Hell Difficulty Tutorial Chapter 555: Sister

“I'm here with my own body now,” Victoria answers my question after she lowers her defenses, and I teleport us to the living room of Oakheart Refuge.

No one else, leaving us a free place to talk.

“What is your skill?” I ask curiously.

“[Duplication], it allows to create duplicates of my body, but the mind is shared. After I t you, I canceled the ones I sent to the rest of the rounds so I can focus on you.”

“That’s a terrible mistake, Vic. You need to talk to these people and make alliances,” I joke.

Victoria turns to and smiles before looking away from and exploring the room curiously, “I don't care about these people at all. I have my nosy, curious brother to spend ti with.”

She moves through the room and sits in the armchair opposite . “You didn't seem as surprised as I was.”

“During the 1st tournant, we challenged the winners of the 1st to 4th rounds, and I saw your avatar there.”

Victoria tilts her head the way she does when she is amused, “You were always good at abusing the rules, Natty. What floor are you on?”

“7th. You?”

“8th, starting skills?”

“[Focus] and [Mana Manipulation].”

“[Duplication] and [Intent]. Natty, you seem different and… tense. Has sothing happened?”

I lean back in my armchair while Victoria waits patiently. She’s always been really good at reading .

“What do you an by ‘different’?” I ask first before answering the question myself, knowing she won't mind.

She pauses for a mont before saying, "You remind of how you used to be when you were younger, just a little. Do you know what I an?"

I nod, “A lot of things happened. You, on the other hand, don't seem to have changed much.”

"Didn't you used to say I’m perfect just the way I am?" she says, her calm expression returning. "I'll tell you as much as you want. Don't worry."

Even though she isn’t smiling, and no one else would notice a difference, to , it feels like she’s happy in a quiet way.

“Damn, Vic. It's so nice to see you here. But before we start, do you rember Tess?”

"Young Tess Hansen, smart and a little naive in an endearing way, pretty blonde? Of course I rember."

“Well, she is in my group and stayed on the 7th floor. Apparently, there is a mimic inside her. There is soone who can save her, but that person gave a condition: I need to win all the events of this tournant and…”

“I got it. Don't worry about it.”

“Thanks.” I feel a wave of relief wash over .

I knew she would react this way. I was absolutely sure, because I know her just as well as she knows . But hearing her say it out loud…

Victoria is soone I trust completely and love unconditionally. She has always been my older sister who took care of , always calm, even when she was young, and always taking on so much instead of .

I owe her a huge debt, but at the sa ti, the weaker part of is glad I can rely on my older sister, even if just a little. Even the thought of that brings comfort.

Damn, maybe I shouldn't tease Sophie so much for how much she loves Izzy.

Victoria gets up from her armchair and nudges aside just enough to squeeze into my seat, wrapping an arm around before resting her head against mine.

For a while, we stay just like that.

"Who was that pretty petite black haired girl, and why did she seem scared of for a mont?"

"That's Lily, our healer who sotis doubles as a bulldozer. She fought your avatar in the first tournant, and you tore her apart. Literally, Vic."

"I see. The way she looks at you..."

"Yeah, I know. It's just a crush because I saved her back on the 1st floor. She’ll grow out of it."

"Natty, not to insult you, but you’re not exactly the most knowledgeable about these things. How long has this crush lasted already?"

"Huh, about a year and a half, probably?"

"You’re a disgrace to the family na, little brother."

"Vic, not to put myself down, I know I'm sowhat good-looking. I take after Mom and my beautiful sister. But I’ve rejected her a few tis, and it’s not like a crush can last that much longer."

"Did you ask her about that?"

"I... uhh."

She then proceeds to gently slap the back of my head.

Vic and I spend hours catching up. So of the questions are silly, asked just so we can hear each other’s voices. I even notice myself training less. For a little while, I let myself relax.

A few hours later, the living room fills with people. Naturally, the entire nosy Group 4 is here. Most of the ti, everyone keeps stealing glances at Victoria, their eyes occasionally shifting between and her.

Victoria listens to their questions politely and patiently. The smile she showed before is gone, and she once again wears that controlled expression as she sits with her clothes fixed and her stance straightened up.

