Chapter 54: Newfound Strength

Nobu looked at the distance between him and [Chimei]. As he did so, Bete followed his line of sight. This brief moment wasn't missed out by a Level five like him.

When Nobu stepped back, Bete came forward. The former then began charging at the place while the latter followed behind his steps.

Freeze-!

Suddenly, a wave of frost tried to lock Bete in place. Though, he only smirked and 'absorbed' the magic through his boots, [Flosvirt]. The magic dissipated as his boots glowed light blue.

What followed next was Bete using the same magic on Nobu. A line of frost locked to his feet. His golden pupils followed its direction.

'Now.'

Snap-!

The moment he snapped his finger, the frost stopped coming at him. Rather, it briefly locked Bete in place.

"What—?"

Swoosh-!

Nobu struck while he was surprised. He threw [Kukyo] in his direction.

"You..!"

Bete had no choice but to catch it with his hands. He precisely stopped [Kukyo] as he grasped its blade—the gauntlets he was wearing cracked before he began bleeding.

By the time he broke free from his shock, he had shattered the frost on his feet.

Nobu also regained [Chimei].

"How did you do it?!"

"Your magic tool backfiring? It's quite complicated. But yes, I caused it."

Phenomenon Mixer.

This magic alters the produced 'outcome'. From a spell's completion, it could turn to a 'collapse'. They could push a spell to failure and be dispelled as a result. However, it could go beyond that.

With proper control, they could also gain control of the opponent's spell, which is what Nobu did just now. He changed the 'outcome' and turned the spell's 'target' to Bete.

Psshk-!

Bete threw the bloodied [Kukyo] away. His blood dripped to his dagger. Nevertheless, he only glared at Nobu.

With just their looks, they reached a consensus.

Bete closed in the distance. Knowing Nobu's reliance on surprises, he needs to give him no time—and a flurry of close combat exchange would accomplish that.

In the end, Nobu is lower-leveled than him. He was ready to deal that finishing blow.

However—

Zoom-!

—he disappeared just as Bete was a meter away from him.

'Where..?!'

He caught Nobu's figure soon enough. He is more than ten meters away from him.

Bzzzt-!

Bzzzt-!

Bzzzt-!

Arcs of lightning came straight at his face. He immediately went into a kicking stance. Although, it was overwhelmingly numerous that his [Flosvirt] couldn't absorb them all.

Bam-!

Bzzt-!

When the sea of purple lightning cleared up, Nobu is in front of him. The former utilized his twin daggers and sent a flurry of strikes at him.

With Bete's speed, he dodged all of them.

'Got you..!'

The werewolf sent a roundhouse kick.

Bam-!

Nobu was briefly lifted by the impact. It directly hit his torso and ribcage. Bete was sure that he scored a hit, but he suddenly thrust both of his daggers at him.

Consecutively, he chanted lowly:

"Et cadens in Terram." (Crawl.)

A whirling tornado was sent to his face. Several lightning bolts were included in it.

Bam-!

The attack was enough to push Bete back several meters. His eyes were among the ones that got hit.

Even so, he was able to react against Nobu's attacks without his sight. He is purely using his senses and insane reaction speed to track his movements.

Surprisingly, Bete felt himself improving. He never thought he could fight this well without his sight.

"Mass Gravitas Reductio." (Mass and Gravity Decrease.)

The gravitational pull to Nobu was reduced. His eyes wandered to the ground. A few seconds later, a string of binary codes appeared. It turned into a huge water pillar with a dozen meter of radius. It threw both Bete and Nobu to the air.

It just so happened that the former regained his vision. His eyes experienced how it was to fire a water gun directly at it.

'Wha–?!'

When the water pillar died down, Bete found Nobu's figure still on midair.

"Fax Rendre." (Light that Gives.)

A fire pillar was shot from his finger. It went straight at Bete, leaving him with no choice but to take the brunt once again. By the time it died down, he found Nobu perfectly standing on the ground.

Now, the only thought in his mind was:

"What the hell..?"

*****

"I might have to pay for psychological damages…"

Seeing Bete Loga look at me with disbelief, I realized I became way stronger than I thought. I could corner a new Level five like him under [Sirius]'s effects. Unlike [Triple Robustness], [Sirius] could be used for a longer time.

It didn't involve letting my body go overboard but the semi-creation of dream organs. This allowed magicians to cut their senses of pain, forgo breathing and beating of heart, and so on. [Sirius] might be a downgraded version, but it is completely different from not having dream organs.

With them, the [Triple Robustness] included in [Sirius] no longer has side effects. Add to that the increased mana and mind load and increased spell damage due to being closer to mystic—the current scene was made possible.

"What the hell..?"

"Looks like I'll have to pay up."

