Around two weeks passed by in a blink of an eye. 

After the first week, Vanora had felt that she was almost at the optimal level of difficulty which would help to push her growth so had asked for even stronger opponents but she realised that it was not much different than what she was already experiencing. 

Over the two weeks, she has encountered several different kinds of hell beings. Some had the characteristics of normal animals but looked like either demonic or zombified. Some looked completely other worldly such as beings made of rotting kelp goldfish eyes. The remaining rare few seemed to have the most intelligence of the rest and looked the most human since they have humanoid forms except that they were either smokey like ghosts or deformed or have extra appendages. It was with these beings that she felt like they were closer to what she needed for herself to improve. 

The one that she felt really challenged the use of her enhanced instinct was a being that looked very unassuming with its translucent appearance, crooked posture, black messy cobweb-like hair, and large unblinking eyes. It could hide its presence and appear right behind her without her knowing. There were a few times that Vanora swore she could have been killed or at least lethally wounded by that hell being but she always miraculously ran off before it could land an attack. In fact, through the week, she only suffered surface injuries at the most. 

Eventually, the only improvement that she has made was mastering her aura perception. She observed how the colour of his emotions gradually changed from mountbatten pink to a lighter and clearer rose pink over the past week. She never bothered to ask him what the colour meant. She only knew that it was not the colour that she could consume.

However, mastering the aura perception was nothing to be proud of since it was only a matter of time. Mastery of aura perception corresponded to her being fully adapted to having a demon's body. Even so, she only fully adapted after a week of transforming. Her natural regenerative speed was also a little faster now. 

She had asked Vlad in passing about how long it normally took for humans to adapt to having a demon's body. Although he said that there was never one that kept their rationality like her, he estimated based on the performance of the converted demons that her speed was probably average. This further strengthened her refusal to believe that she was that much stronger than so many of the hell beings. Only a significantly stronger being could afford to come out of a fight with barely any injuries.

She reached a conclusion that there was something fishy going on behind her back and that it was related to his trips out of the establishment every night. 

While frustration and anxiety was building up inside one person, admiration and adoration built up inside another. 

After spending almost every waking second with Vanora, he felt that she was truly one of a kind. It was unlikely, probably impossible, to find another like her. Before he met Vanora, he has never met a being who trained like their lives depended on it. Everyone accepted their fate after finding out their strengths through clashing with others. You either belong to the strong or the weak. If you are strong, you get to throw your weight around. If you are weak, you got to earn your place by clashing with the other weaker ones while not offending the stronger ones. There was no point in training so desperately since nothing could be changed. 

He could tell that Vanora was promising from the first time he saw her aura. Even if she would not be the strongest, she would be above average. However, her aura has never been as brilliant during this past two weeks, and the length of time she took to get used to her new body was average at best. What sparked the growth of a new feeling was that she seemed to be aware of her limitations as well. She was not thinking too highly of herself but simply refusing to give in to 'fate'. She pushed herself to the point of cornering herself, it almost felt as if she was punishing herself for being weaker than others. 

Through witnessing her diligent and persevering nature, a new and unfamiliar but sweet feeling began sprouting within him over the course of the two weeks. He found himself thinking of her less in a way that was fearful of losing her but more of how wonderful she was. His desire to know more about her and have a deeper understanding of her also grew steadily. Could this be... respect? Is this what the other demons feel towards me when they see me?

Finding her adorable, he decided to indulge in her seemingly masochistic tendencies but he still did not want to see her hurt, so he had secretly been ordering the hell beings to give her a hard time but to never lay a finger on her or it would mean their death. He never believed that she could get stronger no matter how much she tried or struggled. So instead of sending her to her death, he decided to do things this way. He sincerely believed that this was a win-win situation for the both of them. 

It was now a day after two weeks.

The last hell being she encountered was a furless muscular grey bear that was twice the size of her. Its claws were bigger and sharper and smoke was coming out of its mouth. It started off with a simple attack - charging at her repeatedly. It would swing its paw powerfully each time it passes by her too. Vanora dodged the attacks effortlessly and saw deep extended claw marks being made on the ground. Although it was very easy for her to dodge, she found that it was very hard to attack it. It could dodge her attacks as easily as she did. Very soon, there was no surface left marked and the bear suddenly stopped moving. While keeping its eyes trained on her, it started huffing and making blowing noises. 

Is it just me or is the visibility of this area decreasing?

She soon got her answer as a mysterious wind picked up in the arena and picked up all the loose soil and dirt to spin around her, creating a lot of noise. A mixture of dust and smoke filled the scene and she soon could not see anything before her anymore. The bear's shining black eyes and red pupils was the last to disappear.

