In Ark Simulator, why do I always get a tough start?

Chapter 165 Skadi's Growth Over a Year
Inside the underwater laboratory one year later.

On this day, Skadi, who had become Chen Qi's adopted daughter, was undergoing brutal training under the tutelage of her adoptive father, just as she had for the past year.

However, the training content was completely different from what she had imagined...

"Ha ha……"

Inside the laboratory, Skadi was covered in bruises and her physical strength was almost exhausted from being beaten for several days.

The culprit who caused Skadi to be in such a sorry state was none other than Chen Qi, who stood in front of Skadi as if nothing had happened.

"What's wrong? Little orca, are you too weak to attack again?"

"If that's the case, you're much softer than I imagined, not domineering or strong at all~"

After a year of spending time with people he could talk to, Chen Qi, who had been lonely for thousands of years, seemed to have regained some of his former liveliness.

His face wore an infuriatingly provocative smile, constantly teasing Skadi's nerves with his words, urging her to continue her offensive based on her emotions.

Throughout the year, Chen Qi repeatedly used this tactic on Skadi, and the results were consistently good.

However, Chen Qi's day-to-day, masterful provocations seemed to have some backfired...

"—Perhaps it's because my godfather is all talk and no action; when it comes to real manly skills, he doesn't impress me?"

Faced with Chen Qi's constant provocations, even the simple-minded Skadi was furious.

After a year of getting along, Skadi, under Chen Qi's provocations, not only learned how to be patient, but also how to fight back.

Skadi, looking disheveled, grinned rather wickedly and retorted defiantly:
"Godfather, you're all talk and no action, but you're not good at attracting women."

"Your punches need to be faster and harder!"

"If even I can't get rid of you, then Godfather, you're probably too old to get hard anymore, aren't you?"

"—Hahahaha! Alright! Then let you taste your godfather's hard fist!"

Upon receiving Skadi's double entendre, Chen Qi was not angry at all; on the contrary, he genuinely felt that Skadi had grown a lot.

However, Skadi, who had been educated by Chen Qi for a year, did not ignore the magnetic field power that her godfather was quietly gathering!
As expected, Chen Qi's laughter came to an abrupt halt!

Skadi only felt a gust of wind rush towards her, and Chen Qi's figure had already teleported in front of her!
"Alright! Let the little orca taste my hard fist!"

"Speedy Bullet Punch!"

The dense barrage of punches sent Skadi's nerves taut in an instant!

But Skadi showed no fear or hesitation. Instead, she reflexively used all the strength she had left to fight back!

Finally, just as the fist was about to strike, Skadi moved!
"Perfect Realm + 240,000 horsepower!"

Under Skadi's surging intense fighting spirit, battle markings as white as orca bones suddenly appeared on Skadi's face!
"Whale Killer Fist!!"

"Roar--"

Facing the oncoming barrage of punches, as dense as the firing of a Sarkazan's assault rifle, Skadi neither dodged nor evaded, but simply threw a punch!
A punch that has no flashy effects or abilities other than speed and power!
However, this seemingly simple punch, when Skadi unleashed it, was like creating a black hole!
Every punch Chen Qina delivered, splitting his power into countless points, was absorbed and neutralized by Skadi's single blow.

Until Skadi's fist broke through all the obstacles and reached Chen Qi's face!
One force can overcome ten skills!

This is the Killing Whale Fist!
A move so powerful that the weak cannot neutralize it, and even the strong must withstand it head-on!
As long as the opponent doesn't unleash a punch of equal or greater power.

So what awaits the enemy is only the result of this punch: death or serious injury!

"boom!"

The immense force of the punch caused the laboratory to shake violently once again.

However, Skadi, whose strength was completely exhausted and whose vision was already blurred, realized that her all-out punch had missed its mark.

Still no hit...

Having failed to achieve her goal after a year of hard work, Skadi, whose tense nerves had completely relaxed, collapsed on the spot after throwing this punch.

But just when Skadi thought she could rest by falling into a coma...

"Cellular recombination".

As an extremely strong magnetic force surged into her body, all of Skadi's injuries healed in an instant.

Even the feeling of fatigue was forcibly dispelled.

"That was a good punch, little orca."

Skadi, who wanted to sleep but couldn't, regained the sparkle in her eyes, but was also filled with a sense of exhaustion that made her feel like she was dying.

After she regained her footing, she heard Chen Qi's gentle voice praising her.

"With your current level of mastery, you can already unleash 50% of the power of the Killing Whale Fist."

"Next, you only need to continue to refine your ultimate realm, and the power of your Whale-Slaying Overlord Fist will surely reach an even higher level!"

"...Godfather, I still don't understand."

In the dark and gloomy laboratory, Skadi, who had been beaten countless times, finally asked the question that had been weighing on her mind for so long.

