Mushoku Impact

After waiting around an hour to make sure he was well and truly alone, Paul walked over to his closet and placed his palm atop the sliding door. He had never actually tried summoning the Intersection of Fate using a sliding door, but he doubted such a restriction would exist.
Fortunately, it didn't even take a second before Paul was proven correct as the cracks around the door gained a vibrant blue hue. When the runes had fully formed, he opened the door to find a frozen world with Ei, Jean, Eula, Barbara, Xiangling, and Razor waiting for him.
Taking a deep breath, Paul prepared himself for a tongue lashing before stepping into the IOF. The moment he did so, the world around him came to life as Barbara was the first to shout, "Paul!" in a cheerful tone.
Smiling wryly, Paul made his way over to the platform before pointing to his face and saying, "Thine Heawing."
Though she was briefly confused due to Paul's prominent lisp, Barbara quickly realized what he was asking for when she noticed a 'void' where his teeth had previously been...
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"Thank you, Barbara. You have no idea how grateful I am to have you around at times like this."
Though she felt extremely gratified by Paul's words, Barbara's expression was a severe pout as she questioned, "Who did this to you? Was it that Reida woman?"
Shaking his head, Paul gave the group of girls an explanation of his life over the last half a year. He also described the conditions of the Sword Sanctum and explained that there was a good possibility he wouldn't be able to let them out any time soon.
Fortunately, while people like Barbara were understandably disgruntled, one of the perks of the IOF was that Paul could access it on any moonlit night. He might not be able to let them out, but he could still come and visit them every night. The best part about that was that absolutely no time would pass from their perspective while he was gone.
What Paul didn't expect was for even Barbara to insist that he focus on his training rather than worrying about them. The entire reason he had gone to the Sword Sanctum was to get more powerful, clear his mind, and, to a lesser extent, age himself up a bit so he wouldn't have to feel guilty about going to town on girls whose physical appearances didn't match their ages.
Though he had initially planned to stay for two years, back when he still intended to become a Lord, Paul had discussed the matter with most of the girls and decided to stay at the Sword Sanctum until he was 15. That was the standard for a 'fully matured' adult within the world of Mushoku Tensei, so Paul figured it was an excellent age to set out on his journey...
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After staying within the IOF until he got a distinct impression he should leave, Paul returned to his room in the Sword Sanctum, intending to go to bed. What he didn't expect was to find Ghislaine sitting pensively at the side of his 'bed,' a thin futon and single blanket lying on the ground.
Tilting her head to the side, Ghislaine asked, "You were in the closet? I could not smell you."
Instead of answering the raspy-voiced woman's question, Paul made his way over, sat down in his bed, and asked, "What are you doing here...?" in a legitimately confused tone.
Seeing that Paul suddenly had all his teeth, Ghislaine briefly spaced out before adopting a faint smile and stating, "It's good that your teeth grew back. If I had to chew food for you, I might have eaten it."
Exhaling a light chuckle, Paul noticed the pail of water at Ghislaine's side, asking, "Did you come to bring me water?"
Nodding her head, Ghislaine picked up the bucket and curtly explained, "It's water mixed with salt and sugar. You've lost a lot of blood. This will help."
"Right..."
Though he felt completely fine at this point, Paul humored Ghislaine by downing a few large gulps of the rudimentary saline solution. When he was finished, he passed the bucket back to her, saying, "Thanks." with a friendly smile on his face.
"Mmm..."
"..."
With Ghislaine just staring at him with a blank expression on her face, Paul waited for a couple of seconds before asking, "Is there something you wanted to ask me...?"
Without any hesitation, Ghislaine stated, "You have several new scents on you. Females. Girls I don't recognize."
Though he was a little surprised by the sensitivity of Ghislaine's nose, Paul nodded his head and said, "Yeah, they're my friends and lovers. I can't tell you any more than that, at least not right now."
Tilting her head to the opposite side, an action her inordinately large cat ears to flop, Ghislaine said, "You're a strange boy. Young, but powerful and mysterious..."&nbsp;
Adopting a somewhat brazen smile, Paul playfully retorted, "You're pretty incredible yourself. Tall, bronzed skin, long and free-flowing hair, big tits, and carmine eyes. Come Fall, I imagine I'll be contending with the other guys to try and woo you."
