Chapter 10: Why Is It You Again
"Goodbye, Nurse Monica!"
"Goodbye, Karl. I'll come see you again tomorrow!"
Karl, all smiles, saw off the nurse who had changed his dressing. His heart fluttered slightly. He had just found out that Nurse Monica was 27 years old and currently single. No, to be precise, she was a Marine widow.
Monica's husband had been a Marine HQ Lieutenant Commander. He was ambushed by pirates while on patrol at sea and died under cannon fire. That was five years ago.
Five years! How many five-year periods does a person get in life? At that moment, an inexplicable sense of responsibility welled up in Karl.
"Looking after a Marine's widow is our generation's undeniable duty!"
"Ooh~ How scary! You're injured but still have so much energy to chat happily with the nurse. It seems your injuries aren't that serious!"
That familiar, slow drawl echoed in the hospital room, making Karl jump. He whipped his head around.
Kizaru's tall figure was leaning lazily against the doorframe, head tilted as he watched Karl. Although Karl couldn't see Kizaru's eyes, he could still sense the mockery from his complex, changing mouth shape.
"Admiral Kizaru? When did you get here?"
Kizaru slowly walked into the room, glanced at the bandages on Karl's chest, and said, "This old man arrived while you and that young lady were hitting it off."
Karl was speechless. So this old guy had been eavesdropping outside the whole time!
"Ahem, Admiral Kizaru, did you come all this way just to see me?"
Kizaru pursed his lips and said nonchalantly, "How could that be? This old man's lips have been a bit dry lately, I just came to the hospital to buy some lip balm. Seeing you was just on the way."
"On the way? And you were still eavesdropping?"
"Uh, well, thank you for your concern, Admiral Kizaru..."
Silence fell in the room. Kizaru didn't speak, and Karl didn't speak. They just stared at each other.
"Since you're fine, this old man won't disturb you..." Kizaru postured as if to turn and leave, then suddenly turned back, his gaze burning into Karl. "You did it on purpose, didn't you?"
Karl sucked in a cold breath. *How did you know! Is this the silent understanding between slackers?*
"Ahem! Admiral Kizaru, you can't just slander an innocent man!"
"Tsk~ Stop pretending. This old man was far more skilled at this little trick back in the day. Your injury is too childish. But I don't blame you. Who asked my class to have that monster Akainu in it!"
The amount of information in that sentence was huge. Karl quickly understood why Kizaru could tell he did it on purpose. It was because this guy had done it too, and the one who injured him was Akainu!
"Hiss~" As expected of a kindred spirit! When it came to slacking off in the training camp, he really needed to learn more from Admiral Kizaru.
Aokiji? Sorry, don't know him!
"Just as I thought~ You kid are exactly like this old man when I was young. That boring training really is meaningless!"
Karl pursed his lips. *What do you mean 'exactly the same'? That's kind of an insult. Look at your puckered face, and then look at my stunning features. How dare you say that!*
"Uh, Admiral Kizaru, what do you mean by that? I don't quite understand!"
Don't deny, don't admit, just be stubborn.
Kizaru's lips spread into a sleazy grin. "Young people these days are so scary! This old man won't tell anyone, but your ability is different from mine. You still have to train your physique."
Then his tone shifted: "But, as long as you're willing to be this old man's adjutant, I guarantee, no one will be able to hurt you! How about it? Want to think it over?"
The real motive is revealed!
Karl's face showed contemplation. After careful consideration, he decided to agree to Kizaru's offer for now. Otherwise, what would he do if the guy came to pester him every time he was free!
"Sigh! Since you've put it that way, Admiral Kizaru, I can't keep avoiding it. How about this: Admiral Kizaru, when I graduate from training and decide on my path, I will definitely choose you. You can rest assured now!"
Kizaru's face immediately broke into a puckered smile, his face full of creases. Extremely satisfied, he patted Karl's shoulder, turned, and left, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.
After confirming Kizaru had left, Karl let out a long sigh of relief. He looked at the dim yellow sky outside the window and gradually drifted off to sleep.
Three days later, the seventh day since the marine training camp began.
"Karl, shift's over. I'm going to get food. I'll be back in a bit. You take care of yourself, okay!"
Karl pretended to be dissatisfied. "You're leaving just like that? Are you sure you're not going to show... some appreciation?"
After speaking, Karl pointed to his own cheek. Monica's face flushed red. She looked around guiltily, and after making sure no one was there, she quickly pecked Karl's cheek.
Karl's mouth curled into a grin. He wrapped his arm around Monica's neck and planted a kiss right on her red lips.
"You're awful! What if someone saw! Honestly!" Monica, blushing furiously, pushed Karl away, wiped the glistening thread of saliva from the corner of her mouth, and hurried out of the room with a *clack-clack-clack* of her shoes.
Karl laughed as he watched Monica's flustered retreat, wiping the lipstick print from the corner of his mouth. Karl hadn't been idle these past three days, besides just lying in his hospital bed. His relationship with his exclusive nurse, Monica, had advanced by leaps and bounds.
This was all thanks to Karl's humorous conversation and handsome face, which had easily captured the long-lonely Monica.
Now, when no one was around, Karl could already hold her hand, kiss her, and occasionally even get to second base.
"Ding, accumulated slacking time has reached 8 hours. Daily Task completed. Reward: Designated Attribute Enhancement Card *2, Shigan Skill Card *1, Tekkai Skill Card *1."
"Career Mission [Training Camp Storm] accumulated slacking time has reached 82 hours. Please keep up the good work, Host!"
Karl had accumulated daily task rewards for seven days. He now had a total of 14 Designated Attribute Enhancement Cards, and one skill card each for Tekkai, Soru, Shigan, and Rankyaku. The rest were snacks and lifespan days, which could be ignored.
"System, use 9 Attribute Enhancement Cards. Enhance Physique."
The remaining 5 enhancement cards were kept as reserves.
The next moment, a faint shattering sound seemed to echo in his ears. A warm current surged through his body. His defined muscles felt a tingling numbness. Especially in the injured area he had intentionally left unhealed, it became unbearably itchy. Karl could feel the wound healing rapidly.
"System, view attributes!"
Host: Karl
Age: 24
Physique: E
Perception: F+
Will: E
Special Ability: Maiden's Stillness
Holy Light Fruit: 0.5% (Awakening progress)
Active Skill: Frail (Usable)
After the enhancement, Karl's Physique hadn't changed, still E-rank, but he vaguely felt that with a few more cards, he could break through to E+ rank. Karl wasn't in a hurry to strengthen Perception and Will. After all, Physique was the true measure of strength.
Since getting the Slacking System, Karl had improved rapidly. But compared to the powerhouses next door, he was still trash. You had to know, other people at his age could already punch Yonko and kick Admirals.
"Whew, the great work of slacking is not yet complete. I must continue to work hard! System, use all skill cards!"
"Ding! Host is detected to have already mastered Tekkai and Soru. Skill cards will be automatically converted into Tekkai and Soru skill proficiency."
As soon as the system's voice fell, Karl felt memories of using Tekkai and Soru flooding into his mind. Especially Tekkai, Karl felt as if he had become a member of CP9, brimming with confidence. *No matter a thousand techniques, I will block them all with Tekkai.*
After digesting the memories, Karl sighed faintly: "This Tekkai thing... it's best to avoid using it if I can in the future..."