"You clearly said you would teach me 'Whale-type Martial Arts,' but why haven't you taught me any exquisite martial arts techniques like 'Heavenly Martial Killing Path' yet?"

"You said I just used the Killing Whale Fist... but I feel like I was just throwing a punch with all my might."

why?
Because the core of whale-type martial arts is basic attacks.

Of course, Chen Qi would not use these words to answer Skadi.

"Little killer whale, this is the essence of whale-type martial arts: the greatest truths are the simplest."

"To unleash the full power of the Killing Whale Fist and other whale-type martial arts, one needs not only immense strength but also a perfectly complete state of mastery."

"Otherwise, the power of this martial art will be greatly reduced and unsatisfactory."

“If it were someone else, I would rather teach them the Heavenly Martial Killing Path than teach them this move.”

“But you are different, little orca.”

Chen Qi approached Skadi and, under Skadi's suspicious gaze, reached out and touched her chest.

To be precise, it was a touch directed towards Skadi's heart.

It was clearly an obscene act, but neither of the two people involved reacted unusually.

Even Skadi, whose breasts had been touched, blinked her big, watery eyes, her blank expression revealing a clear sense of foolishness.

"You have a strong heart, little orca."

Feeling Skadi's strong heartbeat, Chen Qi smiled and said:
"This allows you to fight dozens of powerful opponents without falling and recover your energy faster than other powerful opponents."

"Having undergone the transformation, you are now endowed with superhuman strength, which allows you to unleash the true power of whale-type martial arts!"

"Little killer whale, you are born to use this kind of powerful, brick-throwing, and effortlessly skillful technique."

Having said that, Chen Qi withdrew his hand after touching her enough, and then half-jokingly said to Skadi:
"Moreover, even if I were to teach you a martial art as exquisite as the Heavenly Martial Killing Path."

"Little orca, is your little brain really big enough? Can you remember so many moves?"

"...I've gone fishing."

Skadi didn't respond directly to her adoptive father's teasing. She just left a sullen remark and walked out of the lab without looking back.

Skadi's reaction was undoubtedly to sulk.

Because she simply couldn't refute Chen Qi's words.

Fishing was Skadi's only pastime that year.

Those with strong magnetic fields do not need to eat. Skadi fishing, apart from satisfying occasional cravings, is only a way to relieve inner distress.

After all, Skadi had been on the defensive for almost the entire year of special training.

She also needs something to vent her emotions.

And the fish that can be seen everywhere in the sea are naturally the best way to vent.

Chen Qi looked at his goddaughter, who was intermittently wise but often seemed foolish and whose IQ was frequently lacking. After a doting yet helpless smile, he finally let out a long sigh.

"In just one year, he has actually cultivated to the point where he is only one step away from 250,000 horses?" "Moreover, his strength has increased so rapidly, and his complete realm is still so solid, and has even improved further."

"This little orca is truly a rare genius."

"boom!"

Just as Chen Qi was muttering to himself, the next second, a huge piece of sheet metal, estimated to weigh several tons, fell off the laboratory wall and crashed onto the laboratory floor.

On the detached sheet metal, a deep fist-shaped indentation clearly proved that this was Skadi's masterpiece.

In fact, if Chen Qi hadn't used his 300,000 horsepower magnetic field to protect the surrounding environment from damage, it would have been impossible.

Skadi's punch just now was enough to completely pierce through the laboratory's defenses.

The detached sheet metal wall is enough to prove that Skadi's punch just now, in terms of power alone, has reached more than 300,000 horsepower!

But Chen Qi wouldn't tell Skadi about her true strength.

He hoped Skadi would realize as late as possible that she was already a "stronger" person.

Instead, she should maintain an "apprentice" mentality until Chen Qi believes that Skadi has few rivals left, and then let her challenge the entire Agor alone.

The current Skadi, with a horsepower below 250,000, is already a top-tier powerhouse.

But for the now-enhanced Agor, Skadi's rash move, even with a good chance of winning, would still be too reckless.

Chen Qi hoped that his adopted daughter, after completing her training, would no longer need to rely on him to secure her position as Queen of Agor.

After all, if they have too much contact, and the child finds out in the future that he is the "Blue Dream" who created Hai Si... then the situation will be very different.

As an adopted daughter, Chen Qi didn't lie to Viviana because Viviana was still young and not yet old enough to distinguish right from wrong.

But Skadi is different.

If Skadi knew that she was "Blue Dream".

Therefore, whether Chen Qi tells her the truth about Hai Si, or takes her in as his goddaughter and teaches her martial arts, Skadi will interpret it as exploitation and deception.

Therefore, Chen Qi would never let Skadi know this secret.

