46 A Discourse With Trisha
"We're going on a short break. I'll be right back!"
The way Billy stormed out of the training grounds made it clear that he wasn't in a great mood.
Everyone could see that the nobody called Rey had managed to get under his skin; even though it was just by employing certain unexpected tactics to his form.
The gazes they now directed towards him was one of silent admiration and pride.
While they weren't the ones who won… it sure felt good!
********
'So many eyes are on me…'
Rey was currently laying on the grassy plains, his eyes tightly shut as he enjoyed the fresh air and nice weather.
He didn't particularly like the attention that was being bestowed on him, but he also recognized it as inevitable.
'This is what I get for standing out…'
Rey was certain that if he had lost to Billy, he would also attract a ton of attention—though not for positive reasons.
He would be pitied, and recognized as weak prey.
'I don't want that. Just because I refuse to stand out, it doesn't mean I want to be shit on.'
As Rey had these thoughts, he began to hear hushed murmurs and ramblings of surprise from his classmates.
At the same time, he could hear soft footsteps approach him.
"Hey, Rey. Wanna talk for a minute?"
Rey recognized the voice and slowly opened his eyes to see the girl who had it.
'Trisha… huh…?'
Her arms were currently on her hips as she looked down on him laying down.
'From this angle… I can see quite a lot.' Rey thought to himself, not sure if his cheeks were red or not.
Trisha was extremely fit.
She had an extremely well-toned body, and her muscles were perfectly in tune with her slender body.
Despite this, she had a large pair of boobs, and her ass wasn't lacking either.
Out of everything, though, Trisha's thighs were the main attraction.
They seemed so succulent and were usually moist that even Rey couldn't help staring at them from time to time.
The only thing he told himself, which made him feel like less of a degenerate, was that literally everyone was doing it.
He had caught several boys and even girls gawking at Trisha's tanned thighs.
'And now they're in sight…'
Rey gulped down the saliva that had formed in his throat as he enjoyed the sight for as long as he would be allowed to.
"Oi! Are you listening to me at all?"
"H-huh?" Rey snapped out of his daydream and retraced his gaze to Trisha's face.
She had a small frown on her face, and that instantly made Rey shiver a bit.
'She caught me staring, didn't she?'
"U-um… what were you saying?" Rey managed to croak out, hoping that would make her ignore his transgressions.
Trisha was the most influential person in Beta Class. If she decided to persecute him, then he would be in for a rough ride.
"Urgh! I knew you weren't paying attention."
Before Rey could say a word in his defense, Trisha squatted, bringing her face closer to his.
Of course, that meant the temptation to stare at her legs had increased exponentially.
The fact that Trisha was fond of wearing tank tops and extremely skimpy shorts didn't help his case.
'Control yourself, Rey! Please have some decency!'
Fortunately, he was able to do just that.
"I was asking about how you were able to apply those changes to the Martial Arts you used." Trisha asked, her face still as serious as when she first appeared.
However, something about her inquisitive eyes made her seem less scary than normal.
"They aren't really changes, but—"
"I know. Variations of the same moves, right? But that made you think of tweaking the fixed technique. We were never told that it was a malleable technique, and our instructor was also very strict about getting it right."
Rey knew she didn't directly say it, but Trisha was also poking at his silly excuse for using those eight steps instead of six.
'She knows it wasn't by accident…'
Rey found himself smiling as he stared at her face and thought of all she said.
He didn't know why, but he liked her straightforward personality.
She was fierce, and her blunt nature reminded him of a certain girl that he constantly met in the library.
'Well, Alicia is different, but…'
Rey quickly shook his head and dissolved the thoughts he was having. He knew full well where they would lead him to if he continued.
"I just think Martial Arts should be dynamic. Especially in this world."
"But specific forms exist for a reason. By connecting the steps and following due course, it's more efficient and—!"
"This isn't Earth." Rey answered, sharply interrupting Trisha before she could say any more."
"W-what…?"
"We're in a world of Magic and Skills. This isn't our old world anymore." He reiterated.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you need to stop thinking like you're going to be fighting in tournaments or street brawls. We're going to be facing monsters… dragons…"
As Rey was saying these things, he could see Trisha's eyes widen.
'It seems she's getting it.' His smile grew broader.
"So… what do you suggest we… no I do? I… I want to get stronger. Much stronger."
As Trisha said this, she cast her gaze on her hand. It seemed she was distracted by a certain line of thought.
Perhaps it was a fleeting memory.
"Stop thinking like a Martial Artist. You have Skills now. Powers that are more effective than merely swinging your blade. You should be trying to incorporate everything you learn and know into those Skills, not the other way around."
According to Rey, one's Skills were the foundation upon which to build every other ability obtained.
Martial Arts had to be learned and mastered to suit the Skills one had, and not the Skill being used to properly utilize Martial Arts.
"In the end, we are not like the people of this world. We already have these powerful abilities at our disposal. Every growth we make should be with that in mind."
As Rey finished speaking, he found Trisha smiling at him.
This was perhaps the first time he had seen her smiling up close.
It was… beautiful!
"You're a lot smarter than I thought, Rey Skylar."
Rey didn't like being called by his full name. However, he didn't feel any aversion when he heard Trisha say it.
Her firm tone pronounced his name perfectly.
"If I want to survive in this world… I have no other choice." Rey responded.
Trisha rose to her feet, keeping her gaze on Rey.
"I'll be watching you very closely from now on."
The moment he heard that, Rey gulped.
'Did I say too much?' He asked himself.
