Since the first session, things had only gotten worse for Bennett.

  Aiko seemed to take particular pleasure in finding new ways to torment him.

  Some days it was throwing knives, whistling past him just close enough to make his heart jump.

  Other times, she chased him down while fox fire wrapped around her weapons, turning even her playful movements into lethal threats.

  On her more merciful days, she settled for tamer pranks like coating him with itching powder that made focus nearly impossible.

  Only after thoroughly exhausting him would she finally reveal the skill she had intended to test that day.

  The first day was a defensive technique known as Inari Protection.

  The second day, she demonstrated Fox Flame Transfiguration, allowing her to shape her fox fire into fully formed weapons.

  The third day was Kitsune Martial Arts. Bennett was overwhelmed almost immediately.

  The style relied heavily on her fox tails, each moving independently with terrifying precision, leaving her arms completely free to strike or cast abilities.

  It wasn’t a fight so much as a one sided lesson in helplessness.

  The fourth day, Aiko activated Inari Blessing, her speed increasing to an absurd degree.

  Bennett was tasked with catching her.

  He never once came close.

  The fifth day was no kinder. This time, she relied on Inari Senses, evading him effortlessly, always moving before he could even begin to react.

  On the sixth day, Bennett wasn’t allowed to participate at all.

  Instead, he was told to watch as Aiko unleashed Inari Rage a highly compressed fox fire technique that coated her hands.

  Every punch detonated on impact, explosions of flame ripping through the air and scorching the ground beneath her feet.

  It was raw, overwhelming destruction, delivered with frightening control.

  And now It was the seventh day.

  The final day of the sessions.

  As Bennett arrived at their usual training ground, his eyes swept the area with open suspicion, his body tense as if he expected a pack of rabid beasts to leap out at any moment.

  Aiko noticed immediately.

  She grinned.

  Then smacked the back of his head.

  “Kyahahaha! Relax. There won’t be any trolling today.”

  Bennett flinched before slowly letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

  “Considering what you put me through the past few days,” he muttered, “it’s hard not to think there’s a trap.”

  “Hmph.” Aiko crossed her arms, clearly offended. “Anyway, today’s the last session.”

  Bennett stiffened slightly.

  “But we’re not fighting,” she continued. “Today is just for talking. I want to hear your thoughts on all the skills I showed you.”

  She tilted her head, a playful smile returning.

  “And I’ll answer whatever questions you have so don’t hold back~”

  Bennett studied her for a moment, then nodded.

  While Bennett sat upright, still cautious, Aiko casually lounged back against the earth, looking completely at ease as if she hadn’t just handed him unrestricted permission to question techniques that kitsune considered sacred, skills they would normally beat anyone senseless for even daring to inquire about.

  After a few minutes of silence, Bennett finally finished gathering his thoughts.

  “Well…” he began, hesitating slightly. “I noticed a lot of your skills have the name Inari in them. What exactly is it?”

  Aiko raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised he hadn’t asked sooner.

  “That’s from a secret skill book of the kitsune clan,” she said casually. “It’s called the Divine Goddess Inari Series.

  The number one skill series our clan possesses.”

  Bennett’s eyes widened.

  “Oh wait. Then that must be heavily guarded, right?”

  “Nah.” Aiko waved a hand dismissively. “Most military members above a certain level know the name of the book anyway.

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  Besides, it’s made exclusively for kitsune. No other race can learn it, even if they wanted to.”

  She paused, her expression turning slightly more serious.

  “It’s theorized that Goddess Inari herself sent it to us so the kitsune clan could better protect itself from incoming dangers.

  The book was discovered ten years before the beasts appeared…”

  She snapped out of it almost immediately.

  “Anyway,” Aiko said, poking Bennett on the forehead, “I told you to ask about the skills, not where they came from, you dummy.”

  She rolled her eyes, though the corner of her mouth twitched upward in amusement.

  Bennett rolled his eyes.

  “Fine. Let’s start with Inari Protection.

  While you said it slows down the momentum of attacks, what really happens if an attack gets through?

  And is it only usable around your body?”

  “Well,” Aiko began, tilting her head, “if by some off chance the attacker is stronger, the attack regains all momentum and hits you at full strength instead of being deflected.

  A double-edged sword, really.

  The only good thing is that it can be cast on a specific area to slow down an attack and give you a chance to escape.”

  Bennett nodded, taking it all in.

