Then a slow smile spread across Agatha’s face, her voice carrying mischief.

"If you can completely resist my Soul’s Truth skill for ten full minutes, I’ll give you the complete skill."

"..."

Nobody said anything for several heartbeats.

The weight of the challenge pressed down on Damian’s shoulders.

’Blocking an S rank awakener’s mental skill for ten continuous minutes?’

His mind raced through implications.

’The longest I’ve ever held against her was one minute before the hypnosis broke through... And that was when she wasn’t going all out.’

He looked at Agatha’s expression, at the playful certainty in her eyes that he wouldn’t succeed.

Suddenly, his mind flashed with his grandfather’s advice and a small smile started appearing on his face.

’Ten minutes seems impossible. But... how do I know it actually is unless I... try?’

He took a deep breath, the cold air burning slightly in his lungs.

"I accept."

Agatha’s smile widened, clearly delighted by his determination.

She settled into a more comfortable position, her walking stick planted in the snow beside her.

’It’s good that he doesn’t back down so easily, but he won’t be able to hold on for so long.’

Her thoughts remained amused despite everything she’d witnessed.

’Although... My dear grandson has already shocked me thoroughly over the past six days. So maybe–’

Her eyes began glowing faintly before her thoughts even finished.

"Soul’s Truth."

The skill activated with her full strength, her entire S rank will power focused on a single target.

Damian’s Mental Barrier snapped into place instantly and his Will Strengthening activated simultaneously.

Boom

The hypnotic pressure crashed against his defenses... And stopped cold.

’What?’

Agatha’s mental probe searched immediately for weaknesses, for the tiny gaps that always existed in any defense.

But Damian’s barrier shifted before she could exploit them, walls moving to cover every angle she approached from.

One minute passed.

Agatha increased the intensity, pouring more power into the skill, searching harder for entry points.

Damian’s barrier flexed under the assault but held firm, his concentration absolute.

Sweat began forming on his forehead from the sustained mental effort, but his breathing remained even.

Three minutes passed.

’This... this is impossible!’

Her thoughts were becoming increasingly stunned.

’He’s completely resisting an S rank mental skill with just two A+ rank skills! This... this...’

She pushed harder, using techniques she’d refined over decades to slip past mental barriers.

But Damian adapted to each one, his barriers reorganizing faster than she could take advantage of openings.

Five minutes passed.

Sweat was forming on Agatha’s forehead now, the sustained effort of maintaining Soul’s Truth at full power taking its toll.

Damian sat perfectly still across from her, his face pale but determined.

Seven minutes passed.

Agatha’s mental pressure remained constant, probing relentlessly for any sign of weakness.

Her experience told her that everyone had a breaking point, that sustained mental assault would eventually find cracks.

But Damian’s defenses showed no signs of degradation.

Nine minutes passed.

’Just one more minute... Come on Agatha! Don’t embarrass yourself in front of your grandson! Find an opening!’

After some time of complete focus, Agatha finally found a gap, a tiny weakness in the barrier’s structure.

She focused all her remaining power on that single point, driving her mental probe like a spike.

Crack Crack

The barrier began cracking under the focused assault, fissures spreading.

’Almost there! Just a few more seconds and I’ll break–’

But before her thoughts could even complete–

"T-ten minutes are up, Grandma."

Damian’s voice cut through her concentration, hoarse and strained.

His face had gone completely pale, sweat dripping down his temples, but his eyes were open and clear.

Pant... pant...

Agatha released the skill immediately, breathing hard, staring at him with open shock.

’He... he gave me almost no openings for so long! How–’

"You... you actually did it."

The words came out dazed, her composure completely shattered.

"I can’t... how did you..."

She trailed off, unable to form coherent sentences.

Damian took several deep breaths, his hands shaking slightly from the sustained mental strain.

"Thank you for teaching me these skills, Grandma."

His voice was sincere despite his exhaustion.

"Without your guidance, it probably would have taken me weeks to reach this level on my own... Maybe longer."

’W-weeks?’

Agatha’s thoughts went completely blank for a moment.

’People take years to master mental skills to A+ rank! Years of dedicated training, constant practice, mental combat experience! Some never reach this level at all in their entire lives!’

Her eyes fixed on Damian’s exhausted face.

’And this kid just... weeks?! He thinks weeks are a long time for what he just accomplished?!’

Her control finally broke, shock bleeding through her voice.

"You reached A+ rank in six days! Six days! Do you have any idea how completely absurd that is?!"

Damian blinked at her, his expression confused, his face seeming to say... really?

’He doesn’t even realize, does he?’ Agatha stared at that confused expression. ’My grandson... He... He is a Monster!’

She smiled helplessly, shaking her head, forcing herself to take a breath and regain some semblance of composure.

"This was all your own hard work. Your comprehension, your dedication, your ridiculous talent... My guidance had nothing to do with it."

Her hand came up, finger pointing toward Damian’s forehead.

"A deal is a deal... You’ve more than earned this skill, and honestly, you’ll probably make better use of it than I ever did."

Her finger touched his forehead, and knowledge flooded into his mind.

The structure of Soul’s Truth, the way to shape mental pressure into hypnotic compulsion, the patterns required to make targets speak truth against their will.

It was complex, intricate and more sophisticated than any skill he’d learned before.

In the corner of Damian’s peripheral vision, text flashed.

Soul’s Truth: D

He understood the basics of the skill now, enough to practice and develop further, but mastery would take some time.

Damian pulled back, the knowledge settling into place alongside everything else he’d learned.

He looked around at the mountain peak, at the snow still falling steadily.

’Lily still hasn’t come back yet... Should I start working on the weapon intent knowledge Grandpa gave me? That damn dragon!’

The thought drifted through his mind with frustration.

"Grandma..." He turned to Agatha. "It’s been a week since Lily left. Seriously, why did you even send her–"

Before he could finish, a massive shadow passed overhead, blocking out the dim light filtering through the clouds.

"She’s here."

Agatha’s voice cut through his question, her eyes tracking the descending form.