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

"It's important to have proper rest. This way, we can ensure we're on the right mindset during the important parts." ~Apple, when she could still talk

Grace weaved her way towards Valor'el. She timed her movement so it ended just as Ren was pushed away, leaving the seraph no moment to react. She had every buff placed on herself. Haste, Manaweave: Agility, Focus, and Mana-Affinity, and Sharpen Blade.

Upgrading her Flametongue to Blaze Edge allowed her to use the Skill on both Mana-Edges. She engaged her Agility, sending slash after slash at the Favored Class holder.

Valor'el blocked all of them with one hand.

At this point, Grace wasn't even surprised. The seraph had been doing the same thing since they first sparred. If he had wanted to, he could just stand there and not feel a single thing. But the entire point of their exercise was to hit him in the face once.

A task that was quickly proving to be impossible.

After allowing Grace a few seconds to attack, Valor'el finally retaliated, sending his other hand in an open-palm push. The push wasn't exactly the problem. It was the mana-controlled wave that came with it. As far as she was concerned, the wave was larger than the noldzwjak. Even if she dodged the hand completely, the wave would always get her.

Grace understood that he had been asked to be ruthless against them. But after the first day of beating them down, Valor'el had started holding back. Even Phey'lan had stopped participating. Still, even this generic attack seemed unstoppable.

The wave carried Grace backwards, throwing her straight to Ren. The Shield Knight reacted on time, raising his shield. The half-orc, still engaging her Agility, twisted mid-air, landing on the shield.

Ren pushed, and she kicked off of it. In an instant, Grace was on top of Valor'el.

It was only a glimpse, but the half-orc clearly saw the surprise on his Mana-Armor. Valor'el quickly moved to defend, but not against her attack. Two Flame-Lances erupted as he raised his arm in front of his face.

Grace took her chance and swung down with two Blaze Edges. Only then did she notice that the seraph hadn't looked away. With the same arm, he reached out in a counter punch. With Mana-Armor on, his one fist alone was much larger than his head.

But the punch never came. Somehow, the seraph had slowed down, and failed to land his counter on time. It was only for a second, but that was enough.

Grace slashed against Valor'el's helmet. It didn't even leave a mark, but everyone saw it clearly.

With only one day left, they finally managed to accomplish their objective.

Grace collapsed on the ground, disengaging her Agility. Mana Energy quickly went to work, but for the meantime, she was gasping for air.

Tayin was squealing with joy, hopping in celebration. Grace finally realized that it was her Time Stop that had slowed down the seraph.

But how? Grace tried to ask audibly, but she was still recovering. She was confused. She knew that the halfling couldn't prepare twin-cast Spells yet, so she didn't know how both Flame Lance and Time Stop were sent one after the other.

"Simultaneous casting," Valor'el said, shaking his head in amazement. "That's just absurd, Lady Shallies."

"Well, it got you to freeze for a second," the Godkiller said, appearing beside him. "Come on, Grace, get up."

Grace stood on her feet and saw Shallies gathering everyone around. She gave each of them a mana potion to fully recover.

There was anticipation in the air, as if they were waiting for the results of their exam, just like back in the Academy. The half-orc sat quietly just like the other two, waiting for Shallies' next words.

"Tomorrow, we'll take the day off," she began. "Rest and recuperate as much as you can. Remember, Mana Energy can get rid of fatigue, but it can't get rid of your anxiety, stress, or anything else that's bothering you.

"Take a rest, both in body and mind. Do something else other than training. Go on a date, or play with your pet, do whatever you want. Just no training. No exercise, no engaging or tapping your Attributes, and most of all, no practicing The Perpetual Method.

"You guys are ready to take on Yoshelle. Be confident with your strengths, be cautious of your weaknesses. The day after tomorrow, we'll go to the duel."

Shallies gave a firm nod. "Everyone, good job today. Have some early lunch, then you're dismissed."

While Grace and the others were enjoying their lunch, the half-orc couldn't hold herself back. She quietly raised her hand towards Shallies.

"Can't we practice The Perpetual Method for the rest of the day?"

The Godkiller looked at her once, then towards Ren and Tayin, both of whom were also eager to keep training.

Shallies could only sigh. "Fine. But only until sunset."

Grace understood what her mentor was trying to do. Even with just training, the three of them had pushed themselves to the limit multiple times. Mostly because the combined training of sparring with Valor'el, and practicing The Perpetual Method, was probably the most grueling sort of training she had ever experienced.

