Parasites, Magic And Revenge

Miles had decided not to attend school until Raven had fully recovered. Since they had both resolved to grow stronger together, they suited up in their training gear the next day and prepared to head down to the training grounds. Miles activated the combination lock and lit the torches, and the two of them walked past an empty aquarium. Raven, curious, couldn’t help but ask:

"Why is this aquarium empty? It was empty the last time we came here too. Aren't you going to fill it?"

Miles chuckled. "It’s not empty. When we’re here, it’s just asleep."

Raven asked, puzzled, "Who’s asleep?"

Miles tapped the aquarium glass twice. "That, my friend, is the sweet pet of the Hunter family."

The water in the massive aquarium began to ripple. Slowly, a large silhouette emerged from the dark waters. A giant turtle, as big as the aquarium itself, moved forward, coming into full view. It was so enormous that even when Raven craned his neck upward, he couldn’t see the whole creature. Astonished, he asked:

"Why would you keep something like this?"

Miles, still gazing at the creature, replied, "I don’t know. It was a hobby of my ancestors. My father kept it going. It’s been living here for thousands of years."

Raven nodded in understanding, and they continued walking. After passing the blacksmith, they finally reached the training grounds. Raven drew his usual sword, while Miles looked like he was preparing to practice magic, taking out a staff of advanced grade.

"Let’s try a magic simulation today. It’s both fun and more functional than regular training," Miles suggested.

Without hesitation, Raven asked, "What’s a magic simulation?"

Looking at his staff, Miles explained, "The mages of the Hunter family come here every month to infuse magic into the simulation. It creates an artificial battlefield."

Raven, intrigued, asked, "How can a simulation be created from magic? Does that even make sense?"

Miles smiled and responded, "Yeah, I thought the same at first, but lately I’ve taken an interest. If you study it from the basics, it could be useful in the future."

They walked into the simulation room together. The room consisted of a glass-enclosed control panel area and a striped, empty field in front of it. Raven noticed many buttons on the control panel that he didn’t understand. Miles approached the panel and said:

"Why don’t you go first?"

Raven asked, "What do I need to do?"

Miles replied, "Just step inside. I’ll adjust the difficulty. There are ten difficulty levels. Anything above level 5 is for master warriors. I’ll increase the level gradually, and if you’re about to get seriously hurt, I’ll stop it."

Raven smiled and entered the room, sword in hand. He tossed the sword aside, took off his shirt, and tied it around his waist. His body, once thin and wounded to the point where his ribs were visible, had healed, and he looked more muscular now. He was definitely growing stronger.

Miles pressed a few buttons, and the first level began. The simulation generated an opponent resembling a regular human male in his twenties, with no combat skills. The simulation would continue unless the opponent received a lethal blow. Raven charged forward, and before the simulation could even react, he delivered a powerful punch to its face. The simulated opponent flew into the wall, creating a large crack where it hit. The blow had been lethal, and the simulation disappeared instantly.