First of all, I cast [Cleanse] on us. Then, I threw a High Potion in his direction. It is the one that cost 250,000 valis. It is cheaper than the one I use on battles, but it is enough to treat training injuries.

Loga-san easily caught it. Though, he sent a questioning look at me.

"That should be enough to heal everything." I said.

"...You don't have to."

Surprisingly, Loga-san threw the High Potion back at me. Then, I threw it back at him with a smile.

"I'm not bragging but I don't lack these. I usually give this to Aiz-san and Tiona-san whenever something like this happens."

"..."

Perhaps shocked by my net worth or something else, he silently stared at the High Potion.

"Why did you give this?" He asked. "I'm the one who asked for this trouble."

"I admit I went a bit overboard. Actually, I leveled up recently. I didn't expect to hit that strongly."

But most importantly, his arrogant gaze did tick me off a bit. I thought it wouldn't be bad to teach someone like him a lesson.

Loga-san took a while to process my words. When he stood up, he no longer has that condescending gaze over me.

"You are strong."

After saying those words, he left. I canceled [Sirius] at this time.

"Hm… He isn't that bad?"

I changed my impression of him. He's not an arrogant prick. He might be one of those people who only acknowledge others who are just as strong as him. I have seen this case before, so I was not surprised by it.

At least, he's not similar to that guy who started a fight simply because I said 'Feelings are the most important' in my type of girl.

That guy blatantly admitted how he liked big breasts and a lively personality. No wonder he could go that well with Itadori. Speaking of which, he likes an idol. I could only hope he doesn't go crazy later on... or maybe he's already crazy?

(A/N: Idol culture in Japan is very harsh. They can't have a boyfriend, lest their fans would dox them.)

'I remember Megumi giving a similar answer as mine. Maybe that's how I could go well with him.'

"Whoa! You beat up Bete?!"

A lively voice greeted from behind.

"Tiona-san."

A tanned girl wearing a revealing set of clothing asked me in a rush. She must've seen Loga-san's state, as evident with her bright eyes.

"You became stronger?!"

"Yes… I leveled up a while back."

"Really?!"

It has been around one day since my status update. Since we are planning to register my level up to the guild, there's no harm in telling it to others. More so, there are people just as absurd as my level up intervals.

In the future, I heard a certain name being talked by Thanatos. It is said that he broke several records, going from level one to four in less than five months. That's when I knew 'Irregularities' could exist at times, and gods wouldn't harm them—more so when the said 'Irregulars' has strong backers.

"You leveled up? How strong are you now?"

Even Aiz-san seemed a bit eager than usual.

"I could probably put up a better fight than before."

"I am looking forward to it."

An air of competitiveness spewed from her eyes. I already noticed this characteristic of hers during our first fight.

"Seeing his smug look being wiped is refreshing!" Tiona-san said enthusiastically. "I wonder, how long until you reach level four?"

"I don't know about that. I heard that leveling up is harder with higher levels."

For now, my cheat is the only one that could further speed this up. Ever since I started leveling up, I could acquire more energy. From the previous forty-two days, I might be able to receive another chance in thirty-something days—only two weeks left until I receive a new chance.

Though, I am planning to use that one to Filvis. I would have the second next chance to myself.

"That's true. Even so, it's you we're talking about!"

"True."

I admit, being 'praised' like this doesn't feel bad. However, it could lead to complacency and arrogance. I have to take these in moderation.

"Then, what about a bet?"

"A bet?"

My ears perked up on Tiona-san's proposal.

"If you could level up in two months, you'll have a reward from me!"

"Eh..?"

I am startled. Why does it feel like she has another reason for this?

"Me too."

Suddenly, Aiz-san interceded as well.

"I haven't given anything for your teachings."

"You're mistaken, Aiz-san. Sparring with me is the repayment—"

"No. You have given much more." She replied. "That's why, aside from this favor, you will receive another one if the bet is completed."

It is the first time I saw Aiz-san being this expressive. Most of the time, she wore an expressionless face. It is quite difficult to know about her thoughts, much like Shiina.

"How about it, Sirius?" Tiona-san said with a smile.

"We'll see about that…"

Me, Hephaestus-sama, and Lady Artemis made some theories on the influence of my cheat. One of them is that it 'connects' my falna to my 'future' self's falna. However, it couldn't fully interpret the excelia that came from the future. If it did, I should've leveled up to four or five considering my achievements in that iteration.

I spent nearly half a year prowling in the eighth iteration and got all of my status to at least S in reality. If I spend the ninth iteration prowling for a year or two, I might be able to level up in an instant.

Well… Why am I so invested in this?

'Never mind.'

"Let's start today's practice."

*****

Bam-!

Bam-!

