“Oh..! So, rather than just strengthening your existing skill, you actually obtained a completely new one? That’s a rare occurrence! Congratulations, Karvald Austri. By the way, would you mind using that skill on me right now? Don’t tell me this new ability, like your Second Buff Skill, can only be used under certain conditions? That would be such a shame…”
Professor Radvisin Prodrake’s eyes, full of excitement, shot toward my face and bore into me.
It’s just a shame that I have to disappoint him by dashing his hopes.
“The Buff Skill I acquired this time accelerates my thought process, but I can only use it on myself.”
“Ah…, so it’s an ability that only works on yourself. I suppose there’s nothing to be done. Still, increasing your thought speed is quite a unique ability! Any scholar would covet such a power! As expected, Karvald Austri, your talent as a scholar is truly outstanding….”
“But, there are some restrictions.”
The old professor only showed his disappointment for a brief moment.
Almost instantly, he regained his energy and, not satisfied with just showing interest in my ability, began to speak in a way that would subtly guide me onto the path of scholarship.
Because of that, I had no choice but to quickly cut him off.
“What sort of restrictions?”
“It activates automatically when I contemplate someone’s actions or psychology deeply, and the moment I think about something else, the ability deactivates. So, contrary to your expectations, Professor, it can’t be used for writing papers or research.”
“Hah… what an unfortunate thing……!!”
Even though it wasn’t his ability, but mine, Professor Radvisin Prodrake was monumentally disappointed and let out a sigh of lament.
He even gave me a pitying look.
I did want to be able to use Mental Acceleration without any restrictions, but I didn’t feel nearly as much regret as he did.
“Well…, I see. Karvald Austri, you didn’t bring this up just to boast about your new skill, did you? You must want my advice regarding this ability, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
As expected, a professor’s title isn’t just for show.
Professor Radvisin Prodrake instantly saw through my intentions.
“When this skill activates, my thoughts accelerate so much that it feels as if time has stopped.”
“Hearing your explanation, it doesn’t sound like there’s a problem, but since you said ‘excessively,’ it seems there’s a catch.”
“Yes. I was able to activate it several times during sparring, but I couldn’t make proper use of it. For the reason I just mentioned.”
To predict an opponent’s next move by observing their paused stance, the skill had to be activated with precise timing.
If Mental Acceleration activated before the opponent even entered their preparatory stance, there was nothing to be gained.
Even if I activated it right after their preparation, there was no guarantee the opponent’s move wasn’t a feint.
And if I used the skill too late, I wouldn’t have enough time to react, and would just end up being hit despite knowing what was coming.
‘But given the activation conditions of this skill, isn’t it impossible to time it down to the second?’
In short, if the timing coincidentally matched up, it could be extremely useful, but if I was unlucky, it would only hinder my focus during battle.
I explained all this in detail to Professor Radvisin Prodrake.
“Hmm, I see…. Since the ability itself ‘raises your thought speed while contemplating another’s actions or psychology,’ changing the activation condition would be impossible. Even if it were possible, if you’re always focusing on the timing of activating your skill during sparring, it would make it difficult to concentrate on the match itself, so it wouldn’t be a good solution either.”
“That’s correct.”
Professor Radvisin Prodrake is a scholar, not a combat professor.
But his keen understanding allowed him to instantly grasp my point.
“So Karvald Austri concluded that, to use this skill effectively, it’s crucial to control the acceleration of your thoughts. That the problem is, it’s just too fast.”
“That’s right as well.”
“If it’s just fast enough, you could activate the skill early and maintain it, watching your opponent’s slow motion in real time and adjusting your responses as their movements change, right?”
“Do you think that’s possible?”
“Hmm…”
At my question, Professor Radvisin Prodrake fell into deep thought for a moment.
During that time, I swallowed nervously.
Even though Mental Acceleration wasn’t active, that moment felt like several minutes to me.
“In theory, I believe it’s possible.”
“……! How would I go about it?”
“When the skill is activated, you should control the flow of Aether to slow it down.”
“……”
Once again, let me emphasize: this skill ends the moment you let your mind wander.
But I’m supposed to focus on controlling the flow of Aether when the skill activates?
This really is a solution that’s only possible ‘in theory.’
‘But I have to make it work in practice… don’t I?’
Even during sparring, situations change with split-second decisions; in real combat, it’s even more critical.
A single mistake could mean death.
Amid all that, if I can secure enough time to calmly observe my opponent’s movements and leisurely predict their next action, it would be like gaining an overwhelming, one-sided profit.
“I’ll need to practice.”
“It’ll be difficult, but you’re not giving up?”
