In this world, there are two exceptions that defy the standard norms: the Talent Vending Machine Ellen and me, the one who cheats.
But I was mistaken; there are actually three.
The protagonist, Ludwig, must also be included.
"..."
"..."
Ellen and I, along with Cliffman, were silently watching Ludwig, who was sleeping peacefully in the rest area behind the duty priest's office.
I knew this feeling.
He was asleep due to the aftereffects of his Magic Body Strengthening.
"Ah, hello. You're here."
Next to Ludwig, Delfin, who had been nursing him, nodded his head as he saw us.
Whether the yoga master, who was practically a healer in this situation, had already visited or not, Ludwig's condition seemed to be fine.
Or maybe someone who wasn't the yoga master but could undoubtedly perform something similar.
Saviolin Turner was also sitting by Ludwig's side.
"Last night, during the match, Ludwig used Magic Body Strengthening."
She said briefly.
Cliffman had his own reasons for requesting counseling from us today.
He knew he was too impulsive, and he had accepted the fact that Ellen and I were exceptions among exceptions.
However, since Ludwig had also enhanced his power with Magic Body Strengthening starting from yesterday, he began to wonder if he really had a problem and requested counseling.
"Muttering about not having enough time and that it shouldn't go on like this, he suddenly used Magic Body Strengthening, so I couldn't help but be... surprised."
Ludwig had definitely said at the Duke of Grantz's funeral that he couldn't forgive the demon bastards.
It was clear that he was extremely angry.
Feeling rage that a classmate's parent had been murdered by the Demon King, he had come to think that the battle against the Demon King was not a distant future problem but one that could happen at any moment.
So, the urgency in his heart created a strong desire for power, and the world responded by granting Ludwig a new path, Magic Body Strengthening.
Saviolin Turner seemed to have been greatly shocked by witnessing the scene firsthand. She had only heard about Ellen and me, who had used Magic Body Strengthening on our own, but she had actually seen it happen with Ludwig.
Witnessing the unyielding and endlessly striving person finally surpassing a stage, she must have been secretly admiring him.
And as for Cliffman,
With Ludwig managing to enhance his power on his own, it's no wonder he'd doubt whether he was lacking if he couldn't do it himself.
"Uhm......"
"Is, is he waking up?"
As Ludwig moaned and tossed about, Delfin checked his complexion from various angles.
No.
Stay in bed for a few more days!
Waking up in just one day would hurt my pride!
"Ugh... Mm."
Fortunately, he didn't wake up in just one day, unknowingly provoking my self-consciousness.
Sleep a bit more.
Since he's the protagonist, I'll allow him to wake up one day earlier than me.
Ah.
I have these thoughts, too.
It's no wonder that Cliffman is now completely devoid of pride and feeling down.
Ellen and I stared blankly at the unconscious Ludwig, who seemed fine but just couldn't wake up, and our gazes naturally shifted toward Cliffman.
It felt as if Ellen and I had become like twins.
I'm useless.
I'm worthless.
I'm pathetic.
Help?
Someone like me?
I'm a hindrance.
A piece of trash that can't even do Magic Body Strengthening.
I'm trash.
Trash should die.
"..."
"..."
Seeing his expression, which was filled with more than just pessimism and self-loathing, bordering on self-abuse, made me feel unbearable.
"Let's try to do something," Ellen said calmly.
And then.
[Event Triggered - Magic Body Strengthening (Cliffman)]
[Description: Help Cliffman awaken his Magic Body Strengthening.]
[Reward: 2,000 Achievement Points, Increased Sensitivity to Magic Body Strengthening]
The event had occurred.
Achievement points.
I had used a large amount of them recently, so this was probably an opportunity to accumulate more.
Achievement points are always the last bastion, after all.
In addition, the increased sensitivity to Magic Body Strengthening might be even more important. It's crucial to become proficient in Magic Body Strengthening and eventually reach the master class.
"Yeah, there's nothing you can't do," Ellen and I had no choice but to change our attitude.
"…Yeah."
We had to encourage him like this, or else who knows what would happen!
Of course, Delfin and Saviolin Turner couldn't grasp what we were talking about in front of the unconscious Ludwig.
In the end.
The three of us didn't worry about Ludwig's unconscious state at all, and we only realized we were just as trashy as him when we returned to the training grounds.
Cliffman urgently needed Magic Body Strengthening.
However, trying to grasp Magic Body Strengthening while not having a clue was like a blind man touching an elephant; no matter how hard he tried, it would only lead to failure.
So, in the end, Ellen and I spent hours beside the struggling Cliffman, offering various suggestions.
As a result, Cliffman failed to get a feel for it, and we ended up with a bizarre scene where Ellen and I bickered endlessly.
"No, you have to do it by sensing the essence within your body."
"Essence? Can you even explain what essence is?"
"Magic and essence are basically the same thing."
"Are they? That might work for you, but for the rest of us, we need a clear and systematic explanation. If you explain something vague with even vaguer words, how can he possibly grasp it?"
"Can you give a systematic explanation?"
"No, not at all."
"…Why are you so confident?"
"It's not my job. You're the genius who should be explaining it properly."