"Mister Akasaka leveled up…"

Lefiya mumbled as she watched a match between Nobu and Tiona. Both of them used barehanded techniques to counter on another. The former has rich experiences and elaborate techniques from the 21st century while the latter grew up in a place of bloodshed.

In essence, both of them experienced the same thing—near-death battles.

Lefiya watched as she felt a kind of 'mind pressure' emanating from Nobu. She was surprised when she saw him transform into a werewolf, but that was replaced by his improvements.

He shouldn't have stood an equal chance as a Level three against Tiona. Unexpectedly, he could now clash with her directly. It was not the same as his previous defensive approach.

"He already surpassed me…"

Lefiya felt complex. Many people said that she was talented. She is unique due to her magic [Elf Ring] that allowed her to use any Elven Magic. She only needed to know of their chant and effects before she could use them.

This level of versatility made her known as "Thousand Elf".

However, an irregular appeared. Not only could he cast several dozens of spells, it was also fully integrated in his fighting style.

The said person surpassed Lefiya in terms of levels in less than a month and half.

Lefiya remained silent. She had many thoughts running in her head. She kept watching the way he employed his spells in an attempt to learn something.

'Another misdirection. Sirius-san is purposely doing this.'

'I knew it. Using weaker magic before following up with a stronger one.'

'It's not a feint this time.'

'Swift magic could be used that way?'

Unbeknownst to her, she is making rapid progress. She is quick to pick up the details and the reasons why Nobu chose to do so. His eighth iterations' worth of experiences are slowly being analyzed by Lefiya.

In the face of a more talented genius, she did not notice these changes. She only thought that it is lacking compared to what he can do. They are similar in age, yet he is far more talented than her. Nevertheless, she found his tactics captivating.

To put it in simpler words, Nobu became her idol.

'Come to think of it… Sirius-san conducts himself well!'

Her first impression of him was when he kept his distance from Tiona. He naturally created a situation where nobody was comfortable. He is also mindful of others.

In each of their conversations, there was never a time when it became awkward.

'He's like… a prince.'

A slight wave of embarrassment crept to her face. She was able to rid them with a frantic shake.

'No! How could I have improper thoughts?!'

Elves preferred people with great conduct and manners. As someone who lived in the modern world, Nobu learned it perfectly. Hence, he acted like a prince when he applied them to this world.

"Hm? Lefiya-san?"

"G-greetings, Sirius-san."

Nobu and Tiona had concluded their sparring just now. He planned to recover through a potion.

Nobu was accustomed to her existence since a few days ago. He noticed how the girl learned some techniques from the way he fought—a typical gifted person.

"I can see you have some questions to ask me?"

"It's this obvious?!" She shouted in a fluster. "W-well… Is it fine?"

"Feel free to ask. I've been waiting for quite some time, you know?"

Knowing he noticed it from the beginning, Lefiya averted her gaze and tried to mask her embarrassment.

"T-then… About the feints… How did you make it that effective?"

"It's a mind game. Aside from casting magic, you also have to pay attention to the enemy's decisions. You can either strike when they read too far or when they aren't anticipating at all."

Nobu started discussing some combat tactics. Lefiya got to clear up her doubts and managed to learn many things. When it ended, she couldn't wait to apply them herself.

"Uhm… Sirius-san! Last question… How did you achieve [Concurrent Casting]?"

At the moment, this was the biggest shortcoming she noticed to herself. It was inevitable as Nobu's fighting style heavily revolved around his ability to move while casting.

"Ah, [Concurrent Casting]? Let's see… Can you draw a square and a circle at the same time?"

"No..."

"That's how [Concurrent Casting] works. You have to work on two separate tasks at the same time. As for how to achieve it… that requires both training and practical experiences."

Most people couldn't draw a square and circle on both hands at the same time. Although, there are people who could achieve it.

Even so, it is simply the brain switching on two tasks swiftly. 'Multitasking' does not mean that the brain is handling two separate processes at the same time.

Nevertheless, it is something amazing. It could be achieve through training. When something is done in a long time, it becomes habitual—in other words, 'automatic'.

That was the early concept of multi-casting, and by the same nature, [Concurrent Casting]. The only difference was that the former is far more complicated than the latter.

In the present, multi-tasking became a real thing—multiple processes could be done at the same time thanks to dream organs. Still, the early concept became the 'training stage' for it.

"Of course, it is not as difficult as drawing on both hands. What you need to train is your 'concentration'. It has to remain while moving to successfully cast your magic. So… You still need to train drawing and apply it in casting magic."

He continued guiding the genius with the same inferiority complex as Suimei.

*****

A/N: In the novel, Suimei was overtly humble, bordering inferiority complex, due to how his father compared him to strong magicians and even magisters at a young age. It led to him thinking that he is inferior to them, when in fact he has god-like talent.