In the afternoon, he began some basic physical training.
Naturally, Paul was still the one in charge of instructing Rudeus.
Most of the training consisted of basic exercises that required no equipment, such as long-distance running, push-ups, and sit-ups.
With the help of the Saint Rank Physique Talent Potion, however, Rudeus was clearly much stronger than other children his age.
Especially when it came to endurance.
He could now do forty proper push-ups in one go.
Whenever Roxy watched him train, she always looked surprised.
Even Paul couldn't stop praising his physical abilities. He often patted Rudeus on the shoulder and declared with absolute confidence:
"Rudeus will definitely become an amazing swordsman someday."
Training usually lasted two hours.
That wasn't because Rudeus had reached his limit, but because his parents had discussed it and agreed on that duration.
They worried that overtraining would damage his still-developing body and ultimately do more harm than good.
After training, if Roxy was home, Rudeus would pester her to tell him stories.
If she wasn't, he would go alone to the study on the second floor and continue studying those strange and unusual spells.
Today, Roxy seemed to have gone out to work a part-time job.
According to Lilia, she had left the house early that morning.
"Roxy's a money grubber too..."
After making sure no one was around, he quietly went to the second-floor study and cast an advanced-rank barrier spell as usual-
Illusion Barrier.
This was no ordinary isolation barrier.
Anyone observing the inside from outside would see whatever their subconscious considered the most normal and reasonable scene.
In other words, even if someone inside was studying forbidden spells, outsiders would only see them sitting quietly at a desk, reading a book.
It was the ultimate divine skill for studying at home, disposing of bodies... ahem, keeping secrets.
Speaking of which, this world's classification of magic wasn't based solely on destructive power.
A spell's rank was determined mainly by four factors:
Power, complexity, mana consumption, and area of effect.
What truly determined the upper limit of a spell's power was total mana and the degree of mana control.
To give a simple example.
Suppose an ordinary person had a total of one hundred mana, but only twenty percent mana control.
The mana efficiency he could actually achieve would also be only twenty percent.
Take a Fireball cast using the same five points of mana.
With fifty percent control, it could deal fifty points of damage.
With one hundred percent control, it could deal one hundred points of damage.
In addition, a spell itself could be strengthened by pouring extra mana into it.
A Fireball that required only five points of mana to cast would likewise grow several times more powerful if infused with ten times that amount.
And when one's control reached an extremely high level, one could even cast a spell at full effect for less mana.
That was why Rudeus in the original story could use the intermediate-rank spell Rock Bullet to unleash terrifying power comparable to emperor-rank magic.
Ultimately.
For a mage, the most important part of training had never been simply increasing the amount of mana.
It was improving mana control.
The greater the control, the lower the consumption and the greater the power.
As for the swordsman's training system...
Recently, Rudeus had gradually begun to grasp some of its secrets.
That was-Touki.
Touki was, in essence, an energy that came from life itself.
It shared the same origin as mana, but had to be continually awakened and strengthened through training after birth.
The heights each person could reach varied greatly depending on their talent.
With Intermediate Rank Touki, one could coat one's limbs and weapons in Touki, increasing strength by about fifty percent.
Advanced Rank Touki provided a boost of more than twofold, and ordinary swords and blades could no longer easily injure the body.
Upon reaching Saint Rank, Touki gradually began to take on a tangible form.
Not only did it provide a boost of several times, but it could also be released as short-range sword energy.
A King Rank expert could keep Touki constantly released, covering an area of several meters around the body.
A single person had the power to destroy a town.
As for Emperor Rank...
That was a realm bordering on legend.
A mere gesture could shake mountains and rivers, and one person was enough to rival a nation.
And God Rank-
That was a realm mortals could scarcely glimpse.
Even Orsted, the Dragon God hailed as the strongest being, had never truly entered that realm.
However, rank in a style didn't correspond exactly to Touki rank.
Take the Water God Style, for example.
Even without sufficient Touki cultivation, one could still earn the title of "Water God" by mastering its three secret techniques.
Conversely, sufficiently powerful Touki cultivation could also serve as an indirect indication of one's mastery of a style.
And now I-
Already possessed Intermediate Rank Touki.
As for why?
Simple.
I'd paid for it.
The Intermediate Rank Touki Talent Potion cost three thousand emotion points a bottle, and it delivered exactly what it promised.
After taking it, Rudeus soon reached the threshold of Intermediate Rank Touki.
