SSS Awakening: Conquering Worlds with My Cupid System

The next morning, the Ashard Estate echoed with a sound that hadn’t been heard before.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

They were not explosions, but footsteps. Heavy ones, to be exact. Somewhere inside the newly completed Awakened Training Hall, a certain seven-foot-tall Runic Jotun was already warming up.

”One thousand nine hundred ninety-eight.”

She punched.

THOOM!

”One thousand nine hundred ninety-nine.”

She threw another punch, and the air itself burst.

”Two thousand.” She stopped.

”Warm-up complete.”

Silence.

Nearby, the elderly engineer who had returned to inspect yesterday’s equipment slowly lowered the clipboard in his hands.

”Warm-up?”

One of the workers nodded weakly. ”Apparently.”

The engineer rubbed his forehead.

Raymond calmly corrected him.

”You built equipment worthy of one.”

Silas entered the gym moments later wearing nothing more than black training shorts, a sleeveless compression shirt, and simple training shoes. His pink hair was still slightly messy from waking up.

He yawned.

”Morning.”

Gromda’s entire face lit up.

”Mate! Morning.”

She immediately stood.

”Fight?”

Silas blinked. ”Already?”

She nodded vigorously.

”Fight.”

”I haven’t even eaten.”

”Fight.”

”You really like this gym.”

She looked around with sparkling eyes.

”Favorite place.”

Silas laughed.

”I can tell.”

The others gradually arrived as well. Anna carried two cups of coffee. Chloe had tied her hair into a ponytail and leaned quietly against one wall. Alpha entered while still rubbing sleep from his eyes. No one knew who had even called him in the first place.

”Why is everyone awake?”

No one answered him. His eyes eventually drifted toward Gromda and Silas, then toward the enormous sparring arena.

”No.”

Silas smiled.

”Yes.”

”No.”

”Yes.”

”I’m going back to bed,” Alpha sighed dramatically.

”You’ve already walked here.”

”I’ll sleep standing.”

The adaptive barriers activated with a low hum, and a translucent dome rose around the eighty-meter-wide arena, while soft blue runes lit beneath the floor.

Raymond stood outside with the engineer.

”The barriers are online. They will absorb excess force.”

”Hopefully.” The engineer swallowed.

Silas stepped into the center and rolled his shoulders before looking toward Gromda.

”No abilities.”

She nodded. ”No abilities.”

”No mana.”

”Mm.”

”Just fists.”

Her smile widened.

”Best.”

Silas smiled back.

”Come.”

Nothing happened. For nearly five seconds, none of them moved. They just stared at each other, as if calculating their chances, or rather checking if the place would hold.

”Why aren’t they-” Alpha frowned and asked, only to be scared speechless.

Silas vanished, and the arena floor shattered beneath his first step. Gromda reacted instinctively. She twisted her hips.

Silas’s punch brushed past her cheek, missing by barely an inch. The resulting shockwave exploded against the barrier.

BAAAANG!!

Anna’s coffee rippled violently.

”That was a missed punch?”

Before anyone recovered, Gromda counterattacked. Her fist descended like a falling mountain, causing Silas to cross both forearms.

BOOOOOOM!!

The impact launched him backward. His shoes carved deep trenches through the reinforced floor before he regained balance. He shook both arms.

”Still ridiculously strong.”

Gromda smiled proudly.

”Strong.”

”I noticed.”

She charged. There wasn’t any kind of elegance, no complicated martial arts, and no flashy techniques. It was pure, brutal, and overwhelming power. Every step cracked the arena, and every movement displaced enough air to buffet the spectators.

Silas ducked beneath another punch, pivoted, and struck with his elbow, followed up with a knee strike, then a palm strike. Three clean hits landed against Gromda’s ribs, each impact echoing loudly.

But she didn’t even move.

”Ow.”

Silas stared.

”Did... did you just say ’ow’ because you were being polite?”

She nodded.

”Mm.”

Alpha burst out laughing. ”I’d retire!”

Silas ignored him.

”Again.”

This time, he accelerated. His movements became almost impossible to follow, years of martial instincts mixed with the physical gifts inherited from the Exalted Orc King.

Left. Right. Low sweep. Shoulder check. Spin kick.

Gromda blocked some, dodged others, while several connected solidly. The giantess actually took two steps backward, her eyes sparkling.

”Fun.”

Silas grinned. ”You’re enjoying this too much.”

She suddenly disappeared.

”...!”

Silas barely raised both arms before...

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!

The punch struck like a speeding truck. He flew. The barrier flashed as his body skipped across the arena floor before rolling back onto his feet.

Alpha slowly lowered the water bottle he’d been drinking.

”She punched him into another zip code.”

Silas wiped the corner of his mouth. There was a tiny streak of blood. He smiled wider.

”There we go.”

He rushed forward again. This time, he stopped trying to overpower her. He could do that during their bedroom battles.

Instead, he flowed. His footwork changed completely. Every punch from Gromda narrowly missed, and every kick slipped past him by centimeters.

She frowned.

”Gone.”

”I’m right here.”

She swung again, and he stepped inside her reach. Palm. Chest. Shoulder. Hip. Each strike subtly redirected her center of gravity. Then, he pulled, causing Gromda’s enormous body to lose balance.

”...?”

She toppled.

THOOOOM!!

The entire arena shook. Silas immediately jumped backward before she accidentally crushed him. The spectators stared.

Anna blinked.

”He... threw her?”

Chloe smiled knowingly.

”He didn’t.”

”He borrowed her strength.”

Silas pointed at Gromda.

”You’re stronger.”

She nodded. ”Mm.”

”But you’re too direct.”

She tilted her head. ”Direct?”

”You rely on overwhelming force.”

”Strong.”

”You are. But if you meet someone equally strong...”

She slowly stood.

”Then?”

Silas smiled.

”They’ll throw you like I just did.”

Gromda stared at him, then looked down at where she’d fallen, then back at Silas.

”Teach me.”

”Teach?”

She nodded repeatedly. ”Teach me. I want...”

She hesitated.

”Move.”

Silas smiled.

”So... You want martial arts?”

”Mm.”

Anna couldn’t help smiling.

”I think she’s asking you to become her teacher.”

Silas looked toward the gigantic woman.

”You’ll actually listen?”

She immediately sat cross-legged on the arena floor.

”Teacher... Teach.”

Alpha nearly choked.

”The seven-foot giant just became the most obedient student.”

Silas scratched his cheek awkwardly.

”Well... I suppose we can start with footwork.”

Gromda stood immediately.

”Ready.”

”No. First lesson.” Silas pointed at her feet. ”Balance.”

She looked down obediently.

”Balance.”

Then, without warning, she copied Silas’s relaxed stance almost perfectly. Everyone froze, while Silas blinked twice.

”You copied that in one look?!”

The system chimed.

[Runic Jotuns possess extraordinary combat learning ability. They can learn anything about combat very quickly. Plus, Gromda’s ability allows her to use anything as a weapon. Martial Arts is a weapon in a way. It is a passive skill of hers.

Silas smiled.

”Looks like I’ve got a genius for a student.”

Gromda smiled even brighter.

”Teacher.”

And for the rest of the morning, the sounds of crashing fists slowly gave way to something much quieter... the patient rhythm of a teacher passing on everything he knew to the strongest woman in his life.