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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: A New Master
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Half the world was dark.
A glossy darkness, as if a mixture of latex and leather, obscured half the world right before my eyes.
With my vision further restricted by the helmet, all I could see was the right half of the world.
It even had a strange warmth to it. A damp, sticky heat.
Sniff, sniff. When I sniffed, I detected a scent that subtly made my head spin.
It would rise and fall slightly with each breath, occasionally twitching before pressing down on my helmet like a warm, flattened steamed bun, completely obscuring my vision.
I watched it for a while before speaking.
“Those are some unfamiliar tits...”
A voice immediately came from above. A calm voice, devoid of any hint of exhaustion.
I was practically dying from exhaustion, so how was she so perfectly fine?
“You don’t know how to use your strength at all. You just swing as hard as you can, like some mindless monster.”
“Well, usually that’s enough to one-shot them with an axe...”
“Do you think you could take me down in one hit?”
“...Absolutely not.”
“Exactly. So why did you do it, knowing full well? If you’ve assessed your opponent, you should adapt your hunting method accordingly.”
Her overall assessment:
“Your physical abilities are decent, but your technique is completely nonexistent. If there were a score to objectively evaluate skill, you would definitely get a 0.”
‘How did she know...!’
[Nam Su-jin LV.12]
[Stamina: (8+10) Strength: (7+10) Agility: (7+10) Wisdom: (0) Technique: (0)]
[Free Points: 0]
As expected, a seasoned explorer has a different eye. After just ten minutes of sparring, my entire foundation was exposed.
After an incredible power-leveling session in the Hobgoblin village, and climbing up from the 4th floor, my level had developed remarkably.
‘It’s a shame I never had a chance to save my free points...’
At the time, I was too busy just trying to survive, so I invested every level-up into the stats I needed immediately. Looking back now, I regretted the lack of technique stats.
I lifted my head, removing my helmeted head from Edelbert’s lap.
“...But why did you give me a lap pillow?”
“Because the floor is uncomfortable. When you pass out from exhaustion, you should rest in the most comfortable state possible.”
That’s right. I had actually passed out during my spar with Edelbert.
A chance for ten first strikes? Even if I had thirty, I wouldn’t have landed a single one.
That short spar was far more exhausting than fighting dozens of Hobgoblins. In fact, it wasn’t even much of a spar.
Edelbert, who had simply kept dodging, landed one crisp punch, sending me flying into a tile and knocking me unconscious.
She had clearly fought me with similar specs, yet the difference in movement was immense. Perhaps it was her footwork.
‘I expected a gap, but...’
I never imagined I wouldn’t even be able to graze her.
‘Could I really become that strong?’
Honestly, I was skeptical. Edelbert’s combat prowess was simply astounding. I couldn't even imagine a future where I became that strong.
*Clench!*
I gripped my axe and sprang to my feet.
Wallowing in self-pity was a luxury I couldn't afford. If I had time to mope, I should spend it swinging my axe one more time.
“One more time. Can we spar?”
“Your desire to challenge is good. Very bold. But.”
Edelbert pointed at my battle axe.
“That thing. Are you going to keep using it?”
The axe. When I first fell into the Goblin den, I just picked up whatever was at hand.
I had been using the axe ever since because I liked the feel of it.
“You’ll eventually hit a wall with just an axe. Its reach is significantly inferior to swords or spears, for one. And it doesn’t get harder as you grow, like fists do. There’s no need to be so fixated on such a weapon.”
“I’m not necessarily fixated on it. It’s just, as you said, I have no technique, so I just use whatever is easy to swing.”
“Hmm... That’s true.”
I did want to learn swords or spears, but my technique stat clearly showed I had no talent for such things from the start.
I was also interested in the magic Deluna used, but I doubted my wisdom stat would allow it.
In that regard, axes and other blunt weapons were excellent choices. All I had to do was make good contact and swing with brute physical strength.
The key was a superior physique. A strong body alone could be a formidable weapon.
Just like the martial artist before me. Edelbert, who displayed incredible power using only her body and fists as weapons.
“I think I’m starting to get a sense of how to teach you.”
After a moment of contemplation, Edelbert beckoned to me with her hand. A signal to attack.
“Shall we?”
“Just come quickly.”
I immediately raised my axe and charged at Edelbert.
***
‘Too unrefined.’
Edelbert thought this as she watched the axe swinging before her.
The axe, gripped tightly in his hand, swung straight and true without hesitation, but that was all. There was nothing particularly special beyond that.
An honest, full-force strike, without feints or variations in power.
If it were merely restricted to striking mindless monsters or felling trees, it would be an excellent blow.
But in ‘true combat,’ which involved all sorts of strategic maneuvers, it was merely a foolish waste of stamina.
*Whoosh!*
She easily dodged it with a slight tilt of her head. The axe, having missed its mark, immediately aimed for a second strike.
And then, Edelbert noticed that the hand gripping the axe had loosened slightly.
He hadn’t dropped the axe.
A slight bit of leeway had entered his arm, which had been as rigid as a virgin on her first experience.
If his previous axe swings had been stiff movements, raising his arm high and swinging it rigidly.
*Whoosh—*
This time, it was a more concise swing, with a touch more fluidity.
Edelbert dodged it a little faster this time.
The axe, having dropped to his lower left, swung diagonally upwards to his upper right.
