My Overpowered Bunny Girls

Chapter 29: 29. First Light

The TCA training facility was a chamber buried three floors beneath the association headquarters. Reinforced walls glowed with damage-dampening wards. The floor could shift between terrain settings: urban ruins, forest thicket, open arena... depending on what a party needed to simulate. Nathan had booked it for the morning, spending the last of his discretionary stipend on the reservation fee.

He stood alone in the center of the empty chamber, Mirko in bunny form at his feet.

’You seem nervous,’ Mirko observed.

’I’m calculating.’

’You’re calculating nervously.’

Nathan didn’t dignify that with a response. He was early, deliberately so. Time to think before the others arrived. Time to plan how much he’d reveal and how much he’d hold back.

The door hissed open and Garrett stepped through, his Mad-Sheep Red lumbering behind him like a crimson wool-covered nightmare. His arm was out of the sling now, though he still moved it carefully.

"Cross!" Garrett’s voice echoed in the empty chamber. "Man, this place is huge. I’ve never been in the TCA training levels before. Do you know how much these rooms cost? I looked it up. It’s obscene. Anyway, Red’s been cooped up for days so he might be a little....Red, no, don’t eat that, that’s a ward emitter....Red!"

Red had ambled toward one of the glowing runes embedded in the wall and was sniffing it with suspicion. Garrett grabbed one of its massive horns and tugged it back.

"Sorry. He’s just curious."

"Is he going to try to eat the simulated enemies too?"

"Probably. He eats a lot of things. I’ve stopped questioning it."

The door opened again. Dillon Briggs entered with the lazy confidence of someone who had never felt unwelcome anywhere in his life. His katana was sheathed at his hip. And Coiled around his shoulders like a living scarf was his Cloud Serpent... a sinuous creature of pale blue scales and wispy mane that seemed to drift between solid and vapor. It yawned, revealing fangs that crackled with static electricity.

Dillon surveyed the empty chamber and whistled. "Nice digs. Very... concrete. Very... grey. Really captures the ’we’re about to get beaten senseless’ aesthetic." He spotted Garrett. "You’re the sheep guy, right? From Floor 3? Cross mentioned you. Said you almost died to Crawlers."

"I did almost die to Crawlers," Garrett admitted. "It’s kind of my thing. Almost dying. Then getting saved by him." He jerked a thumb at Nathan.

"Respect. Most Climbers don’t admit to the ’almost dying’ part." Dillon’s Cloud Serpent uncoiled from his shoulders and drifted upward, floating lazily near the ceiling. "I’m Dillon. Special Class Samurai. This is my summon, Cloud Serpent. He doesn’t have a cute nickname. He’s too dignified."

The Cloud Serpent made a sound.

"He’s also dramatic," Dillon added.

The door opened one final time. Elise entered precisely on schedule, not early, not late. Her Frost Golem materialized in the corner of the chamber without ceremony, eight feet of diamond-bright ice that radiated cold in visible waves. She was dressed in a practical combat tunic, her silver hair pulled back, her expression as unreadable as ever.

She surveyed the room. Garrett. Dillon. Nathan. The Mad-Sheep sniffing a ward emitter. The Cloud Serpent floating near the ceiling. The Frost Golem standing silent sentinel.

"We’re all here," she said. "Let’s begin."

Four Climbers. One room. Two weeks to become a team.

---

Nathan gathered them in the center of the chamber. The training constructs... humanoid figures of compressed mana... stood dormant along the walls, waiting for activation commands.

"Before we start running drills," Nathan said, "there’s something you need to see."

He glanced at Mirko. She met his eyes, and a wordless understanding passed between them. This was the moment. The first real reveal, in controlled conditions, to people who weren’t enemies or strangers.

He nodded and green light erupted.

The transformation was controlled this time... no battle pressure, no desperation. Wind spiraled around Mirko’s small form as her body arched and grew. Soft fur dissolved. Tiny paws stretched into delicate fingers. Her frame lengthened, curved, filled out into the tall warrior.

Long green hair cascaded down her back. Pink eyes opened, steady and proud. The ornate green-and-white bodysuit wove itself around her curvy figure, and the steel sword Nathan had bought her materialized in her grip.

She landed lightly on her feet, with the sword resting against her shoulder.

"I am Vengeance... I am a Knight..." she announced. "I am Mirko!. Master Nathan’s first summon!."

Silence.

Garrett’s mouth was hanging open. "What the... she’s humanoid? She’s been humanoid this whole time? The bunny... the small fluffy bunny who headbutted a Crawler... is a humanoid beast knight?"

"Yes," Mirko said.

"That’s...I mean..." Garrett looked at Nathan. "This explains so much."

Dillon let out a long, appreciative whistle. "A hot bunny girl Knight. Cross, you’ve been holding out on us. Here I thought you were just some F-Grade underdog with a luck streak and a pet rabbit. Turns out you’ve got a secret weapon." He grinned. "A very attractive secret weapon."

"My appearance is irrelevant to my combat capabilities," Mirko said stiffly.

"It’s not irrelevant to my morale."