Though her expression didn't change, Paul noticed the tip of Ghislaine's thick, cat-like tail curling slightly as she asked, "Do you desire my body?"
Despite getting the impression he could sleep with the buxom cat girl right then and there, Paul nodded his head but said, "Sure, but I'll claim it on my own terms. I'm kind of tired of my women being stronger than me, so I intend to catch up and defeat you at least once or twice. When I do, I'll take you all the way to the Great Forest so that the entire Beast Race knows who you belong to."
Understanding how important such actions were after spending time with Minne, Paul wasn't too surprised when Ghislaine's tail began to curl and sway with a hint of excitement. They weren't an overtly possessive race, but when it came to choosing a mate, they liked things to be made clear. They also respected the strong and preferred direct action, so, as sus as it sounded, Paul had spent a considerable amount of time thinking about how he would speak and act around Ghislaine.
Causing Paul to feel a little vindicated, Ghislaine nodded her head and said, "Okay. I won't go easy on you, so if you manage to defeat me, I'll become your mate. Hurry up and get stronger."
Seemingly finished with the discussion, Ghislaine rose to her feet and promptly departed without another word. Paul was tempted to stop her, but he didn't really know what they would talk about if she stuck around. Instead, though it was obscured due to her white gi, he just stared at her incredibly toned ass and tail, distinctly aware of the subtle and alluring sway to her hips...
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Despite a somewhat restless night, Paul was still among the first people in the Sword Sanctum to rise. His training with Jean had conditioned him to wake up around 2-3 AM every morning, roughly four hours before the earliest lessons within the Sanctum.
Fortunately, while lessons only occurred at specific times, students of the Sword Sanctum were encouraged to train 24/7 if they could. To this end, there were numerous outdoor training facilities, a rudimentary but fully stocked gym, hundreds of durable wooden mannequins to practice on, and even hot springs to soak your body in once you had worked up a sweat.
Since accessing the hot spring mandated at least four hours of training beforehand, Paul figured he might as well get an early start to the day so he could soak his body before breakfast. What Paul didn't expect, though he really should have, was for Gal to appear like a ghost just as he began practicing his footwork, asking, "You gonna keep training the Water God Style despite being at the Sword Sanctum?"
Shrugging his shoulders in an ostensibly helpless manner, Paul asked, "What else am I going to do? Other than the stuff I've learned watching others, I've never received any lessons in the Sword God Style. I just try to swing my sword as fast as possible while incorporating it into my other techniques."
"Mmm..."
Half-expecting Gal to offer him advice, Paul's pupils shrank to the size of pinholes as the Sword God unexpectedly unleashed his Touki, the force of which slammed into him like a semi-truck. While this might sound like a metaphor, it really wasn't. Gal's Touki was like an explosion that ripped apart the ground and destroyed a part of the dojo as it sent Paul sliding and tumbling backward nearly sixty meters through ice and snow.
Appearing next to Paul's beaten and bruised body, Gal ordered, "Heal up. You said one of the things you were lacking to become a Saint was Touki, right? Time for your baptism."
Without waiting for Paul to recover, Gal began to gradually unleash his Touki. As he did, the world around Paul seemed to vibrate as the ice and snow encircling Gal's body began to compact, almost like gravity within the region was increasing.
Gritting his teeth, Paul used what he and Barbara had collectively named the Spell of Lesser Regeneration. When he did, his minor injuries healed almost instantaneously while his more extensive wounds began to mend themselves at a rate visible to the naked eye.
"Hooo....that's a pretty interesting technique. It kind of reminds me of that pale bastard, Kalman. Did your mother sleep with a member of the Immortal Demon Race...?"
Without waiting for Paul to respond, Gal sent him flying backward with a casual yet devastating kick. Touki added an explosive force behind pretty much any attack and, when infused into a blade, allowed Swordsmen to cut through massive boulders and dragon scales as if they were made of soft tofu. Back when the Sword Sanctum was first formed, the mountain upon which it was built was rumored to have been cut away by the first generation Sword God in a single swipe.
