Chapter 11

Left hook. Duck under. 

I honestly expected to at least be questioned when I showed off how much more skilled I was at fighting. Sure, I could've kept it hidden and slowly improved over the course of a few days. That was probably the smart course of action.

Punish with a kidney punch.

However, I refused to do that. Mostly because I was a sore loser. A man could get beaten in a spar only so many times before he flips.

Arms out of position. Punish with a furry of jabs and slaps to the neck and face.

That's why I didn't hold back anything in our spars. I got my revenge by beating them with skill alone, all of them except for the juggernaut. Yet they didn't even question it!

A kick from the left side.

They accepted it without any question, declaring that it was something they expected! Michael was weird, so it was only natural he would do weird things!

Too fast to avoid.

Come on! They could've at least asked a question or two! To give me a chance to boast that I was naturally this amazing!

Jump to the right. Lessen the impact and absorb the blow.

Sure, my improvement was due to the Celestial Grimoire, but the mystical artifact was part of me. Ergo, my skills were completely natural, and no one could tell me otherwise.

Land and bounce back. Don't allow him to recover.

They weren't even jealous about it. In fact, Saiborg was more than happy to have a sparring partner that was as skilled or even more skilled than him.

Rush and overwhelm him with quick and punishing attacks.

He just saw me as the perfect opponent to sharpen his skills against. Something he was in dire need since he tended to rely on overwhelming force and that wouldn't work against people as strong as him.

Right hook incoming. No energy left to dodge.

We've been sparring for hours now, the rest having left the chamber a long time ago. The gravity was pushed to the limits of what I could endure. The only reason I was still standing was my monstrous endurance and my ridiculous regeneration.

Cross arms. Block the attack.

However, even I have my limits. My natural Ki reserves were empty, and my endless stamina had dried up.

"I'm done." I threw my hands in the air before plopping myself down like a sack of potatoes. I didn't even have the strength to leave the chamber on my own.

"Good fight." Saiborg's voice was filled with joy, more than pleased with our spar.

Though that didn't mean that he was done. I heard him drop down and start doing push-ups, continuing with his training despite staying in the chamber for the entire day. He didn't have my ability to heal himself mid-training, yet he could still go on…

What a fucking monster.

"Hey, Borg," I called out to him after regaining some of my breath. He grunted in acknowledgment, so I continued, "What are your plans for the future?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, not stopping his exercises even for a moment.

"I know you're all preparing for that Devil gathering in a few months, but what's next? What do you plan to do and accomplish after that?"

"What do I want to accomplish?" It took him a moment to respond to that, but when he did, his voice was full of conviction. "I want to become so strong that my people would have no other option than to promote me as one of the Satans."

I wanted to say, "Called it," but I knew better. Though it did make sense. To me, at least.

"Okay, and then what?" I continued asking. "What will you do when you become a Satan?"

I received no response to that, and I lifted my head to see him staring at me with a weird expression. Disbelief, hope, and a plethora of other feelings were plastered on his face.

"You... believe I can do it?" His voice sounded fragile, nothing like the boisterous one I had gotten used to.

"Well, if you can't do it, then no one can," I answered with a shrug. The man knew no rest, and he was willing to bleed and sweat until he reached his goals. The only way to stop him was if the entire Underworld turned on him, but even then, I was sure that he would push through and manage to find a way to become a Satan.

Saiborg dropped on the ground before erupting in a joyous laughter, "You really believe that, huh?"

"Borg, have you read any fantasy books or watched fantasy movies?" I decided to answer him with a question of my own.

"Not really, no." He shook his head with a puzzled expression, probably wondering where I was going with this.

"Hmm, how do I put this then… your life is something like a protagonist from those stories," I replied, figuring I should just rip the band-aid.

"Me? A protagonist? Hah!" He barked a self-deprecating laugh, clearly not seeing it.

"Alright. Follow along, yeah?" Once he nodded, I continued. "The protagonist gets born as the heir of a powerful family, only to get stripped of his status and kicked out because he didn't inherit their super special power."

Saiborg's mouth snapped shut, his face now deadly serious with a hint of anger in his eyes.

"Normal people would get dispirited and lose all hope in such a situation, but not the protagonist. No, he picked himself, deciding to prove them wrong. And so he did, returning years later to win back his position without relying on the super special power of his family."

"That… doesn't prove anything," Saiborg said as he looked away.

I nodded and continued, "That's just the beginning of their story. Many things could come next, but one of the more popular ones is a training arc. And what is this if not a training arc?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out of his mouth. He clicked it shut and stared at me with narrowed eyes.

"Now, do you know what else a good fantasy story needs?"

"What?"

"A tournament arc!" I grinned widely. "And what exactly will happen in a few months?"

