The next morning, Finn woke up at 5:00 a.m. Cristel lay asleep, still naked, next to him. Finn stared at the ceiling of his room, not knowing what to think or do. He never believed this would actually happen.
"What's wrong, sweetheart? Are you still processing it?" Cristel asked, causing Finn to turn to look at her.
"No, I just didn't believe this was actually going to happen" Finn replied.
"And does it bother you?" Cristel asked, settling in next to him.
"No, it actually doesn't bother me at all for some reason. It's just that I always thought I'd never have sex with someone I consider a friend" Finn replied, not really thinking whether it was the pact that was making him talk or himself.
"There's no need to worry so much. I promise this will help you improve as an adventurer. Also, remember that today we have a lesson on guild hierarchy" Cristel said, leaning on him. "Little by little, we'll acclimatize you to the customs of this world."
"Sigh, all right" said Finn.
"Good, let's take a bath then. We don't want to keep Darwin waiting" said Cristel, getting out of bed.
Seeing Cristel walk naked toward the bathroom, the heart on his arm shone again, making him speak.
"Shall we bathe together?" Finn asked suddenly.
Cristel smiled at him and motioned for him to follow her.
"Remember that the pact will always come into effect, revealing what you really want to say. Come on, we still have some time…" Cristel reminded him, signaling with a finger for him to follow her.
"Maybe it won't be so bad to express myself after all if I'm going to keep getting these deals," Finn said, following her, although he wanted to think about it and not say it.
"That's how an adventurer speaks, sweetheart!" Cristel said, entering the bathroom with Finn in tow.
—
At 5:40 in the morning, Finn and Cristel went down to the reception desk to find Darwin and Amelia waiting for them with big smiles.
"So, how did it go?" Amelia asked curiously.
"Are you referring to his progress or how he's like in bed?" Cristel asked.
"Both of them, of course," Amelia replied.
"Well, we had some trouble getting him to express himself, but I gave him an order to make him express what he really thinks" Cristel clarified, making Darwin laugh, who was making fun of Finn. "As for the other topic, I have to say he's very good. I almost want to move into his room."
"Oh, is that right?" Amelia said, surprised.
"What about you, Finn? Did you enjoy it?" Darwin asked, mocking Finn, and then Finn's heart began to shine again.
"I'd be lying if I said no. Cristel is very good, although sometimes she gets very affectionate, and I don't know if she's still focused on helping me or if she's just enjoying herself" Finn replied, making Cristel blush and Amelia nod.
"That's right. Cristel always gets very sentimental when she does it with me too" Amelia affirmed.
"Tsk, it's not like I do it with many people. I only get like this with you guys because you're close to me…" Cristel responded quickly. "Anyway, we have to start the routine. You still have to learn it by heart," Cristel said.
"Ugh, how long will this take?" Darwin complained, his body aching from all the exercise he'd been doing in the last two days.
"Be thankful you have magic and that your body progresses significantly faster than a normal civilian's. Otherwise, you'd have to be training for over two years" Amelia replied, surprising Darwin.
"Would a civilian take that long?" Darwin asked, astonished.
"may be longer, you're very lucky. It'll take you 3 or 4 months to reach your ideal state" Cristel affirmed.
"4 MONTHS!? Damn!" Darwin complained again.
"Don't be a crybaby and start exercising. Remember, the prize is the non-humans" Amelia reminded him, causing Darwin to immediately recover.
"You know, I find it curious that Darwin says he loves non-humans, but he's never made a move on Amelia," Finn commented.
"And why would he? Amelia isn't a pure non-human; she's part human, just like Cristel," Darwin said, revealing why he wasn't interested in Amelia or Cristel.
"So as long as they have human blood, you're not interested in them?" Finn asked curiously.
"Nope, purebreds are better," Darwin affirmed.
"You're a weirdo," Amelia said, looking at Darwin.
"Anyway, we have to go train," Cristel said, changing the subject.
—-
And so a week passed quickly. Once Finn and Darwin knew their routines, Cristel went back to doing missions, while they stayed behind training. They had enough money to avoid having to go on missions for long, so they didn't worry about it and dedicated themselves to training fully. Once they finished training, they made sure to go to the sauna at Cristel's request, as she believed it helped them recover faster. Then Finn would go to his room where Cristel was waiting for him for another private lesson.
The routine lasted six days in total, with Sunday off for them, which they would use to rest and spend time at the gym. Little by little, Finn noticed that his body was actually growing much faster than a normal person's, and he was getting stronger and stronger, able to lift much more than at the beginning of his training.
"It's impressive how quickly the body adapts" said Finn, easily lifting a barbell that weighed 220 kilograms. "A week ago, I could barely lift 100."
"It's for your anima" Amelia replied, sitting on a machine watching Finn and Darwin exercise. Today was their day off, and she decided to come spend time with them.
"For our anima?" Darwin asked, not knowing what Amelia was referring to.
