Chapter 18 ~ Everyone Special Training
The sun has fallen, indicating that the first day of the Boot Camp is officially over. All the trainees walk toward the dormitory. Will stopped in front of me and looks at me with a teary eye.
“Aniki……”
I understand your feeling. In fact, I know it all too well. However, I need to keep my demonic heart.
“I managed to finish it. I’m sure you can too.”
The truth is, the training is not that hard if my memory served me right. Although people won’t agree with me, I feel like the pace was considered properly and there is lots of time to rest. Not many trainees actually fall down. The reason I fell down over and over might because I lack physical strength.
For the first day, they will ask you to carry the loads for the whole day. Only after they had reached the limit and faints then the recovery magic will be applied. After that, the training continues. Their strength will be pushed to the limit and their spirit will be grinded.
“Aniki……”
“See, everyone else already go. Why don’t you follow the rest and go to the dormitory?”
“Yes……”
I watch Will walk off wearily.
“That guy can’t take it anymore?”
Sergeant dono come and asked. Well, their neck is collared now, there is no other way.
“He managed to walk to the dorm himself. That makes him better that you did.”
“I guess that’s true.”
That’s right, at that time, I was forced to lean on Silva and ask him to bring me to the dormitory.
“But you manage to get stronger.”
“It’s thanks to Sergeant dono.”
Although I have strong skills, the fact that I’m alive is all thanks to the training from Sergeant dono.
“You do have talent. Even Sati managed to grow so much in short time.”
“It’s still not sufficient.”
“I agree. Let’s do our best for this week.”
The training ground is illuminated by light magic brightly. Sergeant dono is wearing leather armor, while I’m equipped with the half plate that I normally used. We use iron sword for training. Together with that, I’m equipped with a shield as well.
“Come at me whenever you’re ready.”
My swordsmanship has gone from level 4 to level 5 since the last time I sparred with Sergeant dono. But, even Sati with level 5 can’t win against him. I need to be serious and give it a serious shot since start. Although the practice sword has a blunt edge, it still can deal a serious blow same like the steel sword. It’s surely will hurt like hell if I were to be hit by that.
I closed our distance and leap towards him in one step. I’m coming at him seriously, but he brushes my advance as if it’s a matter of fact. I’m going for the second slash, and the third slash, but it’s all been deflected by his sword or his shield. However, the important thing here is to attack continuously and don’t leave an opening.
I continue to hit him, but none of them managed to land on his body. To my surprise, Sergeant dono is still at his starting position. Just how should I destroy his defense, I don’t know.
I saved my breath, but when I tried to take some distance, Sergeant dono hastily closed our distance. This is bad.
Right then, he managed to get my shoulder. The shoulder part is still covered by the plate mail, but the shock still reverberates inside.
If it’s a real sword fight then my shoulder should have been torn from my body right now. First hit kill.
The attack doesn’t end there. Sergeant dono cont
inues his barrage of assault. This time, I’m the one forced to be in defensive measure.
But that alone is not enough to stop Sergeant dono. That’s why whenever I received the attack, I’ll try to let it land on the hard plate as much as possible as to not make it a fatal hit.
Still, it’s a strong hit. If it’s a real battle then I’ll likely been take down in minutes.
A few minutes later, I got hit at my head and I fall flat on my butt. The attack on my helmet seems to have stunned me. The place where the blows land feels painful and I can feel the concussion is rushing in. I can’t use recovery magic. I need to get permission from Sergeant dono first. Enduring the pain is also part of the training.
“Stand up. Your enemy won’t wait for you.”
“……yes.”
I stand up wobbly and readied my sword. Immediately Sergeant dono start his barrage of attack. I desperately defend against the attack with my sword and my shield. His merciless attack rains on me, some of it manage to blow away my body armor and finally I was put on my knee.
“What’s wrong, faster get up!”
Aren’t you more strict than usual? He is acting as if this is the Boot Camp itself……
His attack is going to continue once I get back up, so I tried to counter offensive him. Although my attack is shallow, it’s still making significant contacts.
I wonder if Sergeant dono is going to continue, and to my surprise he creates some distance.
I’m saved. I regulate my breathing and watch Sergeant dono movement carefully. Recovery magic is still a no go. It feels so hopeless now that my head as well my flank is hurting. There is no way I’m going to last. Damn it. Even Sati seems to be a decent match against him. I wonder if my basic specification is too low. How come there is so much difference even though our level is the same.
“How can I become strong just like Sergeant dono?”
“I practiced for 40 years.”
“40 years, huh……”
By that time the world is already destroyed. Or will it be saved? Whichever is it there’s no way I have enough time.
“I bet you only need 10 years to catch up with me. Alright, the break is over.”
Looks like I’m exposed. I was hoping for longer break by initiating some conversation with him but it looks like he outsmarts me. But, beside my body pain, my breathing has calmed down.
“I also have enough warm up. Let’s do it more practically. From now on, think of me as an enemy.”
I can feel Sergeant dono murder intent rising. P-please stop it. I’m going to die!
“Today we’re going to stop here. It’s fine to use your Recovery Magic now.”
In the end, I got fatally hit 8 times. In other word, I’m already dead for 8 times now. I continue fighting while being torn down, and I finally fell after I got hit by Sergeant dono last attack. After that, I can no longer move.
