Watching the smug smile of the old man, I felt a cold sweat running down my back.

Why is the old man here?

Isn't this practice mode a place for me to test my skills alone? No other characters should be able to enter!

I pinched my cheek, wondering if I was seeing things due to exhaustion. The soft flesh stretched, and pain followed.

"Ouch. Why isn’t this a dream? If it were, I could’ve just written it off as a bad one."

"It seems that since your soul and mine are connected, this sort of phenomenon occurs."

'My soul connected with Grandpa?'

"The smell of an old geezer clinging to me? Ugh. Disgusting."

Apparently not pleased with the way that translated, the old man frowned slightly and raised his fist, delivering a swift flick to my forehead.

I definitely saw him raise his fist and swing it, yet I couldn’t avoid it.

When I came to my senses, his fist had already hit my head, and the pain that radiated through my skull made me clutch my head in both hands.

What the—?! I don’t get it. Why couldn’t I resist?! Even my Iron Wall skill didn’t react to his fist!

What the hell is going on?

"Child, mind your words."

'Like that’s something I can control!'

"Quiet! Why should I listen to some old geezer who looks like he’s about to lose his dentures? Ugh, you’re the worst! Total boomer!"

The moment I retorted, the old man raised his fist again. The memory of the pain still fresh, I instinctively grabbed my head.

Noooo!

This is so unfair!

Of all people, he should understand how hard it is for me to deal with this annoying Mesugaki skill! Why is he doing this to me?

What did I ever do to deserve this?

Sure, I ignored most of his nagging.

And maybe when I got angry, I made him take a tour of the bathroom or the trash heap.

And okay, sometimes I provoked him, teasing that all he could do was talk.

But still! I treated him decently...

Hmm. Looking back, maybe I deserve this.

But still, I don’t care! This is so unfair!

I braced myself for the pain that would inevitably follow, but luckily, it didn’t come.

The old man had only pretended to swing his fist, smirking mischievously as he watched my scared reaction.

"How can someone who stared death in the face be so terrified?"

...Wait, did he just mock me?

Grandpa, are you seriously getting a kick out of bullying someone young enough to be your granddaughter?!

Being the Holy Knight of that lousy god must’ve really messed with your tastes, huh?

Just wait. Sure, you’ve got a body in this practice mode, but in reality, you’re just a mace that can’t do anything without me!

"Haha. My apologies. Forgive me. Considering all you’ve done, I’d say we’re even now, don’t you think?"

I guess that’s fair.

Hmm...

Fine. Alright, Grandpa. I’ll let it slide this time, considering all you’ve done for me, and, well, I’m partially at fault too.

Besides, I’ve got more important questions to ask right now.

I get that our souls are connected, so we share this mental space. But what’s going on with my body in the real world?

If this is my mental world, it’s not like time is frozen in the real world, right?

'Grandpa...'

"Hey, what’s happening with my body in reality?"

"You’ve fallen asleep. Do you know how startled I was when you collapsed at the entrance as if you’d fainted?"

So that’s why I got that message about only being able to enter practice mode from inside my dorm. If I entered from outside, I’d be lying face-down on the ground somewhere.

Well, that’s surprisingly considerate for that lousy god.

So, have I checked everything I need to in practice mode?

At a glance, this place doesn’t seem much different from the game, so I probably won’t need to come back.

I opened the interface and selected the option to leave practice mode, but...

[All members have not agreed to exit.]

The message popped up, and I couldn’t escape.

What the heck! I’m the master of this place, so why can’t I leave when I want to?! Why?!

I need to get out of here fast! If I don’t, the evil spirit that escaped from the mace is going to get me!

"Child, where are you trying to rush off to?"

I flinched at the old man’s voice from behind as I repeatedly clicked the exit button.

'Uh... you see...'

"Grandpa, don’t you think that dimwit swordsman and that clueless lady are waiting for me? Are you so senile you can’t remember something that basic?"

"It’s fine. Didn’t they say they’d just return if you didn’t come back soon? They’ll handle it."

Well, maybe, but what if they need me?

Look, I’ve got a sparring match with Frey, or maybe I need to give Joy some advice on her magic practice, and also...

"It doesn’t matter. That’s not your concern right now. What’s more important is what lies ahead of you."

I had a good idea of what he meant by that, but I desperately avoided acknowledging it.

No matter how I thought about it, the outcome would just be me getting worked like a dog.

"As the creator of the Divine Close-Combat Technique, I shall teach you everything."

The old man’s eyes gleamed with an immense passion, one so clear that even I couldn’t miss it.

Forget what I said about him being like a pushy mentor.

That guy pushed me to the limits, sure, but at least he knew his boundaries. He gave me a breather every now and then.

But Grandpa here? He’s different.

He doesn’t care about anyone’s opinion but his own. The only thing he’s focused on is passing his techniques on to me, no matter what.

