I didn't know when Zeno had started standing there watching me train as Illumi's sparring partner. Like Silva, Zeno, and everyone else in the Zoldyck family, had no footsteps. Well, everyone in the Zoldyck household was light on their feet. These two father and son took it a step further, always concealing their presence without a sound. I wondered if such behavior was really necessary within their own home. Perhaps it was a professional habit from being professional assassins for so long.
"Aren't you getting used to it, Moir?"
After greeting Zeno along with Illumi, Zeno asked me this.
As I considered how to answer, Zeno continued, "So, you understand now, don't you? Your previous action patterns weren't suitable for being an assassin. Before learning to attack, you must first learn how to protect yourself. Everything else should come second."
"..." I looked at Zeno, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"This kind of training will continue until you turn the correct patterns into subconscious bodily reflexes," Zeno said, glancing at Illumi. "I heard you also experienced the attack device for evasion training. What were your thoughts on it, Illu?"
"I found it a bit difficult," Illumi admitted. "It's not very practical at this stage."
"Is that so?" Zeno nodded and turned his gaze back to me. "What do you think, Moir?"
"..." I didn't shake my head, but I also didn't want to nod.
Although I acknowledged Illumi's judgment, I still challenged Zeno's attack device punctually every day, and under the "Eight-Minute Rule," I was defeated within an hour, with no significant progress.
"You clearly lack patience, yet you're so stubborn," Zeno tilted his head, his gaze falling towards the ground. "This is going to be difficult."
"..." What was going to be difficult?
I felt like Zeno's words had a hidden meaning.
After a few seconds of silence, Zeno's gaze shifted back to my face. Unlike Silva's predatory and oppressive sharp gaze, Zeno's gaze was somewhat absentminded, with a touch of weariness and颓唐. His aggression was much weaker, but it couldn't hide the shrewdness and cunning hidden within. His clarity was unclouded, which, for me, was another kind of oppressive gaze because I didn't want my "player" identity to be discovered, as it would undoubtedly lead to trouble.
I took a step back, not intentionally, but my body moved on its own while I was thinking.
Zeno's raised hand was very close to my head. As I stepped back, he advanced a step, following my movement.
"Isn't this showing some results?" He smiled and pressed his palm down further, ruffling my hair. "Good. No matter who suddenly tries to touch you, you shouldn't think twice. You should immediately create distance."
"..." This body's survival instincts were getting stronger, being gradually tamed according to the Zoldyck family's plan.
No wonder it was becoming easier to manifest as Moiras Zoldyck. The closer I got to the Zoldyck standard, the more I resembled the true Moiras Zoldyck, until...
What would I become? I couldn't be bothered to care.
Since I couldn't defy the Zoldyck family's training schedule, it was better to accept it honestly. If I could meet the standard in this evasion and defense training soon, I could proceed to the next stage of offensive training as I wished. I'd been Illumi's sparring partner for so long, my fists were itching for action.
"Yes, I'll adjust the difficulty a bit," Zeno said. "Illumi can try it too. It's good for peers to interact more. When your conditions are similar, it's easiest to understand each other."
"Understood," Illumi replied.
"..." Is Illumi mooching off my training resources again? I'm going to have to give him more experience points!
Alright, I knew that among the Zoldyck family's three children, Illumi ranked first in the eyes of the elders.
He was the eldest son, and his overall aptitude was exceptional. He was a pillar of the younger generation that the Zoldyck family urgently needed. Once cultivated, he could not only help the family with work early on but also assist in looking after his future younger brothers. If they didn't focus on cultivating him, who else would they cultivate? The mute and the (future) shut-in?
In that regard, Illumi was perhaps the most normal child in the Zoldyck family.
The next day, I arrived at the training ground five minutes early as usual.
I disliked being late. Considering potential surprises when departing, I believed departing early was the safest strategy.
Illumi preferred to arrive exactly on time, not a minute early or late. Although he wasn't wearing a watch, he could precisely control the time, indicating he had calculated it in advance.