"A tournament…" Saiborg was starting to take me seriously now.

"And not just any tournament, but one filled with big shots. Four of the participants have familial connection with the Four Satans. The other three, you included, are all part of houses that hold major influence in the Underworld."

"That's… true."

The next part… I wasn't quite sure about since I was relying on meta knowledge about shounen words, but I continued on nonetheless.

"In my opinion, you guys are the clear favorite to win it all due to how hard you're working to prepare for it," I said and raised my finger. "But I believe that one of them, I'm unsure which one, but one of them will force you to your limits."

Saiborg looked down, taking a moment to digest that before he nodded to himself, eyes filled with determination.

"However, there is a chance that I'm wrong about the existence of a dark horse," I added this just in case. "Instead, an outside force might come to cause trouble. My best guess is the Old Satan faction since they'd be happy to take care of the younger generation before they could reach their full potential."

"I'm relieved," Saiborg said as a large smile started growing on his face. "If those are the troubles I'll have to face, I just need to train even harder and make sure that I can overcome them when they come knocking."

And there you have it. He just proved my point. If he wasn't this world's shounen protagonist, then I couldn't even imagine what the real one looked like.

"And then what?" Saiborg asked afterwards, seemingly believing everything I just said and wishing to hear more.

"Depends." I shrugged. "If no one causes trouble during the tournament, you will probably start fighting in the Rating Games until you become the Champion. If someone does cause trouble, you will probably end up dealing with that and getting into a lot of fights."

"So, I was right." He nodded to himself. "I need to work even harder to ensure no one gets hurt."

And he continued proving my point.

"What about you?" Saiborg then asked. "What are your plans for the future? Gandoma said you wanted to make a game, but is that it?"

"I mean… yeah?" I replied. It would be far more than just a game, but I was really looking forward to making it. "But I do have a few things I need to do before that."

"Oh? Like what? Maybe I can help?" He offered without hesitation.

"The first thing is really important. For both of us," I told him with a deadly serious tone.

"Oh?" That certainly caught his attention.

"I will make a device that will let us teleport to marked locations, ensuring that we won't be looked down by someone with a maid kink!" I declared with a grim expression.

I wanted to teleport, damn it! I refused to be laughed at by a woman with a maid kink. Even if she looked really nice in that outfit… Bad thoughts! She has a husband! Who is one of the Four Satans! Plus, ntr is a trash fetish.

"Oh… that will be really useful," Saiborg muttered, eyes slowly filling with hope.

Dude was just like me, cursed with having low Magic Power, or in his case, Demonic Power. We were like two peas in a pod, huh? Guess there was a reason why we got along so well.

"After that, I want to find someone to teach me Senjutsu." I could easily create my virtual reality game without it, and I would, but I needed Senjutsu to create something truly unique. At least in this world.

"Hmm." Saiborg thoughtfully cupped his chin. "You have three real options for this."

"I'm listening."

"The first is the Chinese Pantheon. They are the most experienced when it comes to teaching Senjutsu to humans. There are countless sects you could–"

"Pass." I interrupted him with a wave of my hand and explained my reasoning, "I don't want to deal with young masters."

"Young masters?" He mouthed in confusion, clearly not understanding how much of a menace they were, but he quickly shook it off.

"The next is the Hindu Pantheon. However, their Senjutsu experts are more scattered and harder to find."

"And the last?"

"The Youkai. Their race can be found all around Asia, but the biggest gathering of Youkai is in Kyoto. That's your best bet of finding one that is skilled with Senjutsu."

"So, young masters, Buddhas that will force me to discard my earthly desires, or man-eating monsters. I'm spoiled for choices, aren't I?" I shook my head with a depressive laugh.

"Not all Youkai eat humans. Only a small minority," Saiborg was quick to point out. He was actually far more knowledgeable than he appeared and wasn't just a simple brute.

"I know, I know." I waved him off. I already learned that there were exceptions to the rule and that things weren't black and white. My knowledge about the supernatural from my past life wasn't absolute. "I'm just being a drama queen."

"If you don't want to try your luck in China, then the Youkai are probably your best bet. You just need to figure out a way to convince one of them to teach you."

"Meh." I shrugged. "I will win them over with my food."

Of course, not the one that provided actual benefits to whoever ate it. Saiborg's peerage was one thing, but I'd rather this be kept between us. Instead, I would prepare supernaturally good food and win their favor that way.

Saiborg blinked at me before nodding. "That will do."

A short silence followed, which was interrupted by him. He clenched his fists and grinned. "You seem to have recovered."

"Alright." I jumped to my feet. "I think I have enough energy to kick your ass one more time."

"Oh? And how did our last spar end?" Dumbass protagonist and his endless stamina.

"Man, shut up and raise your hands." I ignored his laughter and charged at him.