[195] : Two Days of Sparring—Finn and Ottar's Gratitude!

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Afternoon.

After lunch, Mika sat in the courtyard, contemplating their next move.

As the leader of this operation, he had to ensure everything was meticulously planned.

Soon, Ottar and Finn arrived with their companions.

"I've been thinking," Mika began. "Since we need to remain discreet, perhaps we should conduct our training in the dungeon."

"We can find a isolated area on the 18th floor. While one of us trains, the others can keep watch, preventing anyone from stumbling upon us and discovering our secret."

"What do you think?"

"That works. It will also allow us to handle Familia matters during our downtime. However, we'll need our Familia members to relay messages between us and the surface," Finn suggested, nodding in agreement.

The Freya Familia members also agreed. With the decisive battle approaching, both Familias had numerous matters to attend to.

Their leaders' absence for training would undoubtedly create some disruption.

However, with their goddesses overseeing things, they weren't overly concerned.

Though, given their goddesses'… unique personalities, they would likely find these administrative tasks quite troublesome.

Therefore, as the strategists of their respective Familias, Finn and Riveria often took on these responsibilities to ease their goddesses' burdens.

"Then it's settled. To avoid attracting attention, we'll depart separately."

"Let's meet at the designated location on the 18th floor in one hour."

"Agreed." Finn and the others nodded and quickly departed. With their speed, an hour was more than enough time to reach the 18th floor.

Ten minutes later, after changing into his training attire, Mika left as well. Fifty minutes was ample time for him.

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After a quick journey through the dungeon,

Mika arrived at the 18th floor, the first safe zone.

Finn was already waiting for him. The others had arrived earlier and chosen a suitable location for their training.

Finn led him to the isolated area.

Mika surveyed the surroundings, a smile touching his lips.

The isolated clearing reminded him of the times he, Mellie, and Airmid had trained together in the forests outside Orario.

"Based on my experience, the most effective way to improve quickly is through sparring," he addressed the group.

"Ottar, let's start with you."

"Very well." Ottar stepped forward, drawing his greatsword and channeling his fighting spirit.

A wave of pressure washed over Mika.

He calmly drew his longsword, deflecting the pressure, and held it before him, ready.

To Ottar, Mika seemed full of openings, yet he couldn't find a single one he could exploit.

"Then, let's begin." With a smile, Mika vanished.

Ottar's eyes followed Mika's movements.

As a Level 6 veteran, his eyesight was sharp enough to track Mika's speed.

He saw Mika reappear beside him.

Ottar might acknowledge Mika's superior skill, but he wouldn't admit defeat without a fight.

He swung his greatsword, intending to catch Mika off guard.

But Mika anticipated his move. He easily dodged the attack and thrust his sword towards a vital point.

Ottar quickly retracted his greatsword to block, unaware that Mika had targeted a weakness in his defense.

The high-level adventurers of Orario, through countless battles in the dungeon, had honed their combat skills.

The dungeon, a crucible of life and death, pushed them to their limits, forcing them to adapt and improve.

Therefore, they all possessed considerable skill. It was a product of their environment.

Mika believed the same tactics he used against Zald would work against them as well.

His blade pierced Ottar's defenses.

"So fast!" Finn and the others marveled inwardly.

They weren't referring to Mika's speed, but to how quickly he had managed to injure Ottar.

While they acknowledged Mika's superior skill, they were confident in their own abilities.

They hadn't expected him to land a blow so quickly.

In their minds, it should have taken dozens of exchanges.

"It seems he was holding back before," Finn mused.

During their dungeon expedition, they had sparred with Mika, but he hadn't displayed this level of skill.

Back then, it had taken him several moves to gain the upper hand.

Ottar, feeling the sting of the wound, felt his fighting spirit ignite.

He couldn't accept such an outcome.

His attacks became more ferocious, but this only resulted in more injuries.

Although Mika was holding back, deliberately avoiding any serious wounds, the accumulation of minor cuts and the resulting blood loss eventually took their toll.

Ottar collapsed, less than half an hour after their duel began.

"Next!" Mika declared, watching as Ottar lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

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"Clang!" After a prolonged duel, Finn, too, fell, unable to withstand Mika's relentless assault on his weaknesses.

