Having a powerful lord as a father figure, what's wrong with just wanting to draw cards?

I'll fight for Kelsey!

He finally used his rapid breathing as a backup energy source, continuously replenishing his parched body with energy through his breath.

One, two, three...

Beads of sweat dripped down, leaving a small puddle on the smooth floor without anyone noticing.

In addition, he felt that every muscle in his body was burning hot, and his whole body was about to catch fire!

Fifty!

As he silently counted down the last number, applause erupted in the darkness.

Bang bang bang~

"I'm impressed! For a seven-year-old, you've done very well, but I think your potential is far from exhausted. Add another fifty!"

Clam? !

Domi's eyes widened, three huge question marks seemingly flashing on his ahoge (cowlick). He was about to greet Altaïr when Altaïr stopped him:

"Shut your mouth! You piece of trash have no right to speak. Your job is to execute orders absolutely!"

"Fifty push-ups, keep going!"

Okay, you're something else, Atai. You look honest and kind with thick eyebrows and big eyes, but I never expected you to be so wicked!

With nowhere to vent his anger, Domi had no choice but to swallow it down. A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. Watch him return after his studies and beat Atai to a pulp!

Before the amplification from breathing subsided, Domi gritted her teeth and did another fifty.

His movements were already distorted, and his arms were trembling noticeably from the intense exertion. He really couldn't do it anymore this time, and he lay on the ground panting heavily.

My mind was completely blank, and my soul felt like it was about to escape my body and elope; I felt like I was floating on air.

Finally, he got a short rest.

"Rest for thirty minutes, there's salt water here you can drink..."

Domi took the water bottle from Altaïr and started gulping it down his throat. His Adam's apple, which was not yet fully developed, bobbed up and down, showing just how thirsty he was.

ha~

He made a satisfied sound.

He was hydrated, and his fatigue seemed to have eased a bit; at least his brain was able to function again.

Altaïr, who remained hidden in the shadows and had not revealed a single part of his body, seemed to have anticipated this and immediately began to spout his endless theoretical knowledge:

"We don't hire stupid assassins, so theoretical knowledge is just as important. Now let's begin the first chapter..."

"All killing techniques are based on physical strength. Without a strong physique, no matter how much you learn, it's all just for show."

"Push-ups train your core, arms, chest muscles, and triceps, which can greatly improve your strength. Even if you accidentally get stabbed a few times, your muscles will help prevent you from immediately kicking the bucket..."

This went on for half an hour, and Domi was getting a headache from listening.

But because the brain is forced to activate, this knowledge is instilled from the top down like an osmotic reaction.

Altaïr, really, I'm crying my eyes out.

Even during his rest time, he doesn't forget to share knowledge with him. He's such a good person!

The light in his eyes gradually dimmed; having such a coach was a blessing for him.

"Time's up, you piece of trash. Get up."

"One hundred sit-ups, two minutes of plank, fifty supine knee raises and hip lifts, fifty supine alternating ankle touches... Begin!"

After training the upper body muscle groups, it's time for the core, right? And then, the leg muscles?

Do you really think you can't go on a day without working out all your muscle groups?

Domi was on the verge of tears... Why did she have to come here of all times?

Teasing older sisters, tricking Edward, earning villain points every day, and drawing cards in your spare time—isn't that great?

I came here purely to be tortured!

What's most infuriating is that unexpected "overtime".

Every time he finished a set of exercises, he was terrified, afraid that Altaïr would make him do fifty more, and another fifty, and if he hadn't reached his limit, he would make him do another fifty!

He now finally understood what that teammate's warning really meant.

Then, as expected, during the half-hour break after his core workout, Altaïr launched into another long-winded speech, followed immediately by his leg workout.

He directly summoned team members skilled in illusion magic and spatial magic, who managed to create a simulated running scene for him in such a small room, along with constantly resetting spatial magic, forcibly creating an alternate world version of a treadmill.

Meanwhile, Altaïr himself was not idle either, using his part-time magic to add light and shadow and sunflowers to the environment.

That's right, Altaïr is not only an assassin, but also a practitioner of light and plant magic, earning him the nickname "Photosynthesis Assassin," and he especially loves sunflowers.

It's said that he supplies all the sunflower seeds in the castle; the seeds are not only large but also have a sun-kissed flavor, receiving unanimous praise from everyone in the family...

So his treadmill was now illuminated, and every hundred meters a sunflower bloomed towards him.

