Chapter 172: Training is not something that can be accomplished overnight.

Ephnel had participated in combat against people before.

It was an operation led by the Special Disaster Division to encircle a small group involved in drug trafficking and human kidnapping.

Ephnel had gotten accidentally involved through her private investigation of a group of robbers and had ended up fighting them.

Since it was an armed firefight, it was inevitable that people would be injured and die.

The Special Disaster Division naturally had casualties, while Ephnel had single-handedly opened a path and broken through the enemy’s defensive line.

That was also the first time she had used an Agent’s power against humans.

She did not regret it.

Those criminals’ hands were stained with the blood of others; they deserved to be punished.

But regardless of the reason, there was often only a thin line separating killers.

Click—

Yukina pulled the slide of the gun, raised her arm again, and aimed at the distant target.

Ephnel stood behind Yukina, her gaze falling on Yukina’s side profile.

“Yukina… whoever the enemy is, you must pull the trigger without hesitation. Our power as Agents is to be used for the future of humanity, but this does not mean we need to unconditionally protect everyone. You must remember this, no matter what.”

“Mhm…”

“I… will not allow you to sacrifice yourself for the sake of others, either.”

The voice coming from behind her was light and airy.

Yukina paused for a moment, then nodded gently.

“Me too… I will absolutely not let Naoko leave me. Otherwise, I would also lose my reason to live.”

Ephnel didn’t answer, but instead turned to Yukina’s side, picked up the handgun on the table, and expertly inspected it.

“Don’t be so dramatic. I am, after all, the Agent known as the ‘Chief’. I do have a little confidence in my own strength.”

“Even so, you still got hurt, didn’t you?”

Yukina retorted without giving an inch, and Ephnel could only give a sheepish smile.

Too many unexpected things had happened in the battle with the Angel—not understanding the enemy was where the danger lay.

“Well… in any case, the use of firearms is an essential training item for us Agents. Don’t slack off. Later, we’ll conduct training for other auxiliary skills, and those are much tougher than this. Can you keep up, Yukina?”

“I’ll do my best to do it, definitely.”

“Mhm, and I’ll train you twice as strictly. Get ready.”

There were many training items for Agents.

The use and maintenance of firearms was one of them, categorized along with high-altitude parachuting, diving, climbing, combat, first aid, vehicle driving skills, and so on, as mandatory auxiliary skills for Agents.

Auxiliary skills were one of the two major training programs, distinct from an Agent’s combat skills.

Simply put, these skills were not necessarily useful in combat against Erosion Organisms, but they had to be trained to a level of initial mastery.

Combat, needless to say, was an essential skill that every Agent needed to practice.

Firearm skills were a common way to conserve stamina and Order energy in combat against Remnants.

Diving was a training item for aquatic combat.

In addition, Agents would also occasionally use various military equipment to assist in combat.

For example, high-altitude parachuting and wingsuit flying were essential tactical skills often used for efficient insertion into disaster sites.

First aid was an important mandatory skill that could increase the survival rate.

Vehicle driving was often used in “Outer Boundary” investigation operations, and climbing was one of the basic skills used in an Agent’s combat skills.

And all of this was just a part of an Agent’s training.

For these various reasons, Ephnel introduced a training method for Yukina based on her own standards.

This was the first step in cultivating Yukina into a strong Agent who could stand on her own.

A large amount of training was essential for Yukina to master and familiarize herself with her own power as quickly as possible.

“Is the gun heavy?”

“A little… but it’s okay, it’s a bit lighter than I imagined.”

“That’s good.”

Ephnel came to Yukina’s side, holding the gun in both hands.

“This gun will be with you for a very, very long time. Try to let your body get used to it… In the end, you must at least reach my level.”

Ephnel pulled the slide, raised it swiftly, and pulled the trigger at the same time.

Bang—

9.4.

“Amazing…”

Yukina was almost stunned watching Ephnel’s series of movements.

And Ephnel gently put down the gun, her fingers trembling slightly.

She sighed softly.

Because the wounds on her body had not yet fully healed, this dedicated handgun designed for Agents was still a bit of a burden for the current Ephnel.

That shot just now, the huge recoil transmitted from her hand to her arm, sent a sharp pain through Ephnel’s shoulder.

“The goal of our training cannot stop at the level of ‘just knowing how to use it’. Just like with firearm training, we need to let our muscles form a memory. This will be very helpful for your combat.”

Ephnel looked at Yukina.

“So, even if you’ve mastered the basic principles, repeated practice is still an indispensable part.”

“I understand.”

“Now, maintain your stance, tense your muscles, try to control your breathing, and when you pull the trigger, you must keep your eyes fixed on your target. Try to pull the trigger with your subconscious.”

Ephnel came behind Yukina, guiding her.

“Mhm, just like that. Remember this feeling… you can shoot now.”

Yukina suppressed the rise and fall of her chest, pressed her lips together lightly, her fingertip slowly moving, and pulled the trigger.

Bang—

A piercing gunshot rang out, a shell casing fell to the floor, and a number appeared on the display screen above.

“8.92… huh…”

Ephnel stared at the small hole on the target and pursed her lips.

“Mhm, for a first training session, that’s already very good.”

—Scoring 8.92 in a shooting training test with a full score of 10 meant that Yukina could hit a target’s vitals with her marksmanship from a distance of 30 meters with less than a fifteen percent margin of error.

This was an astonishingly excellent result for a beginner.

It was hard to imagine that this was the result of only one hour of training for Yukina.

Should she say, “as expected of ‘Fifina'”?

Just like Fuurin Shion, Yukina’s learning ability in archery and firearms was quite remarkable.

But compared to Fuurin Shion, Yukina also showed terrifying talent in other aspects of being an Agent—in three hours, Ephnel had successively trained Yukina in the evocation and use of the “Stairway,” archery, simple handgun maintenance and shooting, and Yukina had preliminarily mastered the essentials of all of them with astonishing speed.

It had to be said that Yukina indeed had the unique potential to be an excellent Agent, not just because her status as an Absolute Accommodator gave her a physical boost, but also because Yukina herself had extremely high comprehension and adaptability.