Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Studious and Diligent Alice
Having secured victory in the duel, Shen Sui naturally didn’t need any comments from the duel coach. He automatically gained qualification for the Ranking Tournament.
However, the schedule for the Ranking Tournament was quite packed. Given that the opponents were all professional Life Card Masters, most came from across the country to participate. Although the Exploration Bureau coordinated the event, discussions on the internet suggested it was best to conclude the tournament quickly, as the Life Card Association was showing signs of contending for power with the Bureau lately, and who knows if it might affect the tournament arrangements.
Shen Sui shared a similar view.
He wanted the tournament to finish soon so he could devote more energy to the Dawn Continent.
War God Balgas wasn’t something one could compare to the God of Sin and Sokfatris, being one of the mid-game bosses, and Shen Sui needed to take it seriously.
However, wrapping up the Ranking Tournament quickly didn’t mean Shen Sui had to rush through it in the coming days. The Exploration Bureau had just taken some authority regarding the professional certification system from the Life Card Association, which would take a while to arrange a suitable first-tier Life Card Master to duel with Shen Sui.
Shen Sui had to wait for notification about the tournament.
Coincidentally, Alice was heading towards the War God Temple, and since both were free, Shen Sui thought of using this opportunity to train Alice thoroughly, boosting her strength.
This individual had already faced two deities when she was at the third tier, who knows how many more she would encounter in the future.
It’s best to make her stronger and capable of defending herself.
Meanwhile, as Alice trains, Shen Sui decided to ponder over the World No. 1 investigation report.
[At your suggestion, Alice decided to train her magic power.]
[You granted Alice the Flame Magic Cultivation Method.]
[Ding! You acquired a Permanent Spell Card: Fire Cultivation Method.]
Excellent.
Shen Sui quickly activated the Time Regulator, adjusting the flow rate between two times to 1:16.
With this time flow boost, the cultivation method would yield results quickly.
Considering Alice’s tier is just third, in the game, ascending from third to fourth tier only required slaying some magical beasts to gain experience or isolating to train for three days. Of course, players in the game had various magic potion boosts, which made training relatively easy.
Having maxed his level, Shen Sui naturally wouldn’t carry experience potions, which take up inventory space.
Otherwise, Shen Sui believed Alice would ascend much faster.
Then Shen Sui realized he was somewhat naive.
[Alice has trained for ten hours without any progress.]
Uh...
While analyzing the report’s descriptive language, Shen Sui was astonished to see this notification.
Really, even if her talent is poor, shouldn’t she have cultivated at least a little magic power in these ten hours? What kind of assessment is "no progress"? Not a hint of magic power was cultivated?
Alice, were you really focused on your training?
[You used the skill Concentration on Alice.]
An hour later, Shen Sui turned his eyes to the Dueling Device.
[Alice concentrated on training for sixteen hours, yet no progress.]
Huh? That’s not reasonable. Concentration is a divine skill in the game, offering triple acceleration for training. Sixteen hours with Concentration and not even a hint of magic power gained—isn’t that a bit exaggerated?
This is the Magic World, not the Immortal World, where you have to isolate for several years to see gains, right?
Shen Sui, not a believer in defeat, continued using the spell [Concentration] on Alice.
Thus, after half a day, equivalent to a week’s time for Alice, she still made no progress under the effect of [Concentration].
[Ding! You acquired a Spell Card: Concentration.]
Looking at the Spell Card [Concentration] forced out by sheer persistence, Shen Sui felt a little numb.
He began to question himself.
Perhaps my magic training method is wrong, but according to the game’s setting, this is how magic training works—acquire a cultivation method, rigorously train magic power, then break through realms to ascend.
The only difference between the game and reality might be that players can level up by killing monsters to gain experience.
If it’s not Shen Sui’s fault, surely that can’t mean it’s Alice’s, right? Could she be a magic idiot? But how could a magic idiot reach the third tier?
[Concentration boost has hit its limit, Alice gradually felt frustrated, unable to focus on her training.]
Feeling of defeat, perfectly normal.
Shen Sui sighed, preparing to type in some motivational talk to soothe Alice’s tender heart.
[Alice decided to skip class.]
[She crafted a very detailed plan to escape your monitoring, riding Little Horse to frolic in the woods surrounding the camp.]
Shen Sui looked at these two pieces of information, instantly puzzled.
Alright, let’s not debate the rationality of your detailed plan, okay?
Isn’t there a possibility, from a setting perspective, that I am attached to you? So tell me, how exactly do you plan to skip class right under my watch?
Shen Sui suddenly felt like his kid was quite simple-minded.
He held his face, much like a parent helping their child with homework at night, taking a long break.
[Alice prepared her gear, quietly stepping over the sleeping Lingyi.]
[Anna awoke, looking at Alice in confusion.]
[Alice gestured skillfully.]
[The two girls quietly left the camp, mounted Little Horse, and headed for the nearby forest. Alice had noticed the tall tree deep within the forest and had long craved the fruit atop it.]
Shen Sui tapped the screen, typing strings of words into the input box, only to erase them due to insufficient impact.
With input, deletion, input, deletion, Shen Sui ultimately abandoned the idea of verbally educating Alice.
If Alice could patiently train for so many days, it showed her determination to become stronger.
But eight days of fruitless training was indeed quite a blow to Alice, making verbal comfort ineffective against her frustration. Letting her go relax might be beneficial.
Fine, let me think if there are any nearby mines or fishing spots. If there are, there’s a high chance a storage chest of mine might be around, which Alice could open to see if there’s any experience potion.
If talent can’t compete, then let’s rely on connections.
Training unable to provide a boost, drown her in potions instead. There are many ways to ascend in this world; surely there’s one suitable for Alice.
[Alice reached the big tree, only to find it embedded with animal corpses everywhere, and near its roots, several adventurer-like humans were almost entirely consumed by the tree.]
["Help me!"]
["Help me! I’m in pain!"]
The adventurers, noticing Alice’s arrival, cried out for help in agony.
Sensing life approaching, the tree surged countless roots from underground, crazily rushing towards Alice.
[Alice used the Fireball Technique on the roots.]
[Alice used the Frenzied Multi-Connected Fireball Technique on the roots!]
[Flames engulfed the tree, and everything around plunged into a sea of fire, as if the entire world was burning. Alice felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.]
[Alice advanced to a fourth-tier mage.]
[Ding! Your Soul Card Followers gained a new form: Arson Master Alice.]
???
Are you really an arsonist? Can’t level up without causing chaos?