Only after he truly began training did he realize that forming Touki was far more mysterious than he had imagined.
It felt like drawing on the energy within his body and covering its surface layer by layer.
Then compressing and refining it again and again.
Compressing it further.
Refining it further.
Until he could go no further.
The process was extremely difficult.
Every step forward required him to draw on all of his body's potential.
For him, however, his mana control was far beyond that of ordinary people, so his training efficiency was astonishingly high as well.
His only weakness remained his physical strength.
His stamina still wasn't enough to sustain high-intensity training for long periods.
Even so, he could already see the ultimate direction Touki could take.
That was-
Turning Touki into armor.
Compressing and refining Touki to the utmost, covering every part of the body.
That required not only a vast amount of mana.
It also required nearly perfect control.
And years, even decades, of constant refinement and accumulation.
Since that was the case.
He would work toward that goal.
A long time passed, about four months or so.
Rudeus and Roxy's private late-night lessons were finally unlocked.
Of course, there was nothing strange about them. They were only about magical theory, human geography, and the customs and sights of places across the continent.
Just like now, she held me on her lap.
As she leafed through the book in her hands, she told him all sorts of interesting stories about the continent.
Whenever Rudeus looked surprised or impressed, she would smile and reach out to pinch my cheek.
Although, for now, her affection seemed more like the fondness one had for something cute, Rudeus was already quite satisfied.
After all, with his current body, even if he had other ideas, he might have the desire but not the ability.
Roxy told him many rumors and anecdotes about secret realms, adventurers, and places around the world, and Rudeus listened with great interest.
So he waved his fist and declared confidently:
"Someday I'll definitely reach Great Power Rank and stand at the top of the world!"
Roxy lowered her head and looked at me, full of energy and waving my arms in her embrace. A teasing smile suddenly curled at her lips.
"Rudeus, did you know? There are some very scary people called the Superd Tribe in this world~"
"They have ominous emerald-green hair and bright red gems set in their foreheads. If they meet someone who doesn't behave-"
She deliberately paused there.
Then she leaned forward slightly, gently blew her warm breath against my ear, and lowered her voice mischievously:
"They'll eat him up!!!"
"Ah-!!!"
Rudeus's body jerked, and he let out a short scream.
Of course, he hadn't been frightened by the stories about the Superd Tribe.
Roxy had simply caught him off guard by doing that so suddenly.
But...
In that case, he might as well take the opportunity to act spoiled.
Rudeus immediately turned around, buried his little face in Roxy's flat but soft, warm chest, and said in a plaintive voice:
"Teacher~ you really scared me just now..."
Roxy burst out laughing.
She gently stroked the back of my head, her voice full of delight at having succeeded:
"Hee-hee~ so even our genius Rudeus gets scared~ How cute."
Rudeus buried his face a little deeper and continued acting spoiled, his voice muffled:
"It's all your fault, teacher... now I'm too scared to sleep alone."
"So you have to sleep with me tonight, teacher."
Roxy's body stiffened slightly.
But her hesitation lasted less than an instant.
Soon, a helpless yet indulgent look appeared in her slightly tired, lake-blue eyes.
"Can't be helped~~"
She sighed softly, but couldn't help laughing.
"Since I'm the one who caused this, I'll make it up to you tonight~"
Then, in her soft, pleasant voice, she began telling Rudeus a bedtime story.
The story had powerful mages and brave swordsmen.
They traveled through labyrinths, challenged monsters, and kept adventuring through an unknown world.
Rudeus listened quietly. He didn't care what the story was about; he only cared who was telling it.
So he pretended to be asleep.
Roxy carefully picked Rudeus up.
She walked softly to the bed and gently laid Rudeus down on the soft mattress, as though carrying some precious, fragile treasure.
Then she lay down on the bed too.
She pulled the covers over them both, tucking them in carefully.
Then she drew Rudeus back into her arms, as though hugging a body pillow.
Her warm body enveloped him completely.
A faint, pleasant fragrance lingered at his nose, making him relax without thinking.
Nestled in her arms, Rudeus murmured softly as though talking in his sleep:
"I love... Roxy the most..."
As soon as the words left his mouth.
He felt a soft, warm touch on his forehead.
It was a goodnight kiss full of tenderness and affection.
Roxy gently pressed close to Rudeus's forehead, her voice so soft it seemed capable of melting the night.
"Rudeus..."
"Good night~"