"Teaching is different from doing it yourself."
"No. You're good at teaching too. You're good at everything, so you should be good at teaching as well. The problem is that you're not trying. Just try to teach well."
"I can't do everything either."
"No, you'll do well if you just try, right? Use your head a bit to teach well. Why don't you use that good brain of yours? Are you dense?"
"…I'm not dense."
Oh, dear.
I hit the mark with that one.
"Huh? Then who's dense, if not you?"
Ellen's face paled at my words.
"No, that's not what I meant…"
"So, you're saying you're not the dense one."
"No, I didn't think that. I just meant that I'm not dense."
"Really? Then who is dense? Tell me."
"I won't. I don't even think like that."
"Who did you think was dense, if not me? Tell me your true feelings! Tell me your innermost thoughts!"
Swoosh!
I held my breath as Ellen seemed genuinely annoyed.
"I'm the dense one."
"You know it well."
If I had pushed her any further, I would have gotten a taste of her anger.
Anyway, our conversation had veered off into unrelated matters from magical Magic Body Strengthening.
"Guys, guys… I feel like blood is going to come out of my ears, not my mouth…"
If there was a problem with Magic Body Strengthening, we needed to perform bloodletting, but we kept quiet, staring at Cliffman as he claimed it felt like blood would come out of his ears.
Naturally.
Nothing in particular happened.
Ellen's words that teaching and doing are different were true.
Neither Ellen nor I had any particular talent for teaching, and Magic Body Strengthening was especially difficult to teach, so there could be no progress.
From the beginning, it would be strange if Magic Body Strengthening happened just by nagging like this.
Thus, we returned to training since Magic Body Strengthening was making no progress.
I'm not sure if this was a case of old habits die hard, but at least it gave me the awareness that I was doing something.
-Whoosh!
"Ouch!"
Cliffman, who was struck by my practice sword, fell back with a thud.
"Haah... Haah..."
The guy struggled to his feet, bruised and battered.
"I know it's not my place to say, but excessive punishment doesn't necessarily lead to improvement."
Watching Cliffman struggle to his feet, he nodded at my words.
"Even so, I have to do it."
"…"
Magic Body Strengthening eluded us, so we had no choice but to continue sparring.
If I were to use Magic Body Strengthening, Cliffman would have no chance against me.
Thanks to what I had learned from Ellen, my swordsmanship had improved significantly, and I had even awakened my ability of magic mastery.
Cliffman couldn't face me, who could use extremely stable Magic Body Strengthening. To be precise, even without Magic Body Strengthening, I could now face Cliffman with just self-suggestion.
Unless I sealed off a few of my abilities, like removing pieces in a game of chess, Cliffman could no longer compete with me.
In a pure swordsmanship contest, I would win.
But such purity doesn't apply in a real fight.
If I had faced Riverrier Lanze alone, I would have died a hundred times over in a hundred fights.
Yet, Riverrier Lanze died at my hands.
That's what battle is.
One can attack and be attacked.
The side that meets death is the loser, and the side that survives is the winner; it's a simple binary. The definition of a battle exists solely in victory.
I didn't tell such stories.
Rather, it was Cliffman who wanted it.
He wanted me to give it my all.
If I didn't, it would be meaningless, he said.
Cliffman decided to help Liana with her revenge to kill the Demon King. However, he himself lacked the necessary abilities and sought to at least meet the minimum condition of Magic Body Strengthening.
Liana was already a very powerful Supernatural before her sudden surge in power. Her abilities had naturally increased to the point where they couldn't be compared to when she was on the uninhabited island.
Even after awakening his Magic Body Strengthening, Cliffman would need to train for a while longer to be of any help to Liana.
Of course, what would become of Cliffman and Liana once they entered the actual battle remained to be seen.
Just like Liana worked out to recover her weakened physical strength.
Cliffman, who taught Liana how to exercise, also longed for the next step. He knew that he could help Liana, but he could not provide any real assistance.
Like Ellen.
Like me.
Like Ludwig.
He sought to step onto the next level called Magic Body Strengthening.
He wanted to become the exception that was not the exception.
"I'll go."
The situation seemed bleak.
-clang! Clang! Clang! Clack!
-bang!
"Ah!"
I looked at Cliffman, who dropped his sword and struggled to get up.
It was pitiful and wretched, and while they were doing this for reasons unknown to them.
In the end, I was helping someone train to kill me.
At least I shouldn't be the one to help him.
Ellen is prepared to face the Demon King.
However, Cliffman and Liana have a clear goal of killing the Demon King.
I'm not sure how deep Liana's desire for revenge is, but Cliffman's intention to help her cannot be underestimated.
Just like Ellen said she could die for me.
Cliffman could also entertain such thoughts.
He couldn't reach Magic Body Strengthening, so he collided body with body.
Cliffman kept falling and getting back up as if he were possessed by some evil.
As if doing so would make a difference.
Because I did it.
Because a guy named Ludwig did it too.
As if believing he could do it too.
As if believing that something could be achieved as long as he didn't fall.
I silently watched Cliffman, who struggled to get up with his trembling legs, exhausted.