Not only that, but the anticipation of facing Yoshelle, and of doing so with their participation in the sub-raid on the line, they couldn't help but worry. So Shallies was giving them an entire day to unwind and relax.

She didn't know the first thing to do with it…

But thankfully, Shallies already gave her an idea.

The next morning, Grace set out to take care of Chippy. Her mother, Elesia, had done various research since the phoenix became a member of their family.

Phoenix down was apparently highly valued by Alchemists, using the feather as an ingredient for a variety of powerful healing potions. However, Chippy was yet to molt, which made this particular trivia an afterthought.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

The next information Elesia gave was every cradle creature's behavior.

"It should be able to understand your thoughts," she said. "Even if you don't say anything."

They sat in their living room, with the stone table, the unused fireplace, and the taxidermies. The two of them sat together on the large sofa.

Curious of her mother's information, Grace urged Chippy to land on her arm using only her thoughts. The phoenix was lounging on a perch made out of wood that Schooner made for him. He perked up, looked at his mother once, then flew straight to her.

The half-orc raised her arm just before he landed.

That's awesome, Chippy! Grace thought with her mouth agape.

The phoenix hopped, chirping merrily in celebration. Elesia clapped as well.

"Did I tell you about how he saved us back in the Joint Dungeon?" Grace asked. She had told them of their previous expedition, clarifying that a Valor'el, a Favored Class holder, had been there in case of emergencies.

A lie, of course. She still hadn't forgotten how Tayin almost died. She left that part of the story out, of course.

"Not yet," Elesia said. She poured the both of them some tea, and gave Grace a few crackers to infuse her mana with for Chippy. "I'm all ears, though."

That was how Grace spent her day; telling stories and playing with Chippy. Somewhere around noon, Schooner even joined them, and they had a lot of things to talk about.

The half-orc realized she hadn't stayed still for a while and talked to her parents. Even when she had just finished a quest, or even the previous dungeon, her recuperation periods had been spent sleeping and meditating. Now, she finally had a chance to bond with them again.

And Grace thanked Shallies for that.

"Are you sure you're fine with some homemade cooking?" Ren asked Tayin.

When Gar left to return to his tribe, the two had made a decision to live together. Their parents didn't even oppose their decision. They knew what was going on, and knew that it was just a matter of time.

Now, in their small apartment, Ren catered for Tayin, who decided not to go out for a date. She wanted to stay in and enjoy their alone time together.

"Yes, I'm sure," she began. "We're outside almost all the time. We're paying for this place, so we better take advantage of it when we can."

"Fair enough." Ren placed their meal on the table. "I don't cook as well as Shallies, though."

"You sure don't!" Tayin said, laughing. "It's fine, Ren. You don't have to match a bar that high just to impress me. Thank you."

"Well, I'm just saying. I know you're going to still eat it anyway."

Ren joined Tayin sitting on the floor. It was one of their humble hobbies. Though they had an actual dining table, they seldom used it. Instead, they ate on the low table beside the small sofa. And the only comfortable way to eat from there was by sitting on the floor. It was wide enough so that the both of them sat next to each other.

"I still think you do perfect campfire food," Tayin commented, taking a bite of her beef stew. "I still remember when we caught that drillbull with Gar. Best grilled beef, ever."

"Maybe I can teach Shallies a thing or two, huh?"

"Oooh! You know she can hear you when you say your name right? You don't have a veil or anything."

"I don't think she'll mind."

"I bet, she'll find a way to twist your words against you. Somewhere in the future, she'll make a jab, and you're not gonna know what hit you."

"Oh, for sure." Ren scratched his head. "By the way… Were you really not mad at her for letting you almost die like that?"

"Not really, no." Tayin took a glass of water. "Actually, I was pretty ashamed before I passed out. I didn't want to die, obviously. But when I almost lost hope, I was pretty mad at myself because my death didn't have any cause. Imagine dying at the corner of a dungeon because you drowned. It's pretty cringy, you know?"

Ren sighed. He started playing with his food. "Fine, I'll drop it then."

"Oh, yeah, you were pretty angry back then."

"Yeah. I was really frustrated. I know, if she wanted you, she could've saved you. And I knew I wouldn't be able to change her mind. I couldn't even threaten her."

He felt Tayin's hand touch his face.

"What's done is done, Ren. I know you'll always have my back, so don't be mad at yourself. Besides, we're stronger now."

"Yeah. But there will be stronger enemies."

She lightly tapped his face.