"Touki is harnessed instinct. A lot of people think it's something you can obtain by training hard, but they're wrong. Unless you train as if your life is on the line, forcibly overcoming your limits, Touki will continue to elude you. Yesterday, you used Touki to preserve your life when Ghislaine beat the shit out of you. You've obviously got the talent, so I'm going to keep hitting you over and over again until you either get strong enough to stop me, run away, or awaken your Battle Aura(Touki). Now, if you don't want to die, you had better start fighting back."
Not needing to be told twice, Paul charged towards Gal with a fierce look in his eyes. He was wielding an actual sword at the present moment, but he doubted Gal saw any difference between it and a stick. This proved to be true when the Sword God casually swatted away Paul's blade before kicking him in the ribs with more than enough force to shatter a few...
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Seeing Paul receiving treatment similar to her past self, Ghislaine's ears and tail twitched with frustration as she viewed the 'carnage' from atop the Sanctum's snow-covered roof. While this made it appear as though she was concerned for Paul, the truth of the matter was that she was a little annoyed that he was receiving even worse treatment than her.
Though she despised Gal to the very core of her being, Ghislaine also held a considerable amount of respect for the man known as the Sword God. She understood that Gal was only rough on Paul because the latter could handle it. In other words, at least within Ghislaine's mind, Paul had even greater potential than herself.
As much as she was looking forward to Paul training to both overcome and claim her, Ghislaine simultaneously hated the notion. She was a very prideful woman and had worked hard to get more powerful. Her progress had stagnated once she reached the Rank of Sword Saint a few months ago, but now that Paul was here, Ghislaine was determined to get much stronger. If Paul couldn't claim her by the time he was 15, she would be the one to claim him...
With such thoughts on her mind, Ghislaine descended from her perch with the intention to go and train in the harsher regions of the mountain. When she did, Gal briefly sent a glance her way, a naturally vicious smile developing across his face before he sent Paul flying for the umpteenth time...
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Though he was getting his shit kicked in on a near-daily basis, Paul had been enjoying his stay at the Sword Sanctum. He could feel his strength increasing with each passing day, and, due to his talent and increasingly handsome appearance, he was more than a little popular with the ladies.
"Are you going to be okay? I used Healing Magic, but it can't help recover fatigue..."
Instead of responding to Paul's words, the blue-haired girl sharing his bed just stared off into space with an absentminded look on her face. Paul had gone easy on her, but they still went at it for three hours and in more than a dozen different positions.
Shaking his head, Paul allowed the girl to bask in her pleasant daydream as he focused on wiping his body clean using an old towel and some ice-cold water. Getting his shit kicked in by the Sword God every day left him feeling more than a little pent up. Fortunately, most of the girls within the Sword Sanctum were more than happy to help him relieve some stress.
Though it had only been a month or so since his arrival, Paul had made the rounds of nearly the entire female student body. If he had been a complete asshole, he could have even slept with girls who were already in a relationship. Fortunately for their boyfriends, Paul was kept apprised of the relationship status of most of the girls by those he slept with. His actions already caused a lot of people to resent and outright hate him, so he did his best to avoid fucking the brains out of other peoples' lovers.
Once he was finished with himself, Paul brought his most recent 'victim' back to her senses by tossing the cold rag onto her stomach. A startled gasp emanated from her throat as Paul said, "I'm going to head out for training. I'll stop by before sunset, so you can sleep here without having to worry about being late."
Though she nearly threw the rag back at Paul's face, the blue-haired girl, Selena, adopted a smile when she heard his 'considerate' words. She had heard the rumors regarding Paul being an absolute beast in the bed, and, while that turned out to be an understatement, he appeared to be as kind as the other girls had said.
"Thanks...and last night was incredible..."
Adopting a rather brazen smile, Paul sent Selena a wink as he said, "I still have a long way to go. Fortunately, I have a bunch of incredible girls like you to help me out..."
Though Selena was only seventeen-years-old, she had a voluptuous body and features reminiscent of a young woman in her late teens or early twenties. She also had an innately melodic voice, so he had really enjoyed her 'singing' the previous night.
Rewarding Paul's praise with a peal of bell-like laughter, Selena made to clean herself as she said, "Good luck during your training, Paul. We're all rooting for you."
Nodding his head in affirmation, Paul quickly finished donning his black bodysuit and white gi before heading towards the door. Before he could leave, however, Selena called out to him, saying, "Oh, yeah. We're coming up on the ninth month. The Beast Race's mating season generally starts around the third week and continues for a couple of weeks. It's become something of a tradition for all the guys to compete for the girls they like around that time, so you should prepare yourself."