"An adventurer's anima tends to grow exponentially in dangerous situations, and with constant use, you were exposed to constant danger since your first mission, causing your animas to grow enormously compared to your body," Amelia explained. "That's why you now need to exercise your bodies, to achieve balance and not give in to the power of your own animas."
"I understand that, but how does the anima help us develop more muscles?" Finn asked.
"The anima is a constant nutrient in our bodies. The more magic we have, the stronger it will be. But it can also nourish our muscles, causing them to develop much faster and grow larger than normal" Amelia explained. "In other words, the anima detects what an adventurer needs or wants to achieve. It's a part of us at the end of the day. If an adventurer is in constant danger, then the anima deduces that they need power and magic. The more danger the adventurer faces, the more the anima will begin to produce more power."
"Oh, so that's where the phrase 'what doesn't kill me makes me stronger' comes from" Darwin said.
"Huh, yeah, something like that. The point is that when an adventurer exercises constantly, their anima also detects the constant work of their muscles and begins to gradually improve them with magic, so that they grow and become stronger" Amelia clarified.
"Doesn't that mean that an adventurer can grow infinitely in strength and power with the right training?" Finn asked, confused.
"That's what I thought until recently, but it's not like that" Amelia said. "You see, every adventurer carries a talent and a potential within them. That's what determines how quickly they develop their skills and how much they can develop them."
"Yes, I thought I heard something like that before. The more talent a person has, the faster they'll reach their peak, and the more potential they have, the more they can grow" Darwin said.
"That's right. An adventurer's potential determines how much they'll grow, no matter what" Amelia said. "There are many adventurers who grow quickly, reaching Class C in just a week, but they only reach Class C because their potential doesn't allow them to do more. And there are others who grow very slowly, but over the years, they become Class B or even Class A."
"I see. So Cristel must be a beast in both aspects" Darwin said. "She's only 17 years old, and she's already the best of all the Class B adventurers."
"Yes, Cristel is the most talented person in the guild and has enormous potential. She's one of the few adventurers who will reach Class A without a doubt" Amelia stated.
"I see. Without a doubt, Cristel will become an S-Class adventurer someday" Darwin said with a big smile.
"I'm afraid not," Amelia said, surprising Darwin, but not Finn, as he knew very well that Cristel's pinnacle in the novel was Class A.
"What? But you said it yourself, Cristel has great potential and talent," Darwin said.
"Yes, but I never said she still had a lot of development to do" Amelia clarified, surprising Darwin. "Cristel is already reaching her peak. She estimates that once she reaches Class A, her potential will be fully realized. Cristel is one of those adventurers whose talent surpassed her potential."
"It can't be… stopping growth so early must be a nightmare, especially for Cristel, who loves getting stronger," Darwin said.
"It is. Cristel has shown her discontent with her potential several times… that's why she's helping you two," Amelia revealed.
"For our potential?" Finn asked, confused.
"SHE WANTS TO STEAL IT FROM US!!" Darwin exclaimed, scared.
"Don't be an idiot. Cristel would never do something like that. She really appreciates the guild's adventurers, especially you two. Although, speaking of stealing potential, it's not entirely impossible. There's a group of people dedicated to it," Amelia revealed, pulling down her dress and revealing a cross-shaped mark on her chest.
"You… did they steal yours?" Finn asked.
"Yeah… that's how I stopped being an adventurer. On one of my missions, I ran into a rather dangerous group of renegades. There were only two members, but one of them was enough to put me on the ropes. The bastard used some kind of forbidden magic and ripped out my anima, taking my potential with it" Amelia revealed, surprising both Finn and Darwin. "They call themselves the Order of the Ravens."
'This isn't explained in the novel either. Did Merlin not know about this group?' Finn thought.
"This group is very dangerous, guys. One of its members already tried to rip out Cristel's anima a year ago. Fortunately, Cristel was accompanied by Silia at the time due to a mission. The two of them managed to scare the guy off with great difficulty" Amelia said. "It's believed that each of its members is at least Class A."
"The Masters haven't done anything against them?" Darwin asked.
"No, the group is quite elusive and strong, masters can't risk losing their strongest members" Amelia affirmed.
"I understand, we'll be careful" Finn said, and Darwin nodded.
"Well, the most you can do for now is focus on growing and being useful to the guild, so focus on developing your full potential" Amelia said.
"Speaking of potential, how do you know how much potential you have? I mean, Cristel must feel something to know that she's reaching her maximum, right?" Darwin asked curiously.
"Well, when I got my new anima, I could feel as if my body couldn't give any more. It's a rather strange feeling" Amelia revealed. "But I don't know how Cristel and the Master, or even Merlin, do it, since they can sense a person's potential in some way."
"When she returns from her mission, I'll ask her," Darwin said. "I want to know how much potential I have."
"You shouldn't focus on it. It's not about how much you have, but about how much you can develop. What good is having potential that can reach that of a god, if you're only going to be able to become a C-class because of your talent" Amelia said, dashing Darwin's hopes. "Keep training, you still have a lot ahead of you!"
The two continued training again.