Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

The howling of bulls echoed deep in my ears.

Shame and indignation, a tragic experience.

These substances, mixed together, charred Bell's heart.

Bell's teeth were practically chattering. Nevertheless, he stubbornly persisted.

Facing Ryu, who remained silent and quietly closed the distance, he channeled all his power into the hand holding the 'short sword'.

He channeled his shout into his entire body and launched an attack on the approaching spirit.

"Ughh ...

"idiot."

Then, he was knocked away.

The moment the sharp whistling wind reached his ears, Bell fell to his side.

He clung to the ground, and an unusual pain shot through his side.

"Ah... Ga!"

Struggling on the ground, with his vision flickering, it took Bell several seconds to begin to doubt his ears.

It was something that Ryu would never normally say—as if she had been poisoned by a former rival (someone)—she spoke with a sharp and clear accusation.

"What you just did wasn't even reckless. It was just reckless, and it's absolutely forbidden."

Even when Ryu gives a proper explanation, he can't really listen to her.

He was chopped down.

The wooden stick flashed past with incredible speed, slamming heavily onto the side of the abdomen that had been exposed when the 'short sword' was swung.

All Bell could see was a swaying diagonal line. And it was barely there.

I noticed. I realized.

Although we already knew this beforehand.

(This person is incredibly fast! ...!)

Just as swift as the wind.

"Come on, please stand up."

Urged on by Ryu, Bell slowly stood up, supporting himself with his hands on the ground.

My breathing is disordered. The burning pain in my stomach makes me want to give in. I want to cry. No, I've already cried halfway through.

If the girl he admired were standing in front of him, Bell would never cry, even if he had to put on a brave face.

However, in front of the elf whose expression had remained completely unchanged from the moment before, the fuse of the "coward" was directly lit, and his eyes filled with tears.

Nevertheless, Bell bit his lip and confronted Ryu once again.

"Not used to pain yet? That's perfect, just be patient."

"Gurgle!?"

"At the same time, please don't be afraid of pain. The moment you try to avoid pain, you've already failed."

Thrust.

The high-speed thrust pierced his chest accurately. Bell lost control and was sent flying.

He suffered a severe blow to the back of his head. In addition, he lost the ability to breathe.

The heartless words, "Please stand up," were spoken. I swallowed back tears, but still stood up.

"It's alright if you don't have time. Focus on defense. You should react to my katana now."

"puff!?"

"That can't be called training; you have to react and take action."

"Gag!?"

"That's fine."

From the first strike of the kasaya-zaki to the end.

From the very beginning, we were directly attacked, and from the very end, we were still directly attacked.

He could only position the dagger in the path of the strike. The wooden stick had already passed where the dagger was and struck Bell, causing him to fall even more miserably.

Facing Ryu's nonchalant "Please stand up," Bell stood up with the air of blood spurting from his nose.

"Maintain a clear field of vision. And never take your attention away from the enemy in front of you for a moment. When you're acting alone, you absolutely cannot leave any blind spots."

“Gu!”

"Beautiful. But, right after saying that, you made a bad move."

“Huh!?”

Just when you think you've finally dodged the attack, the pursuit begins.

As if to say that the road was blocked, his knee was hit, and then this time he kissed the ground.

Bell is now dressed casually, especially with his hand in so much pain that he can barely stand.

"Please stand up." The words were like magic. Bell stood up.

"Where do you see the difference between you and me right now?"

"Ability stats!?"

"Of course. But even more crucial are skills and experience."

"Skills!?"

"No. If I had to put it, it would be my 'foundation' and your 'foundation'."

"Ugh!?"

As Ryu was repeatedly struck with the wooden stick, his witty remarks flew up with each blow.

When faced with Bell's comment that "if there were people here with the same skills and experience as her, they would say the same thing," Ryu retorted without hesitation.

"This is just my personal opinion; many adventurers are being led by the nose by their [ability stats]."

"Huh!?"

"In other words, it's about over-relying on 'God's grace.' Ability and skill are two different things."

"What?!"

"The adventurers known as the first-class (···········) all possess technology commensurate with their strength. They are not driven by [ability values], but rather they control [ability values]. That is the 'level' they are at."

“——!!”

"...Nice eyes."

Upon hearing the word "Level 1," Belle, whose mind was filled with the image of that distant and longed-for girl, used all her strength to deflect the attack that was about to strike back.