Though he was already well aware of the upcoming mating season, Paul still nodded his head in response to Selena's words, saying, "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." before continuing on his way. Gal didn't have anything better to do, but he hated to be kept waiting. If he showed up even a few minutes late, Paul knew he would pay the price. The first and last time it happened, Gal had literally hurled him down the slope of the mountain...
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"I take it you've prepared yourself...?"
Though Paul wasn't late, the fact he had stayed up having sex meant Gal wasn't going to go easy on him.
Instead of saying anything, Paul adopted a low stance with his sheathed sword in his left hand. He had recently been trying to incorporate the drawing techniques of the Sword God Style into the Flowing Sword Draw taught to him by Reida. Paul had noticed the similarities between them at the start of his training, so he was trying to pursue the 'absolute defense' in the form of an offensive strike that exploited the gap in his opponent's attacks and guard.
Snorting through his nose, Gal began to release his Touki as he charged toward Paul in a manner reminiscent of a tempest. Strong wings followed his every movement as he began trying to slap Paul's head, all while the latter endeavored to dodge and use his sword to deflect Gal's bare hand.
Similar to Armament Haki from One Piece and Reiatsu from Bleach, Touki provided the user with superhuman strength, speed, and defense. If the Touki of one person was demonstrably stronger than another, they could block even full-force sword strikes with their naked skin. Magic could get around this, but Paul didn't want to imagine what Gal would do if he tried to use a Water Ball in the middle of a mock sword fight.
The condition Gal had set for Paul to 'graduate' from his daily beatings was to leave a single mark on his gloved hands. Touki could also protect equipment and shields, so Gal's black leather gloves might as well have been formed from Adamantine with how much Touki he possessed.
Fetting fed up with Paul swatting away his hands, Gal stopped trying to smack him and instead charged him like a bull. More accurately, he used his shoulder to impact Paul's chest and send him crashing into one of the giant boulders people used by Sword Saints to practice cutting through stone.
"I'm starting to get tired of this, kid. You've been receiving my 'guidance' for a month and still haven't awakened your Touki. How did you manage to reach the pinnacle of the Advanced Rank with such mediocre talent?"
Instead of being offended by Gal's remark, Paul adopted a wry smile as he wiped away the traces of blood from his lips and said, "I can be really stubborn..."
"Is that so...?"
Causing alarm bells to sound within Paul's mind, Gal placed his left hand on the hilt of his mythical sword, the Windpipe. While its name sounded a little lame, it was the masterwork of the greatest Blacksmith to have ever lived, Yulian Jalisco, better known as the Forge God. The latter had used the hardest bones of a mountain-sized King Dragon to produce a total of 48 swords. Among those, the Windpipe was ranked 6, a suitable weapon for the sixth-strongest fighter in the entire world.
Before Paul could fully comprehend what had happened, Gal appeared behind him in an instant, the golden blade of his Windpipe fully drawn as he softly muttered, "Don't die, kiddo..."
As if it had been waiting for his words, a tremendous shockwave tore through the area between Gal's previous and present location. At the same time, a literal geyser of blood erupted from a deep cut that ran from the center of Paul's chest to his right shoulder...
Fortunately for Paul, his Lesser Regeneration had been active from the start of the fight. Gal had also made sure his attack didn't hit anything too important, so while Paul invariably collapsed into the snow, he was still alive despite experiencing the legendary Longsword of Light...
Seeing steam rise from Paul's body as he slowly yet visibly regenerated, Gal's expression became solemn as he stabbed the shellshocked youth in the leg. Paul had been rendered senseless by the Longsword of Light, but the added pain of being stabbed in the outer thigh was more than enough to bring him back to blood-curdling reality.
Screaming in pain for the first time in a while, Paul instinctually drew his Black Sword and swung it towards Gal. The latter was more than a little surprised by the appearance of Paul's red and black blade, but the latter might as well have been moving in slow motion in the eyes of the Sword God.
Fortunately for Paul, Gal was nothing if not a man of his words. When he attempted to stop the Black Sword with his hand, the ridiculously sharp blade easily penetrated the back of his glove and hand. This was largely due to the fact the Black Sword increased attack damage by 20% while also providing a reasonable CRIT chance, a phenomenon nearly identical to the effects of Touki.
