Jaune Arc: Unlimited Enhancements

The knife came fast, a quick thrust aimed straight for my ribs. I stepped to my side, twisting just enough to let the blade slip past. My hand shot out, grabbing Bell's wrist before he could pull back.

"You're too slow on the recovery," I said, twisting just enough to make him feel and remember his mistake. Not through pain, but pressure. A simple lesson.

Bell gritted his teeth and yanked his wrist free, resetting his stance. That was good. He was learning.

"Again," I said to him. I was proud of the progress he was making. Then again, I do have a buff that increases others' learning by 50x.

Bell lunged. This time, the angle was better, sharper. I parried with the flat of my sword, knocking him off-course before stepping in, close enough to feel his breath. I pressed my sword lightly against his neck.

"Dead," I said. It was a vital area.

Bell exhaled sharply but didn't complain. No frustration, no hesitation, just understanding of how much more he needed to do before he could catch up to me.

"You're thinking too much," I said, stepping back.

"When you see an opening, you take it, but instead of taking it, you hesitate. It's as if you are asking for my permission to attack me in my opening. There's no permission in a fight. Only action." I added. It was one of his tendencies when he was fighting against another person.

His grip on the knife tightened. No words, just a nod. That was a response.

"One more time," I said. I can see the resolve in his eyes.

This time, the blade came in lower, a feint before shifting upward in a slash. That was very smart. I tilted my head just enough to avoid it, feeling the air cut where my throat had been. Close, but not close enough. I caught his arm and twisted, his balance breaking a moment, but long enough for me to hook his leg and send them to the ground. Oum! I love my new [Hand-to Hand Combat].

I pressed my knee against his arm, pinning it. The sword in my hand hovered just above his throat.

"Dead again," I said, calm as ever.

His chest rose and fell in steady breaths. There was nothing but focus in his eyes.

"Again?" Bell asked.

"Again," I said as I smiled at him.

It would be another hour before we finished our training. He has come a long way. Of course, I knew about his Liaris Freese. I guess, no matter the situation, he was always destined to get that skill.

"By the way, Bell. Since you have been doing quite well, I thought I would give you something as a reward," I said to Bell. This immediately got his attention, even if he was sprawled on the ground due to exhaustion.

"Come on, get up," I said to Bell. He got up and faced me.

"This would hurt a bit," I said to him. I placed my palm on his forehead and used [Teles – A-rank].

I know of the limitations of the magic slots of the people with Falna, but I have a theory that the limit only applies to acquired magic. However, learning the proper spell formula should not occupy a slot. This is why I wanted to see if Bell would be able to use magic with the formula I have created.

Bell winced in pain. Sometimes, he is such a baby. According to the info, it should not be any more painful than a bee sting. He is an adventurer who has quite high stats for his level, yet still winces in pain from something that is essentially a bee sting.

"Did you understand it?" I asked Bell. He nodded at me and demonstrated it.

"Lightning Blade!" said Bell. Lightning gathered around his palm into a sphere, but the moment he closed his palm, it turned into a 30cm blade.

"Good! How does it feel? Is it very draining to use?" I asked. Right now, he still has his Mind to I0.

"It is not very taxing. I think I would be able to use it at least five more times before I get a mind down. Also, I don't know how I know, but it's like instinct. It seems to be absorbing some ambient magic in the air to maintain itself," said Bell. Good! That means the spell is working according to its formula.

"So? How does it feel to wield magic? I know you've been wanting to try it out," I told him.

"It's amazing! But, how did you do that? According to the people I have asked. If you acquire magic, one should be able to feel as if some part of himself has been filled, but I did not feel anything like that," asked Bell.

"That's because that only happens from acquired magic, not magic with a proper spell formula like I gave you. A spell formula is an intricate magic sequence that molds your magic into whatever it is rather than whatever acquire magic does," I told him. I was not privy to how acquired magic works.

"Anyway, we are done for today. I know how much you wanted to go with your Goddess to that restaurant you found. Oh, my! Could it be you have something going on with your Goddess?" I teased. I saw the blush on his face.

"Goddess Hestia and I are not like that!" said Bell. He was very embarrassed.

"Oh? And why not? There is nothing wrong with having a relationship with a Goddess, let alone one that is very into you," I said. I wanted to push him to be different from his counterpart. I mean, this world isn't the canon world.

Bell had his mouth gaping. He was shocked by what I told him. It was true, I saw how Hestia wanted Bell very badly.

Now, for me. I need to find a way to ask Hephaestus out to dinner. I could ask her after our lesson tomorrow. Damn it! I can't believe I am nervous to ask someone out! I mean, I was someone who did not interact much with the opposite sex in my past life. In this life, there are my sister, RWBY, CFVY and my team, but they are people I do not have romantic attraction to.

As I made my way to my inn, I looked at my [Skills] tab and upgraded all of the spells that I had placed in my [Thought Partition] to solve, but I was disappointed that [Ei Chael – A-rank] and [Eyss – A-rank] were not able to do what I wanted them to do.

However, I have another spell in my [Thought Partition] that is being deciphered. It is called [Penerisc]. It is a spell that dispels a curse and its magic formula. I am hoping that upgrading it to A-rank when I learn it will be able to give me what I want.

As I walked, I noticed a familiar place from the show. Hostess of Fertility. Really, the name of the pub makes it sound like a different kind of establishment. I get it, the workers are all female, but come on! That's a very subjective name.

Oh, well. Since I am here, why not have a taste of their food? I am too lazy to cook myself dinner anyway. I was just planning to head to my room and go to bed, but I guess I could have something to eat before crashing for the night.