"You're such a worrier. We'll face them together. I know Shallies won't separate us, if she could help it. Now, or in the future."

That prompted a weird thought in his head.

Tayin almost caught it immediately. "What is it?"

"Do you think Shallies can sanctify our marriage?"

Almost immediately a System Console opened with Shallies' name on it.

[Yes.]

Day of the duel.

Shallies, along with her students and the seraphim, entered the temporary establishment made by The Gaiamaxims Guild. Buildings were over ten stories tall, with different shapes and sizes.

People swarmed all over. Some were working on logistics, some were training, some were just merrily strolling. With just three acres of land, the guild had managed to turn an open field into a small operational town.

Shallies was impressed, of course, but her students were outright flabbergasted.

"It's like we're in one of the great cities," Grace said, gasping in awe. She was a province girl through and through. The other two had enough discipline to restrain themselves.

"Are we dueling in one of the buildings?" Ren asked.

"We'll see," Shallies replied. The rules were up to the challenged party. "First, we'll head to the main building to meet the others."

Of course, there could be negotiations done before the actual duel was officiated. That was why she was there in the first place. She wanted to make sure her students get a fair shot, even though she was the one who orchestrated the whole idea in the first place.

The entrance to the main building was led up by a few flights of stairs. That ensured it was the tallest among the rest, to make it easier to distinguish. Right at the entrance was Maxims, Coraline, and Yoshelle, along with a bunch of other people who were free to observe the duel.

The grounds to the entrance were wide enough, Shallies thought. It was about the same size as their usual training grounds. She had an inkling that this would be enough to be their dueling area.

"Welcome, Shallies, her esteemed students, and the seraphim," Maxims greeted.

"Thank you for having us, Gaiamaxims," Shallies replied. "Before we start, we would like to know the official terms of the duel."

"We'll employ a point system," Maxims began. "Each clean hit counts as one point. For clarity, hitting loose clothes or hair do not count. And a hit is considered a clean hit if it was undefended or unrecovered. If they're able to withstand the pain, the point doesn't count. Your party wins the duel with two points, Yoshelle wins with twenty."

"You want them to inflict pain?" Shallies asked. "My students won't be able to hold back trying to inflict pain to someone of Yoshelle's caliber. It might cause some accidents. At the same time, I don't want my students getting seriously injured."

"We have healers on standby, Miss Shallies," Maxims rebutted. "Even if it's a severed limb, we'll be able to restore it so long as it's within the minute. Of course, we'll extend the same healing to your students."

Shallies turned to her students. She already knew that they didn't care, especially with a healer around. Even Phey'lan could mend severed limbs within a minute without using a Great Miracle. But she wanted an actual confirmation from the three.

They nodded eagerly.

"Fine. Where's the venue?"

"The duel arena is the entire three acres of our temporary headquarters. You may enter buildings and destroy them if you need to. However, you must avoid harming other people. Doing so will cost you a point."

That caught the three off-guard. But they were just surprised by the scale more than anything.

"Fair enough. Anything else?"

"We're restricting anything that has to do with death, void, and chaotic mana. No companions allowed as well. No use of potions of any kind. No buffs from other people as well. We'll do a cross-examination Scan to make that no one has any external buffs."

Maxims offered a hand to let Shallies Scan Yoshelle. But she had already done it even before they had arrived.

"I already checked," she said with a smile, trying to intimidate the Elemental Archmage. "I can confirm she doesn't have any external buffs."

Acting oblivious, Maxims proceeded to Scan the three.

Shallies was honest this time around. Even though she could give them the buffs and have Stachie manipulate the results of the Scan, she didn't do it. Her students wouldn't agree in the first place anyway.

"Great, I don't see any external buffs from your students either. The duration for this duel is five hours. That's our average active time for each member during a raid. If you all agree to the terms, we can begin now."

Shallies didn't even bother checking in with her students this time around. "We accept the terms. We're ready to proceed."

With a nod, the Guildmaster stepped forth to begin the speech before the duel.

"In honor of Syakumishi, the God of War, Honor, Duty, and Prosperity, we shall conduct this duel with respect and fairness. To represent our potentials' adversity, it is with great joy that I bring forward my own daughter, Yoshelle Ya Yobore. May she teach and impart the true ruthlessness that is the monsters that we face.

"To you, Grace, Ren, and Tayin, I pray that you have come prepared. May you not bring disgrace to your mentor and to those that have helped you reach this far. Let the match begin!"