Compared to her first attempt, Lux made significant progress in her second simulated training session.
During the fifteen-minute reflection period, Lux thought a lot and regained her composure.
So, after re-entering the simulated training, she abandoned her previous chaotic sweeping fighting style and instead forced herself to calm down, using more effective methods to deal with the Beetles.
Merely knocking them away was not enough to last ten minutes; to endure, she had to reduce their numbers!
With this thought, Lux began to awkwardly combine the basic sword techniques she had practiced, simultaneously batting away approaching Beetles and killing those that got too close.
Then, she improved, lasting five minutes.
Even though she had realized the need to reduce the number of Beetles and attack their vulnerable, unarmored spots, due to physical limitations, she still couldn't last long, and as her movements slowed, the tide-like Beetles would greatly restrict her actions until they broke through her defense.
Lux, who had come to her senses again, performed much better than last time.
Although she was still sticky, at least the phantom pain was gone—more importantly, she truly felt her improvement.
"You can be proud of your achievement," Klein commented appropriately, "It's like a child who wets the bed every day, surprisingly finding their sheets dry in the morning."
"Heh heh." Lux chuckled at Klein's sharp remark, as if she had found the key to the matter, "My strategy is fine; you bastard tampered with the simulated training! Normally, five minutes wouldn't make me tired!"
"I said, simulated training is a specific scenario and environment." Klein calmly denied Lux's accusation, "I never said that you in training were exactly the same as you now, and it's impossible for you to be exactly the same—the core of training is to improve your judgment in combat and your ability to adapt, not to let you rely on your current physical attributes to overwhelm; a Ten-Mile Slope Sword God won't work!"
"You're just a sore loser!" Lux huffed indignantly, "What, are you going to say that your 'good students' were in the exact same state as me when they participated in this training?"
"You got it right, but there's no reward." Klein affirmed Lux's statement, "I'll let you see it later—as long as you can pass this introductory basic training."
"Of course!" Lux lifted her face, decisively untied her blue hair tie, and pulled her golden long hair into a high ponytail, "One more time, it's just ten minutes..."
"It's Sona's turn." Klein refused Lux's request for continuous training, "Also, don't think about continuous training or training out of spite; that won't make you seem diligent, it will only make your mental state increasingly unstable. If you have that much energy, it's better to review your performance just now and try to do it fewer times so I can rest."
"..."
"Oh, these young people nowadays, so inconsiderate..."
Just like that, amidst Lux's gritted teeth, Sona stepped forward and grasped the hilt of the sword.
...
First training session, Lux lasted three minutes, Sona two minutes.
Second training session, Lux lasted five minutes, Sona five minutes.
Third training session, Lux lasted six minutes, Sona six minutes.
Fourth training session, Lux lasted six minutes, Sona six minutes.
In the fifth, sixth, and seventh training sessions, Lux and Sona consistently failed to exceed six minutes—and the limiting factor for both of them was stamina.
Whether it was swinging a sword for physical attacks or playing the etwahl for magical attacks, after six minutes of combat, Lux and Sona would experience delayed reactions due to exhaustion, then the cunning Beetles would seize the opportunity.
Both of them left in the morning, and by lunchtime, neither had managed to last more than six minutes; they were utterly defeated.
Lux was very unconvinced and stated that she wanted to continue, but Klein refused her: "Rest for a while, your mental state is already very unstable—and haven't you noticed that the magic circuit is no longer usable?"
Upon hearing Klein say this, Lux only then realized that the magic circuit she had painstakingly carved earlier now looked as if it had been left for a century, its surface eroded and pitted.
"What's going on?!" Lux was dumbfounded, "What happened to the magic circuit?"
"My magic is very dangerous, I told you that." Klein did not hide anything, "Even if I only used a little of the magic within the Petricite city wall, it's enough to corrode the magic circuit—in short, this thing is now Wasted, if you want to continue training, then work hard and carve out another version!"
"Ah ah ah, what?! How could this happen?!" Lux's eyes widened in disbelief, "You mean, I haven't passed the training, and the training is over?"
