The corners of Scathach's lips subtly lifted, revealing a half-smile, half-smirk expression.
Ryou's heart instantly sank. It seemed this battle was inevitable.
If it's inevitable, then so be it. I've grown stronger too. If I give it my all, there's still a slim chance of victory.
Since there was no avoiding it, Ryou steeled himself, even though he knew very well that this slim chance of victory was probably buried somewhere beyond several decimal points.
Nevertheless, with his recent surge in power and the experience of battling Sasaki Kojiro over a million times, he felt confident.
Passing through the long corridor, the two arrived at the training ground.
At first glance, this special training ground seemed to have no particular advantages besides its large, open space. But in truth, it was filled with advanced technology.
As they stepped into the training ground, a virtual screen immediately popped up in front of them.
This screen was used to set the training environment. Once configured, the training ground could simulate various harsh conditions and even adjust gravity.
Ryou noticed some special options, such as spending energy points to summon enemies he had encountered before and rechallenge them.
Moreover, the training ground was like an extremely realistic virtual reality game. No matter how serious the injuries, even death, one would instantly recover. It was truly cutting-edge technology.
He glanced at Scathach, and seeing that she had no intention of setting up the battlefield, it was clear that everything was left up to him.
Well then, I won't be impolite, Shishou.
Ryou chuckled to himself and quickly configured the battlefield.
As soon as he pressed the confirmation button, the entire training ground was instantly covered in countless grids. Then, an incredibly realistic grassland scene began to replace the previously empty training ground.
At that moment, both of them felt a sudden weight pressing down on their bodies, almost causing them to collapse to the ground.
Ryou hadn't done much—he had simply increased the gravity in the training ground by 100 times to limit Scathach's speed and agility.
Perhaps due to the alcohol, Scathach had been in a lazy, half-asleep state, with half-open eyes since they entered the training ground.
However, when gravity pressed down on them like a mountain, her eyes suddenly snapped open, her gaze sharp as a blade directed at him.
Ryou calmly withstood her piercing gaze.
"Not bad. To become an excellent warrior, it's not just about the weapon in your hand; you must also learn to fully utilize the environment."
Surprisingly, Scathach smiled approvingly and offered him a few words of praise.
However, immediately afterward, he felt Scathach's battle intent rising rapidly.
"So, I'll take this a little more seriously as a reward for you."
Red lightning flashed in Scathach's hands, and two cursed, crimson magic spears appeared in her grip.
Wearing an elegant queen's gown, with wine-red hair fluttering in the wind, her presence was utterly regal and imposing—the Iron-Blooded Queen.
Ryou suddenly felt he had made a foolish mistake. Could he return this reward?
Scathach answered him with her actions—no, he could not!
A red, ominous light instantly enveloped the entire battlefield.
...
Three minutes later, Ryou lay unconscious on the ground, his face bruised and swollen.
It turned out that his belief in a possible comeback was entirely an illusion.
Battling Sasaki Kojiro over a million times didn't matter at all.
If Sasaki Kojiro had reached the limit of human potential, Scathach had already surpassed human limits—and even the limits of gods—reaching another dimension entirely.
As his consciousness faded into darkness, he distinctly saw Scathach unconsciously licking her tempting red lips, looking completely satisfied, as if she had just enjoyed a hearty meal.
He didn't know how long had passed, but as his senses gradually returned, he vaguely felt that his head was resting on something incredibly soft, with a faint fragrance lingering in his nose.
This feeling was so comfortable that he didn't want to get up at all.
Wait, could it be...!?
Ryou suddenly thought of a scenario that only protagonists in harem anime could enjoy—the legendary lap pillow!
With this thought, he was even more reluctant to wake up.
So, he continued to pretend to be unconscious.
"You're awake."
At that moment, Scathach's cool voice came from above his head.
Sadly, his little trick was immediately seen through by her.
Reluctantly, Ryou opened his eyes, and sure enough, the first thing he saw were two high, purple-clad peaks.
