Chapter 176
Chapter 177 30 Days of Lessons
“Will the sparring partners be fixed from now on?” Joanna asked. “If they are, about this? The two of us can be a team p>
A flicker of unease rose in Garfield’s chest. He pushed it down at once.
how
He had already noticed something during Joanna’s last fight. Many of her moves were not standard. She mostly relied on dodging.
There was nothing to worry about.
Buck watched the tension between them. He did nothing to ease it. Instead, he smiled, clearly enjoying the scene.
“Sure,” Buck said. “You two can try first. Remember-on the battlefield, don’t show mercy. Move fast. Hit hard. Even if someone is left with only a drop of blood, we can still save them p>
“Don’t worry, Mr. Bear. I know my limits,” Joanna said. Inside, she was thinking about how to beat Garfield until he was barely alive.
She had let the issue with Herbert go because Herbert had apologized. That matter was over, and she would not target him again.
But Garfield was different. He had suffered a big loss before. Instead of reflecting, he kept provoking her. He was clearly not willing to let it go.
In that case, Joanna would keep him down.
You never let an enemy stand back up.
Garfield’s face darkened. “What do you mean by that? You know your limits? You think you’ve already won? Fine. Let’s see if you really have the skill p>
They stood facing each other in the center of the training room.
Joanna said calmly, “You’ll experience my skills over the next 30 days p>
The moment Buck gave the signal to start, Joanna charged forward. Her hand
1/4
sliced through the air like a blade, aiming straight for Garfield’s body.
Heart Strike.
Why did the skill include the word strike?
Because it was meant to be used with a dagger. When both sides attack with blades, it is far more dangerous than fists.
The dagger itself was sharp, but it was only a common-tier weapon. It could not compare to the raw power of a palm backed by a thousand points of strength. The only real difference was the sharpness attribute.
Even without it, it would still work.
Joanna moved first. Her hand-blade slammed down on Garfield’s wrist.
Crack!
His wrist snapped.
She grabbed his forearm and twisted hard, spinning his body like a top. His back was fully exposed.
Crack!
Another sharp sound.
His spine broke.
In the next instant, her hand chopped toward his throat.
Crack!
His neck nearly snapped p>
Joanna tossed Garfield away like trash.
Even Buck was stunned.
He had told them to spar.
2/4
Not to execute someone.
Garfield was barely breathing.
As if out of charity, Joanna activated Lunar Aegis and pulled him back from the edge of death.
Garfield recovered to full health, but his face was pale with fear.
When he realized that he would have to endure this kind of “training” for the next 30 days, a single thought filled his mind.
I want to quit.
Sure enough, Garfield did not show up for class over the next few days. The blow to his confidence was too great. With no partner left, Joanna could only spar with Buck. Her progress became terrifyingly fast.
In the blink of an eye, eight more days passed.
The first round of eliminations in the program was about to begin
That was when Joanna received an unexpected call.
It was from Louise.
“Joanna, the contract ends today,” Louise said. “The third phase totaled 14.3 billion, and the money has already been transferred to you. My company wants to ask, would you consider selling another exclusive guide? The price is negotiable p>
Joanna declined.
“No,” she said. “I’m currently in the program. I can’t return to Chromatic Star, and I can’t run dungeon guides for your dimension. If you want a share of the profits from Divine Demonic Planet, you can follow my public guides p>
The problem was that public guides cost a lot of guide points and spread much more slowly.
Still, Joanna had no interest in working with Amshien Group anymore.
3/4
There was a simple reason.
In Phase One, she received eight billion; Phase Two, 15.7 billion; Phase Three, around 14.3 billion.
Something about this was very strange.
During the first phase, no one else had guides. Amshien Group held all the first- hand information. They should have gained the most resources. Later, as guides spread, more people entered the dungeon and shared the profits.
So why were the prices higher in phases two and three?
Practice makes perfect?
No.
Joanna believed the real reason was No-Loss Principle (Gold-tier p>
In the first phase, Amshien Group should have earned around 16 billion, but they only paid Joanna 8 billion.
Later, during her fight with Garfield, Fair Trade and Capital Protection effect— activated. As a result, Joanna gained the No-Loss Principle (Gold-tier), while her opponent gained the Symbiotic Link (Gold-tier). Joanna’s own Symbiotic Link (Dark Gold-tier) did not disappear.
A Gold-tier skill that was not even used in combat had taken effect. From that moment on, every transaction involving Joanna could no longer result in a loss.
For example, that 16 billion was recorded as 8 billion on paper.
Each transaction was broken into smaller amounts, often just a few million at a time. And when the bills were small, quiet cuts were taken from Joanna’s share.
3.6K
(1)
admin