He lay on the ground, arms spread wide, unable to move.

Mika chuckled. Of the seven, all but Riveria had now faced him in a duel.

Their clothes were torn and tattered, their bodies covered in minor cuts.

"At this rate, we won't have enough healing potions," Riveria remarked, handing Finn an elixir.

"We'll need to request more from our Familia members when they come to deliver our reports."

Mika nodded. "Indeed. They'll need them." Although he hadn't inflicted any serious injuries, the cuts, combined with the exertion from their battles, would require high-grade potions to heal quickly.

After all, these weren't adventurers who lacked resources.

"Take this time to reflect on your earlier performance," he said, looking at the others. "I doubt you want to be defeated so easily again."

"We'll resume our training once Riveria and I are finished."

With that, he led Riveria to a separate area she had prepared for their archery practice.

She had chosen a spot away from the others, giving them ample space for their own training.

After all, improving their martial arts was crucial for all of them.

While it was an essential aspect of their strength, it wasn't as important for her.

As a mage, her primary focus was on magic. Archery was merely a hobby.

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Two days passed in a blur of relentless training.

They hadn't rested at all, constantly sparring and pushing each other to their limits.

While Mika dueled one of them, the others continued training on their own.

Ottar, Finn, showed the most improvement.

As for the others, Riveria was a mage; improving her archery wouldn't significantly enhance her overall strength.

It only increased her versatility.

Gareth, primarily a defensive fighter and the Loki Familia's shield, relied more on brute strength than technique.

His martial skills hadn't reached the human limit, but he had significantly improved his swordsmanship and shield techniques.

Hogni and Hedin, like Gareth, hadn't reached their peak in martial arts.

As magic swordsmen, their focus was on combining magic and swordsmanship.

Therefore, their improvement was limited.

However, Finn, Ottar, were different.

As primarily martial fighters, they had all reached the pinnacle of human skill before Mika's training.

Under his guidance, and through his "Weakness Exploitation" tactics, their perception had increased dramatically, leading to significant improvements in their skills.

However, their basis in martial arts couldn't compare to Zald's years of experience.

Therefore, their progress, while significant, wasn't as rapid as his earlier gains.

Despite two days of intense training, their improvement was roughly equivalent to Zald's progress in just a few minutes.

They had all reached the pseudo-Godly Domain level of martial skill.

But that was enough. Having reached a similar level of skill as Zald and Alfia, they were now prepared to face them.

"I don't know how Finn and the others defeated Zald and Alfia in the original story, but at least I've mitigated the damage caused by my earlier actions," Mika thought, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Since Zald and Alfia weren't present in Orario's future, they must have perished during this era. Therefore, Finn and the others were destined to be victorious.

However, if Mika's actions had inadvertently shifted the balance of power, leading to a victory for the dark faction, he would never forgive himself.

"I've taught you everything I can. The rest is up to you," he said to the group.

"Thank you, Mika." Finn clapped him on the shoulder, his voice filled with gratitude.

Ottar and the others followed suit, even Allen, who rarely expressed such sentiments, managing a mumbled "thanks." They all understood how much they had gained.

"Instead of thanking me, focus your efforts on defeating Zald and Alfia, and protecting our city," Mika said with a smile.

"We will," Finn and Ottar declared in unison.

"Good luck."

…

"I'm home…" Mika stumbled into the Familia home, exhausted both physically and mentally.

"Welcome back!" Airmid and Mellie greeted him cheerfully, rushing to his side.

"What happened to you?!" Airmid exclaimed, seeing his state, and reached out to cast her healing magic.

"No, stop!" Mika grabbed her hand. "I'm just tired. We haven't slept in two days."

Despite their exceptional abilities, even they couldn't go without sleep.

Two days of intense training and constant sparring had taken their toll.

Mika had given them half a day to rest and recover before the decisive battle.

They couldn't face such a formidable foe in their current state.

"If you use your magic, I won't be able to sleep properly," he complained.

Airmid and Mellie chuckled, then helped him to his room.

As he lay on his bed, drifting off to sleep, he mumbled, "Are the preparations complete?"

"Don't worry, everything's ready," Airmid reassured him gently.

"Good. When I wake up…it's time for the decisive battle."

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