"Training regimen?"

I repeated the words back to her as if it were the first time I was hearing them.

She leaned in close, and suddenly it felt as if I were back at the university, standing in front of my professor.

"Tell me, why do you think I took interest in you and began training you?"

Why?

"I guess because of the deal we made before. I would join your cause to help people, and you would teach me combat."

"Wrong," she said, shaking her head and sighing. "If I were so desperate for help, then I could’ve found stronger players than you. The reason I decided to help you is because of my sister. I wanted to make sure that the guy she was with was at least strong enough to protect her. Imagine my disappointment when I heard she got kidnapped."

Ah, so that’s what this is about.

"It was a dangerous situation. I admit I should’ve predicted someone coming after her and made better precautions."

"Or maybe you shouldn’t have been making enemies in the first place. Why couldn’t you just live a quiet life?"

"We both know that’s impossible. Sooner or later your father would’ve found us. Not to mention our home is constantly in danger unless someone finally completes this game." I countered.

"What about your current form? You’re a centipede. This alone is enough to give me second thoughts about training you."

"I’ve managed to climb the rankings despite my current form. I consider it an advantage."

Amanda’s eyes narrowed at me, and for a moment, she didn’t say a word.

I understood her points about Amelia’s kidnapping and now the she found out my game form is a centipede. In her eyes, taking me with her to the Void Lands could very well lead to my death.

I felt that this was just a roundabout way of her testing my resolve while finding out why I decided to do things the harder way by forming a guild and going after the Terra-Shards.

After a few seconds, she finally broke eye contact and let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine," she said, then waved her hand to the bartender. "Hey, bartender, bring us some more ale! We’ll need it for the hell that’s about to come, trust me."

Hearing Amanda’s words, I couldn’t help but feel dreadful of what was to come. I’ve read some troubling things about the Void Lands. About the monsters and ancient beings that inhabited that place. There exist creatures so powerful that their strength couldn’t even be measured by regular standards.

And if that doesn’t put an end to you, then the land itself has ways of delivering a fate far worse than death. This would be far more dangerous than anything I’ve ever attempted. It sheltered the possibility of death or a fate far worse. There was a reason players were willing to enter dungeons but quickly drew the line at going into the Void Lands.

"Here, have a sip. It will take your mind off things," Amanda chuckled as she placed a mug filled to the brim with ale in front of me.

I hardly drank alcohol, but somehow at that moment it felt fitting. Slowly, I raised myself up to the brim of the mug and dipped my head inside. Immediately, the liquid flowed into my mouth. Before I knew it, the entire mug was emptied.

"By the way, you’ll need to tell my sister that you’ll be gone for a month."

"Huh? I will?"

She nodded.

"To make good use of our time, it’s best to spend every second of the day there. We need to immerse ourselves in the land day and night. Going back home will cause you to lose your edge. Forget the dangers you face even for a second, and that danger could cost you your life."

I guess that makes sense. I’ll need to keep my instincts sharp at all times if I wanted to survive, but there was still one problem.

"It would be dangerous to leave Amelia on her own for so long. What if someone comes after her again?"

Amanda shook her head in response. "Our father wouldn’t let that happen again. Do you think after she escaped once, he would give her the chance to do so again?"

Wait...

"Are you saying he’s been keeping an eye on us?"

Amanda sighed.

"The fact that you didn’t notice you were being watched is enough proof that you need more training."

On the contrary, my antennae allow me to pick up more environmental cues than what the five human senses could detect. This was just another part of my body that I needed to evolve and use until I master it.

"OK, I’ll tell her when I log out," I said.

Amanda nodded, but then a sinister smile suddenly rose on her face. "I wonder how she’ll react when she hears that you’ll be alone with me for an entire month," she giggled.

We spent the rest of the night drinking ale as if it was our last night alive. We laughed and talked about the most pointless things, but Amanda never got too personal. She purposefully avoided personal topics. She refused to say anything about Amelia, much less her father.

Though the more she avoided the topic, the more I found myself being curious about this family. I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something deeper at play. Something that I wasn’t quite getting.

Still, even though the thought weighed on my mind, I decided to put it aside and instead focused on what was to come. Leaving Heaven’s Plain and venturing out into the Void Lands. I couldn’t help but feel a knot in my stomach at the very thought of it.

I had so much to lose, but if we managed to uncover an ancient city that once stood in the most dangerous place on this planet, then the reward would be well worth the risk.

I began wondering about the amount of biomass I could gain from the creatures there and the different traits I could evolve from hunting them.

After a few hours, when we had our fill of ale and enjoyment, we decided to log out.