Ais stared in disbelief at Yor, who was slowly retracting her leg. She hadn't even seen what happened before she was kicked.
"Was that too hard?" Yor grew nervous when she saw Ais coughing up blood. Did she use too much force? She didn't feel like she had put that much strength into it!
Steadying herself, Ais wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. She spoke slowly, "I'm just too weak. I apologize, Instructor Yor. I couldn't even withstand a single kick from you."
This immediately made Yor panic. She hurriedly replied, "No, no, no! I'm the one who should be apologizing! I used too much force. Are you okay?"
And so, the two of them began apologizing to each other. One felt she was too weak to take even a single strike, while the other felt she had hit too hard and made her opponent spit blood.
This left the previously worried Lefiya deep in thought. *Is this right? Why does this feel so weird?*
*Why does Miss Yor inexplicably feel a bit like Miss Ais?*
Lefiya was shocked, bewildered, and utterly incredulous. It was obvious she was completely baffled by their behavior. However, precisely because of this, Yor and Ais's relationship quickly improved.
After apologizing to each other for a while, Yor began to converse with Ais, explaining various sword techniques and pointing out many issues that Ais usually overlooked.
Listening intently to Yor's explanations, Ais took everything to heart and shared her own struggles—specifically, her prolonged inability to break through to Lv.6.
Hearing this, Yor immediately smiled. Looking at Ais, she couldn't help but say, "You're too impatient, Ais. When it comes to strength, sometimes the more you rush, the slower you progress. What you need to do is calm your mind."
As a Lv.8 adventurer, Yor understood this perfectly. After briefly hearing about Ais's situation, she knew exactly why the girl couldn't break through. Listening to Yor's explanation, Ais was left stunned.
*Am I too impatient?* But on second thought, she really had been anxious lately about her stalled progress, to the point of constantly challenging others and seeking a master.
Guided by Yor's insights, Ais slowly began to understand. She took a deep breath, then bowed deeply to Yor. "Thank you for clearing my doubts, Instructor Yor. I understand now."
Seeing that Ais had taken her words to heart, Yor nodded in satisfaction. "It's good that you understand. Actually, I suggest you avoid going down into the Dungeon for a while. If you don't mind, you can come to me and learn a few things."
Although she didn't know why Natsuki Minamiya wanted her to take Ais as a student, now that the girl was officially her pupil, Yor would naturally teach her wholeheartedly.
Hearing Yor's offer, Ais hesitated for a moment before agreeing. "Alright. I won't participate in any expeditions for the time being. From now on, I'll come to learn from you every day!"
Even though she couldn't go to the Dungeon, she wouldn't refuse the chance to study here with Yor. The two of them finalized the arrangement on the spot.
She had participated in every expedition in the past, but now she would have to sit them out temporarily. She would need to inform everyone once she returned.
Just as Ais was thinking this, Riveria and Natsuki Minamiya walked over. Riveria had overheard Yor's suggestion to Ais and immediately spoke up. "Ais, you don't need to join the upcoming expeditions. Just stay here and focus on your studies."
Riveria was quite satisfied with the outcome of this visit. She had achieved her desired results, and Natsuki Minamiya was also keen on cooperating with them. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
"Okay!" Ais nodded. With Riveria's approval, a weight was lifted from her shoulders. As for what Riveria and Natsuki Minamiya had discussed, she wasn't interested.
After speaking with Riveria, she went back to studying under Yor. Seeing this, Riveria turned to Natsuki Minamiya. "Instructor Minamiya, I will take my leave now."
Natsuki Minamiya nodded at Riveria's words, then glanced at Lefiya, who was standing nearby. "If this child doesn't mind, she can also stay and study with me. Although the magic of our two worlds is somewhat different, there is still much we can learn from each other."
Since Yor had taken on a student, she naturally didn't mind taking one herself. As the Loki Familia was one of the major factions in Orario, building a good relationship with them was far better than making enemies.
The Loki Familia shared the exact same sentiment, which made their cooperative talks go incredibly smoothly. Even Hestia didn't raise any objections, as she clearly understood the mutual benefits.
In the future, the Loki Familia would provide assistance to Ren Isana and his group here in Orario. Conversely, if the Loki Familia ever wanted to expand into their world, Ren's side would offer their support.
With mutual benefits on the table, the alliance was easily formed. Having established this foundation of cooperation, Natsuki Minamiya was naturally willing to teach the elf—a fair exchange of interests.
That way, when Ren Isana learned their magic, the Loki Familia wouldn't be able to complain, because she was teaching their member in return.