"When you pass by a hundred sunflowers, your physical training will be over."

Judging from Altaïr's voice, Domi could almost see him grinning widely, revealing a heartless smile.

What could he do? He couldn't resist, his petition on the bus was rejected, and his attempts to complain were met with silence. His family couldn't understand; his life was so difficult...

By this point in his training, Dominic had become a fully-fledged walking corpse, his eyes rolled back, and his mind disconnected from his body.

When I try to move my finger, an error message pops up: "Sorry, unable to connect to external device..."

This is the state he was in after running ten kilometers; not a single piece of his body belonged to him.

After lying there for an hour, Altaïr finally revealed himself for the first time, though he only came over to kick the sleeping Domi.

"Hey, wake up, you piece of trash! Get ready, the practical part is coming up."

Chapter 34, Section 33: The Awakening of the Martial Arts Master

He was forcibly pulled up while still half asleep, and before he could even fully wake up, a dagger was shoved into his hand.

I shook my head to shake off the drowsiness.

When he looked up again, the scene before him was completely different—the one standing under that single beam of light was no longer him, but Altaïr.

Their identities seemed to have been reversed.

Now, Altaïr is the protagonist in the spotlight, while I am the audience hidden in the darkness.

Altaïr's figure was fully revealed under the light, and he was looking down at him with a smile on his lips:

"You use a dagger, and I'll fight bare-handed. Attack me with all your might. If you can hit me once, today's training will end early. Of course, if you can't touch me, I can't say when it will end."

"To be fair, I will suppress my senses and use all my skills. You have a chance to win."

As soon as he finished speaking, Altaïr saw a swift and short figure moving quickly through the darkness.

"Come on over."

He didn't even move an inch, and even offered guidance from time to time:

"The enemy is in the open while I am in the dark. If I don't conceal myself well, it's like giving up this advantage and letting the other side know, 'I'm right here!'"

Domi gripped the dagger tightly, emerging from the darkness behind him, the tip of the blade aimed directly at Altaïr's liver!

That place is the body's blood bank; if the liver ruptures, the amount of blood loss in a short period of time is enough to send a strong adult to meet their maker.

However, just as the blade was about to touch him, he seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and dodged in an unexpected direction, then kicked Domi in the butt, making him fall flat on his face.

"The angle is good, and the target location is well chosen, which is good, but the intention to attack is too obvious."

"A true assassin must not only conceal their whereabouts and aura, but also their killing intent and intentions. You must keep your target guessing about your next move, thus instilling panic in them."

Another rapid attack came, but Altaïr easily caught the dagger with two fingers, and with a flick of his wrist, he sent the dagger and Domi flying together.

He returned to the darkness, pondering Altaïr's words.

He knew that if he relied solely on brute force to fight back, he would only be asking for trouble. He needed to find the trick, and the trick was the hint that Altaïr had just given him.

Domi's eyes were fixed on Altaïr under the spotlight. His relaxed appearance seemed full of flaws, but only upon closer inspection would one discover that those flaws were actually just a facade. His defense was impregnable.

But his goal was not to break through this defense, but to leave a trace on it.

The objective has been determined.

The next step is to take concrete action.

Concealing their whereabouts...

He immediately thought of the baby's first birthday celebration, when he used shadow magic to wrap himself up and hide in a cloak.

After so many years of honing his skills, his magic has only grown stronger, not weaker. Even if he only knows the most basic applications, that's enough!

Feeling the magic flowing through his body, Domi guided it out of his body with a single thought, forming a camouflage layer around him.

Shadow magic has a natural affinity with darkness, and when combined with perfect-level shadow talent, it can achieve a result greater than the sum of its parts!

At first glance, it does indeed blend in with the environment.

Next, conceal your aura and killing intent...

He's quite good at this.

He slowly adjusted his breathing frequency, relying on his special breathing techniques developed over the years, he was already familiar with how to adjust his breathing to a smooth and long state.

As for killing intent, could that really be killing intent?

It was clearly his desire to get out of there as soon as possible and to see Kal'tsit again.

Soon, he grasped the full meaning of Altaïr's words, and all the concealment was in place.

Altaïr also sensed Domi's disappearance and aura, and he finally showed a genuine smile. To be able to do this much with just a few words, he had really struck gold.

Come on, Domi, let me see how much potential you still have yet to be discovered.

But after waiting for a while, the expected attack did not occur.

strangeness……