Ian controlled his rage throughout the training. He was trained to throw blades at a wooden human statue 100 meters away. As he never threw a blade before, Ian naturally miss all of his throws.

But for every miss, he got a cut on his skin.

"Kekeke. No expression, no groan, no scream. I am really impressed by this brainwashing potion. No wonder the leader wanted it so bad. If we got an army of people like you, the Shadow Tribe would be able to do so much more. Now throw that knife again."

Ian did as instructed and he missed.

Frederick slashed his waist with a smile and laugher.

Ian held his anger throughout the blood boiling training session. After a few hours, his body was so weak from the loss of blood he started to faint.

When he opened his eyes, Ian woke up in a wooden bathtube filled with green liquid. His wound slowly closing up.

He looked around and noticed there was a bed, and some swords placed on the shelves. They thought Ian was skilled in blade, so they gave them swords and trained him in blade throwing skills.

Ian could throw the small blade accurately if he activated his Sharingan, but he did not want them to know his most powerful weapon. He learned from life to never reveal everything about himself to others especially not to enemies. For the less they know, the better of you will be.

He felt pain and itched all over his body, and his muscles were sore to the point he barely could move. Ian decided to stay in the bathtub to heal while wishing that Asuna was fine.

Suddenly, a notification popped out.

[Blade throw skill: Progress 40%]

Ian was delightful that the system helped him in obtaining a skill. The notification meant that he could get a skill from training and not just buying them from the store. And there might be a skill that the system did not have in this world.

With this function, Ian could learn all the skills from this evil organization as a preparation for his escape.

A few hours later, a beautiful woman with golden hair and tight white dress, revealing her smooth thigh, walked in. She was Nila, and she came to train Ian in the sword art.

"You did well last time. But now you need to improve your speed and accuracy. I will teach you the Sword Dance. It is an ancient martial art that has been lost in this generation. The only known practitioner of it was the emperor. This dance is said to be the reason he became the strongest emperor in history."

Ian kept his silence, but he knew nothing about the sword.

Nila looked at him coldly. "Don't worry, it's not any kind of sword fighting. It's just a dance."

"Alright," Ian replied, not knowing what the hell he was doing.

Nila explained the steps of the dance, and Ian followed. He then saw a notification pop out.

'Sword Dance skill: Progress 25%'.

It seems like the system wanted to help him in the training session. With this, perhaps it would be easier for him to gain new skills. At least until Nila stopped helping him. But if that happened, they would find out about his secret. But he had to do it if he wanted to save Asuna and escape this place.

He practiced the sword dancing for another three days, and when the third day ended, he received a notification.

Dance skill: Success.

At first Ian was excited, but then he remembered he was not supposed to show anyone else his sword skills.

'Damn. I am going to have to hide my sword dance. Too late for regrets though. I am stuck here.'

Ian was one of those who hated being trapped, and this was the worst situation he ever experienced. He had never thought that he would be enslaved by an evil organization and forced to fight for their interests.

Nila came back into the room after a few minutes. A small bottle was in her hands.

"This is a special potion I got from the market. It should make you more agile, so you don't feel tired anymore while practicing. Take it. Drink it."

Ian hesitantly accepted it. There were also instructions written on the label, but he didn't read them. He put the bottle against his lips and drank it. It tasted bitter and foul.

'Ughh. I thought potions should taste sweet and refreshing. But this one is worse than modern medicine.'

An hour passed. His whole body felt numb and weak. But strangely, he felt more energetic than ever before.

"Huh? Uh…what happened? I feel great! I got lots of energy. Is this what they call an energy drink?"

Nila looked at him without any expression. "You're doing better than the other guy. That's why I had to give you a new potion."

The other guy? Was that the previous slave? The one she was talking about earlier. Why did she say that the previous slave was doing badly compared to Ian?

Ian continued to practice his sword dancing. He did it faster and faster, and his movements were smoother and sharper than usual.

Within half an hour, he began to sweat. Sweat dripped off his forehead. The sweat mixed with the green liquid in the bathtub and made the water cloudy.

His breathing was rapid and deep, and his heart beat so fast that his pulse sounded like drums pounding in rhythm.

'What is happening to me? This is a strange feeling. I feel like something is pushing through my chest and into my stomach. My limbs are strong beyond belief. It feels like I could break the chains holding me down. Or maybe it's my own power coming out. Either way, I must be really close to the limit of my stamina.'

The training session ended. When he left the bathroom, he found Nila waiting for him. "Very good work, Ian."

Ian was confused. Nila got weirdly nicer and nicer to him as days passed. For some reason that made him feel weird.

"Now you should rest," she told him. "Tomorrow you will receive instruction in the art of swordsmanship." *

But after resting for two days, Ian still felt great. He stood up and felt like he could jump a hundred meters or run 100 kilometers if he needed to.

He went to the training room where Nila waited for him. Her eyes were shining bright, but then they suddenly turned dark blue.

"I see. You managed to acquire a new skill. You are already better than the other one. Well done indeed."

Ian remained silent, not sure what she was talking about.

Nila continued. "As you can see, the other slave got quite sick. But you are different, aren't you?"

Ian stayed silent. He did not understand what he was supposed to answer.

Nila smiled widely and offered him a piece of fruit. "Eat it. It will help your stamina. Enjoy the taste too. I am sure it will be delicious."

Ian took the piece of fruit and bit into it. The juices spread throughout his mouth and all over his tongue, causing him to lick his lips repeatedly.

He couldn't believe how delicious it tasted. Normally fruits were sour and bitter, but this one was sweet and tasty.

Nila watched him eat and then she spoke in a sinister voice. "From now on, I will continue training you in the sword art. I will start with the basics. We will go back to the beginning. Once you become proficient in the art of the sword, we will begin training you in the martial arts. Until then…you will remain in this room."

She returned to the training room and left Ian alone.

***

After a few days of training, Ian noticed that he could move his limbs much faster than before. He could freely rotate his upper arm and shoulder joints, while before he had to think about it even though he already knew the technique.

All of his actions seemed to be synchronized together and flowed smoothly.

Ian also discovered that his stamina increased greatly. He could spend hours without getting exhausted.