Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

Sio did what he said. He made sure to make up for lost time by training his great-granddaughter. He also included Zach and Nessa in that training because they were Violina's friends and once he got started, he had trouble stopping.

He had so much knowledge, wisdom, and experience when it came to training and fighting that he just wanted to share with the younger generations. He also saw it as a personal challenge to get Zach to use his energy.

Zach and the others weren't sure if they could say that Sio was the best teacher. He was great. He knew a lot, and eh was strong. But it felt like he relied on brute-forcing their learning by just making them suffer, whether it be through nigh-torturous physical training or spars and mock-battles with him that were only one-sided beatings with a pseudonym.

It was effective, though.

He helped Violina with her sword techniques, physical strength, and the skill that covered her sword or whatever she touched in ice.

He helped Nessa train her balance, compensational strength, and her sedation skill by making her try to knock him out.

When he started training Zach, Sio had asked how Zach fought other than holing up behind his barriers. Zach had said he was training with the spear. Sio had laughed.

It wasn't a kind laugh, and before he knew it, Zach was undergoing the harshest physical training he had undergone.

It felt like his muscles, skeleton, and internal organs were abused by a pack of hungry elephants every day. Then, they were healed and recovered with the miraculous combination of the passive world essence energy and the Systine's bottomless well of resources, only to be trampled under another herd of elephants the next day.

Sio could easily split his attention between the three youths without either of them feeling neglected.

That changed, however, when Yanael joined the equation. And she didn't do it alone.

Soara wasn't interested in it. Neither was Alzara. No, the one who accompanied Yanael was her Book of Sword Techniques. The collection of sword techniques and related information Yanael got from the Labyrinth was enough to distract Sio.

The fact that even Sio, who was leagues above them all in strength, was interested in the Book was a testament to its value. The one thing that decreased its usefulness was the sheer amount of sword techniques and the fact that they weren't all great. Some were decent. Some were not bad. Some were useable. Others were good. Outstanding. Overwhelming. Domineering. Peerless.

There in lay the problem.

Whoever read the book and was trying to learn from it had to sort through all the techniques to try to pick out only the good or better ones.

Yanael knew a bunch of stuff. But her knowledge about sword techniques and related theory was surprisingly limited. She could rely on her amazing talent to learn and learn and learn until she knew which techniques were bad, good, and better.

Or, she could receive Sio's assistance and let him help her mark the ones that looked worth learning. It was an easy choice.

While he helped Yanael, Sio naturally also learned. The techniques and theories in the Book were occasionally familiar. But most, if not all of them, he had never heard of before. There was so much to learn.

Sio's desire for growth and strength that had stagnated with age and when he started plateauing had been reignited by the wealth of information Zach and Yanael had brought him. It made him even more determined to get Zach to unlock his energy.

It would help if he knew what kind of energy it was.

But to Zach's and Sio's surprise, that information was restricted. Zach couldn't share what kind of energy it was with anyone. It wasn't Zach's first restriction, but it sounded ridiculous to him. What would happen if he revealed that he had world essence energy?

Sio was also confused. He had never encountered a similar situation before. He could understand why there was a restriction on the information about the twelfth Trial.

But on the energy Zach used? It didn't make sense unless it was an extremely special energy that he had never even heard of or that could have wide-stretching consequences if it got out.

The energy hadn't felt that special to Sio. But if it was so special Zach couldn't even talk about it, Sio wouldn't be surprised if it could fool his senses.

None of that was enough to get him to stop trying to get Zach to use it, though.

Fortunately, he had made a break through.

All that harsh physical training hadn't been for nothing. The world essence energy was inactive. Zach couldn't control it, and it didn't react to external stimuli.

But, it lived inside Zach's body like a parasite or symbiote. When Zach's body was injured, worn down, or hungry, the energy mended it. It was like Zach's abilities of recovery had suddenly increased.

Another discovery that Zach really didn't like was the fact that the more he pushed himself, the worse his internal injuries got, and the harsher the training, the more the energy reacted.

To fully unlock the energy, Sio proposed extreme measures. Zach refused. Sio tried to convince him. Zach refused. Sio tried to convince him. Zach refused. Sio was about to do it anyway. Violina interrupted. Sio reconsidered.

In the end, Sio developed a training regimen for Zach to follow. As long as he followed it, he might unlock half of the energy in a couple of years. At that point, the rest would be easier. Once the first balls of snow got rolling, the avalanche was soon to follow.

Sio was a little downcast. He was old. He wanted immediate results. Zach was relieved but depressed. The 'easier' version would still have him sweating blood. He was worried how he would manage with the Academy's duties on top.

But it wasn't all bad. Sio had also figured out what weapon was best suited for Zach.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om