  “I see… so the major flaw isn’t that bad, since you can choose the area instead of just around your body.

  Isn’t that overpowered?”

  Aiko grinned.

  “Hey, it was made by a Goddess. If it isn’t overpowered, it’d be disappointing, wouldn’t it?”

  Bennett rolled his eyes.

  “You’ve got a fair point.”

  “Then… can you use all the Inari skills you showed me at the same time?” he asked cautiously.

  Aiko laughed nervously.

  “Ahaha… well, I can’t.

  My current mastery only allows me to use one at a time.”

  Bennett sighed.

  “Okay… that actually sounds like a bigger flaw, isn’t it?”

  Aiko nodded in agreement.

  “Yeah, but the positives outweigh the negatives. And I’m only at initial mastery, so for now, I’m limited.”

  “Wait, hold up! That’s initial mastery?!” Bennett exclaimed. “Geez… now I’m scared to ask about higher mysteries.”

  Aiko grinned, lightly tapping her own head.

  “Tehee~ Even if you asked about higher mastery, I wouldn’t tell you.

  Can’t reveal all the secrets yet~”

  Bennett kept his hand near his mouth, nodding.

  “That’s fair. I won’t pry too much into your skills.”

  “Well then,” Aiko said, grinning again, “any other questions?”

  Bennett shook his head.

  “No, it’s good for now. I’ll ask when I have more questions.”

  “Hehe, oki, that’s alright, Benny,” Aiko said as she stood up and placed a card in his hands to transfer 1,000 credits.

  “And that concludes today’s session! I now need to find someone stronger to test this on, hehe~”

  Bennett grimaced, picturing the poor soul who would train with her next.

  “Well… thank you, Aiko.

  This really helped, despite how much you scared me with your pranks.”

  Aiko, still grinning, patted his shoulder.

  “Well, glad this session helped. Now run along; it’s time for me to head out on a mission outside the walls.”

  She left as casually as ever. Bennett lingered for a few more minutes before sighing.

  “Ah… damn. I still have a long, long way to go before catching up to everyone.

  Anyway… this credit should be enough to get my new staff, and I’ll buy an energy shield.

  According to my research they’re the lightest and fastest to activate, but lowest in durability. Just right for my needs.”

  With that, Bennett walked toward the blacksmith to pay for his new quarterstaff.

  Once Bennett arrived, he quickly scanned the area before spotting the blacksmith.

  “Hello, sir. I’m here to claim my new quarterstaff.”

  “Ahaha! Welcome back, kid. Here’s your staff.”

  The blacksmith casually tossed it over.

  Bennett caught it easily.

  The moment his hands closed around the shaft, he felt the difference.

  It was heavier than his old quarterstaffs, the balance denser and more solid.

  He tested a few swings, letting the weight guide the motion.

  “Damn… this is a great staff.”

  “Of course it is,” the blacksmith snorted. “It’s made with mid-rank beast materials. Now, unless you’re done admiring it, you should pay up.”

  “Ah-wait,” Bennett said quickly. “I have a question. Can I buy an energy shield here?”

  “Hm?” The blacksmith raised an eyebrow. “I sell those, yeah. What model are you looking for?”

  “A lightweight energy shield.”

  “…Lightweight?” The blacksmith stared at him. “Kid, I need a model name, not a category. How else do you expect me to help you? Different companies, different specs.”

  “Ah-sorry,” Bennett scratched the back of his head nervously. “Let me check. It’s my first time actually buying gear instead of getting something crafted.”

  The blacksmith sighed.

  “That’s because you usually come here for commissions. What did you expect?”

  Bennett winced.

  “Fair point… okay, according to my device, it’s the S23 Lightweight Nanite Energy Shield.”

  “Oh?” The blacksmith looked interested. “Almost no one buys those anymore. I thought it got forgotten after the shinier I18 Lightweight Nano Shield came out.”

  He shook his head.

  “Well, I want the S23,” Bennett said. “It’s a standard, reliable shield. It’s weak, sure, but it’s known for its lightness. Though… what’s the difference between the S23 and the I18?”

  The blacksmith rolled his eyes.

  “Honestly? The I18 is a complete scam. The only difference is that it looks more luxurious.”

  He waved a hand dismissively.

  “Performance-wise, they do the same thing. Waste of credits.”

  He leaned forward.

  “So, you buying the S23 or not?”

  Bennett nodded. “Yeah. It’s 100 credits, right?”