Riveria's eyes lit up at Natsuki Minamiya's offer. She immediately accepted on Lefiya's behalf. "Excellent, then we will trouble you. Lefiya, you stay here as well and study hard under Instructor Minamiya."
This was truly an unexpected delight. Just as Natsuki Minamiya had said, even if their magic systems differed, they could still draw inspiration from one another. This was especially true considering Natsuki Minamiya was a spatial mage.
Moreover, she seemed capable of teaching others. If Lefiya could learn even a fraction of her skills, it would be a massive gain. What reason could Riveria possibly have to refuse?
Hearing their exchange, Lefiya was stunned for a moment before agreeing. If she could stay and accompany Ais, that would naturally be for the best.
After finishing her conversation with Natsuki Minamiya, Riveria took her leave. Watching her depart, Natsuki Minamiya turned to Lefiya. "Come with me. I'll teach you a few things and see if you can grasp them."
Lefiya's eyes instantly lit up at those words, and she hurriedly replied, "Yes, Instructor Minamiya! I'll be in your care!"
Hearing the respectful title, the corners of Natsuki Minamiya's mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly. *This child is much more polite than those brats. Especially that guy, Ren Isana—he still refuses to call me Instructor Minamiya even now!*
Ren Isana, who was currently forging equipment, naturally had no idea what Natsuki Minamiya was thinking. Although he could sense everything happening around the estate, he couldn't read minds, so he was oblivious to her inner thoughts.
The Loki Familia and Hestia Familia were now officially allies. Using his perception abilities, Ren glanced over at Hestia's location. *Is that girl actually excited right now?*
But thinking about it, it made sense. For Hestia, even though Loki hadn't come personally, this still counted as the rival Familia coming to their doorstep to ask for cooperation, right? Who knew how ruthlessly Hestia would mock that ironing board the next time they met.
As long as Hestia had no objections, it was fine. Ren was equally supportive of allying with the Loki Familia; otherwise, he wouldn't have let Ais study under Yor.
The mission for Ren and his group in this world was to establish a firm foothold and build their own faction, but one day, they would inevitably leave.
If they all left in the future, the Hestia Familia would be left to fend for itself. But an alliance with the Loki Familia changed things. Even if Ren and the others never returned to this world, Hestia would still have allies to rely on.
His mission was already mostly complete, and he didn't need to micromanage the subsequent affairs. Ais's choice was merely an unexpected bonus; Ren's core plan remained the same.
He would continue to train in this world's Dungeon to elevate his own strength. Now that they were allied with Loki, he could even hitch a ride with their expedition teams in the future.
*The monsters on the deeper floors give way more Excelia, after all.* Ren thought to himself as he hammered away at the metal. It wasn't until evening that he finally finished crafting weapons for all his classmates.
However, he didn't stop there. Instead, he gathered the remaining materials to forge the final two weapons. They were identical—looking like two iron rods at first glance, but they were actually a pair of stilettos, thin-bladed daggers.
That's right, these were the weapons Ren was forging for Yor. He had directly recreated the weapons Yor used in her anime—slender, sharp, and resembling oversized sewing needles.
After finishing the two stilettos, Ren stored them away and looked at his classmates, who had all received their new weapons.
Everyone was incredibly excited, thrilled as they examined the weapons in their hands. They all knew that, barring any accidents, these weapons would accompany them for the rest of their lives.
Perhaps it was Ren's twisted sense of humor, but he had forged everyone's weapons to resemble iconic weapons from various anime. If nothing else, their aesthetic appeal was off the charts.
For instance, a classmate skilled with a spear received Gáe Bolg, which was quite the impressive piece. For those suited to swords, he had crafted blades like Arondight and handed them out.
He couldn't help but wonder—if they ever traveled to those specific worlds in the future and a bunch of his classmates charged in wielding a pile of knock-offs, would the original owners of those weapons be completely dumbfounded?
*Just thinking about it is pretty hilarious.* Ren looked at the crowd, the corners of his mouth curling up. All his classmates were gathered here; those who couldn't fit inside the room were standing outside.
After shutting off the furnace, Ren addressed everyone. "For the next two days, take the time to familiarize yourselves with your new weapons. Go ask Instructor Yor for guidance. We'll head back into the Dungeon after a while."
Hearing Ren's instructions, everyone nodded in agreement. Naturally, no one had any objections. In fact, this arrangement was for the best—they needed time to get used to their new gear. As for armor, Ren hadn't crafted any for them.
The armor everyone currently wore was more than sufficient. When it needed maintenance, they could just head over to the Hephaestus Familia to get it repaired. It wouldn't cost many Valis anyway.
