"No, Host. That is very impressive."
[Host's combat ability has been changed from the former use of dominating tactics to using feints and putting himself in his opponent's shoes to bring an end to it.]
[That is something that wasn't present in Host's previous battle with Ignatius.]
The system declared as Ryuk's eyebrows furrowed.
He had never really thought of it that way. And truly, now that it was mentioned, the system was right.
Ryuk had been fighting while also keeping his clone's next actions in mind, trying to predict its response.
His motion of stabbing the clone with only a single sword was so he could make the clone think him dumb, and when it had slashed its scythe toward his head, seemingly thinking it would take Ryuk by surprise somehow, Ryuk had already predicted that and had easily retreated, before ending everything with the cloud of ice swords.
He had predicted his opponent's own thoughts, foreseen its preceding actions, and everything had fallen exactly as he had expected, making the battle as easy and seamless as possible.
That was truly something he hadn't really done when he was fighting Ignatius and in all of his fights before that time.
'Who knows, perhaps this is the application of evolving combat ability, or increasing intelligence,' Ryuk mused.
But then, the notification appeared.
[While the Phantom Duel Training room might seem not very effective for Host, there really is a way for Host to make it very effective.]
The system said as Ryuk's ears perked.
He had truly thought that with him being able to overwhelm his clone, his 50-point requirement to open the door was a rip-off, but it seemed the system had a different idea.
[Host only won by taking advantage of the flaws in the mirror reality integration.]
[If Host had waited one second for the Clone to fully copy his ability and also fought long enough for the room's technology to identify his mode of combat and apply it to the Clone...]
[Then Host would have been overwhelmed.]
[The clone would be well aware of Host's combat ability and also be capable of Host's ice usage. With those two combined and the improvement capability of the Clone...]
[Then Host would most likely be fighting his true match—one who also has the capability to grow in combat ability, forcing Host to also better adapt and then achieve the true purpose of the training room, which is to cause a direct increase in combat ability for its users.]
[So the room is not useless.]
[All Host needs to do is wait and not go all out at the beginning of the battle. Allow the room mechanism to identify all of Host's combat ability and all of Host's skills, and then face the clone.]
[Then it would be a worthy fight, and Host will see improvement.]
The system explained as Ryuk's gaze sharpened.
That truly made sense.
He was just about to resummon the clone when suddenly...
{5 minutes left before eviction from the Phantom Duel Training Room.}
"Time passed so fast?" Ryuk mused to himself.
Five minutes, of course, wouldn't be enough for the clone to copy all of his abilities and test out the system's hypothesis, so in the end, Ryuk could only snort coldly as he stopped.
But of course, he wanted to make use of his full points and decided to wait the entire five minutes in the place.
{2 minutes remaining.}
{Caution: 10 points will be deducted for every second that user remains in the training room after this time elapses.}
"What the... You rip-off!" he screamed as he jumped to his feet and rushed away from the room.
Having 10 points deducted with every passing second when the room itself was just 50 points to stay in for an hour!?
How was the math even mathing anymore? That was definitely a rip-off, and Ryuk sure wouldn't fall for it.
Assuming he had been in battle, he might not even have been aware and kept getting ripped off unknowingly.
The Ascension Academy was definitely no righteous school.
It dared to even scam its students, and Ryuk just seemed to also be the one getting targeted, as he had clearly been ripped off by the instructor once previously.
'Y'all are after my damn points, and I've fallen for it once, but I won't be falling for it twice...''
He thought with a cold harrumph as he headed out of the training room.
But then he heard the sound of footsteps below him, and from above, Ryuk looked down, finding a figure walking below.
Almost like he could sense Ryuk's prickling gaze, the figure also turned his face up, sighting Ryuk, before a grin appeared on his face.
"It's almost like I can guess you would be here..."
The figure said, as he suddenly crouched a bit and then...
The floor beneath him shook slightly as he jumped into the air, soaring fo r abpce 5 meters and landed in front of Ryuk.
He was a towering young man, standing at an impressive 2 meters, a head above Ryuk, and exuding a deep aura of confidence.
His deep red eyes burned with intensity, and being up so close made Ryuk feel as if he was standing before a predator—like a mutated beast stalking him.
His dark hair, thick and slightly unkempt, glans naturally in a way that added to his rugged charm. And even though he was wearing a simple T-shirt and trousers, his broad shoulders were evident, and his arms were thick with muscle.
He was of above-average handsomeness, with high, chiseled cheekbones, and held a knowing smile on his face as he stretched out his hand toward Ryuk.
"Hi, I'm Fenrir," he said.
He was none other than the Werewolf with the crimson eyes—the one who had been referred to as "Alpha" by Instructor Dravok Kain.
"I'm Ryuk..." Ryuk replied as he took the hand in his grasp.
The shake lasted for just three seconds, but both of them sensed many things from it.
'He's no feeble human. His hands are calloused like they've held a blade so many times they have roughened up—almost like the hands of a hunter or swordsman.'
'And he resisted getting crushed from the force of my palm, meaning his strength too is pretty noteworthy...'
'What the fuck is with this crazy heaviness!?'