  The blacksmith pulled out a recipe sheet.

  “Yes. And alright. Fifty credits plus leftover materials for the quarterstaff, and 100 for the shield. I do recommend buying the maintenance set.”

  He continued without waiting for a response.

  “Since it’s nanite-based, the repair kit stores replacement nanites inside the shield’s internal storage. Damaged nanites get cycled out automatically and sent for repair, extending the shield’s usable time. That’ll be an extra 25 credits.”

  Bennett’s head spun slightly. He took a few seconds to process it all.

  “…I’ll take it,” he said finally. “That makes 175 credits, right? Oh-and can I get a new tactical bag too? Mine’s completely shredded.”

  “That’s another 25 credits,” the blacksmith said.

  He placed a one-handed, glove-shaped shield on the counter, followed by a sturdy tactical bag.

  “Then your total is 200 credits, kid.”

  He gave Bennett a grin.

  “Pleasure doing business with you.”

  Bennett paid quickly, gathered his new gear, and left the shop without lingering, already eager to put everything to use.

  As soon as Bennett returned, he got to work.

  He carefully engraved the runes onto both his quarterstaff and his new shield, taking his time to apply them correctly and repeatedly testing their stability.

  The process took far longer than he expected, but the results were worth it.

  The quarterstaff now had a total duration of forty-seven minutes.

  More importantly, it could withstand his increased strength without cracking or warping.

  The downside was obvious.

  He no longer had spare staffs to rotate between, meaning his effective combat time had shortened considerably.

  Still… Bennett thought, that’s a fair trade off considering my current strength.

  He turned his attention to the shield.

  “…Now how do I even use you?”

  He frowned as he skimmed through the manual again. It was complete too complete. There was nothing new to learn, no hidden functionality, no extra configurations.

  “Tch… useless.”

  With no immediate answers, Bennett returned to his dorm and began scribbling ideas onto paper.

  I want the shield to enhance resistance against both physical and magical attacks.

  He paused.

  “…No. That would weaken the structure.”

  He crossed it out.

  What if I—no, that wouldn’t work either.

  Another line scratched away.

  Minutes bled into hours as Bennett kept writing, discarding ideas as fast as they formed.

  “Ahh… damn it,” he muttered, slumping back.

  “Did I really just waste all my credits…?”

  Then his thoughts drifted back to Aiko.

  She had said she was only at initial mastery.

  She could only use one Inari Series skill at a time.

  Each skill had a clear advantage and a clear drawback.

  And yet In the end, those skills combine, Bennett realized. And when they do, the drawbacks disappear.

  His eyes widened.

  “I was thinking too narrowly…”

  The ideas he had rejected earlier weren’t wrong.

  They were incomplete.

  “If I reinforce the shield’s physical structure,” he muttered, writing rapidly, “I can increase its resistance to physical damage but that would reduce its magical resistance.”

  He underlined the sentence.

  “And if I strengthen the energy layer instead, I gain higher magic resistance at the cost of physical durability.”

  Bennett leaned back, tapping his pen against the notebook.

  “So the real question isn’t if it works…”

  A slow grin spread across his face.

  “…it’s how much resistance I can shift without breaking the balance.”

  I have to test it.

  Bennett grabbed his shield and began experimenting cautiously, starting with extremely small amounts of mana. If something went wrong, he didn’t want to destroy the shield outright.

  Slowly, methodically, he reinforced the physical structure.

  It worked.

  He could feel the difference immediately but at the same time, the energy layer weakened noticeably.

  Next, he reversed the process.

  As expected, the results flipped entirely: stronger magic resistance, weaker physical defense.

  Finally, he attempted to enhance both at the same time.

  It did work but the cost was severe. The focus and concentration required were immense, and the resulting effect was far weaker than when he specialized in one aspect.

  Throughout it all, Bennett carefully documented every discovery.

  “…Ugh,” he groaned. The concept works, but enhancing both without compromise is still beyond me.

  He exhaled slowly.

  For now, two separate effects are good enough.

  He wrote the names carefully.

  Physical Defensive Enhancement-Protect

  Magical Defensive Enhancement-Aegis

  “Yes… yes, that’ll do for now.”

  Bennett closed his notebook and leaned back in his chair.

  “…I really need sleep.”

  He glanced at the time.

  4:00 AM.

  “OH GOD-”

  He barely made it to bed before collapsing, falling asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

  Chapter 18 End