After-al entertainnt ti.
Frieren began a review session based on Fern's performance in the recent battle.
"First, no matter how disgusting the sll is, you must never turn your back on a monster."
"..."
"Second, that monster didn't manage to hit you just now, so the training effect was insufficient. Next, I'll help you practice [Defense Magic]. Are you ready?"
Before Fern could even answer, a beam of magic shot out.
Whoosh—
Shane felt like his eyes were about to be blinded.
From in front of Frieren to behind Fern, the ground was blasted into a wide, deep trench.
Fern stood in the middle of it, a pale blue magic shield firmly raised before her, completely unhard.
"Not bad. Very skilled, and your reaction speed is excellent."
"Now, try this."
Frieren adjusted the output of her magic. The thick beam condensed into a thin line, shooting straight toward Fern.
Fern maintained her shield steadily.
But the mont the ray approached the shield, Frieren flicked her staff slightly. The thin line wavered like it was blown by the wind, slipping past the edge of the shield and curving around it, completing a flanking attack.
!!!
The attack stopped just one centiter from Fern's neck.
Fern was terrified.
After a brief daze, her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground.
"I aid at a flaw in your defense. If this weren't a simulation, you'd already be dead."
Looking at her expression, Shane felt a bit sorry for her. But seeing Frieren's serious face, he chose to stay silent.
When "mom" is teaching the child, "dad" should not interrupt.
Boom—
Boom boom boom boom boom—
A series of magical explosions echoed deep within the forest.
From fixed-point defense to full-area defense, from stationary defense to mobile defense, Frieren put Fern through hellish training.
"[Defense Magic] is powerful, but it consus an enormous amount of mana. If the area is too large or maintained too long, your mana will be depleted within seconds."
"The correct approach is to deploy it locally at the mont of impact for precise defense, right?"
"Correct."
"You really care about my mastery of [Defense Magic], don't you?"
"It directly affects your survival rate."
Fern nodded. "That's true. As long as I can successfully deploy [Defense Magic], I can block most attacks. It's such a powerful spell—it makes you feel safe."
Frieren frowned.
"Fern, you didn't properly read the book I gave you, did you?"
Hearing the accusation, Fern pursed her lips and turned her head away.
Frieren could tell imdiately—not only had she not read them, she had no intention of doing so.
Fern disliked long-winded books. Frieren had already noticed this while teaching her ancient elven language.
In that case…
"Shane."
"?"
"Co assist."
"..."
Called out by na, Shane quietly put away the sunflower seeds in his mouth.
He understood what Frieren ant.
Fern's thinking was too academic.
No magic was absolutely invincible.
And [Defense Magic] had a fatal flaw—it could block attacks, but it struggled to deal with the additional effects that ca with them.
For example—
Shane drew his sword and walked up to Fern, politely reminding her, "Don't be nervous, Fern. I'll be gentle."
As he spoke, he activated [Sprint] and charged straight at her.
Facing his rapid approach, Fern instantly raised her defense magic without leaving any openings. However, it seed Shane wasn't even trying to find one.
Bang!
A loud crash.
His sword struck the magic shield directly.
"Ah!"
Fern scread, her knees buckling as she was forced down onto the ground.
The shield had indeed blocked the attack, but under the enhancent of the [Heavy Strike] attribute, the impact carried the force of a massive cleaving blow.
[Heavy Strike (Blue/Rare)]: Your basic attacks beco heavy strikes comparable to a giant axe. Every hit hurts.
The trendous force transmitted through the shield into Fern's body, hitting her without rcy.
Shane didn't continue. He stepped back, creating distance. After giving her a mont to recover, he warned again, "Already can't handle it? I'm coming again."
He then took out a kunai, deliberately showing it to her, openly aiming right at her.
Fern frowned. This ti, she learned from her mistake. Instead of imdiately using [Defense Magic], she carefully recalled Frieren's teachings, preparing to deploy a localized defense at the exact mont of impact.
Whoosh—
Shane attacked.
Swish—
Fern defended.
"Ah!"
Fern scread again.
She had successfully blocked the kunai, but another attribute on it—[Flashbang]—blinded her.
Clutching her eyes, Fern dropped to her knees once more.
Shane grinned.
A perfect chance to test the improved [Flashbang]. Not bad—much more effective than when attached to the sword.
Once her vision recovered, Fern no longer had the calm composure she had earlier against Frieren.
She stared at Shane, gripping her staff tightly, rethinking everything Frieren had just taught. Compared to simply listening, this real combat made her truly absorb the lesson.
This was exactly why Frieren had called Shane to "assist."
"I understand now, Miss Frieren. [Defense Magic] is indeed powerful, but it can't perfectly defend against impact from physical attacks, nor auxiliary effects like blinding or poison. In real combat, you can't rely on defense too much."
Frieren nodded in satisfaction.
"Because [Defense Magic] has near-perfect defense against magical attacks, recent research over the past few years has shifted toward material-based magic—earth, water, fire, and the like. When defending against these newer types, you must not be careless."
With the lesson over, the three of them set off toward their next destination.
On the way, Fern raised a small question.
"Miss Frieren, when you said 'recent years,' how many years exactly?"
Shane couldn't help but laugh.
Fern looked at him, confused.
At the sa ti, Frieren casually replied, "About a hundred years."
A hundred years!
Fern fell silent, instantly understanding why Shane had laughed.
"So it started a long ti ago…"
"It's only been a few years."
"..."
"Next ti you teach, if you tell the exact tifra, I think I'll understand faster. That way, Mr. Shane won't have to work so hard assisting."
Shane chid in, "It's fine. I'm happy to help."
"Thank you, but you don't have to be that happy about it."
As they chatted cheerfully, a village slowly ca into view ahead.
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