behind them.

"I need your help."

Neo studied her.

"What kind of help?"

"I need you to train me."

"For what?"

"My upcoming competition."

Neo waited.

She took a breath.

"It's a running competition. My high school is holding it soon."

Neo's eyes widened slightly.

"Running?"

She nodded.

"Yes."

"You mean racing techniques?"

"Exactly."

Neo smiled.

"Then you've come to the right person."

The woman looked skeptical.

"You know about racing?"

Neo placed a hand against his chest.

"Know about it?"

He grinned.

"I used to be an Olympic runner."

Her expression changed instantly.

"You?"

"Me."

"You actually competed?"

"I represented the entire Devil Kingdom."

Her eyes widened.

"Really?"

She looked him up and down.

"I've never heard your name."

Neo shrugged.

"Of course you haven't."

"Why?"

"Because that happened before you were born."

She stared at him.

Neo continued calmly.

"And besides, I'm not here to talk about my past. You came for training."

She nodded.

"How much?"

"Five mana stones."

The woman immediately pulled out the payment.

She counted the stones carefully and placed them in Neo's hand.

"Fine."

Neo closed his fingers around them.

"Payment received."

The woman looked impatient.

"Then let's go."

"We can."

Neo turned toward the stall.

"But I need to explain one thing first."

"What?"

"Only you can come."

The woman's expression changed.

"What?"

"Training like this requires concentration. I don't take spectators."

She pointed toward the boy.

"But I can't leave him here."

Neo looked at the boy.

The child remained quiet, watching them.

"My mother isn't home either."

Neo frowned.

"Your mother isn't home?"

"No."

"Where is she?"

"Working."

Neo nodded.

"Then why isn't she here with your brother?"

The woman became visibly uncomfortable.

Neo noticed the change in her expression.

"Where does your mother work?"

The woman looked away.

"Somewhere nearby."

Neo waited.

She said nothing.

He raised an eyebrow.

"What's her job?"

The woman's cheeks turned red.

Neo noticed immediately.

"Why are you embarrassed?"

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm not."

"You are."

She clenched her fists.

Neo sighed.

"I can't train you properly if I don't know the situation. So tell me."

The woman looked at him with irritation.

"My mother is working."

"I heard you."

"Then why are you asking?"

"Because I need to know whether she'll be able to bring your brother home."

The woman looked toward the boy.

For a moment, her expression softened.

Then she sighed.

"She's working at a brothel."

Neo blinked.

The woman lowered her head.

He waited for her to continue.

She didn't.

Neo frowned.

"What?"

She looked up.

"I said she's working at a brothel."

Neo cupped a hand around his ear.

"I didn't hear you."

The woman's face turned red with frustration.

She shouted, "She is a prostitute working in a fucking brothel, you dick!"

Neo nodded slowly.

"All right."

The woman glared at him.

Neo looked at the boy, then back at her.

He considered the situation for a moment.

Leaving the boy alone clearly wasn't an option.

And if the woman's mother couldn't come to the training alone, the original plan would have to change.

Neo crossed his arms.

"Since this is the case, how about this?"

The woman looked at him suspiciously.

"What?"

"You and your mother can have a joint training session with me later. But for now I wouldn't charge for training you with me in this session"

Her eyes widened.

"Both of us?"

"Yes."

She hesitated.

Neo continued.

"And I would charge only five mana stones."

The woman stared at him for several seconds.

Then she nodded.

"Deal."