Chapter 886
Chapter 886
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 886
Chapter Title: Teacher Sua (3)
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1.
Teacher Sua had been deeply shocked by Siu's womanizing, which far exceeded any normal bounds.
She couldn't help but deduct points from her evaluation of him upon witnessing the lion's pride of a harem he commanded.
Even a hero's lust for women had its limits.
His actions strayed far from the path of moderation, beyond what Teacher Sua could accept as mere indulgence.
She desperately wanted to launch into a lecture about his views on romance...
But she held back for now.
Problems between lovers were for the parties involved to resolve.
He wasn't sneaking around behind Eloa's back, and Eloa herself was aware, so Sua decided against meddling.
Besides, she was in a position of gratitude toward Siu, come what may.
"Are you prepared, my lord?"
"Yes, of course."
Meanwhile, Siu found it awkward to face Teacher Sua after last night's events.
His outward demeanor showed no great change, but if he had to put it into words, a faint wall had sprung up in her eyes—eyes that had once brimmed only with fervent goodwill.
Things had gotten a bit embarrassing, in any case.
"I shall review your overall knowledge of homunculi before proceeding. Practical training must follow a solid foundation of theory, after all."
The two met again in the clearing where they had tested his skills the day before. Teacher Sua opened the first lesson in her gentle, measured tone.
"How many homunculi have you faced, Lord Siu?"
"Homunculi..."
The cat that handled shadows in Latifundium.
The black dog that split endlessly, which he and Sharon had exterminated.
The 'Drowned Witch' that had handed an arrogant Siu a crushing defeat.
The Red Knight, dubbed the worst homunculus, and its subordinate, the White Knight.
The possession-type homunculus that had nearly endangered Diana.
If he stretched it, the kraken he'd met in the aquarium.
"Six times."
Counting them up, the number was surprisingly high.
Teacher Sua's eyes widened slightly in surprise, suggesting she shared the sentiment. After a brief silence, she asked again.
"And how many witches have you battled?"
"Witches... hold on a moment."
He excluded the embarrassingly unworthy fight with Eaa Sadal Melik.
He also skipped Paola Sochitl, whom he hadn't directly confronted.
Les Bovima della Redcliffe, who had tried to kidnap Sharon.
Bianca Bellili, who wielded artifacts freely and drove Siu to the brink of death.
Lurye, who appeared filled with rage after the kraken fell, demonstrating overwhelming might.
Dorothy, possessor of absolute defense, who had feigned bravado to mend Lurye's mindset.
Alice Even Hiyan, who tried to abduct him in the labyrinth but ended up paying through the nose (still repaying monthly).
Linne, who exuded terrifying sword ghost aura and effortlessly severed his aorta.
Rosie, the brutal record-holder and board enthusiast, who lost her life at Siu's hands.
Adding battles from the mental realm—like the Black Knight in his subconscious or Master Eloa—would complicate things, so he omitted those too.
"Seven."
"Seven? I asked for your practical combat experience—was that correctly conveyed?"
"Yes."
Sua was momentarily at a loss for words.
By her knowledge, Siu hadn't been a witch for even five years yet.
And yet, that level of combat experience, with more than half against great witches.
Even Eloa, driven by aggression or a sense of duty, didn't engage great witches at that frequency.
The reason was simple.
Boys' comics might throw life-or-death duels at every turn, but this world wasn't a comic.
No one guaranteed you were the protagonist.
Charging into battles where a split-second mistake could cost your life was terrifying even for transcendent witches.
"Could you list the ranks of the witches you fought?"
"Three at rank 20, three at rank 22, one at rank 23."
"......"
After that answer, Sua abandoned any standard metrics for evaluating him.
Not only great witches, but every single one was a great witch.
Considering Eaa Sadal Melik was rank 21 and Paola Sochitl rank 19, he hadn't even counted fights unworthy of the term 'battle.'
"It's a miracle you're still breathing."
"I realized that as I tallied them up. Don't get me wrong—I didn't seek out fights for fun."
"I understand. I can more than guess why Lady Eloa asked me to instruct you."
Sua sighed, watching Siu's wry smile, and recalled the prowess he'd displayed yesterday.
That power wasn't gained lightly.
As the saying went, the best practice was real combat. The experiences of repeatedly risking his life in desperate struggles had surely elevated him to greater heights.