"Not bad, kid...and that's a pretty good sword you have..."
Though he was momentarily tempted to seize Paul's sword and add it to his collection, Gal didn't believe in 'bullying' or taking from those weaker than himself. He also preferred curved blades over longswords, so there was that as well.
Giving the Black Sword one last glance, Gal sheathed his Windpipe and said, "From now on, you're to spend all your free time in this place. If you can't cut through the smallest boulder here within half a year, you should just give up being a Swordsman. As 'resolute' as you are, your time would be better spent pursuing something you're actually talented in..."
After observing him for a month, Gal had concluded that the only reason Paul had managed to reach the Advanced Rank was because of the time and resources he had put into his training. Sure, he was a prodigy, but his talents appeared to lie elsewhere. Based on the clamor coming from his room each night, it wasn't too hard to imagine where...
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Due to the severity of his injuries, it took Paul nearly twenty minutes to fully recover. When he finally pushed himself to his feet, his complexion had paled considerably due to a combination of blood loss and the frigid temperatures. In spite of this, he manifested the Black Sword in his right hand and swung it, full-force, at one of the larger boulders.
Unlike typical stone boulders, those transported for use within the Sword Sanctum were a composite of granite, quartz, and other extremely hard minerals. It was even possible to find diamonds in some, as, unlike in his previous world, non-magical gemstones weren't considered particularly valuable in the world of Mushoku Tensei. After all, what was the use of a 'normal' rock when Mana Crystals and materials such as Mithril existed?
Despite swinging his sword full force and even triggering a critical attack, Paul was unable to cut through the boulder. He managed to shatter off a rather sizeable chunk, but that had less to do with his Touki and more to do with how broken the weapons empowered by Visions were.
Exhaling a weary sigh, Paul returned the Black Sword to his Vision before picking up the sword his father had acquired for him as a coming of age gift. It couldn't be compared to the weapons from Genshin, but it was a high-quality blade with excellent edge retention.
Swinging his unnamed sword with as much speed and strength as he could manage, Paul had to clench his teeth as the feedback from the impact ran through his hands and up his arms. Weapons empowered by Visions weren't just durable and lightweight; they had excellent shock-absorbent properties. At the very least, Paul hadn't felt any significant feedback during his previous strike.
Instead of swapping back to his preferred weapon, Paul pumped more Mana into his Lesser Regeneration as he began swinging his sword as a man possessed. He was sick and tired of people telling him he either had a talent for someone else or no talent at all. He already knew he wasn't a prodigy, but their 'advice' still pissed him off. Thus, even if it was to spite Gal, Paul was determined to cut through the largest boulder present...he wasn't going to give up just because some asshole with a sick fade told him to...
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Since he had been at the 'pinnacle' of the Advanced Rank for quite some time, Paul had no trouble besting four opponents in quick succession. One of the biggest weaknesses of traditionally trained Swordsmen, even those who ventured all the way to the Sword Sanctum, was their general lack of experience. They were too used to executing their techniques under ideal conditions, and though sparring was commonplace, they customarily held back to avoid injury.
With people like Ei, Jean, Augusta, and Reida teaching him to 'never' hold back, Paul was a monster that defied the 'common sense' of Swordsmen who had spent much of their life inside a dojo. He also had actual combat experience and people and monsters, experiences that had ended in the deaths of more than twenty people.
In the original series, Eris was able to trounce even the Saints within the Sword Sanctum using nothing more than her fists. She had only been at the Advanced Rank of the Sword God Style at the time, but thanks to the experiences she had accumulated fighting to survive for three years, she was able to soundly defeat even the Saint Ranked daughter of the Sword God, Nina Farion. Adding insult to injury, it only took a single punch.
Though he didn't believe he was anywhere near the level of Eris at the time of her arrival at the Sword Sanctum, Paul had become increasingly confident in his abilities. Reida hadn't actually taught him too much, but the act of plowing her for more than five months had given Paul a pretty massive confidence boost. It had also improved his Mana capacity quite a bit, so much so that Paul was pretty sure he could fodder the version of himself from six months prior.
"Not bad, kid. Not bad at all. Win one more, and I'll grant you the right to refer to yourself as a Saint from that moment onward."