It feels surreal to see her there, sitting just as she did on Earth, so most of the ti, I barely listen to the conversation. Instead, I focus on petting Noodle, whom I stole. I can feel his scales beneath my hand and the pulsating heat of the Fragnt of Eternal Fire.

“So it will be just our rounds against the rest?” Sophie asks, surprised.

Victoria nods, “That's what we decided on. and Nathaniel will be enough.”

“I don't think that's a good idea. How can you be so sure?”

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Waiting for Sophie to finish, Victoria then looks at our mindblender.

That mont stretches longer until I notice Sophie feeling uncomfortable, and after a bit longer, it’s Sophie who breaks eye contact and looks away.

“He is my brother,” Victoria says as if that explains everything. “My round will take care of one of the rounds. Your round will face the other two.”

"Well, fuck, I don't even have to ask who ca up with that idea," Maya says, looking over at with a shake of her head.

I shrug and feed Noodle another mana orb.

Maya sounds even more annoyed. "Are you sure?" she asks .

“Yes,” I confirm.

“You know what is at stake here, right?”

“Trust , Maya, I haven't forgotten.”

“Damn it. Fuck that silver haired bitch. Fuck this situation. If you ever get stronger than her and beat the shit out of her, take a video of it for .”

"I'll try to. In 4K. How many tis have you died so far, Maya?"

“Five or so? I'm doing that Mana Weaving you showed and trying to channel and hold bigger amounts of mana. Do I want to know how many tis you’ve died?”

“A few more. I stopped counting after 20.”

“Monster…”

Sophie interrupts the conversation, “Okay, so it will be the 5th round and the 4th round against the 1st, 8th, and 10th. Jean, CarrotCake is from the 1st round, right? Leticia and Luna are from the 8th?”

“Nope,” I shake my head, “Leticia and Luna are from the 7th; Derick and his primordial lightning wifey are from the 8th, but you haven't t them during our expedition.”

“Derick is the tournant winner?”

I nod, “Red hair, tall and slim, has so very good tattoos. It is either a trait, item, or passive; no idea, to be honest. He is very good at close-range combat and disruption. Noelle uses a bow and primordial lightning, but she isn't as dangerous as Tess. Jean has a physique that rejects mana, and it's really difficult to damage him with mana. Even if you do, that physique absorbs a chunk of that mana and increases his regeneration. Plus, he has a skill that allows him to pull people or himself, likely all in his Strength stat.”

“So we currently only don't know about the 10th round tournant winner.”

Min-Jae jumps in, "We could pretend we're trying to form an alliance with them, observe their people in the process, and learn what to expect."

“Look, we all know Tacita is likely already moving around the other rounds’ hills and stealing shit. and Aaron could do the sa.” Dennis slaps his fist against his leg and smiles brightly.

Victoria looks at him in a mildly confused manner, “Nathaniel described so people for . Isn't Tacita the girl up there?”

She points at the ceiling, and all eyes follow her, finally noticing the girl they had overlooked.

Tacita is perched on a timber beam, where she has remained hidden since the eting began. Now that all eyes are on her, she wears a look that makes half expect her to hiss. Her gaze darts around, searching for an escape route.

I hear a creak, and all eyes shift to Min-Jae as he slowly opens the door. He shrugs under our stares, but when we glance back up, Tacita is gone. Without a word, he closes the door again.

For a few seconds, no one says anything.

"O-okay, Aaron and I will try to sneak in. Nat, can you put Ley Lines on us? If anything happens, you can teleport us away and co save us," Dennis offers.

“Sure,” I confirm and make sure these Ley Lines are as undetectable and firm as possible before both of the twins leave outside. I notice they have the box with Lily’s [Disintegration] orb with them.

They also cut off the connection to our web, as such telepathic communication links can be tracked more easily than my [Ley Line]. I'm sure they also recreate one just between them.

Then, the situation I was worried about happens. Myrra, who is also here, moves closer and sits on the armrest of the armchair Victoria occupies. The tall lynthari seems to enjoy that she is towering over her, even more so when she shows off her height in front of .

Smiling brightly, Myrra pokes Victoria, “The look in your eyes pisses off even more than the feral one’s.”

