Aiden POV:
“...Katherine, did you not have to fight?”
Once the Sentri saw her sprinting toward me, they fled the battlefield without looking back. I doubted the observations I had made and questioned the calculations that supported them.
Katherine’s lips spread into a soft smile. Her beauty was as genuine as Sanura’s; it came from their character, and that accentuated their physical appearance.
“The Sentri were very kind to me. They sent out scouting units so I could locate our party members.”
‘...’
A few sweat drops ran down the side of my temple.
‘Does her character even touch the hearts of monsters? Her purity is rare.’
We descended the large set of stairs leading to the 17th Floor in silence. Gerard would have been able to keep a conversation going with ease, but I wasn’t the talkative type. Katherine also seemed to be deep in thought about something.
I turned my attention to Phoebe. She was interested in Shun, but Katherine’s interactions with him were also questionable. Was this... what Sanura described as a ‘Love Triangle?’
‘How complex.’
I wanted Phoebe to be happy, but if her competition was Katherine, then it would be an almost impossible battle to win. Shun was the first person Phoebe had genuine feelings for, so I had to be of assistance to her... somehow.
“...Are you worried about Shun?”
“I am worried about all of you.”
That response was enough for me to complete my understanding of Katherine’s nature. She wasn’t interested in Shun in a romantic sense, but her genuine care could be misinterpreted by how sincere it was.
‘!’
Phoebe and Gerard climbed out of the darkness, talking to each other. My eyes swept over their bodies, but the result was within my expectations. They were both fine, and that made me fine too. The tension in my shoulders lessened with their safety confirmed.
“No Shun?”
Katherine and I shook our heads. This outcome was normal; Shun didn’t want to be found. It didn’t matter whether it was a standard dungeon or an Arcane one, he still prioritised himself.
“...I don’t think he wants to ascend the Floors.”
“Why would you think that, Aiden? He could be facing various difficulties.”
Katherine’s eyebrows performed a gentle dive. It was enough to make me feel bad about the statement I had made.
[Phoebe Kurzman has invited you to join her party.]
[Accept/Deny]
I accepted Phoebe’s invite and went over my battle with Kiyuj again. She had improved in real time but wasn’t that exactly what Shun wanted?
‘But this time it’s too dangerous. He’ll get himself killed.’
My eyes narrowed thanks to Katherine helping me see the error in my observation.
“You’re right, Katherine. I recommend we find him immediately.”
Phoebe’s lips spread into a soft smile, and everyone nodded their heads in agreement. We turned around before vanishing out of view.
***
Shun POV:
Zinyul’s practice continued whenever I was forced to stop my ascent through Monzen. Fishy used that time to spar with him until her patience ran out.
“Zinyul, you’re doing it wrong! I told you that focus comes in different forms!!”
She stomped the ground hard enough to shake the cratered area. It only took three minutes for Fishy to get annoyed. The shadow monsters all turned their head towards me, knowing that another outburst was likely to occur.
“Fishy, get out of the way. Talky, spar with Zinyul.”
“Yes, my liege.”
Talky finished her massage and made her way to the centre of the training ground. Fishy rushed to take over when Reaver also stood by my side.
Stolen story; please report.
“...Talky only trains with you, my liege.”
“Because most of you male monsters fall head over heels for her whenever she looks in your damn direction. This isn’t some stupid romance club.”
“...”
His glowing violet eyes curved upward in amusement. Fishy rolled to the ground, unable to stop her soft laughter from filling the air.
Talky removed the emerald pin that held a large bundle of white hair in place. It fell to the sides of her waist, and the shadow monsters roared loud enough to shake the sky.
‘...Should I kill all of them?’
Talky shifted into my own stance opposite Zinyul. He had observed everything in silence, utilising the new information to gain a deeper understanding of what he needed to achieve.
“The reason my liege wishes for me to spar with you is because of my lineage. Goblin Warlocks specialise in necromancy, but to use it effectively requires a high level of focus.
The undead can be formed from the carcasses of other monsters, or our own Ki can take on that role. The latter requires greater control and is what I specialise in. Every movement the undead makes must be ordered by the Warlock. For reference, I fought my liege with armies, Zinyul.”
Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, but he wasn’t the only one surprised. The cheering had stopped. The shadow monsters began to realise that Fishy and Reaver weren’t the only monsters among them; they just never saw Talky fight.
She had also given Zinyul a clearer hint: split your focus into different areas rather than gathering it in a central location. It was a feasible suggestion that should lead to a different form of Sentric Focus, but it wasn’t guaranteed.
“...That would increase the difficulty and lead to the same Low Concentration level.”
“Yeah, I think so too.”
The likelihood of that outcome was high. However, both Reaver and Fishy failed to realise that this different approach would add to the information Zinyul needed.
