"It's just--"
Lan Ze's voice suddenly faltered. For a moment, he forgot what mythology Ereshkigal actually belonged to.
"She's the Goddess of the Underworld from Golden Flash's era." In the end, Lan Ze changed how he phrased it.
"Golden Flash..." Scathach murmured softly, then suddenly chuckled. "Oh, you mean that supremely arrogant King of Heroes?"
"The Goddess of the Underworld from that era..." Scathach absentmindedly picked a red petal off the ground and said softly, "I have no idea where she is, but I am quite curious. Why on earth are you looking for her?"
"I have some business with her," Lan Ze answered vaguely.
Scathach glanced at Lan Ze, seeing that he had no desire to answer directly.
The woman did not mind, however, simply giving a faint smile. "Though I cannot help you find her, you can find that goddess yourself."
"How?" Lan Ze asked curiously.
"Have you ever heard of Rune Script?" Scathach asked.
Lan Ze nodded lightly.
As the queen of the Land of Shadows, Scathach was the master of the Land of Shadows, as well as a genius in swordsmanship and Rune Magic. In fact, she could use all kinds of weapons, and Cú Chulainn had once studied under her to become a powerhouse of a generation... though he had E-rank Luck.
"There are many runes in Rune Magic—binding runes, the four elements, and even runes of exploration exist. If you want to find someone, you might as well learn Rune Magic first and then go look for them yourself."
"Of course, whether you can learn it depends on your own comprehension."
"You're willing to teach me?" Lan Ze asked.
"Naturally. I am your teacher, and it is completely normal for a teacher to instruct students, impart knowledge, and resolve doubts, is it not?" Scathach smiled. She raised her hand and gently stroked across Lan Ze's face.
"You must steel yourself mentally, though. Learning Rune Magic is far more difficult than training in martial arts."
For some reason, upon hearing this, Lan Ze felt an inexplicable sense of dread.
Even though the woman's voice was exceptionally gentle at the moment, that soft tone seemed to be weaving into a net, waiting for him to jump in of his own accord.
Seeing Lan Ze's hesitant expression, Scathach did not rush him, simply sitting down casually beside him. "Tell me when you've made up your mind."
Scathach felt that rather than pushing Lan Ze along from behind, it was better to let him have a goal of his own; teaching him that way would be much more efficient.
At that very moment, Lan Ze was caught in a brief moment of contemplation.
Without a doubt, having Scathach act as his teacher to instruct him was a wonderful... yet extremely painful thing.
On one hand, his strength would undergo a qualitative leap, but on the other hand... that demonic training method made Lan Ze feel a sense of cold dread just thinking about it.
Having lived in this world for so long, this was the first time he had seen a true Heroic Spirit... even if it was only in a dreamscape.
At the very least, the people in this dream were real.
If he could really learn Rune Magic from Scathach here, leaving aside finding Ereshkigal for a moment, at least his self-preservation abilities would grow stronger... After all, this was Type-Moon, where all sorts of crises existed. If he knew Rune Magic, he would at least be able to protect himself.
It was just that Scathach's method of honing others was truly too... Looking at Scathach's curvaceous and sexy physique, Lan Ze couldn't help but shake his head helplessly.
Just a moment ago, his heart had been pierced by Scathach no less than ten times. This woman played for keeps when training people; if she said she was going to pierce you, she would pierce you without wasting half a sentence.
"What is it? I asked you to consider whether or not to learn Rune Magic, so why are you staring at me in a daze instead?"
Noticing Lan Ze's gaze, Scathach said with a hint of teasing, "Or do you need to act spoiled a little toward your master to relieve some stress before training?"
Why didn't I think of that... Lan Ze felt somewhat tempted.
"If acting a little spoiled can make your psychological pressure less burdensome, I suppose I wouldn't mind it on my end." Scathach sat on the ground with her knees drawn up, her red eyes quietly sizing up Lan Ze, and then let out a light chuckle. "This is probably one of the few things I can do as a teacher."
In a dreamscape world blooming with a sea of red flowers, Scathach gently pressed Lan Ze's head, letting the disciple's back of the head rest upon her lap.
Lan Ze swore that this was the most exhilarating moment of his life thus far. The sensation of the back of his head resting against her thighs through a thin layer of fabric sent ripples of emotion through his mind, generating the thought, So what if the rigorous training is tough? Big deal!
This was probably the power of a lecher.
