Eren had appeared in Ivor's previous position like an apparition.
He had used his space-element spell to send himself to Ivor's position. If Ivor wanted him to go all out, he would do exactly that and show him the wide chasm that existed between them.
He attacked Ivor so fast that he couldn't even follow Eren's dagger arts with his eyes. The one-sided attack didn't even allow Ivor to think about a counter.
"Eren… no…."
Layla looked at Ivor's condition with a horrified expression. She was not concerned about Ivor's condition per se. But she was afraid that one of the players she required to get rid of Oliver's forces would be too damaged to operate in the upcoming mission.
She raised her hand and was about to cast a spell when Ivor and Eren both shouted at her in unison.
"Stay the fuck back!"
Eren went even further and affected her spell-casting with his soul sense. The homunculus suddenly felt like she was being submerged in a deep pool of water.
Ivor didn't stay quiet either. A dense amount of lightning vines sprouted from the ground around Layla. These vines felt like they had a consciousness of their own. And their only target was Layla. Ivor wasn't sure about hurting Layla. But he knew he could halt her if he gave it his all.
Layla felt like she was the only sane person among the three. She felt that the two men were too inflated by their egos to see their priorities.
She expected such a reaction from Eren. However, she couldn't believe that the one who was hurt because of Eren's attack would also try to prevent her from helping him.
Ivor gritted his teeth before casting his set of spells. A new batch of lightning vines appeared around his body. These new vines started to mend the deep and serious wounds he had received due to Eren's attacks and stabilized him in his forced flight.
Ivor landed 30 meters from his position. He had stopped bleeding but his wounds were still mending. Eren smiled at him and he realized the attack was just a warning. He still had the chance to back out if he wanted to.
Ivor tore down the tunic he was wearing and stripped off to take a close look at his wounds. The slash wounds that were on his chest had almost made his ribcage visible. The puncture wounds were threateningly close to his heart.
'He… he cut through my defensive layer like it was cheesecake.'
Ivor pressed his wounds with his fingers and felt the pain coursing through his veins. It took him another second to get rid of the butcher's foreign mana invasion.
This one exchange, if it could be called that, was enough to hint at Eren's growth. The Osan junior was starting to realize what Eren had meant by his previous statement. He was afraid to take action against Eren after seeing what he could do– butchering him like it was no big deal. It's like butchering a lamb to get its meat.
Eren didn't say anything or try to approach him again. He let the Osan junior come to terms with the difference they had between them. When Layla realized that the exchange between the two men was over as soon as it started, she looked happy. She adjusted her dress and tucked the locks of hair behind her ears before she spoke in a cheerful tone.
"Alright, this is enough. Chop chop chop. Do not spoil this stage too much, you two. It's not your cue to act your part yet. Now, why don't we three…"
Ivor cut her off right away before she could continue.
"Layla, I suggest you do not get involved in this duel if you value this mission. Otherwise, I will not do anything you ask of me."
Layla was tongue-tied after hearing that. Ivor then looked at Eren and smiled wickedly before speaking up.
"You have also stayed the same and changed a lot at the same time, Eren. The previous Eren I knew would have gotten the job done by now. Hehe."
Ivor then looked at Eren seriously before asking him what he wanted to ask for a while.
"How… How did you progress so much?"
Eren felt that Ivor was trying to tell him how he could replicate his success. But his ego prevented him from asking for any more favors from him. So he asked the question in a roundabout way.
Eren remembered the chat he had with Ivor when he was inside Purgatory. He could see that Ivor had learned his lesson well from that incident and made huge changes to how he dealt with his problems. The butcher pursed his lips and thought for a moment before summarizing his thoughts.
"Those who inflict pain must have the courage to bear it as well. Those who wish to succeed must accept the hardships that come with it. As simple as that.
First, one must realize one's flaws. Accepting them and trying to make them work in your favor is the next step. But they are not enough if you want to keep on progressing as an individual."
Eren knew Ivor had great talent as a ranker. His advancement to the liquid stage of the Adept rank attested to that. And he was starting to have the mindset necessary to succeed tremendously as a ranker as well. However, the butcher knew talent alone wasn't enough to become a Sage and advance beyond that stage.
"Having great talent, a sharp mind, the right tools, the right connections, an impressive background, and loads of money doesn't mean anything if you don't know how to use them to your advantage. But if you know what to do with what you have, the game starts to change bit by bit.
Don't try to mimic my way. Don't try to find competition in me. Competing with one's past self and enhancing the contrast each day is a much better way to go about it.
And it's not like I'm telling you something I am not doing myself. I have found all the motivation I need from my past and the future I want for myself.
Working on ourselves is all we need. It's a slow process. Most would give up on their road to success. But stick with the suffering your path demands and the reward you seek shall be given to you."
AN: 'Those who inflict pain must have the courage to bear it as well.' Eren says this to himself in his first duel against Ivor in chapter 201.
