Reincarnated with an SSS-rank Tamer System: My Harem of Villainesses-Chapter 8 - First Day of Training

Adam opened his eyes, feeling a weight moving over his chest, and when he looked, he noticed it was Nox jumping from side to side, playing with the sheets while letting out small growls.

"Shit..." Adam muttered, still half asleep, rubbing his eyes. He looked at the small dragon with half-lidded eyes. "Though... you work as an alarm clock, I guess."

Nox tilted his head, as if he understood the comment, and then jumped off the bed.

Adam slowly sat up, feeling the exhaustion still clinging to his muscles. He stretched a bit, trying to shake off the stiffness, and then walked toward the bathroom. He opened the door, stepped up to the sink, and splashed cold water on his face.

The icy contact finished waking him up; he sighed as he looked at himself in the fogged mirror, and then left the bathroom.

To his surprise, Ravenna was outside, waiting for him with her hands clasped in front of her and a worried expression.

"Your Excellency, I apologize. I wasn’t here when you woke up," she said with a quick bow.

Adam looked at her without giving the matter much importance. "It’s fine, I just got up early to train."

At that, Ravenna blinked in surprise. "To... train?" she murmured.

"Yes," Adam replied as he walked toward the wardrobe. "I need appropriate clothes."

Ravenna nodded quickly, composing herself. "Right away, Your Excellency."

***

Minutes later, Adam was outside the mansion, in an area clearly designed for training. There was an open space with compacted dirt ground, several wooden posts for practicing strikes, rudimentary weights, and a clear area to run or move freely.

Adam was wearing training clothes: loose pants made of durable fabric, a light sleeveless shirt, and simple boots. It felt strange to be dressed in something so different from what he was used to, but at least it was comfortable.

Ravenna stood near the entrance, watching him in silence.

Adam turned toward her. "You can leave if you want. You don’t have to just stand there."

"It doesn’t bother me, Your Excellency," Ravenna replied with a slight smile.

Adam simply sighed. "Suit yourself."

Just then, the system screen appeared in front of him.

[Tamer System]

[Basic training to strengthen the current body]

Sit-ups (0/100)

Squats (0/100)

Push-ups (0/100)

Running (0/10 km)

[Note: this body is far too fragile.... don’t overdo it.]

Adam read the message with a grimace. ’Don’t overdo it... sure.’

Without saying anything else, he got into position to begin the sit-ups.

One, two, three... the first ten were easy. Then he began to feel the burn in his abdomen; by thirty, he was clenching his teeth. By fifty, he was cursing internally.

’This shitty body...’ he thought, forcing himself to continue.

When he reached one hundred, he let himself fall flat on his back on the ground, breathing heavily. Ravenna approached with a worried expression, but Adam raised a hand to stop her.

"I’m fine... just give me a second."

He struggled to his feet and moved on to squats. They were just as painful. His legs trembled halfway through the exercise, and by the time he finished, he could barely stay standing.

The push-ups were the worst. At sixty, his arms nearly gave out completely, and he had to stop several times, panting as if he had just run a marathon.

’In my previous life, I could do this without even breaking a sweat,’ he thought in frustration as he finished the last ten push-ups.

Finally, it was time to run.

Adam left the mansion, following the dirt path that stretched toward the city. Taking advantage of the fact that they were in the middle of nowhere, he began to jog.

The first kilometers were manageable. But by the fifth, his lungs felt like they were burning. By the eighth, his legs felt like lead, and at the tenth, he had to stop and lean against a tree to avoid collapsing to the ground.

"Shit... this is pathetic," he muttered, spitting saliva as he tried to catch his breath. "Damn shitty body. Getting tired with so little..."

When he finally returned to the training area, Ravenna was already waiting for him with a damp towel and a glass of water.

Adam let himself drop to the ground, completely exhausted. He took the towel and wiped the sweat from his face, then drank the water in a single gulp.

"Are you finished, Your Excellency? I can prepare your bath," Ravenna said softly.

Adam shook his head, still panting. "No... I’ll keep training."

Ravenna looked at him in surprise, but said nothing and simply nodded.

At that moment, the system screen appeared again.

[Tamer System]

[I’m surprised you’re continuing, host. You’re fucking at your limit.]

Adam read the message and smiled bitterly. ’This is nothing,’ he thought, slowly pushing himself up from the ground.

He approached a wooden weapon rack and took a sword. It was heavy, heavier than he expected, but he held it firmly.

He began practicing basic strikes: horizontal cuts, vertical cuts, thrusts. Every movement was clumsy, uncoordinated. His body didn’t respond the way it should due to the exhaustion.

’My technique is there... but this body can’t follow it,’ he thought in frustration as he kept training.

An hour later, he finally let the sword fall to the ground. He had spent five hours training in total, and his body was completely wrecked.

Ravenna hurried over, offering him another towel and more water. Adam accepted them without saying a word.

"Let’s go back," he murmured, starting to walk toward the mansion.

***

As they walked through the corridors, Adam ran into Seraphina, who was coming from the opposite direction accompanied by her maid.

She looked at him and smiled faintly, nodding her head in greeting.

Adam, indifferent, did the same before continuing on his way.

When they reached the bathroom, Adam turned toward Ravenna. "I’ll bathe alone this time."

Ravenna blinked in surprise, but nodded. "As you wish, Your Excellency."

Adam entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him. To his relief, the three maids from last time were not there.

He undressed slowly, feeling each muscle protest with the movement. Then he stepped into the tub filled with hot water.

The relief was immediate. He let out a long sigh as he leaned back against the edge of the bathtub.

That was when Nox appeared, materializing in front of him. The small dragon looked at the water curiously before jumping in, splashing everywhere.

"Hey, careful," Adam murmured, though he couldn’t help but laugh softly as Nox played in the water.

Without anything else, he closed his eyes, letting the heat relax his muscles.

’Tomorrow I’ll have those memories,’ he thought. ’I’ll finally know what happened to the original owner of this body... and what point of the novel I’m at.’

Nox kept playing around him, splashing occasionally. Adam didn’t mind. He just stayed there, letting the exhaustion wash over him.

For the first time in days, he felt like he was moving forward. Slowly, yes, but moving forward.