"I'd rather you don't. It would be a waste of time…"
"I don't think it will."
"There's nothing spectacular about me. I'm actually being serious right now."
As he said this, Trisha's smile grew broader.
"You liar…"
She refused to elaborate on her words and just left.
'What in the world…?'
Rey could not properly place what kind of conversation he just had, and what that meant for him.
It seemed his decision to humiliate Billy had backfired on him.
'I now have a target on my back.'
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[A/N
47 Grim Discovery
"I wonder what she meant by that…"
Rey was busy inspecting the pots that the Hobgoblins had made while rubbing his chin and remembering what Trisha said to him.
Her last words would not leave his mind.
"Liar? Me? I mean, sure… I lied to her, but…"
Once Billy returned, he made Trisha his new sparring partner, and Rey was allowed to sit the rest out.
Trisha's rounds with Billy ended in the latter's victory, but it wasn't by an easy margin.
And, despite Trisha losing, she didn't appear sad or disappointed in the slightest.
Rey could see the sharp contrast between the face she made when Billy first defeated her and the one she made in the recent spar.
'I guess she's learning more…' Rey felt happy for her, but also threatened.
'I had to take extra care before coming here today, all because of what she said.'
Though Rey doubted that Trisha would abandon her training just to become his full-time stalker, he still had his concerns.
'No one can know my secret!' He told himself.
"G-GURRRIKA…?"
Rey's thoughts were brought back to reality thanks to the voice of the Hobgoblin who was showing him the most recent batch of pots.
'Ahh! Right… the pots!'
Rey took his time to observe the dark utensil, mumbling to himself as he did so.
"It looks nice. But… it would be better if it had handles and a cover."
Then, there was also the fact that they had to test it under heat and see how well it functioned.
'I had to take into account heat conductivity and its durability.'
That meant ensuring the Orichalcum lining was thin enough to ensure enough heat to permeate the pot and boil whatever was needed to boil.
If it was too thin, though, it could cause it to crack and leak over time.
'The pots used to fetch water don't require much work. The problem is that the models they made are too heavy.'
Too much Orichalcum had been merged together and sculpted to form a massive bassier to hold in water.
'Well, I guess there's no real need to move it. Water comes from a fixed location, and they can just fetch their water from it with smaller bowls.'
Problem solved!
As for the pot being showcased to him, Rey decided to give his verdict.
He nodded and smiled, tapping the bald head of the Hobgoblin before him.
"KIKIKIKRII…"
It seemed the creature was giggling, and Rey could see a smile forming on its face.
'Praise from someone they recognize as a higher being gives the Hobgoblins joy.' He had learned all about this from the book Alicia recommended.
He honestly couldn't thank her enough.
'While they try to make more pots to resemble the approved model, I should go and take my daily batch of Monster Cores.'
Despite consistently taking the Cores for days now, the heaps didn't seem to reduce in the slightest.
Rey put as many Cores into the sacs as he could carry, filling them to the brim.
'I still have no idea how to sell these, but it still feels good having so many of them.'
Once Rey finished his daily routine, he observed the Hobgoblins some more, and then returned to the Sixth Floor for some training.
He now had 52 Skills, and his Stats had improved since the last time he properly trained.
'Might as well spend the rest of my time getting accustomed to the new Skill and some nice combinations.'
Now that he had more Mana than before, he could afford to do so.
*******
Once Rey was done with his business in the Royal Dungeon, he returned to the Royal Estate.
Since the Head Warrior Brutus was not present for a few days, and Rey knew it was very likely that those within the Refinery would know if this, he changed his disguise.
Or rather, he didn't even bother with it.
He simply used his [Projection] Skill to show them an illusion of whatever would distract them while he opened the gates by himself.
Of course, they would all think the doors were still closed, but in reality, he could sneak in and out whenever he wanted.
Upon arriving in the Royal Estate, he easily located his living quarters and went in.
As always, he would retreat into his room and have a nice bath before going to the library.
'Ahh… alright, then. Let's get this day over with!'
*********
'Haa! I'm so beat!'
Rey walked into his dark room with a smile on his face despite how he was feeling.
'Alicia left the library earlier than me today. Finally!'
Despite how long she would have spent in the library before his arrival, she always managed to outlast him there.
It was crazy!
But this time, he managed to win.
'I mean, compared to how many times she has won, it doesn't really matter, but…'
It made him happy beyond description.
'I wonder if I'm the only one who considers it a contest.'
To Rey, their silent rivalry felt like a mutual understanding.
He didn't want to say anything that would ruin the entire thing, but he also couldn't help but wonder if it was all in his head.
'Well, whatever! What matters is that I won!'
Now that he was back within his room, Rey began his everyday ritual.
'[Greater Protection Field]. [Safe Haven]. [Projection].'
The moment Rey thought this, his entire room was covered in two barriers, and an illusion made it seem as if he was already sleeping inside.
'In case anyone comes in at this time, they won't be able to detect anything out of the ordinary.'
That way, he wouldn't be able to get caught for what he was about to do.
"Let's bring out the spoils of war. Hehehe!"
Rey began to empty his Subspace, letting out all the sacs of treasure he had gotten from the Hobgoblins.
He also went to his secret stash spot to dump his Monster Core for the day.
That was when Rey realized a grim truth.
"Hold on… something isn't right here…"
Rey gazed upon his sacs which he had numbered accordingly, and found them to be in disarray.
Not only that, but one was missing.
"Haaa…"
That could only mean one thing.
"… Someone stole from me."
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