He barely resisted the urge to touch them, stopping himself from doing something suicidal.
Scathach, however, didn't urge him to get up. Or rather, seeing her expressionless face, he realized that she didn't care about these things at all, treating it as nothing more than a necessary process.
"Freya said this would help you relax and recover faster. It seems she was right."
Scathach's response confirmed his guess.
Even though the two of them were in such an intimate position, as time passed, Ryou gradually felt the atmosphere becoming awkward.
Left with no choice, he decided to shift his focus.
Fortunately, he had some questions he needed his master to answer, so he brought them up.
"You want to learn the Reduced Earth?"
Scathach's face showed a hint of surprise after hearing his request.
"Is that not possible?"
Ryou's heart skipped a beat.
"You don't have the aptitude to learn the Reduced Earth."
Scathach didn't mince words.
Ryou's heart sank. With her personality, once she acknowledged him as her disciple, there was no way she would hold anything back.
Scathach was eager for her disciple to learn all her skills. If he could surpass or even kill her, all the better.
So, if she said he wasn't suited for it, then he wasn't. It was impossible to learn it through conventional means; his only hope was the system.
But Ryou was still unwilling to give up.
Even if he couldn't learn the Reduced Earth, learning another short-range, high-speed movement technique would be good enough.
As his enemies grew stronger, Ryou gradually realized his shortcomings.
He lacked a way to quickly close the distance to his enemies.
If this continued, if he encountered an enemy who could restrict his movement speed while using long-range attacks, wouldn't he be kited to death?
That's why he had his eyes on the Reduced Earth.
At that moment, a flash of inspiration struck him.
Ryou's most famous skill wasn't the Reduced Earth—it was the Wisdom of Dún Scáith!
Aside from her innate hero abilities, she could use almost any skill at B to A-level proficiency.
Moreover, for those she recognized as heroes, she could even pass on those skills.
It was practically the ultimate teaching ability!
If he explained the principle of the skill to her, could she learn it and then teach it to him?
With this in mind, Ryou shared with Scathach the concept of a technique he had seen in a certain anime.
After hearing his description, Scathach furrowed her brow and began to ponder.
After a long while, a faint expression of interest appeared on her face.
"What you said is indeed worth trying. Tomorrow morning, come find me at the training ground."
Ryou couldn't help but shiver; the wounds on his body that had been pierced by the cursed spears seemed to ache faintly again.
But the temptation to grow stronger was even greater.
He swallowed nervously and climbed up from the lap pillow.
"See you tomorrow morning, then."
"Mm."
After saying goodbye, Ryou limped toward the door of the training ground.
Watching his retreating figure, a meaningful glint appeared in Scathach's eyes.
It was the look of an artist watching their carefully sculpted masterpiece slowly take form, feeling an urgent excitement that was hard to suppress.
After the battle with Scathach, Ryou was extremely mentally exhausted. When he returned to his room, he didn't even bother washing up. He just threw himself onto the soft bed, and soon the room was filled with the sound of his steady snoring.
...
The next morning, outside the windows of Chaldea, the system simulated the rising sun, gradually bathing the entire place in warm light.
Waking from a deep sleep, Ryou felt completely refreshed, as if he could fight Scathach for another three hundred rounds. (In a fight guys.)
Of course, he was well aware that this was just another illusion.
After breakfast, he hurried to the training ground.
Unexpectedly, besides Scathach, Ais was also there.
Judging by the scene, she had already been there for quite some time, currently receiving instruction from Scathach.
Geniuses aren't scary. What's scary is when they work harder than ordinary people.
Watching the sweat-drenched Ais, Ryou was filled with admiration.
With talent and relentless effort, who could keep up with Ais' growth speed? In the original story, aside from that overpowered rabbit, no one could.
Ais deserved all her achievements.
Ryou was genuinely happy that he had freed Ais from the narrow confines of the Danmachi world, giving her a broader stage to spread her wings.
Whether out of admiration or a man's small selfish desire, he had always believed that bringing Ais to Chaldea was one of the best decisions he had ever made.
