No one knew how many rounds of life-and-death battles Anya had endured, but at some point, a faint trace of sharp Sword Intent quietly formed on her blade—even she hadn’t realized it.
As for her body, after countless clashes of kill or be killed, most surprise attacks could now be countered with an instinctive, muscle memory-like reaction.
The gains from this life-and-death tempering were often beyond imagination.
“To find balance between offense and defense—is that the Heavy Sword’s Ultimate Principle?”
Blocking her opponent’s attack and skillfully deflecting their weapon, Anya finished the battle with a clean, decisive strike.
Her Sword Technique now had less empty flourish and showiness, gradually becoming broad and powerful, every move aimed straight for her opponent’s vital points.
Yet, she was ultimately still too inexperienced. When facing enemies who knew how to use technique or dirty tricks, it was inevitable that she’d be caught off guard.
Iris, seeing that it was about time, withdrew the battlefield and walked to Anya’s side.
From her initial bewilderment to her current sharp and intimidating presence, Anya’s transformation even made Iris shudder a little.
Perhaps noticing Iris’s fearful expression, Anya quickly withdrew the killing intent she had just shown to her enemies, returning to the version of herself that Iris had once known.
“You were really kind of scary just now, Little Anya.” Iris breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Anya return to normal.
How could this little one have such an unsettling sense of aggression hidden in her bones?
“Really? Then I’ll pay more attention from now on.” Anya smiled, her eyes shining. “Iris, I think I can train a little more. After all, I still need to work hard for your sake.”
“What do you mean, train!?” Iris puffed up her cheeks in displeasure, shooing her away. “Girls shouldn’t always be thinking about fighting and killing. You need to combine work and rest! Go back to the Reality World and get some fresh air, Little Anya.”
Anya immediately looked a bit unwilling.
For some reason, being by Iris’s side always made her feel especially at ease, especially the faint scent of gardenias that lingered on Iris—it made her heart settle.
“Can I come back again?” She stared at Iris, asking softly.
“Come back?” Iris clearly didn’t catch Anya’s meaning. “Oh, you mean come back and practice swordsmanship with me? Of course you can!”
Her own System Points still depended on Little Anya earning them—she couldn’t wait for Anya to quickly improve so she could exchange them for more comics and games for herself.
Just thinking of a future where she could leisurely hold comic books, accompanying Anya as she leveled up and defeated monsters, and then eventually completing the task Oli gave her and earning herself a body for retirement—that kind of life sounded wonderful just thinking about it.
At that thought, Iris suddenly grinned foolishly, completely forgetting there was still a Little Anya standing in front of her.
Anya looked at her silly expression, pressed her lips together, and in the end didn’t say what she truly felt.
She just smiled and nodded. “Alright, then I’ll come find Iris to practice swordsmanship often from now on.”
After all, Iris was her exclusive assistant. After practicing swordsmanship, it shouldn’t be a problem to ask her to keep her company a bit longer, right?
Iris sent Anya out of the System Space, and her consciousness slowly awoke in her real body.
Gazing out the window at the newly risen Sunrise, Anya couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.
Just as Iris had said, almost no time had passed outside.
She’d stayed in the System Space for so long, and each of those battles not only tempered her sword, but also gave her a clear direction in her heart.
That little white-haired ball had also become a lingering attachment she couldn’t shake off.
Anya got out of bed, changed her clothes, and pushed open the door to the hall, ready to prepare breakfast.
Yisha had already prepared breakfast for her, but it seemed she hadn’t expected her Miss to rise so early. Yisha quickly approached and gave a respectful bow.
“Good morning, Miss Anya. I didn’t expect you to be up so early today. There’s still a bowl of oatmeal porridge not quite done yet—please wait a moment.”
“It’s alright, Yisha, take your time.” Anya smiled and comforted her, then walked to the dining table and sat down, slowly eating the bacon set before her.
“Miss Anya seems to have changed a little since her Birthday.” Yisha glanced at her a few times, then suddenly spoke up.
“Oh? How have I changed?” Anya looked up and asked with a smile.
“I feel… you’re a bit more confident now, not quite the same as before,” Yisha said seriously.
“Maybe so.” Anya gave a soft laugh, then lowered her head and continued eating.
“Oh no! I have to check on the oatmeal porridge before it gets burnt!” Yisha’s expression suddenly changed, and after a quick bow, she hurried to the kitchen.
Anya shook her head with a smile. She had just picked up her knife and fork when a dark shadow fell across the table.
She looked up in mild displeasure to see her Cousin Meidi wearing her usual haughty, fake smile.
“Oh my, Cousin Anya, I’m so sorry about yesterday—I was just too busy and didn’t make it back to celebrate your Birthday. You’re not upset with me, are you?” Meidi’s tone was gleeful and insincere, clearly here to cause trouble.
“I had a great time yesterday.” Anya lowered her head, cutting the beef on her plate as she replied calmly, “But for Cousin Meidi to come looking for me so early, is there something you need?”
“What’s with that attitude?” Meidi slapped the table suddenly, her tone instantly turning cold. “Anya, do you even see me as your Cousin anymore? You don’t even have the basic respect!”
Anya finally looked up, still smiling but speaking neither humbly nor arrogantly. “I think I’m being quite polite, Cousin Meidi. On the other hand, slapping the table in anger like this doesn’t quite suit a noble’s demeanor, does it?”
“You!” Meidi’s eyes went wide. For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.
If she kept arguing, she’d only lose her own composure. But just dropping it here was impossible for her to swallow.
She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her anger, and put on a calm face. “As your Cousin, I only felt sorry for not being able to return yesterday to celebrate your Birthday, so I hurried back to check on you.”
Anya gave a faint smile. “Do you really think I’m the kind of petty person to mind such a small thing? There’s really no need for you to make a special trip to apologize. If anything, it makes me seem petty and narrow-minded.”
Meidi froze in place, full of bewilderment.
She felt that the Anya before her had become a total stranger.
In the past, no matter how much she made things difficult, Anya had always endured it without complaint.
How did she suddenly have the nerve to talk back today?
“If Cousin Meidi doesn’t have any other business, why not sit down and rest?” Anya glanced at her still stiffly standing across the table, her tone casual and teasing.
“You’ve been standing so long, isn’t your back getting tired? Breakfast is still hot—why not eat together?”
“No need, you eat by yourself.” Meidi, burning with frustration but unable to lose face in front of her, could only turn away sullenly and left faster than she had come.
Just then, Yisha entered carrying a steaming bowl of oatmeal porridge, catching sight of Meidi’s retreating figure as she hurried out.
Yisha couldn’t help but look at Anya curiously. “Miss Anya, why did Miss Meidi leave in such a hurry? Does she have urgent business? She didn’t even eat breakfast.”
Anya put down her knife and fork, shrugged with a smile. “Who knows? Maybe she was already full before she came?”