Dimensional Descent

It wasn't all bad, though, this gave Leonel a chance to breathe a sigh of relief. Without having to worry about the weakness of his Ability Index for a while, he could focus on his Scarlet Star Innate Node like he had wanted to.

The formation of a single Rune seemed to remind Leonel of just how far away he was from comprehending it entirely. This singular Rune was just a small branch of a small corner of a small segment of a small piece of the overall Natural Force Art that called his Innate Node home. Having comprehending a single one, his Force seemed to flow smoother and his Destructive capability had skyrocketed. But, other than this, it was just a reminder that he was weak.

"If I had to improve, what would you say I have to do?" Leonel suddenly asked Aina.

The two had been running for quite a while, but the tunnels were far too expansive. They hadn't even run into another Rapax in over an hour.

Leonel's sense of direction had remained true and they were getting closer to their destination. Right now, Leonel could imagine them curling around the center of this particular Nest, avoiding its core regions while slingshotting closer to the exit.

This method would take longer, but it was also safer. And, with the boost to his Internal Sight, Leonel could ensure that it stayed that way. As much as he wanted revenge for Little Blackstar, there were only so many Shadow Sovereigns the Rapax could have. Not to mention the fact they were a rare breed to begin with, the Rapax rarely awakened such Abilities as well. To Leonel, this meant that he would be able to find this individual again in due time so long as they didn't die.

"You're asking me?" Aina raised an eyebrow. "I don't know if I'm the best to ask. The path I take is different from yours."

Aina and Leonel never really interfered in each other's training, they just left each other to their own devices. So, Aina was a bit caught off guard by this question as well.

"I want to know your opinion. When our minds connected, you felt it too, right?"

Aina blushed slightly. That experience was a bit… Well, she had definitely been impulsive. But, whether it was true or not, she still felt that allowing Leonel into her mind like that had made it far easier for him to make the decision he had just moments ago.

She wasn't wrong in thinking this either. Though Leonel had tried to ignore it, Aina's emotions had hit him like a ton of bricks. But, as he had said, he was very good at closing himself off from such emotions.

Aina had mostly been able to ignore that moment because she fell into a deep sleep right afterward. But, now that Leonel had brought it up, all those memories kept rushing back. It was just a shame that Leonel's mind was far too complex for her to truly understand in that short span of time. Unlike Wise Star Order, she couldn't shift through millions of minds in the blink of an eye.

"I did but… It was too vague. It was hard to get a read on you because you have too many split minds. And, at the same time, my Ability weakened a lot when applied to another person."

"That's fine, just tell me your perspective."

"I… Well, I don't really need to tell you what my Ability thought, I can just tell you what I think from observing you.

"When you said you could beat someone as powerful as me ten out of ten times, I don't think you were lying, but I think that's actually part of the problem. Well, it isn't objectively a problem, but it's rather a problem relatively speaking considering the path you seem to be taking."

"Mm?"

Leonel was intrigued. He was interested in what Aina wanted to say.

"Right now, you are focusing on your Innate Node, and rightfully so. Most probably should do that, especially if you're on a ticking time clock like your Ancestor said. But, given your battle style, it might make more sense to focus more on your Ability instead.

"Your raw battle strength isn't your greatest strength, your mind is. Battle Sense is something that's difficult to quantify and it's especially so for you. Within a certain reasonable range, even without time to prepare, I would think that there are a rare few people you can't defeat. If you had time to prepare, I think that even outside a reasonable range, you could still find a path to victory.

"But that's exactly the problem. Honing your strength requires repeatedly nailing down your strengths, then doubling and tripling down, it's all about reproducing results and making sure that your battles are almost formulaic in their outcome. In my opinion, the strongest warriors are those that can force any enemy to fight on their chosen battlefield. Then, upon making said enemy meet you on your terms, you can reproduce the same victory again and again.

"You, though, are the exact opposite. Because your mind is your greatest asset, the more variables there are, the more randomness and variety, the higher your chances. But, because of that, you can't reproduce your results. Every victory looks different, and you don't mind meeting an enemy on their battlefield.

"This can look like a good thing, but what it also means is that a large majority of the training you do ends up being wasted. For every 100% increase to your overall strength, the strongest person you can defeat increases by a marginal amount until you trigger a watershed. Sometimes the return is even worse.

"One day you might double your speed, but you're just as content to not move a single step in a battle so long as you think this is the best approach to victory. At the same time, you might break through in your bowmanship, but you won't even bother to use it if you can think of a better method.

"Because you approach battle like this, focusing on anything other than your mind seems like a waste of effort. Or, at the very least, it should be your main focus."

Leonel fell into silence. He knew that Aina would have something profound to say. But, this… Was still beyond his expectations.

What should he do?