"You won't achieve anything like that."
And then, Ellen, who had been watching by his side, restrained him.
Cliffman, now deterred even by the observing Ellen, hung his practice sword back on the rack.
"I'll be back after visiting the duty priest's office."
"..."
If exhaustion is the problem, then he needs to regain his unexhausted state.
According to Adriana, this kind of training was not the best. To put it bluntly, it was like a drug-fueled run.
However, everyone believed that the threat of the Demon King could invade their daily lives at any moment, so they couldn't afford to take their time to grow stronger.
Cliffman, having received healing from a priest, appeared to be in good condition.
The Magic Body Strengthening was truly inscrutable.
All he could do was clash swords against swords.
His desperate expression seemed to say he believed they could reach somewhere in the end, but it was more like there was nothing else he could do.
Cliffman was not weak by any means, nor did he lack talent.
It was just that his comparisons were so overwhelming that he felt more pathetic in comparison to others.
"You shouldn't do that."
"It's fine."
Cliffman stared at me calmly.
Ellen silently watched my duel with Cliffman.
-Clang! Clank! Cluck!
-Thud!
"Ugh!"
Ellen quietly watched Cliffman rolling on the ground.
How many hours had it been, and how many times? They couldn't count.
He was no match for them.
Reinhardt could enhance his combat abilities in two stages.
Once through self-suggestion, and twice through Magic Body Strengthening.
Ellen didn't know much about it, but with Tiamata, a third stage of enhancement was possible.
Ellen also noticed that Reinhardt's Magic Body Strengthening was far more stable than before.
Even though he had been using Magic Body Strengthening continuously, it was maintained at a level not much different from when they had just started the duel. It felt as if the proficiency of Magic Body Strengthening had suddenly jumped up. Even after Ludwig received healing from a priest several times over a few hours, Reinhardt did not seek out a priest.
As for Reinhardt, Ellen did not find it strange that he had become stronger by leaps and bounds, doing such bizarre things without a care.
However.
Cliffman was not Reinhardt.
Self-suggestion, a strange supernatural power, could be seen as the source of Reinhardt's strength.
Cliffman did not possess such a thing.
So, even if he wished to become as strong as Reinhardt, it would not be possible.
If sheer willpower could make everyone strong, the world would be filled with Swordmasters, Archmages, and Supernaturals.
Watching Cliffman charge repeatedly, Ellen felt a strange sense of deja vu.
Reinhardt, who held his ground like an iron wall and overpowered Cliffman time and time again.
Cliffman, who kept getting back up and standing before Reinhardt after being knocked down.
In Cliffman's figure, Ellen saw Reinhardt, and in Reinhardt's figure, she saw herself.
Reinhardt, who had always been the one to fall, now stood like an iron wall before someone else.
Ellen could no longer deny it.
-Clang!
"Argh!"
Reinhardt was strong.
In fact, Cliffman had always been the one to bring Reinhardt to his knees in the past. At some point, the balance of power had reversed, and it seemed as if it could never be overturned again.
Ludwig felt a strange sense of inferiority towards Reinhardt more than anything else.
The core of the inferiority that Cliffman felt was not Ludwig, who had suddenly awakened to Magic Body Strengthening yesterday, but Reinhardt.
Ludwig, at least in the B-class, had been watching Reinhardt's growth from afar.
But Cliffman had been watching up close.
Crossing swords directly, Cliffman had always been overwhelmingly victorious until, at some point, he could no longer win.
From being a level where Reinhardt had to hold back a move for them to be evenly matched, to now where Reinhardt had to hold back two moves, and soon perhaps even three moves.
Cliffman was not lazy. He had always worked hard.
Both had worked hard, but only Reinhardt had become stronger at a rapid pace. Of course, Cliffman had also become stronger, but Reinhardt's speed was too fast.
Cliffman had to watch the runner who started far behind him now disappear into the distance, always from the sidelines.
Still, it was a good thing that Cliffman did not express his inferiority with malice or hatred.
But, there was no way that the feeling of inferiority could cease to exist.
-Clang!
"Ugh!"
Cliffman, who once made others fall, now found himself falling, being knocked down, pushed away, and suppressed by the opponent he used to play with, yet still, he managed to rise again.
"Haah... Haah..."
Reinhardt knew what Cliffman's inner feelings were like, so he could never be at ease.
At least to Ellen's eyes, it seemed that way. But Reinhardt did not show any signs of pity towards Cliffman.
After all, pity would be the last thing Cliffman would want to receive now.
For someone who tries to move forward, receiving a look of pity from someone ahead implies that they will never be able to advance.
At least, Reinhardt did not pity Cliffman.
In response to the request to give his all, he was merely facing Cliffman with his full strength.
Still, in the end.
Cliffman could not stand up to Reinhardt now.
Just as Ellen was an insurmountable wall for Reinhardt, Reinhardt had also become an insurmountable wall for someone else.
For Ludwig, who had just awakened to Magic Body Strengthening, and Cliffman, who still couldn't do even that.
Having become such a wall, Reinhardt stood there, showing no signs of fatigue, looking down at his fallen opponent.
