When raising a game character, it’s good to decide in which direction to raise them.
Whether to raise them as a swordsman, a mage, or something else.
If it’s a swordsman, what kind of sword will they mainly use? If it’s a mage, what attribute and type of magic will they mainly handle?
Of course, it’s not necessary to decide. How you play is up to the individual.
Personally, I prefer to decide and raise them accordingly.
Thanks to that, my mind is filled with all sorts of different growth methods.
I sometimes think it would have been better to use this storage space for studying, but now that it’s my major and job, it’s actually good.
Anyway, that’s why I didn’t feel much pressure teaching Lilith.
Although I’ve never directly played the Saintess class, I’ve played similar light-attribute focused playstyles quite often.
Whether it’s ordinary classes like paladins or priests, or even mismatched classes like assassins, specializing in light attributes never hindered the story progression. After all, nothing beats light attributes when dealing with the Demon Race.
The important thing is that during those playthroughs, there were light-attribute fighters like Lilith.
Although I can’t teach the know-how of actual combat, since it’s a concept I’ve raised before, I can definitely pass on the growth know-how.
By the time I finished organizing my thoughts, we finally arrived at our destination.
Earlier, with about a dozen people crowding around, I didn’t really notice, but the Training Ground was surprisingly spacious.
But well… it’s just spacious and nothing particularly outstanding.
Even though it’s an advanced class, for first-year students still learning the basics, special equipment or environmental factors aren’t important.
Probably by the time they move up to the second year, magical engineering elements will be added, but for now, it’s just a simple training ground.
“I didn’t notice earlier, but it’s really spacious with just the two of us.”
Lilith followed me in, sharing the same impression.
The impression of the Training Ground isn’t that important, so I decided to get straight to the point.
“Then let’s get started. We’re not going to use weapons anyway, right?”
“Ah, yeah. I’m not good at enchanting weapons.”
…What? So it’s not just a concept to fight bare-handed, there’s a reason?
This is something even the setting book glossed over, so I didn’t know. I thought there was no particular reason since you didn’t tell me…
Sorry for the misunderstanding. I’ll do better.
“I guess that’s your constitution. Well, later on, whether you wrap it around your weapon or your body, it’ll be similar, so don’t worry too much about it.”
“Really? Well, I never really worried about it, but if you say so.”
Isn’t she trusting me too easily? Is it because I’m theory-perfect that there’s some trust bonus?
It’s not bad that there’s no doubt in my words, so I guess it doesn’t matter.
“…Then”
“Let’s go.”
Moving to the center of the Training Ground with Lilith in tow. Lilith, who followed, looked a bit nervous.
“Why are you so nervous? It’s not like I have much to teach you anyway.”
Combat is all about real experience. Your combat sense will naturally grow on its own. I just planned to teach her a few basic techniques and leave some room to show off later.
But that doesn’t mean I was going to half-ass it.
“List all the magic you can use.”
“All of it?”
“Yeah, so I can figure out how to use them in combat.”
Lilith, seemingly convinced, started listing the skills she could use one by one… and way more skills popped out than expected. Honestly, I thought it’d be around ten, but after listening and counting, it was in the double digits.
31? Is this the Saintess privilege? Of course, more isn’t always better, but it’s a hundred times better than having none.
“That’s a lot. If you can just use them properly according to the situation, you won’t fall behind even with lower stats.”
“What’s the point of having a lot if I can’t even use them properly?”
Lilith grumbled, probably recalling how she got utterly wrecked in yesterday’s battle. But if you flip that, it means she made it to the advanced class despite not being able to use her skills properly, all thanks to her stats.
If the lower and intermediate class kids heard this, they’d probably call it cheating, but I decided to pretend not to notice.
Whether her skills are diverse or her stats are high, to me, all the first-years still look like clueless newbies.
“So, what should we do first?”
At Lilith’s question, I thought for a moment and then had her demonstrate various skills.
It would take quite a while to go through all 30+ skills she knew, but it was a necessary process.
“Ah, this is a bit different from what I know.”
“What are you talking about? Isn’t this how the skill is supposed to be?”
“Yeah, it is… but… hmm. Never mind, I must’ve gotten confused for a second.”
Now that the skills I only saw in games have become reality, I need to understand how they’re implemented to do anything.
In games, you can’t hit allies, so you could spam skills recklessly, but here, if you’re not careful, you risk sweeping up your comrades.
That’s why I went through all her skills. There were a few things to be cautious about, but thankfully, it wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t apply what I knew.
“That was the last one.”
“Good job.”
“I’m already feeling a bit tired. Is this normal?”
“Today, I’ll just teach you the basics, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
We’ve already spent a lot of time demonstrating skills, so I’m just planning to teach her the fundamentals.
