"Why are we even doing this, master?" I cried out as I watched Leo cover his mouth with his hands to suppress a chuckle.
"I can see you laughing, you know?!" I cried out again.
"Ahahaha! I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Leo said, wiping away a tear from his excessive laughter and tossing me a clean towel.
I took the towel from him and used it to wipe the black grease from my face.
Right now we were in the master's garage and in front of us stood a vintage sports bike.
Now, when I say vintage, I mean it's an older model compared to the hover bikes prevalent in this world. It still had tires.
Back in my world, in my time, however, this bike would be considered a top-class new model.
After spending the entire day training with master, he invited me to join him for dinner at his place.
And why would I, in my right mind, refuse a free meal, right? So naturally, I accepted.
As we sat down for dinner, we began chatting, and that's when master mentioned his bike collection.
Since the novel hadn't mentioned anything about Leo being a motorbike enthusiast, I found it hard to believe. So, he took me to his garage to prove it.
And when I got there, I was astounded.
From vintage tire bikes to the latest hover bikes, this man had it all! I couldn't help but wonder just how rich he was.
I mean, I knew he was rich, but not filthy rich! Well, I should've expected it.
While looking around the garage, my eyes landed on a Ducati. Filled with curiosity, I asked if I could take it out for a ride.
Unfortunately, master told me that it hadn't been used in years and we needed to get it started first.
I told him that it was alright, but he suggested that we work on it together.
"Sure, what could go wrong?" I thought as I accepted his offer.
Well, just fifteen minutes later, my entire face was covered in grease. So much for nothing going wrong.
"Alright, now we will change the clutch plate and refill the engine oil," Leo said as he got back to working on the bike. "We're almost done."
I reached for a cold water bottle and let out a content sigh after drinking its content, "Fuu~"
"By the way," Leo began speaking, his hands still working on the bike. "I've noticed that you've grown stronger. Are you sure you're not using any enhancement drugs?"
Similar to steroids, there are drugs in this world that can temporarily boost one's mana levels.
When under the influence of these drugs, one's cultivation process can be accelerated.
It's like continuously drinking mana potions while cultivating, but far more effective than that.
However, there is a drawback.
Not only are these drugs extremely expensive, but they also carry the risk of permanently damaging your mana core.
"What? No, master, I haven't used any enhancement drugs," I replied. "My mana core is still at bronze 2."
"I know that, but your physical strength has greatly increased," Leo responded.
Well, that's because of Sera.
But telling him about her wouldn't be wise, would it? I mean, I could tell him. But now isn't the right time.
I should remember that Leo is not only my master but also one of the Spider's legs.
If I were to tell him about Sera, there's a chance he would report it to the Spider.
Before revealing anything, I need to make sure that he can be trusted to keep my secret.
"Maybe it's just a growth spurt," I replied with a wide smile.
"...You're eighteen," Leo shifted his gaze to me, staring blankly for a few seconds before returning to work on the bike.
"So what? Late growth spurts happen, you know?" I retorted, my face contorting into a frown.
"Whatever you say, dear disciple," Leo sighed. "By the way, I never got the chance to praise you for your victory in the game. Well done."
It had been two days since the game, and during this time, we had focused solely on training.
This was the first opportunity we had to catch up in a while, and my master finally had the chance to acknowledge my victory.
"It was a team effort," I replied, maintaining a composed tone.
"Oh, please," Leo scoffed. "I watched the entire match replay. You practically carried the team with your strategy."
"Heh," I scratched my nose with a smug smile, my composed tone was replaced by a shameless one. "I guess I did, didn't I?"
"Yes, indeed," Leo nodded, a similar smile adorning his face. "Just as expected from my star pupil."
After sharing a smug chuckle for a few moments, Leo cleared his throat and changed the subject. "By the way, you fought against Kai. How was that?"
"He was definitely strong," I replied. "He was on par with Nero. I guess, his skills were slightly below Nero's, but other than that, he was a beast."
"Yeah, I saw the fight," Leo nodded. "Well, if you continue growing at the pace you are under my guidance, you will surpass him in no time."
Of course. After all, I possess Mythical potential now.
In a few years' time, there will be only a handful of people who would be capable of standing up to me.
But that's a matter for the future. For now, as if I suddenly remembered something important, I shook my head.
"By the way, master," I began. "Will you be there to watch my match on the Seventh Day?"
Leo fell silent for a few seconds before responding, "I have some matters I need to attend to, so I'm afraid I won't be able to make it. I'm sorry."
"What? That's not fair!" I exclaimed. "I'm going to win the Tournament, you know? I want you to be there when I win."
"Lucas, believe me, I would love to be there, but I can't," Leo replied in a genuine apologetic tone. "I have some important matters that cannot be postponed."
I knew what he meant by his 'important matters.'
In the novel, the vampire attack during the Tournament would have been thwarted if Leo had been there.
Unfortunately, he had a meeting with the Spider's Head on that day. As a result, Liz, the second-highest-ranking soldier in the academy after Leo, was unable to handle the vampire attackers alone.
That's why I wanted Leo to be there in this timeline. Sadly, it seems I will have to find another way to deal with the situation.
"...."
Seeing the disappointment on my face, Leo let out another sigh and suggested, "How about this, as a gesture of apology, I'll teach you other applications of Mirage Walk?"
My ears perked up, and my interest was immediately sparked.
Noticing my intrigued expression, Leo smiled. "Alright, let's put the bike aside for now. Get up, and I'll teach you two more ways to use the Mirage Walk."