……

Meanwhile, more than ten nautical miles away from the underwater laboratory.

Without using magnetic force, but relying solely on "electric current propulsion," Skadi silently hunts several enormous, strange fish in the ocean.

Skadi could easily hunt them down, but she chooses not to.

She wanted to witness these large fish constantly darting through the water until they were exhausted and cornered, at which point they launched a suicidal counterattack against her.

Then, Skadi would imagine the fish that lunged at her as her godfather's hateful face when he was being provocative.

Kill it with one sword.

This is how Skadi vents her frustrations.

Of course, Skadi wasn't really so dissatisfied that she wanted to kill Chen Qi to vent her anger.

But after being beaten for a year, and even sleeping had become a luxury, it's normal for Skadi to need to vent her resentment.

"call!"

"Oh? You're here?"

Skadi, focused on chasing the fish, remained calm as she watched the giant fish suddenly turn and open its blood-red maw at her with a sense of no return.

After all, in her eyes, the speed that the big fish was so proud of... was just too slow.

Like a slow-motion playback.

Skadi casually and slowly drew her greatsword from behind her, then, with effortless grace, grazed the giant fish's teeth just before they touched her.

The next second, she was already above the giant fish, mercilessly swinging down her greatsword!
"Shh!"

Amidst a pungent smell of blood, as the large fish continued its charge, its head and body were already severed in two.

The large fish slid for dozens of meters before realizing its death the moment its head and body separated.

However, looking at the fallen giant fish, even though Skadi had mastered the control of her power, she still felt a strange emptiness after venting her emotions.

"Ugh……"

"So much time has passed, and I'm still stuck at the limit of 240,000 horsepower. I'm still a long way from breaking through to the Star Realm."

Yes, Skadi had spent so much time in the lab that she had completely lost track of time.

In her memory, she seemed to have been in that dark and gloomy place for eight or ten years.

In addition, Chen Qi's educational methods, which he had been concealing, made Skadi very dissatisfied with her current progress and anxious.

"I wonder how things are going with Agor. I hope he hasn't been swallowed up by Haisi yet."

"And the captain..."

Skadi, who had always considered herself dull-witted, couldn't help but feel a pang of envy when she thought of Ulpian, who was hailed as a peerless genius.

"I'm sure the captain, and Greta and the others, have already surpassed 250,000 horses by now, right?"

"Perhaps it's already approaching 500,000 horses, a level only the Sea Tiger Martial God has ever reached."

As Skadi pondered, she hoisted the headless fish onto her back and slowly swam toward the laboratory.

At the same time, a question that Skadi had never thought about before suddenly flashed through her mind.

"...Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever asked my godfather what level of strength he has reached."

Skadi was lost in thought.

"Moreover, as a martial god who survived more than 10,000 years ago, I have never asked about his name."

"Well... although according to my godfather, he spent most of his time healing."

"But after cultivating for so long, my godfather should have a strength of over 250,000 horses by now, right?"

"Perhaps it's already approaching the 500,000 horses of the Sea Tiger Martial God?"

The thought had barely crossed Skadi's mind when she dismissed it.

It's no wonder Skadi underestimated her adoptive father; after all, as a fellow magnetic field expert, Skadi knew all too well how difficult it was to improve one's strength.

Based on the average progress of Deepsea Hunters, improving by 10,000 horsepower in a year is considered quite good.

Especially as they get closer to the 250,000 horsepower bottleneck, each breakthrough becomes more difficult. Otherwise, their captain wouldn't have been stuck at 240,000 horsepower for three years.

Even a genius like Ulpian was like this.

For a foolish hunter like myself, it's already quite an achievement to have gotten to where I am today.

"Yes, when I get back this time, I'll ask my godfather about it properly."

"After all, there were geniuses like the Sea Tiger Martial God in his time. My godfather and I were in the same boat."

Hmm? Thinking about it this way, I feel that my resentment towards my godfather has lessened quite a bit.

I suppose my adoptive father's strict teaching was also meant to teach me the principle of "the stupid fly first".
Having mentally manipulated herself, Skadi's swimming speed increased slightly.

But at that moment, a connection to the bloodline unique to the Deep Sea Hunters made Skadi stop in her tracks.

Are there other hunters around?
Sensing the call of her bloodline, Skadi's gaze swept around before finally settling on a beautiful figure not far away.

"...Skadi?"

Not far away, Gladys, holding a long spear and with a slender figure, stared at Skadi, who was standing alive in front of her, with a hint of disbelief and surprise in her voice.

However, unlike Goredia's surprise, Skadi was astonished, but not because Goredia had actually appeared in this sea area.

But because...

—So much time has passed, how come the second captain is still stuck at 240,000 horses?
This progress is too slow!

(End of this chapter)