"Dillon." Elise’s voice could have frozen a volcano.

"I’m just saying. Acknowledging aesthetics is important for team cohesion."

Elise ignored him. Her icy blue eyes tracked Mirko from head to toe... the ears, the sword, the stance, the curves. Her expression remained neutral, but her gaze lingered for just a fraction of a second at Mirko’s chests before snapping back to Nathan.

"Your ranking during the Tutorial Realm," Elise said quietly. "The Berserk Ape. The Tower of Beginnings." She paused. "This was why."

"Yes."

She nodded once. No shock. No indignation. Just the quiet satisfaction of a puzzle piece clicking into place. "Good. Then we can start training properly."

Nathan looked around at the group... Garrett’s dawning comprehension, Dillon’s amused interest, Elise’s cool assessment, Mirko’s steady confidence. "This is what I’ve been hiding. This is what Derek and everyone watching the broadcast are going to see during the duel. I need to know now if anyone has a problem with it."

"A problem?" Garrett shook his head. "Man, this is the opposite of a problem. You’ve got a Knight-class humanoid summon who can switch forms. I’ve been climbing with a sheep who eats ward emitters. I’m not in a position to judge."

"He eats what?" Dillon asked.

"Later," Garrett muttered.

Elise spoke without turning. "We have two weeks to learn how to fight as a unit. That takes precedence over questions about what else you might be hiding." Her tone made it clear she knew there was more. But she also knew now wasn’t the time. "Let’s begin."

---

Nathan activated the training constructs.

The first drill was simple: low-level humanoid enemies, predictable attack patterns, no environmental hazards. Just a basic brawl to see how the party moved together.

It went poorly.

Garrett and Red charged forward with more enthusiasm than coordination. Red’s crimson wool hardened into armor-like plates as it slammed into the first construct, horns first. The impact was impressive. The follow-through sent Red stumbling into Garrett, who stumbled into a second construct, which promptly smacked him across the face with a compressed-mana fist.

"I’m okay!" Garrett shouted, swinging his mace blindly. "I meant to do that!"

Dillon overextended immediately. He activated [Quick Draw], his katana flashing through three constructs in a blur of steel that was objectively beautiful to watch. Then he kept going, chasing a fourth construct toward the edge of the formation, leaving a gap in the party’s right flank.

"Briggs, fall back!" Nathan called.

"Almost got it—"

A fifth construct materialized behind Dillon and struck him square in the back. The Samurai stumbled, his Cloud Serpent diving from the ceiling to intercept, but the construct had already scored a hit.

"Point taken," Dillon grunted.

Elise was efficient but isolated. Her Frost Golem moved with a brutal precision, each strike shattering constructs into frozen fragments. [Mana Bolt] volleys flew from her staff with mechanical accuracy. But she wasn’t coordinating... she was fighting her own battle, fifteen feet from the rest of the party, and the constructs were beginning to flow around her position.

Nathan tried to direct through [Hunter’s Insight], mapping enemy movements and ally positions in his head, but there were too many variables. Garrett needed covering fire. Dillon needed a leash. Elise needed to be integrated into the formation instead of fighting parallel to it. He fired [Mana Arrows] into the gaps, picking off constructs that threatened to overwhelm Red, but he couldn’t be everywhere.

Three minutes in, the drill was chaos.

"Stop," Nathan called. The constructs froze mid-swing. "Reset."

They reset. It went poorly again.

Fourth attempt. Fifth. By the sixth, Garrett was breathing hard and Red’s wool was flickering between armored and soft states. Dillon had stopped smiling somewhere around attempt four. Elise’s expression hadn’t changed, but the temperature around her had dropped noticeably.

Nathan was about to call for another reset when Mirko stepped forward.

"I will anchor the center, Master" she said. It wasn’t a suggestion.

She shifted to the middle of the formation and activated [Impenetrable Fortress]. Glowing mana armor condensed around her frame. Her presence stabilized, a fixed point, immovable, undeniable.

"The Samurai will flank from the right and return to formation after three strikes. No chasing. The Sheep will hold the left with the Mad-Sheep and stop trying to do everything at once. The Ice Mage will position behind me and fire through the gaps I create. Master will cover from range and call targets through [Hunter’s Insight]." Her pink eyes swept the group. "Is this acceptable?"

There was a beat of silence.

"Did the bunny just take command?" Dillon asked.

"She’s... My Knight," Nathan said. "Command is part of the job."

"I think I liked her better when she was quiet and fluffy."

"Then fight better and she won’t have to."

The seventh attempt was different. Mirko held the center like a boulder in a river, constructs breaking against her [Impenetrable Fortress] while [Unstoppable Force] built with each successive strike. Dillon limited himself to three-hit combos and fell back as ordered, his Cloud Serpent providing aerial harassment. Garrett and Red held the left flank without overcommitting. Elise’s Frost Golem moved in sync with Mirko’s rhythm, ice and steel striking the same targets, [Mana Bolts] threading through the gaps Mirko’s sword created.

