The SSS Ranked Villain's Return

"Huaa, fuck," Neraxis exclaimed as he was once again thrown against a wall by the monster he had chosen.

The battle simulation chamber was pretty simple—all he had to do was select which monster he wanted to fight, and then it would appear in the form of a super-enhanced dummy.

Thankfully, due to his golden access card, there were no limits. Therefore, he chose a C- ranked Shadow Born—an extremely fast humanoid enemy completely shrouded in shadows, just as its name implied.

However, its defenses weren't that strong, meaning if he landed just a single hit, it would be possible to defeat it.

But alas, even after two whole hours, he was unable to do anything. Each time his sword drew nearer, the monster simply stepped back, not giving Neraxis a chance to even finish the attack before he was sent flying into a nearby wall.

Evangeline, two hours have passed. Could I get some help? he asked, still lying on the floor.

[Hmm...] she hummed in an amused tone before saying, [I think you can learn the Simple Stab.]

Simple Stab... your naming sense sure is something, Neraxis said with a sigh, standing back up and grabbing his sword.

So? How do I do it?

[It's as the name says—stab perfectly, just like how you perform perfect horizontal slashes,] Evangeline explained before flying out of his grasp and seemingly performing the attack.

As she did so, the Shadow Born was killed instantly, even from such a distance, before it respawned a short while later.

Woah... He was in awe. Yet, just like the Simple Horizontal Slash, learning this would not be easy.

[Too easy??] She practically gasped at his tone. [That skill should have taken you almost a month to learn. I wouldn't be surprised if you learn this one in a day or two.]

Haha... Neraxis scratched his head and soon proceeded to take the sword, getting into a stance that would allow him to perform a perfect stab.

Yet he immediately felt a bit of discomfort with his stance, and even after adjusting it several times, the feeling remained the same.

[You're overthinking it,] Evangeline stated with a chuckle, making his brow rise.

I... Why was the Simple Horizontal Slash so easy to learn? I can't even find the right stance for this one, he complained, and soon received the answer.
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[What do you think happens when a complete beginner picks up a sword? He swings it around, not caring about form or anything of the sort, until finally, he comes up with something effective.]

Her voice held a certain amusement that made him feel at ease. So, Neraxis listened more intently, trying to read between the lines as she continued.

[Now tell me. A seasoned professional picks up a sword and is learning a skill that's slightly above their level. How would they tackle such a feat?]

Practice? he mused, receiving a giggle in response.

[That's right—practice, Neraxis. Don't expect to learn a skill in an instant before even knowing the basic fundamentals. Take my training as the basics. After that, I'll teach you the Intermediate Horizontal Slash and even more advanced skills if you become strong enough.]

Neraxis let out a sigh. I am concerned how each of your skills are named so... simply. Tell me, is there an Advanced Horizontal Slash?

[Huh? How did you know?] she replied, slightly startled. With a chuckle, he focused up.

Since finding a perfect stance wasn't working, he'd adapt.

Therefore, Neraxis walked up to the Shadow Born and proceeded to stab at it.

Unsurprisingly, he was dodged, and before he could even react, he took another hit to the face.

Yet disappointingly, he did not feel any improvement in his stance.

But he went on, and on, and on, until eventually, his feet felt in the right place—then his waist, his form, and lastly, the stab itself.

Neraxis took a deep breath and, without wasting a single second, stabbed forward, his form seemingly perfect.

An attack slightly different from his previous ones surged out. Yet it was just not fast enough to hit the Shadow Born, sending him flying again.

However, there was finally progress—something to take note of.

That was why he did not let up, continuing to do it over and over again, when all of a sudden, he heard a buzzing sound at the entrance of the room.

And as Neraxis glanced toward it, he finally noticed the time.

8:22 P.M... fuck.

He had been here for almost nine hours doing nothing but training.

Checking his phone, he realized there were a few missed calls from his mother, a few texts from his sister, and lastly, a voice recording from Aella.

I'll check them all out in a moment, but first... He placed his gaze on the door that kept buzzing and soon opened it.

What greeted his sight was a black-haired male instructor whose name he could not remember.

"Can I help you?" Neraxis questioned, receiving a flabbergasted look in response.

"Help me? You can help me by getting out! The academy closed nearly half an hour ago—what are you even still doing in here?" the instructor exclaimed, and Neraxis merely nodded.

"Right, I'll pack my things and get out. Give me a couple of minutes."

The instructor furrowed his brows and waved his hand. "Hurry up. I need to close down since they aren't exactly paying me overtime."

As Neraxis heard those words, his interest was piqued.

"Oh? Would you let me stay here longer for 500 Crowns?"

"Are you trying to bri—"

"I misspoke—2,500 Crowns. Let me stay here until tomorrow. How's that sound?" Neraxis interjected with a smile on his face.

"2—2,500 Crowns?!" the instructor shouted before covering his mouth, quickly looking around, and adding with a greedy grin, "That's half my month's wage. You've got yourself a deal, young man."

"Perfect. See me tomorrow. I'll go back to training in the meanwhile," Neraxis stated and soon closed the door on the instructor's face.

[Pfft...] Evangeline tried holding in her laugh but failed. [Hahaha... I didn't think that would work in such a prestigious academy. Color me surprised.]

Power of being rich, he shrugged before picking up the phone and messaging both his mother and sister that he would be staying over at a friend's house.

Simply what a good son and brother would do—probably.

Lastly, he opened Aella's message.

He pressed on the voice recording, and it began to play.

<Hey, so about Saturday... My mom's kind of a social butterfly, so please ignore her. Also, how are you? What did you eat? Message me when you get this.>

There were faint tremors in her voice that brought a smile to his face as he soon replied.

<Neraxis: Don't worry about it. I get how parents can be embarrassing sometimes—I won't hold it against you. I'm training right now back in the academy. Probably won't get much sleep. As for food, I have some sweets stored away. How about you?>

It felt a bit awkward typing something like that. It felt very traditional in a sense, yet nonetheless, he clicked send.

And not even a moment later, his message was seen, followed by a lightning-fast reply.

<Aella: Dude, you are still training? Seriously? You should really take a break and eat something healthy. I'll be sure to treat you with the finest cuisines once you come to my place. And yeah, I'm building a weird drinking pot right now. Wanna see?>

Raising a brow, he wrote, <Neraxis: Sure.>

Immediately, a picture of some mechanical chalice appeared, though its design didn't exactly make any sense as it looked like it was leaking water.

"Pfft... what the hell?" He couldn't help but let out a chuckle before replying.

Again, again, and again, until several hours finally passed.

<Aella: Oh crap... It's already 2:00 A.M... I'll see you in class later. Good night, Neraxis.>

<Neraxis: Night.>

That was pretty fun. Neraxis looked up at the ceiling before taking a deep breath and glancing at the Shadow Born by the side.

It was about time he perfected this stabbing skill.