I remembered our past team missions, and when crossing the street on a crosswalk, he would only step on the white lines of the crosswalk. This was another prominent manifestation of his obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The difficulty of the attack device had been adjusted, and who would experience it first was quickly decided. As someone who liked to act and try things myself, and Illumi being happy for someone to test the waters first to gain lessons from their experience, I stepped forward, stopped at the marked spot in the arena, and nodded to the butler in charge of training, indicating I was ready.
The green indicator light of the attack device illuminated. My most direct impression was a decrease in the attack frequency. The interval between each attack was random, sometimes short, sometimes long, sometimes dense, sometimes scattered, like there was a rhythm. Oh, it was very much like a music game in the "real world," where falling notes had to be touched when they reached the judgment area... Here, it was about dodging.
The "Eight-Minute Rule" was still in effect, but due to the reduced difficulty, I exceeded an hour for the first time, and it was with lingering reluctance that I exited the arena.
It was Illumi's turn. As Illumi had previously commented, this game primarily tested physical ability rather than technique. This was because the game's mechanics were very simple, so simple that one could pass if their ability stats met the requirements, and there was no room for technique.
There was nothing to copy from this assignment, and continuing to watch Illumi would be a waste of time. If I wanted to know Illumi's performance on this assignment, I could ask the butler in charge of training later.
Before I could even bid farewell, Zeno appeared.
"Did you have fun, Moir?" he asked.
If there hadn't been the "Eight-Minute Rule" acting as a "preventing addiction" system, I would have had a lot of fun.
"..." I nodded insincerely.
"So, you didn't get enough?" Zeno smiled slightly. "Want to continue playing?"
"..." If I admitted it, would there be a price to pay?
"Don't be nervous, I'm just asking for your thoughts."
"..." I nodded cautiously.
"Alright, then let's switch to two-player mode."
"?!"
The so-called two-player mode meant the attack device emitted more attacks each time, from different directions. Attacks from other directions were fired by devices on the walls. Once all were activated, red warning rays instantly sliced the arena into countless spaces of varying sizes.
Dodging these wasn't difficult. What was difficult was...
"!" x2
Illumi and I collided due to inertia.
What was difficult was that the only landing spots were six small circles that had just been drawn, barely large enough for two feet.
On a training ground half the size of a soccer field, with the movement range restricted to six small circles, the available space became extremely cramped, especially when considering that someone else might be vying for the same circle.
When evading attacks, the action of jumping quickly from one circle to another was unavoidable. The inertia from speed was hard to eliminate before landing, and Illumi and I collided hard before our feet landed within the circles.
It hurt so much.
Both of us had little body fat, so it was almost bone hitting bone. I hit the back of my head, making me dizzy, while Illumi got a bloody nose.
"..." x2
The attack device wasn't deactivated. Ammunition loaded with red paint hit us one after another. We had to shakily stand up and continue training.
The best way to solve the problem of collision was, of course, to predict the other person's landing spot while considering our own, and choose a different landing spot to avoid conflict.
So, as soon as we stood up, we immediately jumped to the furthest separated small circles.
The attack device was designed to track targets. If the two targets separated, it would not only disperse the firepower but also reduce interference with each other.
In theory, this was correct. In reality, we were overwhelmed by the dense attacks and couldn't, as expected, only land on the three closest circles, without interfering with each other.
A person of similar weight to you crashing into you hurt far more than pea-sized bullets. If you didn't manage your balance well, you could be knocked down.
We rolled around, covered in mud and paint from the attack device, and even took a mouthful of dirt. Everywhere ached. Zeno finally had the butler turn off the attack device.
"Was it fun?" Zeno asked with a kind smile.
"..." x2
The fatigue after relaxing surged. We panted, sitting on the ground with no regard for our appearance, and looked at each other.
The conclusion was self-evident.
"We'll continue tomorrow," Illumi said. "Big sister thinks so too, right?"
I nodded.
"Good," Zeno's smile remained unchanged. "Take a break, and then shall we go eat the tea cakes I brought?"
Illumi and I nodded.
As Zeno had already turned away, he turned back as if remembering something and added, "Oh, Illumi, you have a share too."
"?" x2