Nathan’s [Hunter’s Insight] lit up enemy patterns, and he called targets aloud: "Garrett, left. Dillon, construct at two o’clock. Elise, focus the heavy."

The constructs fell. One wave. Then another. Then the simulation ended.

The chamber fell silent. Garrett was panting, leaning on Red’s woolly shoulder. Dillon sheathed his katana with a theatrical flourish that didn’t quite hide his heavy breathing. Elise stood motionless, but there was a faint flush on her cheeks... the first sign of exertion Nathan had ever seen from her.

Mirko released [Impenetrable Fortress]. The mana armor faded. She wasn’t winded at all.

"Better," Nathan said. "We’ll run it again tomorrow."

"I hate to admit it," Dillon said, stretching his shoulder, "but your bunny’s a better tank than half the Climbers I’ve seen"

"Knight," Mirko corrected.

"Hot Knight. Whatever."

Elise ignored them both. Her gaze was fixed on Nathan. "Your [Hunter’s Insight]. You were tracking all of us at once."

"Trying to."

"Good." She turned toward the door. "Do it faster next time."

Nathan almost smiled. From Elise Winterhart, that was practically a standing ovation.

---

The team dispersed in stages. Garrett and Dillon left together, Dillon already launching into an exaggerated story about his time in the Tutorial Realm.

"So there I was, three Black Goblins surrounding me, no backup, my katana chipped—"

"Wasn’t your party with you? Weren’t you in a party with THAT Elise Winterhart?"

"That’s not the point of the story, sheep guy"

Their voices faded down the corridor. Garrett glanced back once and gave Nathan a thumbs up that was equal parts gratitude and bewilderment.

Elise lingered. Her Frost Golem had been dismissed, but the air around her still held a faint chill. "You said there were things you couldn’t tell me."

"I did."

"Will they affect the duel?" ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

Nathan considered the question. The Bunny Girl System. The second summon he was chasing. The upgrade to [Piercing Shot] that had become [Focus Shot], the evolution of [Sharp Eyes] into [Hunter’s Insight]. The Leyline Ring on his finger, humming with mana that by all rights shouldn’t belong to an F-Grade Climber. The Lord Entity whose name he couldn’t even perceive.

"Not the duel itself," he said. "But if things go well..." He paused. "There may be more to tell after."

Elise studied him. Then her gaze shifted to Mirko, who was still in humanoid form, sword resting against her shoulder. Elise’s eyes traced Mirko’s figure... The generous curves, the confident stance, the way the bodysuit somehow managed to be both practical armor and completely ridiculous housing those massive chests.

Elise glanced down at her own chest, modest beneath her combat tunic. And a faint pink blush touched her cheeks.

Then she left without another word.

Mirko shifted back to bunny form and hopped onto Nathan’s shoulder. Her mental voice was deeply satisfied.

’That went well.’

"Better than I expected."

’The Samurai is annoying.’

"The Samurai is useful."

’The ice mage respects you now.’

"I think she respects you more."

Mirko’s ears twitched. ’Hmm. You’re kinda dense, Master.’

Nathan frowned. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

’Nothing. Let’s go home.’

---

The apartment was warm and quiet. Lucy sat at the table with her homework spread before her, tongue poking out in concentration. Mirko, in bunny form, immediately hopped onto the chair beside her and curled into a fluffy green ball. Lucy absently reached over and scratched behind her ears. freewebnovel.cσ๓

Nathan sat at the other end of the table and opened his status panel.

[Name: Nathan Cross]

[Class: Archer]

[Level: 19]

[Second Summon: Condition 1 (Level 25) — Not Met]

Six levels away. He could climb during the day after training sessions... short Towers, solo runs, nothing with an extraction penalty if he cleared normally. But it would eat into recovery time. And Condition 3... a catalyst item from a floor boss, was even less predictable. He’d need to get lucky with drops, and luck wasn’t a strategy.

He closed the panel.

"We need to train the team during the day," he murmured, "but I can climb at night. Solo runs. Short Towers. Push for levels and hope we get lucky with drops."

Mirko’s voice echoed through the link. ’You’ll exhaust yourself.’

"Probably. But two weeks isn’t enough time to be cautious." He leaned back in his chair, watching Lucy work through a math problem. "I need that second summon to be completely sure about our win. The duel is one fight. After that, the attention doesn’t stop. It gets worse."

He paused.

"I have more faith in ourselves than in a rushed-together party."

That was the truth of it. Garrett was loyal but mid-tier. Elise was powerful but not permanent. Dillon was strong but unpredictable. They were allies for the duel... nothing more, nothing less. But Mirko was his. The system was his. And the second Bunny Girl, whenever she arrived, would be his too.

’Then we’ll get stronger. Together.’

Nathan looked at Mirko... small, green, fierce and curled up beside his sister. A summon and a protector. A partner and a secret weapon. The first of what he hoped would be many.

"Yeah, together," he agreed.

Lucy looked up from her homework. "Were you talking to yourself?"

"Just thinking out loud, sis"

"You do that a lot these days, It’s weird."

Nathan reached over and ruffled her hair.