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Fressia gazed at Ian, who had fallen asleep, and sank deep into thought.

Various unorganized thoughts began to float in her mind.

It started with Ian’s determined face, following her training relentlessly before the punitive battle.

Even when pushed to his limits, he never broke and burned with fighting spirit.

Then came the image of him bravely facing monsters in the punitive battle, where his life was at risk. His skills improved rapidly through real combat.

And finally, the memory of Ian, unable to overcome his inferiority complex towards Gilbert, rushing out despite her劝阻, and ultimately fainting after receiving help from that reckless man.

Fressia repeatedly emphasized to Ian that the most important thing in battle was to remain calm.

She never forgot to remind him that even the best Colossal Mech Knight could lose to a third-rate pilot the moment they lost their composure.

But Ian seemed to have forgotten all her advice, throwing rational thinking aside and charging recklessly. It was less of a fierce attack and more of a foolish, suicidal charge.

If Gilbert hadn’t decided to save Ian, he wouldn’t be sleeping so peacefully now.

Fressia couldn’t hide her mixed feelings. While she was relieved Ian had regained consciousness, his naive way of solving problems was hard to forget.

Was that really a solution?

Fressia tried to understand Ian.

If escaping a predicament could be called wit, then Ian had used his wit to turn public opinion in his favor.

He transformed from a disobedient troublemaker to a passionate knight who couldn’t ignore his comrades’ danger.

Considering how most of the human world operates politically, Ian had clearly made the best choice.

If he had remained a disobedient soldier, his future would have been severely hindered.

Disobeying orders in wartime could lead to immediate execution.

But Fressia couldn’t fully accept it.

There was no doubt Ian’s judgment was correct. Hiding unfavorable facts was also a natural act.

However, emotionally, it was hard to view Ian’s actions favorably. At least, he shouldn’t have boasted about what he did.

He should have felt some shame for his actions. Showing such indifference, especially to her who had witnessed everything, was wrong.

This is giving me a headache.

The more she thought, the more complicated it became.

It felt like unnecessary thoughts were only making her mind more tangled.

Though somewhat disappointed in Ian, he was still an inexperienced contractor. With her guidance as an advanced Artificial Spirit, he could become an excellent contractor.

Putting aside her thoughts about Ian, Fressia turned to another troubling subject.

Is that reckless guy okay?

She began to worry about Gilbert, whom she had always called a reckless man.

His ability to perfectly handle her, despite not knowing what characteristic skills he had, was etched in her mind like a brand.

Moving the Colossal Mech in sync with him was a unique experience she had never had in her long life. Being led by a Colossal Mech Knight instead of leading wasn’t a bad feeling.

What am I thinking?

Fressia quickly erased the thought.

She felt oddly embarrassed.

Anyway, she decided to stop calling Gilbert a reckless man. His noble will didn’t deserve to be belittled.

Though she believed human nature never changes, she lowered that standard for Gilbert.

Perhaps the premise was wrong. In a world where absolutes don’t exist, a strong catalyst could change human nature.

Or maybe Gilbert’s nature was inherently good.

Either way, it didn’t matter much.

Listening to Ian’s snoring, Fressia continued her thoughts about Gilbert.

***

Her floating mind suddenly returned, accompanied by a terrible pain. She jolted awake.

Gilbert opened his stiff eyes and looked around. At least he wasn’t dead.

Feeling a tearing pain with every breath, Gilbert frowned. He didn’t check his condition precisely, but he knew it was bad.

He first called up the message window he had ignored in the heat of the moment. The system messages were the most objective indicators of his current situation.

His greatest strength was his ability to use the system, so he needed to review all the messages he had skipped.

The first message he checked was about the special conditions of his characteristic skill, activated after using it. It confirmed the special conditions he had set just for fun.

The special conditions seemed to involve the activation of Limit Break, the acquisition of the Skill Mastery, and his synchronization rate with Fressia, the advanced Artificial Spirit.

Though the conditions seemed flimsy, considering he had set them just for fun, they weren’t entirely forced.

Gilbert opened the skill window to examine the characteristic skill’s description.

The only changes were the confirmation of special conditions and the existence of higher-level skills.

He guessed that fulfilling all conditions would unlock higher-level skills, but it wasn’t certain. The skill descriptions were filled with question marks, so he could only rely on what was visible.

The same applied to the Skill Mastery. It seemed to have higher-level skills too, but the conditions to unlock them were unknown.

Damn it. I can’t figure anything out.

Gilbert shook his head and checked the next message.

Though unintended, he had achieved the Monster Ogre Slayer achievement by defeating the Monster Ogre alone.

Thanks to his solo battle with the Ogre, buying time for the punitive force’s retreat, his fame skyrocketed, and he gained the title of Noble Spirit.

The Monster Ogre Slayer was a rare and difficult achievement, with top-tier effects. This achievement alone made the battle worthwhile.

After checking the achievement message, Gilbert’s expression hardened at the next message. He had tried to ignore it, but this was something he couldn’t overlook.

[Due to exceeding the limits, the Mana Road is severely damaged.]

Severe damage to the Mana Road.

This message hit Gilbert hard.

In the era before Colossal Mechs, when battles were fought with cold weapons, the Mana Road was crucial for knights. It was the source of their superhuman strength.

Now, such an important Mana Road was severely damaged. Gilbert felt dizzy.

With mountains of tasks ahead, he had to protect his Mana Road at all costs. Syncing with the Colossal Mech was only possible with a healthy Mana Road.

For Gilbert, who dreamed of returning to his original world, protecting the Mana Road was essential.

With a tense expression, he checked the last message. It was the only thing he could cling to now.

[Physical limits reached. Regeneration ability awakened.]

Awakening of the Regeneration ability.

This was something even Tactical Combat hadn’t shown.

Regeneration was the ultimate recovery skill, obtainable under special conditions or through skill awakening. Gilbert had gained it as a bonus effect from acquiring the Skill Mastery.

However, even Gilbert, who had played Tactical Combat for years, had never heard of Regeneration awakening. It was strange since Regeneration was already the final skill.

Of course, this wasn’t the game world but reality. Blindly trusting game settings in a world where system-like abilities existed was foolish.

What level would this awakened Regeneration skill be?

With a solemn heart, Gilbert opened the skill window.

<Einherjar's Feast>

Rank: ??

Description: Brave warriors, raise your cups!

Effects:

– Regeneration efficiency is maximized.

By maximizing regeneration efficiency, you can limit the regeneration area to increase regeneration power and speed.

– Declaring a feast after battle significantly boosts regeneration efficiency.

– ??? (Conditions not met.)

Gilbert trembled as he looked at the golden Einherjar’s Feast skill.

This was the biggest jackpot skill he had ever obtained. Maximizing regeneration efficiency and limiting the regeneration area to increase power and speed was incredibly appealing.

Additionally, declaring a feast after battle further boosted regeneration efficiency. Though he didn’t fully understand what declaring a feast meant, the skill name gave some hints.

Gilbert immediately sat up straight and used Einherjar’s Feast. He fixed the regeneration area on the damaged Mana Road and closed his eyes.

The Mana Road felt utterly devastated. Though slowly regenerating thanks to the Regeneration skill, it would take months to recover fully.

But by limiting the regeneration to the Mana Road, the recovery speed increased dramatically. It felt at least ten times faster.

However, other parts of his body weren’t receiving the regeneration effects, but the Mana Road was the priority now.

Gilbert immersed himself in healing his Mana Road, pouring all his focus into it.

 

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