Scathach said nothing, simply looking down at the young man who lay enjoying himself with his head resting on her lap. Within those tranquil red eyes, a faint trace of amusement flashed at that moment.
She did not know why she was feeling so exhilarated right now. As she looked at the weak appearance of the black-haired youth, a sort of latent sadism seemed to slowly rise from the depths of her heart.
Yet now was not the time; the prey had not fallen completely into the trap. Only when Lan Ze proactively proposed learning Rune Magic could she officially begin her "instruction."
At that thought, Scathach's smile grew even richer. A wisp of purple hair brushed lightly across Lan Ze's face, tickling him and carrying a faint fragrance.
"Is it right here?"
At that very moment, a man with his hands in his pockets was tracking Lan Ze all the way to the front of a certain apartment building. With a cigarette clamped between his lips, exhaling plumes of smoke, his hawk-like, sharp eyes stared intently at the apartment ahead.
"Sure enough. Not only that youth, but even this apartment building itself has a Magic Barrier on it."
He had originally come to Tokyo to search for a Holy Relic he needed, but he hadn't expected an unexpected harvest.
With a Magic Barrier of this level, that youth must surely be a superb magician, right?
Yet the Mage's Association had never heard of such a person... It was necessary to investigate.
However, just as the man was about to take a step forward, a crisp, pleasant, and melodious voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Um... excuse me, what are you doing here?"
The man's steps came to an abrupt halt, and he slowly turned around to look. Appearing before him was a girl who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, appearing delicate and fragile. She stood before him with her hands behind her back, a smile on her face.
"You are...?" he asked.
"Well... actually, I should be the one asking you." Sajyou Manaka pressed her index finger against her lips and tilted her head slightly.
"Why would a magician appear in this place?"
Magician... The man's pupils dilated sharply. This girl was actually a magician too?!
By the time he reacted, however, it was already far too late. He saw the young girl gently clap her palms, and in an instant, countless magical beasts fell from midair, surrounding the man completely.
Sajyou Manaka stood with her hands behind her back under the dim yellow streetlights. There was not a single soul on the street, and the young girl's usually bright, azure-blue eyes appeared somewhat murky at the moment.
"Magicians shouldn't be wandering over here, you know."
"Rune Script is an extremely mysterious set of symbols. Whether you can learn them depends on your own talent."
Once the lap pillow session ended, Lan Ze crawled off Scathach's lap with lingering reluctance, listening to the woman's words in a daze.
"Can ordinary people learn Rune Magic too?"
"Ordinary people naturally cannot," Scathach paused, casting a sideways glance at Lan Ze. "But what does that have to do with you?"
"How could someone who possesses that Crystal Ball possibly be an ordinary person? Even if they aren't exceptionally powerful, they must at least be someone with extraordinary talent."
"Ah... thanks for the compliment?"
He hadn't expected his master to hold him in such high regard; could he actually be some kind of genius? Lan Ze wanted to put his hands on his hips for a moment.
"No need to thank me. I am merely speaking the truth, and this does not change the fact that you are currently very weak." Scathach poured a bucket of cold water over him, striking first with a blow and then offering a sweet. She had the young boy's psychological activities completely wrapped around her finger.
"Do you have any more questions? If not, we begin." Scathach asked.
"I don't have any questions, but I hope this time it can be slightly... I mean, slightly less rigorous." Lan Ze had a bit of psychological trauma from Scathach's demonic training earlier.
Scathach flashed a charming smile. "Ah, are you talking about that? Of course there's no problem. Rest assured."
Three hours later.
"Let me out quickly! I'm not learning anymore!"
A scream from Lan Ze echoed through the empty sea of flowers. Flames pursued closely at his heels, leaving Lan Ze terrified and frantic as he tried his utmost to evade the fire chasing him from behind, yet those flames pressed on relentlessly, threatening to burn his back at any moment.
"It's still too far from time to give up! Do not run away—use Rune Magic to summon an ice wall and block my attack!"
Not long ago, her voice had been a gentle tone, but at this moment, not a shred of gentleness could be heard in Scathach's voice. The cold and stern voice chilled Lan Ze to the bone, yet he didn't even have time to complain, forced instead to run for his life and desperately dodge the incoming flames from behind.
At that moment, a burst of fire surged toward him from the front. Lan Ze's heart tightened, and he instinctively raised his finger.
A thick ice wall appeared before his eyes, rapidly melting within the flames. For a moment, thick fog billowed ahead, and ultimately, both the fire and the ice wall vanished together.