Where's it?! She kept her eyes peeled for the bear while using an arm to shield her eyes from flying soil and dirt. 

She flared out her flames around her but felt like the bear was no where in the area surrounding her. She heard a little noise coming from above her and saw the bear about to swing its paws to slash her. She spun around to get out of its range and jumped up to kick its side but it disappeared. 

What? Was that a hallucination?

Another distinct sound like a huff was heard in the next instant from below her and she looked down to find the bear right beneath her with its jaws open wide and ready to bite down. She threw flames at it and it disappeared again. 

When she landed, it appeared to be charging towards her from her left but just as she braced to defend by attacking it head on, it disappeared again after she swung her fist towards it. This repeated for around fifteen minutes. She could never land a hit on it but neither could it land a hit on her. 

Vanora finally frowned. This is going nowhere. It's a complete waste of my time. 

BaoBao was shocked since this was the first time Vanora said something like a complaint, especially during training.

I don't have the luxury of time. I've already wasted over 2 weeks training like this. I've made no improvements whatsoever. And now this kind of stalemate? Is it taking me for a fool? Does he think I'm so ignorant? 

Va- Vanora...? BaoBao hesitantly called out. However, she continued her internal monologue like she did not hear BaoBao. 

It's obvious that the bear's controlling this fight. Dragging this out meaninglessly... And it's not only this fight. This whole time... Playing me for the fool... 

Vanora felt something bubbling within her and her breathing became increasingly rugged. 

I need to end this farce!

She clenched her hands tightly and the golden sparks in her eyes shone a little. She felt a strong urge to burn everything to the ground, including the earth itself, to turn this entire area into an inferno. Without thinking too much about it, she followed her urges to vent her pent up frustration and anger. 

She jumped up high enough to reach the ceiling then spun and ricocheted off the ceiling to aim her two fists towards the ground. The force she hit the ground with caused a minor earthquake through the arena. The ground split like dried up earth and debris flew upwards together with indigo flames. 

Her eyes were trained onto the ground as she focused on expanding her fire to cover the entire arena. Running purely on her emotions and instinct now, she did not realise how much stronger her flames were raging and that it could now cover the entire area, turning the place into an inferno like she wanted. Burn! Burn anything that you come into contact with! Burn it all! 

The ceiling, the ground, the debris that came apart from wherever, and the dirt and soil part of the dust cloud burnt and slowly disintegrated. Although the fog remained, the bear that had been hiding its real body among it burnt as well. A loud roar sounded throughout the arena. It revealed anger but also pain. Understanding that it would die either way now, it also became full of rage which helped it move despite the crippling pain it was experiencing. It charged at Vanora for real. Its real speed was much faster than what was revealed and its attack was completely silent. 

However, a milisecond before its claws could tear through Vanora, it saw her look behind her and diagonally up, making direct eye contact with it. For the first time, it felt real fear from facing off with Vanora. 

Just as Vanora lifted a hand from the ground with the intention to finish off the bear with a punch at what she felt was his weak point, she found herself being pulled away from the bear then hugged with an arm while Vlad placed himself between her and the bear. 

He simultaneously struck out a palm at its forehead which was where she had wanted to hit as well. The bear flew back with great force and hit into the wall before lying on the ground motionless. 

Vanora looked at the dead bear with new wounds slowly beginning to form on its skin. Seems like its hide is insanely tough and thick. No wonder it wanted to end me quick to end the pain.

Vlad's face suddenly filled her vision. He held onto her face with two hand stenderly to check if she was fine. She knew that he had to be hurting from being burnt by her flames as well but it definitely did not show on his face. The strong killing intent that radiated off his body earlier also completely vanished without a trace. All that remained now was pure concern.

Her expression remained cold though. When he began to check her body for any injuries, she shrugged his hands off of her and walked away without a word. 

"Vanora? Are you angry that I interrupted  your fight again?"

She didn't respond and continued to walk while he continued to follow behind her.

"This bear's different from the worm! It would have killed you!"

She still didn't respond. 

"I can't possibly leave you to die!"

At this point, she stopped in her tracks to say coldly while looking at him from the corner of her eye. "I'd rather you did."

She walked off again but briskly this time. 

"Vanora! What do you mean? Why do you say that?"

She exited the cave but still did not stop for him to bring them back to the room which was part of their routine for the past 2 weeks. "Where're you going?"

She ignored him and continued to walk in a random direction.

"Is there somewhere you want to go to today? I'll bring you!"

She still ignored him.

At this point he decisively put himself in her way by cutting into her path. "Vanora, please talk to me! Tell me what's wrong!"

BaoBao silently gulped. Even he did not dare to speak since Vanora was acting oddly but Vlad just kept on bothering her instead of leaving her alone.