When The Cute Godkiller Opens A Tavern [OP Mentor, SoL, LitRPG]

"The best geniuses are the ones who work hard to improve their gifts." ~Shallies Mythernal

Yoshelle woke up abruptly in a fit of cold sweat. No, she hadn't even gone to sleep yet. But during her training, she had tried to follow the steps Valor'el gave her for the sake of attempting to learn The Perpetual Method.

Did I lose consciousness? The Guild Princess found herself in the infirmary. There were many beds, spaced out widely, but she was the only patient in there.

"Miss Yoshelle, you're awake."

The Elemental Archmage shifted to her other side. The voice was familiar now, but she was still surprised to find Valor'el sitting on a chair near the corner. There was a second chair next to him, but it was currently empty.

"I tried the meditation thing," Yoshelle explained. She managed to lift herself up to a sitting position. The seraph was kind enough to help adjust her pillows. "I remembered trying and failing so many times. Guess I passed out before I could actually do it. Thank you."

"Yes. We were looking for you when one of your friends, the dog-ferim, quickly brought you to us. You underwent some sort of trance where you unconsciously performed your most common training regimen without resting and recovering mana. We managed to take you out of it before you lost all of your mana, and Phey'lan administered some quick aid to prevent your channels from completely closing."

He poured a blue-tinted tea on a clear glass and offered it to her. "This is lukewarm tea mixed with a mana-potion. It's Miss Shallies' little secret tip to help ease and open your mana-channels back to normal. See, drinking a mana-potion directly would shock your system, in your current state."

She didn't bother to Scan the drink, quickly realizing that she couldn't take a hold of her mana at all to use the Skill in the first place. Slowly, she took a sip. The tea had almost no flavor in it, and just like the seraph said, it was lukewarm. It wasn't meant to be enjoyed, she concluded. But she could feel her body relaxing, as if she had been tensed up for an entire day without being aware of it.

"Thank you, I think it's working," she said, finally.

"You're welcome. I'm glad it's helping."

"So, umm… Did my parents hear about what happened?"

Yoshelle hadn't told anyone but Laika what she was planning to do. Since it was heavily advised by the seraph, she had no choice but to ask someone to watch her, and the dog-ferim was one directly under her command. She had no idea what Krevan was up to, and neither was she interested to know.

Valor'el nodded. "Of course. News of you losing consciousness in a trancelike fit spread like wildfire. Which was a good thing, because it made it easier for us to intervene. Phey'lan's explaining to them what happened, so you don't need to worry."

"Oh… I see."

"This isn't something to be ashamed of, Yoshelle," said the seraph, his eyes looking directly at hers. "Your mana-channels have adapted to your own method through years of use. Suddenly trying a different way to utilize them isn't easy.

"The Perpetual Method is something you can't just simply be able to do overnight. Even the Godkiller had to practice when she invented it. But the fact that you're able to enter a trance within the first day of your training shows how great mana-control is already, as a Hero Class holder."

"I'll try not to think too much about it."

"Good."

Yoshelle took a peek, wondering if it was alright to ask the seraph a probing question about her duel opponents. Of course, Valor'el noticed.

"If you're wondering, Shallies is teaching her students the same technique. Grace is particularly talented. She was able to enter a trance at her first attempt after I told her about it when she was still below Level 15. The other two were able to do the same after a few tries."

"Oh, wow," Yoshelle said. Her smile was small and defeated, but she tried her best to hide her envy. "No wonder Godkiller Bernadette favors Grace."

Valor'el smiled as well. This one was of understanding, Yoshelle was sure.

"I don't think it's about that, Miss Yoshelle. I can tell you that Godkiller Bernadette already favored Grace, way before she even displayed such a talent. Now you might say that the Godkiller had foreseen such a thing, and thus favored Grace. But I will counter that argument by saying that gods do not actually look into someone's future."

"I know about that," Yoshelle interjected. "Gods don't like other gods looking into anyone's future. Yeah. But still, that doesn't really let me know why Godkiller Bernadette favors Grace, and I want to know how to earn it myself."

"Well, have you asked?" Valor'el pondered, slightly tilting his head.

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Yoshelle opened her mouth to ask who would do something so crazy. But she stopped herself. "I've never really tried. I thought she'd only favor someone who she mentors personally. Some Hero Class holders I know received dreams from the gods that favor them before they even initiated contact. So I didn't really bother asking."

"Well, maybe you should try after the Thrush'ven Alir Raid," said the seraph, standing up. "The worst you can get is a no, then you can move on with your career, right?"

Before Yoshelle could answer, she heard footsteps coming from the infirmary's entrance. She turned to see her parents and Phey'lan come in.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" Coraline asked, her strict expression completely melted away. Maxims was also there, all concerned.

"I'm okay," Yoshelle said, accepting her mother's embrace.

"Phey'lan explained what happened," said the Guildmaster. "You realize how dangerous what you did was, right?"

"I'm not going to give up just because I failed once, dad." The Elemental Archmage's eyes were determined. "I messed up, but I know I can do it. I just need to be more aware next time."

