— — — — — —
"Hehehe~~~"
Kaguya Houraisan laughed sweetly. "Father, even though Eirin hasn't done it before, her speed and skill at learning are absolutely beyond question. Next time would feel even better."
Buuut...," she added, still smiling, "in the future, your checkups will probably happen only once a month at most. You can take your time and enjoy them."
"…"
Kira silently turned his eyes to the woman standing behind Kaguya, who at some point had already changed back into her usual elegant outfit— Eirin Yagokoro.
But those eyes of hers…
"Kaguya," he said dryly, "if by 'enjoyment' you mean that terrifying look in her eyes, like she's deciding how best to dissect me…"
"Then yeah, I think once is enough. Let's not have a next time."
He wasn't joking. Who wouldn't be terrified, staring into Eirin's calm, clinical gaze—the kind of look she probably used on lab rats before cutting them open?
"Eirin, you're back," Kaguya said casually, not even turning around. "How did the examination go?"
Eirin didn't answer immediately. She simply sat down, amber eyes fixed on Kira. The air grew stiff enough to snap.
It took a long moment before she finally spoke. "To put it simply, Kira, your body is far too unusual. I've never seen anything like it, not even among the gods of the Age of Divinity—including the Three Great Deities themselves."
"What exactly do you mean?" Kira asked, genuinely curious about his own condition.
"In simple terms," Eirin said, "your body functions like an enormous smelter."
"Anything can be thrown into it."
"But that's not supposed to be possible. Even gods cannot fully control two forces that are completely opposed and destined to destroy each other."
"Yet your body… is different."
"In theory," she continued, "if those two mutually destructive forces were placed inside you, the 'smelter' would absorb them perfectly."
"In fact, it could even fuse them into a new power—one that contains the properties of both."
Eirin's gaze deepened. If she'd had a scalpel in her hand, Kira was sure she would've already made the first incision.
"Hmm?" Kira frowned, lost in thought.
So… his peculiarity wasn't the traits themselves, but his body?
Were the traits just a visible way of expressing it? Or was his body this way because of the traits?
After a few seconds of mental gymnastics, he gave up trying to figure out which came first.
"Alright, I get the theory," he said. "What else?"
Eirin, true to form, didn't disappoint.
She went on calmly, "Your physical body is only one aspect. Beyond that, anything you come into contact with—skills, techniques, forms of energy—you can learn and master them."
"However—"
"In my examination, I noticed you can't reproduce innate gifts. The reason is simple: your own development is incomplete. Or more precisely, your body can't yet bear the load."
Kira raised an eyebrow.
Seriously? That's how it worked?
Well, that tracked with his experience. Whatever this so-called "trait" system was—talent, cheat, divine quirk—it sure didn't come with a manual.
Eirin continued matter-of-factly, "Given your current condition, I'll be drawing up a detailed plan in the next few days."
"Based on my projections, what took you fifteen years to master before can be solidly achieved in just two—and with higher precision and depth."
Kira almost gave her a thumbs-up. Unbelievable. Truly Eirin-level logic.
The difference between self-taught improvisation and professional guidance really was like heaven and earth.
"There's one more thing," Eirin added. "Your innate talent and potential are quite poor. But through effort, you can still gradually improve and grow stronger."
"Right," Kira nodded. That sounded a lot like his 'traits' gaining experience and leveling up.
"Not quite," Eirin corrected him, shaking her head. "More accurately, your body—the smelter—is constantly burning itself. When you train, you're just increasing its output rate. Even if you did nothing, given enough time, you would still evolve."
"…Got it," Kira muttered, piecing it together. "So, if I understand your plan, you want to increase that output rate… what, by sevenfold?"
"No," Eirin said coolly. "Sevenfold is only the initial phase. I'm worried your mind won't withstand much more right away."
"Once you stabilize, though, it'll keep rising. Based on my early calculations—if your willpower can handle it—the initial stage could reach fifteen times your current rate."
Kira froze, staring at her in disbelief.
Fifteen times? For real?
He wanted to cry. Sure, she was Eirin, the ultimate genius, the undisputed expert—but still.
He'd spent eighteen years working himself to the bone, up before dawn, down after midnight, training like a man possessed—and she casually told him she could make him fifteen times faster?
Was she even treating him like a human being?
"…"
After a long, painful silence, Kira finally sighed. "So… what's the first step?"
"Mental fortitude training," Eirin replied calmly. "I'll craft a special artifact to improve your mind and spirit gradually. Otherwise, if your consciousness isn't anchored within the smelter, I fear it might collapse altogether."
"First, we'll boost your training efficiency to around five times the current rate. Then I'll prepare focused regimens for your skills, arts, and energy work. I'll also provide you with the corresponding reference texts."
Kira exhaled slowly. Great. A fifteen-times speed plan, starting with five.
Now that was reasonable.
.
.
.