Given his character, he likely hadn't jumped into fights for pleasure.
His uniqueness as a male witch had probably dragged him into the vortex of conflict.
And yet, he maintained an upright heart without twisting.
Humans truly were multifaceted.
His romantic entanglements were frighteningly promiscuous, yet in some ways, he possessed qualities worthy of Sua's respect—nothing ordinary about them.
As she revised her internal assessment in real time, Sua paused.
"......"
Still, eight was too much.
"You have far richer practical experience than I anticipated. Thus, I'll touch on theory only briefly."
"I'll listen attentively."
"First, do you know the characteristics of homunculi?"
Of course, he had a rough idea.
Long dormancy periods and short activity phases.
Constant reverse barriers around their bodies.
Causing disasters to devour humans.
Impossible to exterminate during inactive periods due to hiding in sub-spaces.
Danger level varying by the number of 'eyes.'
"Indeed. However, there's a crucial point you mustn't overlook."
"What is it?"
"All homunculi are unique. Each possesses distinct traits or uses magic."
This was one reason homunculi were so tricky.
Excluding those without abilities, these monsters wielded innate magic akin to a witch's self-generated spells.
"But grasping their patterns of behavior makes countermeasures feasible. Please refer to these prepared materials."
What Teacher Sua handed him was a modest stack of documents.
"Homunculi can be broadly divided into two types: humanoid and monster forms. Each has distinct characteristics."
Humanoid homunculi generally possessed higher intelligence.
Thus, they wielded innate magic more adeptly. Lacking true higher cognition, they still employed instinctive strategies or deceptions like humans.
In many ways, they weren't much different from great witch battles. The Red Knight, White Knight, and Drowned Witch that Siu had faced fell into this category.
"Humanoids' mana reserves are comparable to witches'. Their human-scale bodies limit capacity, after all."
"That matches what I've seen."
"Lecturing you on great witch battles would be pointless, so on to the next topic."
Monster-form homunculi.
In truth, their numbers overwhelmingly dominated, with sizes varying wildly compared to human-sized humanoids.
From small black cats to colossal types like krakens or red dragons.
"The colossal ones are the real issue."
"Yes, that's probably why Master requested this training."
Characteristics of colossal monster-form homunculi:
Massive builds closer to terrain features than living creatures.
Vast mana and destructive magic/power stemming from that.
Exceptional toughness guaranteed by superior defense and regeneration.
The silver lining: their enormous bodies sacrificed precision in power control.
"Teacher Sua, a question."
"Ask freely."
"Magic for large homunculi differs from that for great witches, right? Hence the separate training."
"Precisely."
Agile witches capable of nimble evasion demanded different tactics than colossal homunculi that tanked hits with raw durability.
One emphasized finesse, precision, and speed; the other, raw destructive power despite casting delays.
But a question arose here.
"Does Master switch her magic or techniques by opponent too?"
Master, ace hunter in both arenas—did she differ?
Yet in Siu's memory, Eloa used the same approach regardless of foe.
Teacher Sua smiled with evident admiration.
"Lady Eloa makes no distinction in her techniques. Care to guess why?"
"...No idea."
"Magic at its pinnacle transcends contexts and flows seamlessly."
"Ah, got it."
"You understood from that brief explanation?"
"Yes, basically... Though the two styles seem distinct at first glance, pushed to their extremes, either becomes versatile enough for both. Something like that."
"Excellent. I can't help but admire you repeatedly."
In truth, Siu planned to stick around Gehenna for the foreseeable future.
He'd wondered why Master ordered monster-hunting training, but now it all made sense.
Currently, Siu had to switch magic types per opponent, like respeccing a skill tree.
For instance, using the triple thrust he'd shown the red dragon against a great witch would just expose predictable openings.
But if he shortened cast time, maximized power, and optimized mana efficiency?
It could work in witch battles too.
Even if not immediately, cultivating anti-monster skills had instant value.
A truly wise arrangement from his master.
"Shall we start by refining your magic?"
"Sounds good."
Siu donned his armor and gripped his spear, while Teacher Sua summoned the red dragon phantom once more.
It was a solid power-up session.
And some time later...
At this point, neither imagined he'd put these freshly learned skills to use so soon.