Extra Demon: Sacred Academy of Light

Martial arts, self-defense, and everything related to it—I have to admit I'm an absolute loser. I don't have any real experience to speak of, and I'm a true beginner with just crumbs of knowledge. Yes, on Earth, I was a human who spent all day in front of a screen within four walls, working like a mule, just getting by.

If I'm honest, my physical condition back then was garbage compared to my current body... in fact, it would be disrespectful to even try to compare. But in general, you get the idea—or at least I hope so…

Right now, you could say I'm at the lowest point in my life, or in other words, my dignity as a man and as a human being, but the conditions weren't in my favor from the start, with no real chance of winning…

"…"

I felt pain all over my body—I think I have about six broken ribs and some other fractures, a dislocated jaw, and one of my hands is broken. And considering it was supposed to be just a simple training session! I almost died… well, not really. I was just beaten up as much as possible… silently crying to myself, I touched my swollen cheeks: "Well, it was to be expected…" I muttered.

It's actually quite surprising that I'm still conscious and doing relatively well… it just hurts a lot, that's all. Looking down, I wasn't wearing my shirt because it had been torn to shreds in the process. As I looked at the bruises and hematomas, most of them were bloody and purple…

"…"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"You went overboard, Leslie! Look at what you did to him!" Daniela scolded Leslie, giving her a stealthy look while pointing at me. Leslie looked at me with eyes full of pity… I don't know why, but that look only made me feel even worse!

"B-But… but… he told me not to hold back!" Leslie's eyes started to well up, and she began to look nervous. She looked at me with her beautiful violet eyes as if she was pleading for help.

"Hm… it's surprising he's still alive…" Evelyn crouched down and looked at my bruised face intently. She tilted her head slightly, "Does it hurt?" she asked innocently.

"Yes, it hurts a lot…" I replied with a somber expression… I feel like some kind of animal on display!

"But… just look at him… a broken hand and everything…" Daniela's golden eyes lingered on my abdomen, "Covered in blood…" she said slowly as her cheeks flushed, "Very masculine…"

I could swear I saw drool at the corners of her mouth! But it didn't affect me; actually, it boosted my self-esteem a bit. My physique has certainly improved, even I was surprised when I first saw it…

"You're right… but instead of staring like an idiot, why don't you heal him quickly?!" Leslie, noticing the attention shift toward Arthur, quickly shifted the blame onto Daniela, who blinked a few times, quickly wiped the drool from her lips, and snapped out of her trance. She approached me quickly, placing her hands on my chest… I watched her silently. "Really?"

She just lowered her head, but her ears turned red… "It's part of the treatment!" she justified herself.

I can swear again that this is totally unnecessary! She can heal people from a distance… but seeing her shy expression, with her face flushed either from embarrassment or something else…

"Hmmm… how does he have such a weak physique?" Evelyn, who was beside us, kept asking questions with curious eyes, which irritated me the most because she wasn't mocking me. It was pure curiosity, her eyes even sparkled.

"Well… I haven't trained much." Putting on a smile, I sighed… it's pretty pathetic. Even Daniela and Evelyn's physiques are far superior to mine… still, it's rather unusual. Every time they get close, I can feel firsthand the softness of their skin!

"Would you like me to help? I'd be much more patient than Leslie." Evelyn gave a soft smile… Widening her eyes, she placed her hand on her chest, "I also know what Leslie is teaching, though I'm not as skilled as her," she said sincerely… An angel! Literally…

"Hey, don't steal my job!" Leslie quickly got to our position. She crouched down and looked angrily at Evelyn, "He told me! He said if I didn't take it seriously, he'd make me sleep on the floor!" small tears appeared in her eyes…

"You can't…" Daniela's mouth dropped open as she looked at me expectantly… it was as if she was asking to be forced too!

"This masochist!!" I cursed in my mind… "I had no choice—you didn't want to hurt me!" When I asked Leslie to help me improve my physique, she was more than happy to help, but after a few minutes, I realized she was playing with me! She wasn't serious, and it actually felt like we were dancing… when I told her it wouldn't work like that and asked her to intensify, she flatly refused.

I had no choice but to threaten her…

After that, she had a serious look, and the next thing was a massacre for me. She moved so quickly I couldn't keep up with my eyes. Although it was a duel without mana or magic, I was at a disadvantage. All I could do was try to dodge as much as possible, but the result was the same—blows all over, and I ended up in this state. Although it hurts… it's not as bad as burning alive.

I believe pain helps the body improve in many ways. That's why Buddhist monks are superhuman… of course, they improve not only the body but also the mind and spirit. It's very similar to our situation.

Feeling the sweet coolness spreading through my body, I could feel the broken ribs coming together to return to normal, and the blood pools around my body faded along with the pain. My body was returning to normal. The healing magic is very effective and miraculous… Daniela's eyes sparkled as her gaze traveled over my body. She nodded her head, "It's done," she said with a proud smile…

Standing up… I looked over my body, my pale skin, no longer all battered… it was as if Leslie had never hit me! Very effective! Smiling…

"Do you like tattoos, Arthur?" Evelyn's calm voice came from my right… a bit confused, "No?"

Evelyn blinked and pointed at my forearm on the side: "Then what is this?"

Turning my gaze to where she was pointing… there was indeed a tattoo! Completely surprised… "When did that get there!?" in total shock…

The tattoo was a 'C' with an inverted cross. Surrounding the cross were branches of a flower… the tattoo was a penetrating black color…