“Honestly, in close combat, you have to assume that one slip-up could be fatal. Got it? When you charge in to punch someone, you need to figure out what weapon they’re using first.”
“…Don’t tease me.”
Lilith glared at me, probably remembering how she tried to ambush Harold from behind earlier, only to get smacked by a hammer and sent flying.
What are you gonna do if I glare at you? If you don’t like it, then fight me properly.
“So, what should I do then?”
“Nothing too fancy. In the end, the weaknesses of close combat can also be its strengths.”
I told Lilith to try using one of her spells again.
A signature technique for those who use light magic—’Light’. It’s usually used to secure vision in dark places… and it would be quite effective against opponents who rely on their sight.
“Just stick it right in their face.”
“Huh?”
Flashbang. The ultimate in bad manners—anyone hit by it can’t help but praise its effectiveness. It’s an incredibly efficient technique.
“Light has a narrow range but virtually no casting time, so if you use it close to the eyes, they lose their vision instantly.”
“That’s so cheap.”
“Cheap? It’s a technique you can’t even use unless you’re the type to fight up close like you.”
In the game, the Light spell briefly flashes around the character, lighting up the surroundings. But as I just confirmed, it doesn’t emit light from a source like a lamp.
I’m not sure exactly how it works… but it feels like something flashes at the casting position, and then the light magic spreads out like a wave, brightening the area.
Because of that, even a little distance makes it hard to see the light’s trace, let alone get flashbanged.
“Just use it often. Proficiency in Light magic will likely affect other light-based spells too.”
“…Got it.”
She seemed a bit reluctant but willing to follow along. Yeah, a newbie listening to an experienced player won’t hurt, so just give it a try.
“So, is that all for today?”
“No. You can’t even use it yet.”
“Ugh… stop teasing me.”
But I couldn’t just end it there. In Lilith’s current state, getting close to the advanced class students is impossible.
Actually, the flashbang was just the foundation for teaching her this.
Hmm, maybe it’s faster to show her first.
“Stand there and try to stop me.”
I recalled the movements of fighting characters from the game—how they moved, how they lunged. Memorizing the dodge timings for all the motions left some of the movements stuck in my head.
Of course, I couldn’t do it as naturally as the pros, but with this physically superior body, mimicking them was definitely possible.
“Here I go.”
Whoosh!
I kicked off the ground and charged at Lilith. She seemed to react, instantly activating a spell.
Seeing that, I flung my body outside her line of sight.
“Wait, what…!”
In that moment, she unleashed her spell—Holy Arrow, straight at me? If I had kept charging, that would’ve gone right through my forehead.
But you dodged, right? That terrifying attack just sliced through the air and ended up making a hole in the ground.
Before I knew it, my fist had reached her side and stopped right in front of Lilith’s ribs. Lilith just stared at me with a blank expression.
“Even without that weird technique, someone like me can’t even compete with you.”
I started feeling a bit bitter for no real reason. Honestly, there was no need for that.
The difference in agility stats is huge right now. Of course, she couldn’t dodge.
The important thing is whether you realized something from that situation.
“You get it, right?”
At my question, Lilith thought for a moment and then nodded.
“Yeah. I shouldn’t just think about my own perspective.”
The perspective of being on the receiving end of an attack, something I didn’t realize during the chaos of the fight.
Recognizing that, the basics of PVP, is enough to count as growth.
“That’s right. So, what do you need to do now?”
“…Dodge their line of sight and close in. Then use light magic to blind them.”
Yeah. You learn so fast, so why were you so clueless during the fight earlier?
“Just keep that in mind and review today’s battle situation.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Lilith kept using light magic as she spoke.
Already working on her proficiency… It’s so touching, I might cry.
“Alright, let’s end it here for today… Do you have any specific goals?”
“Goals?”
“Yeah. You need goals to stay motivated and have something to work towards.”
“Hmm… Then…”
Lilith thought for a moment and then pointed at the small sword I had at my waist.
“I’ll aim to make you draw that sword.”
“Oh…”
What does she think of me that her goal isn’t to win but just to make me draw a sword…
I never even intended to use this sword as a weapon in the first place…
Ah, whatever. Maybe I’ll learn some swordsmanship.
“Work hard. I think you’ve got talent.”
“Don’t lie.”
Lilith still doesn’t believe in herself, but she’ll figure it out eventually.
I didn’t bother correcting her and headed outside.
On the way back to the dormitory… I feel like I forgot something.
“…Oh, right. The Student Council.”
I quickly turned around and started running.
“Huh? Where are you going all of a sudden?!”
“Sorry! I just remembered something I need to do! Go ahead without me!”
I left Lilith there and ran like crazy.