Hearing what their Master said, nearly every student present drew in a sharp breath. They had all clearly heard Paul introduce himself as a 10-year-old. If he attained the title of Sword Saint at such a tender age, that would make him the youngest in history.
Surprising the group even more, Paul shook his head and said, "That isn't for you to decide."
Though he had a massive grin on his face, Gal asked, "Who the hell do you think you're talking back to, brat...? I am the Sword God, Gal Farion, Ranked Sixth of the Seven Great Powers. Do you think Reida has greater authority than me when it comes to deciding Ranks?"
Shaking his head a second time, Paul did his best to quell the not-so-subtle trembling of his body as he carefully replied, "The most important thing is how we view ourselves...until I can master Touki and reach Saint Rank in the Sword God Style, it would be arrogant to refer to myself as a Saint..."
"Hmmm..."
Retracting his bloodlust, Gal eased back into a more comfortable posture as he said, "Hear that, you little glory hunters? This brat's only ten years old, yet he has things figured out better than the lot of you. Rank, status, fame, wealth, men, women...unless you possess 'real' power, such things are completely meaningless..."
Without giving his words time to settle, Gal directed his gaze towards the young woman with cat ears, a tail, and a veritable mane of spiky grey hair as he said, "You're up, Ghislaine. If you lose, you'll have to skip breakfast and tomorrow's lunch."
Though she had previously been watching the spars with a bored look on her face, a fierce glimmer flashed across Ghislaine's red eyes when she heard Gal's words. There was no way in hell she was going to go without one meal, much less two, so she immediately lurched forward on all fours before the match had even begun.
"Holy shit...!"
Underestimating just how fast Ghislaine was, Paul barely managed to sidestep and pirouette out of range of her claws. She was only a Sword Saint at the present moment, but her status as a member of the Dedoldia Tribe, descendants of the Beast God, provided her with super strength, speed, agility, senses, and reaction speed.
Despite missing her initial lunge, Ghislaine arrested her momentum with her hands before pushing herself toward Paul. She didn't even bother to go to the side of the hall to retrieve a weapon. Instead, she smashed her fist in the flat of Paul's blade, shattering it as she shouted, "I'm not going hungry...!" in a defiant tone.
With Ghislaine shattering his weapon, most of the students believed Paul was out of his fight. Instead, surprising even Ghislaine, he rolled onto his back in timing with her lunge, his feet compressing against her abdomen before kicking with enough force to send her, upside down, towards one of the hall's pillars.
While most people would have crashed into the pillar, suffering broken bones in the process, Ghislaine demonstrated a degree of flexibility and spatial awareness comparable to an actual cat as she effortlessly flipped over and impacted the pillar on her hands and feet. Then, like a bronze-skinned bullet, she launched herself towards Paul with fangs and claws bared.
Though he had promptly rolled back to his feet after sending Ghislaine flying, Paul barely managed to turn around by the time she tackled him. Fortunately, even though she was able to mount him, the only thing she knew how to do was punch, claw, and tear. These would have been very effective under normal circumstances, but Ghislaine had been prohibited from maiming, biting the throats, or gouging out the eyes of her fellow students. In other words, all she could do was use her ludicrous strength to try and beat Paul into submission.
Catching Ghislaine by surprise, Paul bucked his hips at the exact moment she attempted to smash his face in. The momentum of her attack carried her forward, while at the same time, Paul shamelessly cupped his hands under Ghislaine's already sizeable breasts to push her up and away from him. She managed to hold onto him with her legs, but that was what Paul had been aiming for.
Wrapping his arms around Ghislaine's legs and bottom, Paul attempted to prevent her from correcting her posture. The moment she tried, he raised his hips and back like an arch. The movement nearly caused Ghislaine to smash face-first into the ground, so she was forced to catch herself with her hands.&nbsp;
Thinking he could drop his hips and force Ghislaine onto her back when she attempted to fix her posture, Paul was more than a little surprised when she prevented him from doing so by locking her legs around him like a vice. Then, despite the action causing her forehead to impact the floor, she stopped holding herself in order to choke him.
Feeling like a vice had just locked around his neck, an instinctual panic set into Paul as he grabbed Ghislaine's tail and pulled. Hard.