Myrra sniffs and shows her fangs, “Feral one hides a lot of emotion inside him and rarely shows it, and that makes it fun to try to get a reaction out of him. anwhile, you seem like you barely have any emotion.”

“Thank you for telling . I would also like to ask you to please stop touching and sit sowhere else,” Victoria answers calmly.

I lean back in my chair and observe what is about to happen.

I know Myrra will be pushed by such an answer, and I already know how Victoria will react. I think it also might be the right ti for them to get to know each other as well.

"And if I don't?" Myrra asks, as expected.

Victoria glances at , and I just raise an eyebrow. Then she looks back at Myrra. "I rember you from the 4th floor. Even then, you were acting the sa way, and I ended up killing you. I’d rather not do it again, since you’re part of my brother's group. So, even though I don’t usually do this, I’ll give you one more warning: please stop touching . I really don't like it."

“I don't want to~”

Myrra barely finishes her sentence before Victoria grabs her hand. Even though she’s expecting it, she can’t resist. Victoria overpowers her, pulls her in close, and slams her forehead against Myrra’s.

The lynthari stumbles back, and Victoria stands up.

Blood runs from Myrra’s nose, the wound already starting to heal thanks to the tournant’s no-death rule. Victoria pulls her in again and slams their heads together once more, sending the lynthari stumbling back.

Myrra's torn-off arm stays in Victoria's hand, and she throws it on the floor.

“You will have to pay if you break sothing,” I interrupt as I notice Myrra raising her mana to answer with skills.

Myrra hisses at , her fangs showing as her tail moves in an annoyed manner before she turns back to Victoria, who just moves and sits back in her armchair after fixing her clothes.

She intertwines her fingers, rests her hands on her crossed legs, and looks at Myrra. "As far as I know, I have shown you no ill will. In fact, I look at all of you favorably because of my brother. As his sister, I love seeing him surrounded by people he cares about."

As she continues to talk, it becos clear that her words are not ant only for Myrra but for every other mber of group 4.

"I assu we will be spending ti around each other due to our shared connection with my brother. That is not an issue for . Unlike my brother, I also do not mind speaking with people, so if the situation allows it and you would like to talk, I will listen. I do not find it botherso. Whether we speak frequently or barely acknowledge each other, the outco is the sa for . I leave it to you to decide how much interaction you prefer. Either way, I will adjust accordingly."

“Vic,” I call to her.

“Yes?”

“There is no need to be so formal.”

"Nathaniel, so things are better when people understand them properly, so I try to choose my words carefully."

"It makes you sound incredibly punchable, Vic. I know because people say the sa to all the ti."

“In that case, I would defend myself, Nathaniel. I try not to go out of my way to provoke or attack people. I always try to treat them with reason and without prejudice. It is not too much for to expect the sa.”

“I'm not saying Myrra isn't super punchable or didn't deserve it.”

“I understand, can I continue?”

“Please,” I answer.

Poor group 4 just sits there, confused, and Myrra, with dried-up blood on her face, still stands.

Victoria addresses them again, “This reminds of sothing I read once.”

She adjusts her posture slightly before continuing, “A study on repeated conflict. It suggested that people who engage in small, frequent disputes often build stronger long-term relationships than those who avoid conflict entirely. That tension, when controlled, forces a level of understanding that politeness alone does not achieve.”

She exhales lightly. “It is why people who push against each other often end up working together more effectively than those who avoid confrontation.”

Maya raises an eyebrow. “Are you saying you and Myrra will beco best friends if you tear her arm off often enough?”

My precious Victoria takes it seriously, unaware it is a joke, while Maya looks too afraid to explain.

Victoria nods. “If repeated conflict strengthens relationships, then yes, it could apply here. Though I assu tearing off limbs would create a more lasting impression than most disagreents.”

Watching that, I stay quiet and feed Noodle another mana orb.

Myrra sneaks closer and sits on the armrest of my chair. Leaning in, she whispers, "Feral one, your sister might be even crazier than you. I need to see her et Lady Lissandra."

I feed Noodle another mana orb, pretending not to hear her.

Sohow, I get the feeling Myrra enjoys the chaos a little too much.