Liu squinted, praising Bell whose breathing was intermittent.

Then, the cruel and one-sided tragedy immediately began to unfold again.

"First, master more refined combat methods. Don't be imprisoned by the numerical values ​​of your [ability stats]. Your skills (power) are always your own."

"The only thing I can do is cultivate something that will remain in Mr. Craney's heart even if he loses his [ability points]."

"Your strength, accumulated through years of fighting, including your [ability stats], is undoubtedly your power. It's something to be proud of. However, if you wish, focus more on your inner development than your physical body."

"Skills, actions, quick wit, intuition, strategy, inspiration."

As the conversation continued, Ryu's fierce attack persisted.

Bell has been reduced to a meat sandwich that can only make half-baked reactions.

Unforgiving wooden sticks were thrown indiscriminately.

Meaningless fragments of words appeared and disappeared in Bell's mind.

—Intention, knowledge, and essentials—

"Please stand up. Let's try again."

"Again."

"Again."

"Again."

"Again."

"Again."

"Again."

"Again... Ah, has the sun already risen? Well then, that's enough for today."

With a thud, it sounded like something had fallen over.

When he came to his senses, he realized that Bell's body was inexplicably embedded in the ground.

They didn't even have the strength to answer.

Not only that, he couldn't even move a single finger.

Liu's voice sounded particularly soft beside her.

"It seems you have a problem with defense. The current focus is on defense. Please apply this reflection to the next time."

"Well then, Mr. Crannie, goodbye," Ryu said and left. His footsteps faded into the distance, leaving Bell speechless.

Bell couldn't even lift his head. He lay sprawled on the cold ground like a tattered rag. Every part of his body ached.

(…That is indeed…)

I remembered.

Once, in a certain alley, Liu herself said something like, "I always go too far."

That was neither a threat nor an exaggeration.

As she put it, she was an "overdone elf".

Ultimately, didn't Ryu realize what she had done—turning Bell into a tattered, incompetent rag? Did she think she was resting?

Haha, how could that be? If that's the case, then she probably went through a terrible training period in a super unpleasant fighting clan that made the "evil" (bad guys) run away with their tails between their legs, right? Haha, that's plausible.

(…………I’m going to die…………)

Even with all his might to escape reality, he could not dispel the hellish pain, and Bell's consciousness was quietly swallowed by darkness.

I want to tell my younger self: This is not a situation to be envied at all.

Eina and Ryu.

They're brutal over there (Sparta). They're brutal over here too (Sparta).

Calling it suffering would be a bit of an exaggeration, but only now does Bear Grylls feel regret for the cramming of knowledge and skills into him by the fairy baptism.

Even if you admire fairies, you should know when to stop.

These were the last words that came to Bell's mind when the world was completely enveloped in darkness.

After that, Bell was retrieved by the hands of a cat-man and a human woman who were wailing.

Later, I heard from others that Ryu seemed to have been given a severe lecture by Hill and the others.

I am very sorry, it was my oversight. I can only apologize in my heart (bowing deeply).

What was hardship for Bell, but novelty for Ryu, continued into the morning practice that followed.

With "skills and strategies" at its core, Bell personally experienced his own growth, while Ryu experienced the "joy of training".

In her former faction, the Astrea Familia, Ryu, being the last to join, was less in a position of teaching and more in one of being taught or trained. Therefore, she concluded that she wasn't suited to teaching and decided to adopt a 'combat-oriented' training approach. However, Bell grew as a result. In short, she grew. She grew extremely rapidly.

The price for his extraordinary growth in [ability stats] beyond his usual specifications was, first and foremost, a lack of technical skill. In Ryu's words, it was a matter of "inner strength." To prevent the boy from being troubled by the deviations caused by his significantly growing "body," Ryu instilled in him the basics of the reckless: posture and center of gravity, the movement of his gaze, and the interpretation of offense and defense. While Bell wasn't good at inspiring new things, his ability to improve weaknesses was remarkable.

Although it was only a little bit, the repeated, almost foolish, practice because he couldn't grasp the key points did yield results. Even to Ryu, who never neglected the basics, this boy's personality really suited her "preferences." A person who harbored timidity, but hid a strong will.

In addition to her morning exercise, Liu also began to frequently think about "What should I do next?" "How should I train him?" "How can I repeatedly hone his skills?"