"You...!"
Unfortunately for Paul, while the tails of the Beast Race were incredibly sensitive, it was one of the first things Ghislaine trained to overcome. It still hurt like hell, but the only thing he accomplished by pulling her tail was making her very, very angry.
Releasing Paul's neck, Ghislaine grabbed his hair and yanked him from between her legs in a single violent motion. The action literally forced him to stand up before she reared back with a resolution expression on her face.&nbsp;
In a desperate attempt to prevent his face from getting smashed in, Paul jammed his thumbs into Ghislaine's armpits to hinder her movement. This helped him avoid a headbutt to the face and nose, but Ghislaine still had a death grip on his head. The moment he blocked her headbutt, an even more violent expression developed across her face as she began shaking his head like a Magic 8-ball. When she did, an overwhelming feeling of vertigo seized him as the notion he could literally feel his brain moving gripped Paul's chaotic mind. Then, as if to spite him for stopping her the first time, Ghislaine reared back her head and landed a headbutt directly to his nose...
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Unaware of how much time had passed, Paul awoke feeling intense pain throughout his face and head. His eyes were so swollen that he couldn't even open them, and, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't breathe through his nose. Inhaling caused extreme pain, while exhaling caused a combination of snot and blood to froth from his nearly flattened nostrils.
("That damned brute...")
Though he was in extreme pain, the thing that upset Paul the most was that most of his front teeth were missing. His Intermediate Healing could mend his face, but regrowing teeth required Shine-Healing, an Advanced Rank Spell.
"You still with us, kid...?"
Before responding to the voice of Gal, Paul raised his hands to his face and used chantless Healing to reduce the swelling of his eyes and fix his nose. When he was finished, he looked towards the roguish-looking man before immediately shifting his gaze to the grey-haired cat girl drooping her head at his side.
Adopting an amused smile, Gal asked, "Holding a grudge...?"
To Gal's surprise, Paul immediately shook his head before lisping, "Noh. If fwis had bween a weal fwigh, I would bwe dwead."
Nodding his head in approval, Gal said, "Good mentality." before abruptly smacking Ghislaine in the back of the head and asking, "See what kind of person you nearly crippled? Seriously, what was going through that head of yours when you went all out on a freakin' kid...?"
Hanging her head and ears, Ghislaine responded with a faint, "Sorry..." before meeting Paul's gaze and adding, "But he's strong..."
Exhaling a sigh and rubbing his forehead, Gal seemed to be considering something before dropping his hand and muttering, "Whatever..." before asking, "Hey, kid, what do you think about becoming my apprentice? I'm at least a thousand times stronger than that Water God vixen."
Since he knew Gal would probably have him train with Ghislaine even if he refused, Paul didn't hesitate before shaking his head. Fortunately, Gal had been anticipating this since it wasn't exactly a secret that Paul had been 'buddy-buddy' with Reida during their travels. Keeping the guests in more than a hundred Inns awake throughout the night wasn't discreet.
Snorting through his nose, Gal snipped, "Brat..." before promptly turning around and making his way towards the exit. Before leaving, however, he half-turned to stare at Ghislaine, saying, "Stay with him. He's lost a lot of blood, so the least you can do is warm him up with your body. If he dies, I'm placing you on house arrest for a month."
Furrowing her brows, Ghislaine wanted to object but ultimately remained silent. Instead, it was Paul who forced himself to a seated position and said, "Noh. Ahm fwine. Leh her gwoh back."
Squinting his eyes, Gal challenged, "You sure? If you hadn't instinctually protected yourself with Touki, you'd be dead right now. Don't let her off just because she's a girl or has big tits. I know how the members of your family are..."
As much as he wanted to cuddle up with Ghislaine and have her care for him, Paul couldn't enter the IOF and have Barbara regrow his teeth if she was around. He doubted she would tell on him, but seeing him disappear through a door was bound to make her unnecessarily suspicious.
"I vwil bwe fwully hwealed bwy mornin."
Raising his brows, Gal was tempted to ask how, but, as he didn't really care, he just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Have it your way." before making his way out of the room. Ghislaine stayed back for a while longer, but as she had never really been that talkative, she just muttered one final, "Sorry..." before rising to her feet and departing the room...
...
..
.

Chapter 56: MI56: Baptism