Chapter 8: One-on-One Training (
"Nie Shi, stay behind."
Zhong Lan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a firmness that no one questioned.
The rest of the students began filing out of the training hall. Xie Ping waved dramatically as he left. "Good luck, protagonist of the special training arc!"
"Try not to break him," Su Xu muttered, though her tone had softened.
Lu Jingxing only grunted, slinging his bow over his shoulder.
Lin Kui said nothing. Before leaving, she gave Nie Shi a glance—quiet and unreadable.
The room fell silent again as Zhong Lan walked over to him. She didn't speak right away, simply studied him for a few seconds.
"Your condition is unstable."
She was direct.
"The black spear isn't a stable Armament. You know that." Her voice was cool, but not accusatory.
"I know," Nie Shi said softly.
"You'll hurt someone." She paused, then added, "That includes yourself."
Nie Shi looked down.
Zhong Lan was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Are you afraid?"
He didn't answer immediately.
It took him a while to say, "I am. But I'm more afraid… that it won't listen to me."
Zhong Lan let out a soft sigh—so quiet it barely sounded like her.
"Come with me."
She turned and walked toward a sealed glass door at the back of the hall. With a fingerprint scan, the system chimed:
[Instructor-level clearance verified. E3 private training mode activated.] The room inside was much smaller. The floor was an old-style wooden texture. No projections. No audience.
It felt more like a quiet music practice room than a battlefield.
Zhong Lan closed the door behind them and turned to him. "From now on, it's just you. You and it. Have a good talk."
She moved to the corner, pulled out a floor mat, and sat down cross-legged.
"This isn't combat instruction," she said. "You don't need someone to teach you how to fight right now. You need someone who will listen."
Nie Shi blinked.
Zhong Lan sat like she had time to stay for hours.
"Sit."
He lowered himself across from her, the black spear resting across his knees.
The room was quiet, with only the soft hum of the air circulation.
Zhong Lan spoke slowly. "You have feelings. Thoughts. Fragments of memory. You're not some system bug. You're a person. Even if—your memories were taken away."
That hit him like a small needle in the chest.
"Try saying what your Armament feels like to you."
Nie Shi looked down at the spear.
"It's… not a weapon. More like a person."
"It's afraid. Lonely. It… doesn't trust me."
"And I don't trust it."
He closed his eyes. "I'm scared it has a mind of its own. Scared it doesn't belong to me."
Zhong Lan said nothing. She just listened.
After a long silence, she finally said, "But it's in your hands. Not someone else's."
"It chose you. Not the system. Not me. It did."
"You can choose to answer back."
The air turned cooler.
Nie Shi slowly reached for the spear.
This time, it wasn't instinct—it was intentional.
He tried to focus.
No dream. No forest. Just a warm, silent darkness.
Like someone was asleep.
He whispered, "Will you… trust me?"
No reply.
But the spear trembled in his grip.
And then—he heard its voice. "I don't want to repeat it again."
"Don't turn me into a killer again."
"If you want to hold me, don't lie." His chest tightened.
"I won't lie," he said.
"I don't want to kill anyone."
"I just… want to grow stronger. To protect people."
His voice shook slightly.
Zhong Lan watched him, her gaze softening. By the time they finished, the spear rested quietly on his lap—for the first time without resistance.
Zhong Lan stood. She didn't offer praise or analysis.
She just walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You did well."
In that moment, Nie Shi felt warmth in his chest.
And then she added,
"You're not alone."
Then she turned and left the room, closing the door gently behind her. The black spear no longer trembled in his hands.
Nie Shi looked down at it, whispering:
"Thank you."
He wasn't sure who he was thanking. As he stepped out of the training room, he saw Xie Ping leaning against the wall.
"Done with your one-on-one therapy?" Xie Ping grinned. "I just lost a battle of wits with the system. Not my proudest moment."
Nie Shi gave a small nod.
"Hey… don't keep carrying the world alone," Xie Ping said suddenly, looking unusually serious.
"You've got people now."
He gave a lazy wave and walked off.
A few steps further, Lin Kui stood at the stairwell. She held a bottle of water.
She walked over, placed it near him, and said in her soft voice: "Drink before you go." Then she turned and walked away, slow and quiet.
Nie Shi stood still for a moment, fingers curling gently around the bottle. Back inside the training room, Zhong Lan remained a moment longer.
She opened her private terminal and connected to a secure line.
"He's started responding to the Armament?" a low male voice asked.
"Yes," Zhong Lan replied.
She looked down at the lingering sync traces on the floor. "But it's not his memory." There was silence on the other end.
"You're still not telling him?"
"He's not ready," Zhong Lan said quietly.
"That weapon carries too much. If he learns the truth now… it might break him."
"We never should've let him bind with that thing."
"It chose him," she said.
She let out a breath. "I'm just a teacher. But I won't let another student die because of what the system won't admit."
Another long pause.
"…Then stay with him," the voice said. "Until the end."
The call ended.
Zhong Lan stood alone in the quiet room.
Only after a long moment did she turn and leave.