"It's a natural hurdle for everyone who wants to learn the method," Phey'lan explained to Yoshelle's parents. "Everyone who tries it for the first time will almost always end up the same way. So we always advise them to make sure they aren't alone when practicing it."

"I can see why most people would handwave it away as a fake," Coraline said. "I say we don't bother with the duel, Max. Let's just let Grace and her party join the sub-raid. Then we can ask Miss Shallies to teach our promising members the technique. We should probably try to learn it as well."

"We can't hold off the duel. I was told specifically to give them a test."

Yoshelle stopped herself from adding anything to the argument. She almost mentioned Godkiller Bernadette and how she favored Grace and the others. Within the room, her mother, Coraline, wasn't privy to that information. She was glad that her father gave an answer first.

"Anyway, Yoshelle," Maxims continued. "If you want to keep trying to practice this Perpetual Method, then I'll personally accompany you."

"You know how to use The Perpetual Method?" Yoshelle asked. "No, wait. Mom said you should learn it too."

"We'll take the time to study it after Thrush'ven Alir. But I actually haven't the slightest clue where to begin. That's why I would like to ask either Valor'el or Phey'lan to stay with us and teach Yoshelle. I know you two are with Miss Shallies, but you are also dutybound by Godkiller Bernadette to accompany us to this raid. And I would like to make sure that my daughter isn't out of commission for when The Great Storm arrives."

The two seraphim looked at each other. Yoshelle didn't bother debating with her father. She understood she was getting help either way.

"I need to stay with Shallies," Phey'lan said, shrugging.

"Then I'll be happy to assist your daughter, Guildmaster Maxims," Valor'el said.

"Thank you!" Yoshelle said, bowing as much as she could in her awkward position. "I am in your debt."

"I will have to let Miss Shallies know about this development, though. And I have commitments with her students during the morning, so you will have my services during the afternoon and evening."

"For a single Combat Class holder, you two sure hold Miss Shallies in such high regard," Maxims commented. "I don't mean anything bad by it, but it's just surprising to see two Favored Class holder doublers being in the presence of a retired adventurer. If she is still actually retired, that is."

"Miss Shallies is young and has just as much talent as Miss Yoshelle, or any other gifted adventurer out there," Valor'el started. "We've known her since she was a kid, and have seen her growth. While it might seem like a waste to let such a talented young adventurer retire so early, we don't hold it against her. And we'll always try to help her whenever she needs us."

"Well, if I try to convince her to join our Guild, we won't be expecting any problems, will we?"

Yoshelle saw the proud smile in Valor'el's face. One that was amused to have heard such a question.

"You're certainly free to try, Sir Maxims."

The next day, after the usual brutal training in the morning and recuperating during lunch, Shallies brought out her students back to the training field to continue their lessons in The Perpetual Method. They only had four days left, and while she wasn't expecting them to master the technique within that time frame, she at least hoped they would be able to get past the trance issue during the first step.

Her students were now keenly aware of their meditation, and could break away before the trance kicked in. However, what she wanted for them to achieve was removing the possibility of falling into a trance completely. That would signify their full control over their own mana, which would then lead them to the next stage of learning the method.

"Now that you can meditate for an hour while standing without falling into a trance, It's now time to start walking," she began. "This will be a lot harder than you might think. When you walk, you're mostly aware of your legs, but the rest of your body also moves. Your arms can sway, your middle section can twist a little, your neck might make some slight adjustments, and even your ears may help you keep your balance.

"And every little movement will strain your meditation in one form or another. So try to take it slow, even if you have to reduce your walking speed down to a series of miniscule steps. Your priority is to get used to meditating and controlling your mana-flow while being able to move. Remember to break out of your meditation when you feel it pulling you. Don't risk it. Just break it, and then try again."

Her students couldn't even nod, but she didn't mind. She knew they were already trying to apply her lessons. This step would require her presence the most, so she stayed in the middle of the group in order to make sure they were doing their training the right way.

Grace was the first to make the attempt. But the moment she lifted her leg, her mana-flow went haywire and she was forced to break concentration. Immediately she stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

Ren tried to do the same next, but risked pushing his concentration a little further. When he recovered, he misplaced his footing and fell sideways to the ground with a heavy thud.

This caused Tayin to turn in surprise. Out of the three, she was the first to manage making a step, but her sudden twist caused a ripple in her mana-flow. The next moment, her rear was on the ground.

"What in Ysvil's name just happened?" asked the halfling. "The mana's pull is way heavier when I try to actually move."

"You'll need to make your mana flow the same way as you move. When you're sitting or standing, the flow of your mana is steady. It has a normal route and you can direct it easily.

"But when you move, your mind isn't used to holding the mana-flow, and your mana-channels will also expand and contract. This is why meditating while moving is a lot harder to achieve, and why a lot of people think it's impossible to do."

"But nothing we can't improve through training, right?" Grace asked, smiling.

"Yep." Shallies smiled and clapped, urging her students back into position. "Now, let's do it again."