Ren also planned to use this downtime to completely devour the book Miach had given him. Some of the magic recorded in it was quite useful, and Ren intended to figure all of them out.
In particular, there was a [Healing Magic] spell called [Mass Heal] that Ren desperately needed. He wondered if any of his classmates would develop a healing talent as they leveled up.
If someone did, they could properly subdivide everyone's roles. Ren couldn't seriously be expected to moonlight as the party's healer forever. It all depended on what kind of magic his classmates awakened after leveling up.
The only pity was that no one in the class currently possessed a healing talent. Thinking of this, Ren sighed. It was a real shame. If even one person had healing abilities, the value of that book would skyrocket.
After tidying up the workshop, Ren walked out. The people waiting outside followed him as they all headed toward Yor's location. They planned to inform Yor of their training schedule, and Ren would deliver her new weapons along the way.
When they arrived at the training grounds, the group saw Ais sparring with Yor. Ais was attacking relentlessly while simultaneously receiving Yor's guidance.
Seeing the students arrive, Yor called for Ais to stop. Ais's eyes lit up when she saw Ren. Even though she was now studying under Yor, she certainly hadn't forgotten about him.
After all, Ren was someone who could instantly learn her magic and then develop entirely new techniques from it. He was absolutely someone worth learning from.
"Are you finished with your work, Ren?" Yor walked up to him and asked. As she looked at the weapons in the students' hands, a flash of anticipation crossed her eyes. *These children should be coming to ask me for guidance next, right?*
"I'm all done, Instructor Yor. We plan to study under you for the next few days to get familiar with our new weapons," Ren stated directly.
Hearing Ren say this, Yor immediately broke into a delighted smile. "No problem! You can all come to me for guidance anytime. I will absolutely teach you everything I know."
She was supposed to be everyone's weapons instructor, but since arriving in this world, these kids had mostly huddled in the workshop, save for asking her a few questions over the past couple of days.
This made her feel completely useless. She was a teacher, explicitly responsible for instructing them, yet these kids were busy doing other things. It had been incredibly depressing for her.
Now that the students' weapons were finally finished, it was finally her turn to be useful. This made her incredibly happy.
"Instructor Yor, these weapons are for you." Ren looked at the visibly excited Yor and couldn't help but mutter in his heart, *Does Yor actually enjoy teaching students this much? Well, that works out perfectly.*
Ren pulled out the final two stilettos he had forged and presented them to Yor. Seeing this unexpected gift, Yor was pleasantly surprised.
"Are these for me?" Yor hadn't expected to get anything. This was a true surprise, and her smile couldn't have been any brighter. Moreover, she instantly fell in love with the weapons in Ren's hands.
"Yes. I felt that Instructor Yor would definitely be suited for this type of weapon, so I forged a pair for you. I hope you like them." Ren said as he handed the two stilettos over to Yor.
Yor didn't stand on ceremony. She took them directly and gave them a few practice twirls in her hands. The joy on her face deepened as she said, "Thank you, Ren! I love these weapons!"
*They feel so natural to use!* She absolutely adored these two weapons, and the fact that they were a gift from her student made her love them even more.
"I'm glad you like them. If we find better materials in the future, we can incorporate them to improve their quality."
Ren smiled, seeing how happy she was.
"Mhm, I'll keep that in mind! Come find me tomorrow morning, everyone. I'll teach you some assassina—... combat techniques that are useful on the battlefield." She nearly let it slip mid-sentence.
However, none of the students were stupid. They naturally understood what Yor had been about to say. *She's going to teach us assassination techniques, isn't she?*
*Good lord, Instructor Yor really used to be an assassin, didn't she?*
Many classmates couldn't help but speculate. Although Instructor Yor seemed very gentle, her aura during combat was absolutely terrifying, and sometimes she exuded a thick, suffocating killing intent.
It was obvious without even thinking about it—Instructor Yor was definitely not a simple person. But this was a good thing for everyone. After all, the stronger the teacher, the more they could learn.
Ren watched as Yor continuously twirled the two stilettos, occasionally executing a few practice strikes. He couldn't help but mutter in his heart, *These... these are all aimed straight at vital organs.*
The upcoming curriculum was going to be... *Instructor Yor Teaches You How to Efficiently Slaughter Monsters?* Just thinking about it made Ren's scalp tingle. And the most important part was that Yor's movements couldn't even be considered standard martial arts techniques. They were pure killing skills... a method of rapid reaping, born exclusively for the battlefield!