He wasn’t stupid.
That was why the weight of his presence never stopped increasing once this training began. In other words, Zinyul was only trying to fill in the gaps to a method he had already decided on.
“!”
Talky’s eyes narrowed at Zinyul’s knee touching the ground. All it took was 5 seconds for the result of the spar to be decided.
“!?!?!”
All the shadow monsters jumped to their feet in awe and confusion. Before they could even cheer, Talky moved back to her previous position. Zinyul bowed his head and shifted into his stance.
“...Talky is impressive.”
“I’m impressive too though.”
“Yes. I... agree.”
Fishy’s hands froze. Her cheeks puffed out before she rushed to continue the massage in silence.
Goblin Warlock Style: Maddened Focus.
It was a technique that Warlocks used to train their focus. The drawback was in the name: it drove them more insane with every usage. That insanity strengthened the technique until their mind became nothing more than a ritualistic disease.
A deep red glow left a trail of light behind Talky’s eyes.
The first time she used the technique was when we sparred. Talky stopped moving, sat down, and spent that entire dungeon run meditating. She would do the same for the dozens of dungeons I entered.
Zinyul dropped to his knee again. The shadow monsters chanted Talky’s name as she returned to her previous position.
Talky had evolved the technique into Warlock Focus. It elevated her base by up to 3x, dependent on the level of her concentration when used. It allowed Talky to strengthen up to 3 techniques with the same multiplier, but each one would require double the Ki Cost and focus.
Warlock Focus, Rush, Charge and Speed were the reason for Zinyul’s knee touching the ground a third time. Talky synergised the most effective techniques to achieve the most explosive result.
Rush increased the speed of the undead by 1.5x, but through Warlock Focus, Talky could assign herself as a target. Charge increased the physical strength of the undead by the same amount, and Speed gave the Warlock a 2x increase to flee the battlefield when compromised.
Talky also emulated my style of combat.
And that led to Zinyul’s knee hitting the ground a 5th time. She was a monster on par with Reaver and Fishy. The chants of the shadow monsters began to die down once Zinyul kneeled a 10th time.
Each round of the spar lasted seconds.
Zinyul fought at the level of his opponent, and this was the result. He needed to grow beyond what his Ki Stage offered him. He needed to improve so that his death would take me higher.
“...My liege, may I step in?”
I flicked my fingers, and Reaver moved forward. Zinyul moved to the side to observe the two of them facing off against one another. They both bowed, and the sky shook.
“Talky! Talky!”
“Reaver! Reaver!”
Reaver weaved through Talky’s accurate strikes. The blurring of his hands fragmented the fractured earth further. His concealed instep went high when Talky went low. Both spun; their blows shattered the sides of the crater.
“Imminence... is Bliss.”
Reaver’s deep voice weighed down on everyone.
Violet and red intertwined with one another. The entire area was impacted by their rapid exchange. Talky’s shin shifted Reaver’s equilibrium to the sky when he responded with a leaping roundhouse kick to the temple.
Talky leaned back.
The foot blade whiffed.
But what should have been an opening for Talky was instead an opportunity for Reaver. He entered the zero second window, and Talky’s body vanished. The force splintered the bedrock into small pieces that fell just as fast as they rose.
“!!”
Reaver dropped to one knee, silencing the cheers from both sides.
It was a draw.
Talky pulled herself out of the hole she was embedded in. Applause decorated their bow toward one another before Reaver moved back to my side.
“I would have won that last exchange.”
“...Yes. You’re right, Fishy.”
“O-of course!”
Zinyul’s presence had doubled from the battle he witnessed, and then it vanished. I could no longer use it as an indicator to assess his current growth.
‘Good. Very good.’
The corners of my mouth rose. The new Zinyul parried and countered Talky’s strikes. The new Zinyul adjusted to the adjustments. His palm stopped in front of her stomach, not wanting to land a clean hit on Talky in any capacity.
“...His eyes are developed.”
“Because he’s like you. You’re much better though...”
Talky ran her hands through her hair, making the shadow monsters go wild. She tied it into a ponytail and shifted back into her stance.
Zinyul’s face met the ground 3 seconds later.
“...”
Fishy’s soft chin slumped against my shoulder. The spar returned to its previous format due to Talky increasing the difficulty by an appropriate amount.
“Master, will you even be able to kill Zinyul at this rate?”
“Let’s spar, Fishy.”
I got to my feet, and more shadow monsters rushed back from their duties to watch. Many took out notepads, while others beckoned for the cheering to stop.
“Master! Come on!”
Fishy emulated my stance, but I emulated Zinyul’s. An implosion of light swept over the area. Once it cleared, I moved my foot off her abdomen and sat back down.
“Any more stupid questions, Fishy?”