"I actually managed to use a rune?!" Lan Ze said in pleasant surprise.
"This is no time to be dazing off, boy!" Scathach's lovely voice came from behind, though in Lan Ze's ears, it was no different from a demon's.
Time slipped away silently. Lan Ze had no idea how many times he had been chased in his dreams.
Scathach's teaching method was terrifying to the extreme, leaving Lan Ze with some psychological trauma to this day.
He lay in the sea of flowers, breathing heavily in huge gasps. Scathach stood to the side, looking down at the youth with a slight smile on her face. "The more dangerous the situation, the more it squeezes out your body's potential. I believe you understand my methods by now."
Understanding was one thing, but if they did this every single night, he feared he would drop dead from exhaustion sooner or later... Lan Ze didn't speak, but the look he gave Scathach conveyed precisely that sentiment.
"I still hope you'll show mercy next time," Lan Ze panted as he spoke.
"If one day you can withstand my attacks, or even counterattack and defeat me on that basis, wouldn't you be free of such troubles?" Scathach chuckled softly.
"As your teacher, naturally I take everything into consideration for my disciple. You needn't worry about me training you to death; I will gauge the limits properly."
Lan Ze blankly gazed at the woman's exquisite features, her slightly pressed lips, her relaxed brows, her smooth long hair, and the proud, full curves heaved up against her chest, right down to her sexy thighs. No matter how he looked at it, she was truly a great beauty.
He emotionally hugged Scathach's thigh. "Thank you, Master!"
The tactile feel was quite good.
Scathach cast a sideways glance at him, a smile still lingering on her face. "Boy, your motives are far too obvious. Though I don't hate this kind of straightforward expression, however..."
The woman kicked Lan Ze right out of the dreamscape with a single kick.
"It's still not time yet."
As if his soul and body were snapping back together, Lan Ze jerked upright from the head of his bed, breathing heavily.
He turned his head to glance out the window. The morning sun was rising, and the horizon was already stained with a bright glow, the brilliant light falling upon his eyelids appearing somewhat dazzling.
"Was last night a dream, or... reality?"
Lan Ze gently rubbed his forehead, then raised his finger and lightly traced a rune.
Yet nothing happened at all.
"It really was a dream, huh?"
He let out a self-deprecating laugh and was about to get out of bed, but the moment he lifted the blanket, he saw that a layer of ice crystals had somehow formed at the foot of the bed. In the sunlight pouring through the window, those ice crystals looked exceptionally dazzling.
Lan Ze was stunned for a moment, lowering his head to look at his own hands.
So it really wasn't a dream...
The feel of Master's thigh last night seemed real, too... That soft texture when touching her thigh through a layer of fabric... Lan Ze shook his head rapidly, banishing the thoughts from his mind.
After getting out of bed and eating breakfast in the dining room, he entered the game.
Ishtar had told him to come to the temple to find her within three days, or else she would curse him.
Originally, Lan Ze hadn't taken it to heart, but seeing that Ereshkigal had seemingly run out into the game, it proved that the game could affect reality. It wouldn't be fun at all if he really ended up cursed by Ishtar.
"I'll just make a trip to the temple to take a look for now."
Lan Ze muttered to himself, looking up at the empty surroundings around him. He tried tapping open the map, successfully locating Ishtar's temple on it.
Trekking across mountains and rivers, he unawares arrived in front of a majestic and ancient-looking grand hall.
Should he say she was truly a goddess favored by mortals or what? This grand hall was built quite magnificently, though there didn't seem to be anyone offering worship at the moment.
That made sense, after all. Since the game's background was set during the era of the League of the Three Goddesses, and numerous demonic beasts were currently wreaking havoc on a massive scale, how could there possibly be anyone left to offer worship?
"Goddess Ishtar, your divine messenger requests an audience!" Lan Ze stood outside the temple and shouted loudly.
Before long, Ishtar walked out of the temple looking full of herself. She sized Lan Ze up for a few moments and nodded with satisfaction. "You look much stronger than yesterday. Not bad."
"Being a divine messenger, I naturally hope to do more for Lady Goddess," Lan Ze said.
"Mm, I am quite gratified by this mindset of yours." Saying this, Ishtar raised her head to ponder for a moment, then added casually, "Right, you've come at just the right time. Today, this goddess shall take you to a wonderful place."
Before you continue