"Yes." Klein's tone was also quite regretful, "It's a pity, but it doesn't matter, as long as you carve out another one, we can continue."
Lux, upon receiving this result, was as frustrated as an internet-addicted girl whose electronic devices had all been confiscated—for her, although this simulated training was painful and failure was frustrating, fighting Beetles in the Desert, once she accepted the premise, was surprisingly exhilarating.
This was a novel experience previously unheard of for a noble young lady, and Lux was completely immersed in it!
She had already planned that if she continued training and still couldn't last more than seven minutes, she would simply use Light Element magic to give those Beetles a hard time, but before she could use her trump card, the magic circuit broke...
If she had known this would happen, she wouldn't have forced herself to solve the problem with swordsmanship last time; she would have just used magic.
What a pity!
On the other side, Sona was also somewhat frustrated—but unlike Lux's frustration at failing to pass, Sona was frustrated because she couldn't resonate with etwahl as she pleased.
In reality, Sona had to suppress her desire to play; even when playing the etwahl, she couldn't use magic to pluck the strings, but in the illusion of the simulated training, she could resonate with etwahl as if they were soulmates, through magic.
This collaboration not only improved her combat awareness and experience but also greatly helped her cultivate her musicality. Compared to tedious practice, this training was also extremely beneficial for improving her musical skill.
What a pity!
...
The two girls who returned to Crownguard Manor finally decided to turn their regret into motivation, striving to produce a large number of Petricite magic circuits relatively smoothly, so that they could continue the simulated training.
After receiving their cram-style education, Lux and Sona displayed astonishing enthusiasm when faced with practical learning, and even their skill in making magic circuits improved by leaps and bounds.
In less than half a month, Lux completed her second version of the magic circuit.
Moreover, the day after Lux's second version was completed, Sona also successfully carved a complete magic circuit.
With the support of the magic circuit, the simulated training finally began again—still in the familiar place, in the familiar corner, after closing her eyes, she arrived in the familiar Desert, then took the longsword from Klein's hand, and walked down the sand dune with her head held high.
"Watch closely!" Lux drew her longsword, casually tossing aside the scabbard, "I am no longer what I once was—Hyaa!"
With a delicate cry from Lux, a brilliant glow erupted from the longsword in her hand. The longsword, originally less than three feet long, instantly transformed into a greatsword exceeding five feet.
"Come on!" Lux was full of confidence, "Beetles, right? You're dead!"
The Light Element sword was not only long but also incredibly lethal. The Beetles' carapaces could withstand normal sword slashes, but they had little resistance to the "enchantment" of Light Element. With just one sweep, Lux could eliminate a large number of Beetles.
"Training is nothing!" Lux laughed loudly, "Watch me clear everything—Wait, ouch!"
Unfortunately, her coolness lasted less than three seconds. After just two swings, Lux suddenly felt her knees buckle, and her entire body felt drained, making her unable to stand steadily—she had just swept out a sword, her center of gravity was already off, and before she could adjust, she completely lost her balance and fell to the ground.
The formerly brilliant longsword also lost its glow, slipping from her grasp and falling into the sand, while the Beetles she had driven away squeaked and swarmed her...
Lux's eighth training session lasted only five seconds of combat.
"How could this happen?!" Lux gritted her teeth after the training ended, "Why did I suddenly lose all my strength?"
"Because you chose the most physically demanding fighting style." Klein's tone was also very helpless, "I admit, Lux, your Light Element sword is very cool, but even in reality, such an astonishing magic consumption, at your current age of twelve, you probably wouldn't last more than a few minutes..."
"..."
"Also, do you have some misunderstanding about the purpose of simulated training? I'm training your practical combat level; I hope you can exert your strength and combat power as much as possible in any situation. If you have ten points of strength, exert ten points of combat power! I'm not here for you to show off in my memory fragments!"
"..."
"This child, she's really troublesome—reflect properly. If you fail in five seconds again next time, I'll bury you in the Desert for half an hour!" Klein sighed, then turned to Sona, "It's your turn this time, Sona, don't learn from Lux!"