At that moment, Scathach noticed his arrival.
"You're here."
Scathach glanced at him briefly and greeted him, then continued instructing Ais.
"You're skilled with the rapier, so there's no need to learn those fancy moves. Focus on developing your thrust to its utmost limit: pierce through everything! Pierce through space and time! Pierce through concepts!"
"Mm."
Although Ais' tone and expression were still calm, he could see the burning fighting spirit in her eyes.
After a while, Scathach had to forcibly order Ais to rest.
Otherwise, this straightforward girl would have trained herself to exhaustion.
"Ais, come over and listen as well."
Scathach called Ais over, then turned to look at Ryou, inspecting him from head to toe.
"Wh-What is it? Is something wrong, Shishou?"
Ryou began to sweat under her scrutinizing gaze.
"No, nothing. I'm just wondering, with your talent and comprehension, how did you come up with such a sophisticated technique?"
Scathach's blunt words pierced his heart like an arrow.
And it wasn't even his original idea, so he couldn't refute her.
"No matter where you got the concept for this technique, I have to say, the person who invented it is quite the genius."
Scathach didn't hold back her praise.
"So, does that mean…"
Ryou's eyes suddenly lit up.
"After your explanation yesterday, I spent the entire night working it out."
Scathach nodded affirmatively.
"…"
Ryou was speechless.
The person who invented this technique was a genius? Then what does that make you, who figured it out overnight from just a few vague principles?
Soon, Ryou would realize that his imagination was severely limited, and Scathach was far more terrifying than he'd ever imagined.
Scathach didn't pay attention to his dazed expression and began to demonstrate.
"By stomping on the ground more than ten times in an instant, you can generate a burst of explosive power…"
Whoosh!
Ryou only saw a blur of Scathach's legs, and in the blink of an eye, she had already appeared fifty meters away. It was only then that the sound of the wind rushing followed.
Then, Scathach teleported back using the same technique.
"This technique is called Shave, right? It's indeed impressive."
Scathach nodded in satisfaction.
Ais' eyes were practically glowing, her expression clearly saying, Teach me! I want to learn! I want to learn!
Ryou was dumbfounded. Shave was just something he'd cobbled together based on descriptions from the anime One Piece and some information from the internet. The so-called principles were just a few vague sentences.
Something about stomping more than ten times instantly and using the rebound force—none of it was scientific!
And yet, Scathach had succeeded based on those few sentences?!
But the most shocking part was yet to come.
"By adjusting the speed, frequency, and number of stomps, the speed, distance, and flexibility of each Shave will vary."
As Scathach explained, she continued using Shave to flash around the training ground, demonstrating.
The entire training ground was soon filled with afterimages left by Scathach.
Suddenly, Scathach stopped and reappeared in front of them.
"Aside from the feet, any part of the body can be used to generate similar effects through instantaneous vibration."
While saying this, She flicked her fingers lightly in Ryou's direction.
Pop!
A soft sound echoed through the air, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest as if he'd been struck by a bullet, his body flying backward.
This was the finger bullets!
Thankfully, Scathach had held back, and he was merely knocked away.
Just as he was starting to feel numb, Scathach dropped another bombshell.
"I got curious and wanted to test my limits. As it turns out, when the body vibrates beyond a certain frequency, it can…"
Ryou saw Scathach's body blur, a faint sound like shattering glass echoed in the air, and then she appeared a hundred meters away.
This time, Ryou could tell this wasn't just Shave.
Shave was ultimately just a technique for high-speed movement, but what she had just done was clearly…
"…tear through space."
Scathach's indifferent voice echoed in his ears, but his heart was pounding wildly.
Teleportation!
With just a few vague principles, Scathach had developed Shave into something far beyond the original technique in just one night.
Ryou suddenly had the urge to kneel and offer Scathach a cup of tea.
"Shishou! I want to learn!"
Ryou didn't care about pride anymore, staring at Scathach with a face full of eagerness.
Beside him, Ais nodded vigorously in agreement.