Chương 60: A Break From Unrelenting Suffering

"That is why when facing ratlings, you should account for swarm tactics. In addition…" she trailed off. She never did that. I looked up from my cleaning as my mother drew her sword and turned to face a tunnel.

"Stay behind me. Healer Melon, go stand next to my son." He didn't hesitate and ran over to me. I picked up my sword and stood ready.

"If I say run, you will run down that tunnel, staying together. Don't slow down, no matter what. This shouldn't come to a fight, but I cannot shield you if it does." What kind of monster would make her act this way? My Danger Sense wasn't going off. Minute after minute passed. After about ten minutes, an old man with a staff walked into the chamber.

"Elena," the old man greeted her.

"Mathemancer. What are you doing here in the dungeon?" This old man was a supreme legend, just like my mother. No wonder she was slightly nervous and on edge.

"Going to see an old friend in the Last Bastion. Sensed you in the distance and came over to say hello. Hello," the old man said.

"I am not here for a fight or a spar. Peace for peace, fist for fist." My mother sheathed her sword. The tension in the air dropped.

"You said hello. Now leave,""Really?"

"I am busy."

"Training your son. Interesting people you sent my way. Your husband and that Damian character. Do you know your husband is a troublemaker? Planning to send your son to my institution?"

"My husband can do what he wishes. His ambitions are of no concern of mine, even if he uses my name. My son will be attending. Hopefully, he can experience the intense competition from his peers at your institution."

"We will see. There are always promising youngsters, but few live up to what is possible."

"Since you have bothered us, what did you think of my proposition?"

"Intriguing. My heart trembles at the very thought. I will speak to the Librarian, but convincing Blood Gore? The only thing that man listens to is the screams of the dying and the damned."

"I will handle Blood Gore. He is a pig, but I have experience dealing with pigs. He will relish the challenge. Will you accept?"

"Most likely. Age is finally catching up with me. I am not the Eternal Emperor, clinging to what is not possible. The preparations will be a massive headache, but you can count me as having accepted if you can get everyone else."

"Talk to your friend. I am sure you can convince him."

"I will. He can be stubborn, but I think getting Blood Gore will be the harder task. Now, enough chit-chat about heavy topics. Let me see your son," The Mathemancer said.

"I am watching you," she said.

"Don't worry. I will be nice," he replied as she stepped to the side. The old man gazed at me. I felt Mana going through my soul without hesitation, like I was being completely seen, my skills, stats, my entire status. It was all laid bare beneath his gaze in a single moment.

"I have heard of some things you have done, but to have this many skills and such levels… You really do read the research coming from my College."

"I am not an idiot like Blood Gore. I can actually think. Any suggestions?"

"Hmmm, I see what you are going for. An immense foundation. So great that even I tremble slightly at your vision. Don't let him overuse the Soul Strike skill. Twice every few days at most. More focus on his math skills."

"You would say that," my mother countered.

"They are foundational to everything. Let us not have that argument again." The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Because I would have beaten you."

"It was a draw, but to drag out our spar for an entire month would have been pointlessly exhausting."

"You discount the human spirit in a fight."

"Pointlessly exhausting. Your son would do well at my College. What expectations do you have?"

"He must take the top spot every year."

"Unrelenting as always, Elena, even with your own child. But I suppose I am not much better. I am close to measuring the human spirit through intense study. The mental breakdown is just at the edge of acceptable after all these years. But with your son, if he can survive your training, I don't need to hold back?"

"That is the only reason I am sending him to that cursed place. You suck the joy out of fighting, old man."

"Well, not all of us can be as fiery as you, dear Elena. Some of us prefer to think our way through fights. Perhaps a small demonstration so I might entice your son with my method of fighting instead of your brutish ways," The Mathemancer said with a smile. I couldn't help but nod. I wanted to see what the pinnacle of combat looked like. Even a glimpse would be amazing.

"A single exchange from each of us," my mother declared, and the old man nodded." SLICE!" My mother moved forward so fast that I just saw a blur. Her sword was hovering a slight distance away from The Mathemancer's neck.

