Chương 135

That evening, when the group set up their campsite, Grid expected Rudra to immediately pull out his cauldron and start cooking. Instead, the Staff Saint walked to the center of the clearing and stretched his shoulders. Piaro, the dual legend, stood opposite him. He didn't draw his sword or his plow. He simply picked up a sturdy, fallen branch from the ground.

"Shall we?" Piaro asked politely.

"Just a warm-up," Rudra nodded, gripping his bone staff. Grid sat on a log, watching with mild interest. He fully expected to see a dazzling display of legendary ultimate skills tearing the forest apart. Instead, Rudra stepped forward and thrust his staff. It was a completely ordinary, basic attack without a single ounce of mana. Piaro didn't dodge. He simply tilted his branch a fraction of an inch, perfectly parrying the heavy staff and letting its momentum slide harmlessly past him.

In the same breath, Piaro twisted his wrist, bringing the branch down toward Rudra's shoulder. Rudra didn't flinch. He shifted his weight to his back foot, using the recoil of his missed thrust to seamlessly bring the bottom of his staff up to block the strike. Clack! For the next ten minutes, Grid sat in absolute silence, completely mesmerized. They weren't using skills. They weren't using stats to overpower each other. They were just exchanging basic, ordinary attacks.

Yet, it was the most high-level combat Grid had ever seen. Every single movement was incredibly efficient. There were no wasted swings, no wide openings, and no lost momentum. They used each other's force to chain their own attacks, smoothly flowing from offense to defense in a perfect, unbroken rhythm. Grid looked down at his own hands, then at Dainsleif resting beside him. He thought back to his fight with the wolves.

He had swung widely, lost his balance, and taken a hit entirely because he couldn't control his own body after his sword dance ended.

'If I had that kind of bodily control...' Grid's eyes slowly widened as the realization hit him.

'I already have the highest-tier stats. I have Pagma's overpowered sword dances. I can craft the best items in the world. If I combine my items and stats with their level of control... I would be absolutely invincible.' Grid's stubborn pride shattered instantly in the face of pure, calculated greed. He wanted that power. When the spar ended in a mutual draw, Piaro tossed the branch aside, barely breaking a sweat. Grid immediately stood up and marched over to him.

"Piaro," Grid said, his expression completely serious.

"Teach me." Piaro raised an eyebrow, pleasantly surprised. He had expected the Pagma's Succesor to remain stubborn.

"You have changed your mind?"

"Yeah. I want to learn how to move like that," Grid admitted.

"Tell me what to do."

"Very well," Piaro nodded approvingly. He drew his branch again.

"Assume your stance. Strike at me." Grid raised Dainsleif and swung downward with a heavy grunt.

"Stop," Piaro commanded immediately, tapping Grid's shoulder with the branch.

"Don't move your head." Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Grid frowned, entirely confused.

"Isn't it natural to shake my head every time I move? It's a heavy sword! How can I control my body completely?"

"Try to make an effort," Piaro sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Think while you are fighting. And don't rely on your flight magic or sheer stats. Warriors must become accustomed to various terrains, so fighting in the desert or a rocky cave will be a valuable experience for you."

"How can I wield my sword when my feet are buried in the sand?!" Grid complained loudly.

"Put your weight on the tip of your sword, not your feet," Piaro instructed, offering what he thought was a very straightforward, practical piece of advice. Grid stared at him. His brain completely flatlined.

"So how do I do that?" Grid asked.

"... How many times do I need to explain that you have to move your muscles well?" Piaro's voice tightened with rising stress.

"No, how do I move my muscles?!" Grid yelled back, genuinely frustrated. Piaro suffered as he taught Grid, who severely lacked comprehension and was incredibly slow to learn. A sharp pain began to throb behind the dual legend's eyes.

'I thought he was a smart person, but that isn't it...' Piaro thought, staring at the clueless blacksmith. How could such a stupid person have gained Pagma's power and inheritance? Piaro wondered. He honestly wanted to give up on teaching Grid right then and there. However, a warrior couldn't take back his words, so he forced himself to keep trying.

"It's too difficult and complex!" Grid grumbled, throwing his sword into the dirt.

"My head hurts just trying to think about my feet and my hands at the same time!"

"Hold on," Rudra interjected, walking over from his campfire. He could see that Piaro's soul was about to leave his body from sheer frustration.

"Take a break, both of you." Rudra pulled out a small, steaming wooden bowl from his inventory. It held a beautifully clear, fragrant silver milk with some fruits in it.

"Drink this," Rudra said, handing the bowl of Clearwater Mind Milk he cooked using one of the recipes he got from Ocean God's Temple Raid to Grid.

"What is it?" Grid asked, his stomach growling at the incredible smell.

"It's an Epic-rated dish," Rudra explained.

"I got the recipe as a reward for clearing one of my quests. It's specifically designed to clear the mind and harmonize the body's senses." Grid eagerly drank the milk in a single gulp. [You have consumed the 'Clearwater Mind Milk' (Epic)!] [Your focus has temporarily increased by 100%!] [Your comprehension speed is doubled for 2 hours!] Instantly, the thick fog in Grid's brain vanished. His headache disappeared, replaced by a hyper-focused, incredibly sharp state of mind.

"Whoa," Grid blinked, staring at his hands.

"I feel like I could actually understand a textbook right now. Let's go again, Piaro!" Even with the powerful mental buffs from the Epic dish, Grid still severely lacked natural talent. But he had one thing going for him: absolute, inhuman persistence. For the next three days before they reached the Vatican, Grid repeated the exact same mundane swinging motions thousands of times, grinding his basic attacks the same way he grinded hammering iron at the anvil.

Three days later, the massive, towering white walls of the Vatican City finally appeared on the horizon. The holy capital of the Rebecca Church was breathtaking. The party stopped on a hill overlooking the city. Grid rolled his shoulders and casually swung Dainsleif in a tight, efficient arc. When the heavy blade finished its swing, Grid shifted his weight naturally, absorbing the momentum and instantly returning to a guarded stance. His head didn't shake. He didn't flail.

Piaro watched him, his eyes carrying heavy, dark bags underneath them. The dual legend looked more exhausted than he had during his years hiding in the wilderness.

"He is a little bit ordinary now," Piaro muttered, his voice entirely hollow. Grid was finally able to build up the basic skills of a standard swordsman. He would no longer stumble over his own feet after using a skill. However, this was the absolute limit of his capabilities. It was also the limit of Piaro's teaching ability.

'I don't think it is possible for Grid to grow beyond this,' Piaro thought, completely drained. A profound sense of defeat washed over the continent's strongest warrior. He had done his best, but he made a silent vow to himself right then and there: he was never, ever going to try and teach Grid martial arts again.

"Alright," Grid smirked confidently, resting his greatsword on his shoulder and looking down at the Vatican.

"I've mastered the basics. Let's go get my shield."