It’s not that I’m not giving up—I simply can’t.
But I couldn’t explain the reason right now, so I just replied briefly with a nod and a simple “Yes.”
“Oh, I can sense your determination. Is it the scholar’s yearning to improve your Aether abilities burning inside you?”
It’s nothing like that. Absolutely not.
But since Professor Radvisin Prodrake continued speaking without giving me a chance to refute, I couldn’t correct him.
“That’s a fine attitude. As your senior on the path of scholarship, I should lead you—but this time, I doubt I’ll be much help. Creating situations where you can freely activate that skill isn’t something I’m capable of.”
His face was full of regret as he said this.
Which let me know that he genuinely wanted to help me.
I could only feel grateful for that sentiment.
“Just having you tell me the method is already a huge help. I’ll handle the necessary training on my own, so please don’t worry, Professor.”
“That’s unexpected.”
“Sorry? In what way?”
“Karvald Austri, you have remarkable ambition. I thought you’d be frustrated that just practicing during Martial Arts lectures wouldn’t be enough for you.”
I’m not particularly ambitious.
I’m just fixated on getting stronger as quickly as possible. So Professor Radvisin Prodrake’s premise was wrong, but in the end, his conclusion was spot on.
If I could only practice Mental Acceleration during Martial Arts Lecture, I’d definitely be frustrated and sigh with regret.
But.
“Well… as it turns out, I ended up making plans to gather every Sunday with several students who are also entering the upcoming Tournament, to spar with each other in turn….”
It really was ‘just by chance’ that I ended up getting help from the original main character again.
Because of that, I spoke awkwardly, and saw the old professor before me smiling kindly and with satisfaction.
“Hohohoho! Come to think of it, Karvald Austri, you’re at an age where it’s important to grow through mutual support and exchange with friends, aren’t you?”
“They’re not my friends.”
“Heheheh, well, I’m glad to see you getting along so well with your friends. You’ll gain a lot. Perhaps even more than you would spending time with this old man.”
“……”
It seems Professor Radvisin Prodrake had decided to ignore my claim that they weren’t my friends.
I didn’t know how to respond in moments like this.
“Then, shall we begin the training we had originally planned?”
As I fidgeted silently, Professor Radvisin Prodrake spoke again, not erasing the kindly smile from his face.
Thanks to him, the awkward conversation didn’t continue any further.
***
It was Sunday morning when I set foot on the third floor of the cafeteria.
We’d had dinner in the basement Saturday evening with Professor Radvisin Prodrake, the graduate student seniors, and Skadi.
For the record, running into Skadi and joining the meal was just a coincidence.
We hadn’t planned to eat together.
‘But if this happens again next Saturday, I’ll have to assume it’s not coincidence, but Skadi’s intention!’
Anyway, because of all that, today was the first time the others saw me and immediately approached with worried faces.
“Karvald, I’m sorry. I pushed you too hard without considering your stamina. I thought you’d get plenty of rest after lunch on Friday since you had the afternoon off, but I had no idea you were going to learn Whip Technique from Professor Skadi then.”
“But that’s just an excuse. I should have made sure you didn’t overexert yourself in the first place. You kept up with the sparring without showing any sign of fatigue, and I guess that made me greedy. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
The first to speak, and by far the most at length, was Reysir Daudabina.
He must’ve felt really sorry.
But honestly, it was my own ambition that drove me—not his.
Maybe he thinks I forced myself to keep up just because I know about his trauma.
“I heard from your Familiar. Are you feeling better now?”
“For some reason, it feels like we haven’t seen you in ages. But it’s only been a day, hasn’t it… Maybe it’s because we’ve eaten together every day up until now…”
Unlike Reysir Daudabina, whose lines could stack up like a wall of bricks in the eyes of mobile readers, Hailga and Vigdis kept their worries brief and to the point.
And as for Liolikin Tremmler—
“Nyaaah….”
“Eek….”
―He was busy cowering and trembling, terrified by Yor’s gaze.
Honestly, I never expected any words of concern from Liolikin Tremmler anyway, and I was feeling awkward about how to respond to everyone else’s concern.
At least, I was grateful no one else chimed in.
“…Enough pointless talk. Just eat quietly.”
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t bring myself to thank them for their concern.
Whether to keep my distance from them, or to maintain Karvald Austri’s distinctive character.
So, saying this, I lifted my spoon, hoping to end things smoothly.
But the protagonist of someone else’s novel is never that easy to handle.
“Karvald… you really can’t stand this kind of atmosphere, can you?”
The words ‘if you know that, then shut up’ almost slipped out, but I held them back, worried it’d make me look embarrassed.