"A tier 3 skill, countering my Force Nullification, how interesting. You have some secrets. My turn. Force Reversal." My mother stumbled slightly after something pushed her, but she regained her footing.

"Annoying," she said, and the old man chuckled.

"Effective. How can an enemy defeat you if they cannot hit you?"

"You kill them. Removing the head is often the best choice. Instead of your nonsense…" This was the first time I had seen her truly annoyed.

"And frustration builds and mistakes are made."

"Whatever. You have shown off to my son enough. Begone and trouble me no more."

"Very well. Take care, young Justin. We will meet again," The Mathemancer said and then disappeared with a pop. He had teleported!

"Show off," my mother muttered. Then she turned to look at me.

"Well, get back to cleaning." I got back to work.

"Ask your questions," she finally said, since I had so many.

"What were you talking about at the start?"

"Forming a team of supreme legends to reach the bottom of the dungeon. No one had ever made such a team before, or at least no one had ever recorded it in all of known history. Once you can take care of yourself, it has been something I have wanted to do for a long time."

"But…will you come back?"

"No one has come back after a certain point. But The Mathemancer is quite capable, along with the other Supremes. I wouldn't be back for years, regardless. What else?"

"Why were you on edge at the start?"

"The dungeon has no rules. While it was unlikely he would start anything, it is best to be on guard."

"The skill you used?"

"Slice is my favorite tier 3 skill. Simple and direct, great for beheading. I have put a lot of work into it."

"What were The Mathemancer's skills?"

"He mainly uses force and Mana redirection, countering physical and magical attacks. He can teleport as well. His fundamental weakness is his lack of killing power. He can survive, but he struggles to finish a fight quickly and efficiently."

"Which you do?"

"Yes. The best way to fight is to kill. But his skills are troublesome, I won't deny that."

"What was that about attending the College of Advancement?"

"To see if you are worthy of inheriting my legacy in full. Competition breeds excellence, as The Mathemancer likes to say. You saw just a small fraction of the heights one can climb to, but you feel confident, self-assured, with my help, you are the best," my mother said, and I nodded.

"The College of Advancement will put that to the test. It doesn't matter where you start, only what you are capable of. The Mathemancer is just as twisted in his thoughts as he is in his skills. While he would say it is straightforward, he doesn't mind letting go of those who do poorly. Tutor Damian is one such example. The attrition rate is insanely high at his College." I still wasn't entirely sure why it would be brutal, but if she were saying it, there was no doubt in my mind that it would be true.

My mother wasn't one to mince words.

"How did he find us?"

"His sensory skills are very, very good. Many things that are considered rules are just guidelines. Enough questions. Finish your cleaning, and we will move on to the next chamber." It was good of her to respond to my questions. I also saw a short conversation between important individuals. The image of The Mathemancer's effortless victory over my mother was burned in my memory. Despite her strength, abilities, and stats, she was powerless against him.

While it seemed like my mother was unfriendly, The Mathemancer had just shown up on his own, and I was present. If it were just her, I knew she would have been more relaxed. However, she couldn't fight him and defend me simultaneously if he were a foe. It was amazing to see my mother face an equal for once. In every other interaction, everyone was always deferential to her. Bowing or kneeling and not daring to disagree with anything she said. Healer Castelle pushed back, but only in healing matters.

Even then, she did what she wanted with no regard for other people's opinions. But The Mathemancer had greatly annoyed her. It wasn't just his completely opposing fighting style and attitude towards life, it was something else. Perhaps all the top people were competitive, and it annoyed my mother to have a peer. She hadn't been able to leave him behind with her skills or her stats. They had a spar before, and it ended in a draw, maybe.

I didn't want to ask about that since my mother seemed really annoyed by whatever history they had. But even with all of that, she still trusted the man to a certain extent, since she was sending me to his college. It was confusing trying to work out why she did the things she did. I quickly cleaned up and then went to the next chamber to fight the next set of monsters. The break was nice, but my mother was relentless.

Even when we took a break from fighting, she pulled out study materials prepared by Tutor Damian, which I had to review. She would even quiz me, forcing me to keep pushing my brain into pure exhaustion. Sleep was my only escape from the constant training I had to endure.