"Don’t worry. This is a mental world. You don’t have to concern yourself with physical exhaustion."

Yeah, I get it. Even if I get completely wrecked here, my real body is resting, so no matter how hard the training gets, my body won’t suffer.

But what about my mind? You’re not concerned about my mental fatigue?

I mean, sure, I’ve got a will of steel, but this is still a pretty important issue!

"...I should first explain what Divine Close-Combat Technique is."

He conveniently glossed over the part that didn’t work in his favor!

"It’s a technique I created to harness divine power in combat. Unlike holy magic, this allows the divine to directly intervene in the physical world.

Though it was taught informally within the Holy Knights, I was the first to properly systematize it into a combat art."

As he spoke, the old man gathered divine energy into his fist.

Unlike the warm, radiant light of before, this was an intense, searing divine power, as if it could burn shadows away.

"The Church might call it heretical, but divine power is still just another form of energy, like magic or qi. While the way it’s used differs, the core principle is the same."

He drew his divine-powered fist back.

"By applying it like this, we can infuse divine power into our attacks, just like knights do with their sword aura."

Then he punched the training dummy.

It was a textbook straight punch, but the result was anything but ordinary.

The old man’s fist obliterated half the training ground.

The dummy was unrecognizable, the bricks that lined the ground shattered, exposing the dirt beneath, and a hole appeared in the wall, revealing a desolate, white expanse beyond.

Wait, the dummy could break like that?!

And the training ground... can it really be destroyed like this?!

While I stood there, gaping at the scene before me, the old man shrugged, as if what he’d just done wasn’t a big deal.

"That last strike was a combination of divine power and mana, amplifying its effect. That’s the core of the Divine Close-Combat Technique, and what I’ll be teaching you."

Haha, Grandpa. The Divine Close-Combat Technique I saw in the game wasn’t this ridiculous.

It was just a passive skill that boosted damage by a few percent.

"Don’t worry. I won’t start with something impossible. I’ve trained countless knights as the leader of the Holy Knights. By the end of this training, you’ll definitely be stronger."

No matter what I say, Grandpa’s going to work me to the bone, isn’t he?

The passion in his eyes wasn’t fading. In fact, with each word, it seemed to burn even brighter.

If resisting won’t make a difference...

Well, what can I do? I guess I’ll roll with it.

After all, there’s no downside to getting stronger, right?

I still don’t know exactly what that lousy god expects from me, but I’ve got a hunch.

It probably wants me to follow the path the game’s protagonist walked. Maybe even become the hero that saves the world.

And to meet that expectation, I’ve got a long way to go. I need to get much, much stronger than I am now.

Sure, I’ve been growing fast, even compared to the characters I raised in the game, but that’s not enough for someone like me.

People like us aim for nothing less than maximum efficiency.

'Fine. I’ll give it my best shot.'

"A grandpa obsessed with a girl? You’re such a creep. Heh, but fine, I’ll go along with it."

"That’s the spirit."

Satisfied with my answer, Grandpa grinned and ruffled my hair.

His touch was different from Benedict’s. Where Benedict’s strokes were filled with affection and care, Grandpa’s conveyed trust and boldness.

Before long, the training ground had restored itself to its original state.

So, it resets even after being destroyed. Well, I guess it makes sense since this is a mental world.

"First, we’ll practice controlling divine power. You’ve gotten somewhat used to it through your holy magic, but there are many differences when applying it to close combat."

As he spoke, Grandpa gathered divine power into his fist again.

This time, it wasn’t the overwhelming, concentrated energy from before, but it was still awe-inspiring.

"Let’s start with this level of power as the goal."

He lightly punched the dummy, causing its neck to snap as it tumbled to the ground.

Hmm. I think I can manage that.

I’ve never specifically trained in martial arts, but it’s just a punch with divine power infused, right?

Given my physical abilities, something like this shouldn’t be a big deal.

"Shall we give it a try?"

Taking his place in front of the dummy, I mimicked the stance I’d just seen and infused my fist with divine power.

Alright, the skill assist is making it easier to control divine energy. Now I just need to layer it over my fist and throw a full-power punch at the dummy. If I do that, the dummy’s head should—

"Ouch!"

—It was my own hand bones that shattered.

The impact I put all my strength into came right back at me, delivering a lesson in physics I didn’t ask for.

What the heck! Why is this dummy so sturdy?!

That punch had enough power to shatter a boulder, seriously!

While I was hopping around, clutching my hand in pain, the old man chuckled and spoke.

"Come now, no need to exaggerate."

Exaggerate?! I’m really hurt here! I think I just broke a bone!

Instead of comforting me, you’re dismissing my pain as an exaggeration? Grandpa, you’re the worst!...

"Again."

I had turned to complain, but the stern look in his eyes made me face the dummy once more.

...I should never have tested out this practice mode.