Chapter 196: You Learned It? Really?

Of course, there was nothing to say about the liquor from Ichiryu's collection—it was all top-notch. By now, some people were already tipsy. Even those who didn't drink were a bit nervous watching the scene. Loki, in particular, was completely drunk and started talking nonsense to everyone around her.

The party lasted from eight all the way until midnight. Everyone truly enjoyed themselves this time. Boros and Saten Ruiko left when things started winding down. Boros took the already passed-out Saitama back to his world. Saten Ruiko left early, too—she didn't dare linger too long at Takumi's place.

Ais and Suoh Mikoto, however, didn't leave. Takumi had the robots arrange rooms for them to rest, and after making sure everyone was settled, he could finally relax. Most people stayed at Takumi's place, though Asuna and others who had school the next day left—they'd be attending classes here starting tomorrow. Kaguya and Eirin also stayed, but as they were already drunk, they went off to rest early. With everyone settled, Takumi, too, went off to rest.

The next day, Ais and the others didn't leave in a hurry either; instead, they spent their time exploring Takumi's world. They were especially curious about Aincrad, so Ais and Riveria went there to play.

Meanwhile, Takumi called Loki aside for a chat about Blessings. He hadn't forgotten about this and needed to clarify how Blessings actually worked. Loki was a bit surprised at his question.

"You're interested in Blessings? It shouldn't be of much use to someone as powerful as you."

For Takumi, who was already so strong, Blessings wouldn't make much of a difference.

"Blessings allow people to level up. With some modification, I could integrate it into Aincrad, letting even ordinary people grow stronger through their own battles. It's necessary."

Indeed, Blessings weren't of much use to Takumi, but for others, they made a big difference.

Hearing this, Loki nodded in understanding. "I see. Alright, I'll teach you!"

Loki began explaining the concept of Blessings to him. As she spoke, Takumi mentally simulated the process, and quickly grasped the mechanics.

"Got it!"

Just one run-through and he understood everything. Loki stared at him in disbelief.

"You really got it?"

She was suspicious—after all, she'd only demonstrated once, and Takumi was already saying he'd mastered it?

"Yep, I've got it. Your Blessings use divine blood to manifest a person's stats, then draw out their potential and help them gradually break their limits. That's all there is to it, right? I just need to tweak the method a little. I won't even need divine blood—just some guidance is enough."

Takumi beamed. It was all so simple. Once he got the gist, nothing could stump him. With his current abilities, he could master almost anything at a glance.

Loki was stunned. "That strong, huh?"

"Don't be surprised. I can pick up most things just by watching once." Takumi was thoroughly pleased. With Three Tigers' talent, all his accumulated knowledge, and previous enhancements, just seeing Loki demonstrate once was enough.

Loki was left frustrated. Blessings were supposed to be the crystallization of the gods' research—yet Takumi had picked it up at a glance? Was this for real?

But Takumi didn't bother explaining. Having mastered it, he immediately got busy.

He headed to Aincrad to put what he'd learned into practice, leaving Loki behind. She was left at a loss—what now? There was no one else around, so she contacted Ais using the terminal Takumi had given her and hurried off to find her. Otherwise, in this unfamiliar place, she'd have no idea where to go.

...

Arriving at Aincrad, Takumi got right to work modifying the core system. There were quite a few people inside now. Many of the cursed children basically lived here, and some people came just to make money, since Takumi's currency was exchangeable. Here, you could learn and also earn—no wonder some people came to train and grow stronger.

Overall, the place was thriving. Apart from the cursed children, the main residents were the magical girl warriors, followed by students from the magic academy, like Tendo Kisara.

Takumi reviewed the current situation, then got to work. He turned the Blessings technique into a program and installed it. Now, anyone entering Aincrad and fighting would automatically receive a Blessing, with their personal stats displayed as a six-dimensional attribute panel. All their strengths, weaknesses, and skills would be plain to see.

After everything was set up, Takumi had Prometheus issue an announcement, explaining the details about Blessings. When he finished, he nodded in satisfaction.

"With this, everything should be fine! Perfect!"

Now, Aincrad was truly a training paradise. Anyone who wanted to get stronger just had to come here and fight—they'd be sure to get results.

Looking around, Takumi smiled. Everyone seemed to be having a great time here!