*Whoosh—*
A much more concise and clean axe swing than the second. Yet, he used his entire body, putting even more power into it than before.
‘He corrected his flaw with a single piece of advice and three axe swings.’
While simple axe swings might not contain the complex profundity of understanding that weapons like swords do, this was quite surprising.
The first spar had confirmed that her disciple had no special technique for handling weapons. Yet, to show such a change...
‘He’s starting to control his own body more and more perfectly.’
Edelbert read the aura and information emanating from her disciple’s entire body.
The fervor of being excited for the immediate combat. Yet, it didn’t seem like he was controlling each muscle fiber.
If he were moving his body while thinking about such minute details, this level of reaction speed wouldn’t be possible.
In other words, he did all this instinctively.
‘If I could train that body to my will...’
*Gulp.*
Edelbert unconsciously swallowed.
Her disciple’s body, excellent and talented yet inexperienced and unrefined.
If she could make him experience proper, intense combat and sparring, and then spoon-feed him a dash of her own preferred ‘martial arts’...?
‘It really... might be possible.’
Edelbert’s lower abdomen fluttered slightly. Her leotard tightened a little, due to her uterus trembling with anticipation.
*CLANG!*
“Holy hell.”
Nam Su-jin stared with a pale face at his axe, which was deeply embedded along Edelbert’s waistline.
Even though it had clearly struck her side, it had made a metallic clang and ended up like this.
This was because Edelbert, who had consistently dodged or deflected all his axe swings until now, had suddenly stopped.
“My disciple.”
“Ah, yes. Master.”
“From now on, come here every morning, except for the days we go to the Labyrinth and the day before.”
Nam Su-jin hesitated for a moment at Edelbert’s words.
Every day was a bit much. He had to help Diana with her inn work starting in the evening.
“Well, if you want to get stronger at a snail’s pace, I won’t stop you from coming every other day.”
But he fell for that cheap provocation. Fine. What’s a little less sleep, right?
Originally, this kind of training yielded greater results when done consistently, like a daily routine.
And most importantly, it benefited me. The more training time I got, the faster I would grow, naturally.
“Can I come tomorrow too?”
“Yes. For today, let’s just do one more hour as a taste test.”
“Ah. But my axe is—”
“Your axe? Just toss it over there. I’ll get you a better one later. And from now on...”
*BOOM!*
Edelbert clapped her fists together, and a tremendous shockwave erupted, filling the sparring room.
“It’s time for martial arts training.”
Nam Su-jin saw Edelbert approaching, her tail swishing like a whip, and felt that something was very wrong.
“I’ll teach you ‘true combat’.”
***
“Ughhhhhhh...”
My legs wouldn’t move properly. Not just my legs. Not a single one of my limbs was moving as I willed it.
“Stop whining. You took a high-grade potion, so any bruises or minor injuries should be completely healed.”
“No, I’m serious, I really can’t even walk...?”
This was, surprisingly, not due to bruises or injuries, but muscle soreness.
No joke, I couldn’t even stand on my own two feet.
Every time I tried to walk, my thighs would immediately tremble uncontrollably, and I’d collapse.
I hadn’t experienced such muscle soreness since my first day of manual labor, and it was quite shocking.
Still, I tried to think positively.
‘This means I gained an incredible amount of sparring experience today.’
What I lacked most right now was experience and knowledge.
Until now, thanks to my superior stats and the enhanced perception from my helmet, I had been able to overwhelm anyone instantly, but I couldn’t expect that to continue.
If I met an opponent with similar stats while still lacking combat experience, I would gradually be pushed back, and if I encountered someone with identical stats, I would struggle immensely.
In that sense, forming a master-disciple relationship with Edelbert was an excellent choice. I would continue to gain high-quality combat experience.
“Ugh...”
It was just a bit too hard.
“We’re here. And you somehow managed to calm Diana down. For an enraged Diana to regain her senses...”
“I had my ways, you see.”
Edelbert reacted with great surprise to the fact that Diana, in her berserk state, had regained her senses and opened the inn.
As Edelbert, who had tucked me under her arm and carried me to the inn in my current unable-to-walk state, opened the inn door and entered.
“Oh. Welco...me...”
Diana, who was wiping tables in preparation for the evening business, met my gaze.
Diana’s eyes fell upon Edelbert’s hand, resting on my stomach, and then on my uncontrollably trembling limbs.
*Thud.*
The dishcloth in Diana’s hand dropped to the floor.
At that moment, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
‘Surely, a similar situation to this... happened before...’
Diana’s gaze slowly moved up from me, settling on Edelbert, who was holding me.
“Long time no see, Diana. Did you resolve your rampage well? I borrowed your employee for a bit. Oh, and this fellow? From now on, he’s my disciple. Starting today, every day—”
I remembered.
A reaction similar to when I had brought Densi to the inn sometime before.
But Diana’s reaction now was incomparable to that time.
*KRA-BOOM!*
The moment something flashed behind Diana’s back, Edelbert reacted immediately.
*Thwack!*
“Gah!”
Having fallen to the floor, I blankly looked around.
“...What? Where did they both go?”
What on earth just happened?
After a moment of confusion, I glanced behind me and quietly gasped.
“Holy hell...”
A gigantic ice spike, tens of meters tall, shot high into the sky.
It was impaled right in front of the inn’s entrance.
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