“T-thank you so much.”
There is a pain somewhere in my body that I can’t identify, and I think some of my ribs are broken. It’s hard to concentrate on my magic when it’s pain this much, but somehow, I managed to cast small Heal. After a while, the pain gets extra nasty so I heal myself again with Extra Heal. I thought about asking for help from Ann tomorrow, then I realized that using a Recovery Magic to heal myself is one of the training as well.
“Thank you for your hard work. Sergeant dono as well, please receive my Recovery Magic.”
“Please.”
I cast Extra Heal on Sergeant dono. Recovery Magic really is convenient. Although it hardly recovers our stamina, it’s efficient to relieve us from muscle cramp later and no matter how much we train we’ll never notice it. That’s why this sword training can be as reckless as the Boot Camp.
“How strong is Sergeant dono compared to the rest of the world?”
While walking together from the training ground, I expressed my doubt about Sergeant dono. In this training center, there’s no doubt that Sergeant dono is the strongest. But how strong is he when compared in public? If he said that he barely scrapped by, then I’ll lose my confidence as a swordsman.
“It’s been many years since my foot was injured. I was certainly strong when I was still young, but right now I’m just a shadow of my former self.”
No, even though he said that he has weakened, I still am no match to him at all. Wasn’t level 5 skill being the highest and the best? I wonder how strong is Sergeant dono during his prime.
“Did you ask Vauct about his younger year?”
At the entrance of the guild hall, instructor Samson greeted me. Together with him at the same table is Sati. Did you wait for me?
“Good work, Masaru sama.”
“Um. Have you wait for long time?”
She came along during afternoon and it seems that she has been training at the sub ground site. From the look of it, instructor Samson has been guarding Sati from bad insect while she is waiting at the guild hall. He is a nice guy. For the time being, I’m going to take a break for a while and sit at the table.
“Sati chan is still as popular as ever even though she is now a married woman. The guys keep flocking at her.”
Rather than being popular because of a married woman’s status, it’s more like she is popular due to a cat-wife element since she is cat girl.
“Just beat them if they’re annoying you too much, Sati.”
“Right, there’s no need to restraint yourself.”
“It’s fine if you punish them moderately.”
I agree with both instructor Samson and Sergeant dono.
“Um……but……”
Once entered a battle mode, Sati can be quite merciless. Still, she is usually quite a mature and warm person.
“Now that I think about it, Sati has not mastered yet the art of hand to hand combat.”
“What? That is not good. It’s important for self-defense.”
“If you’re waiting here then you should let me know that it’s already time.”
“Yes. Please do so, instructor.”
“Then regarding the story about Sergeant dono at his younger day……”
“Oh, okay. Right now, Vauct is still strong, but in his younger day, he is exactly strongest, strong like a fierce God.”
“Calling me the strongest is too much, Samson. There should be about 10 people above me.”
“No, no. You should at least be among the 5 Fingers.”
“And that is in this country?”
“What are you saying? Of course I’m saying for the whole world. Especially if you’re saying about swordsmanship skill, he is actually competing for the 2nd and 3rd strongest.”
Whole world!? So, it’s like world ranking. Not to mention his swordsmanship skill is at the 2ndor 3rd place.
“At that time, I might’ve been in the third place.”
“What are saying now. Didn’t you win against that guy once?”
“Just once. Besides, I’m a retired man right now, while he is still active. I can’t say that I won.”
“But if we take pure swordsmanship in consideration……”
It seems like at that time Sergeant dono has a rival which he can compete arm to arm.
“In other word, there is only one swordsman who is definitely stronger than Sergeant dono?”
“That’s right. My master is still alive. You should visit him when you have time. If you want I can introduce both of you.”
“Oh, That’s a great honor, Masaru. It’s not every day you can get a guidance from the Saint of Sword.”
“Wow.”
To be honest, even though I’m half dead from training with Sergeant dono, I want more.
“Then how about the 5 Fingers and the 10 strongest?”
“It’s had to decide the winner and loser for mages. They won’t fight head on in the fight, right? Plus, if they are magic swordsmen, then it would make things more complicated.”
It’s true that the condition for winning must be changed between a match of swordsmen and mages. So, the evaluation will be mixed? I wonder if it’s like world tournament or what. Well, being a mage doesn’t guarantee a win anyways. Look at me, I can be easily destroyed even when serious.
“There is a swordsman tournament at the Capital during spring. Why don’t you join it, Masaru? The prize money is good, and you can become famous as well.”
The swordsman tournament is a regular game in the Capital and the Empire. It’s the tournament where the swordsmen test their mettle against each other. It’s the perfect opportunity for them to test their skills.
“Ah, on thanks. I don’t want to fight in front of full crowds. It’s impossible.”
I bet the swordsman are going to fight in a dome like stadium just like in ancient Rome. It’s the best way for the spectators. I’m confident that I’m going to get full nervous and won’t even capable of displaying half of my abilities.
“It’s useless to be conspicuous. I believe you should have more confidence in yourself.”
Confidence? I’ve grown quite strong, but it’s all thanks to my ability. Even though the beginner training has done a lot to my physical strength, I can’t say that I’ve gain most of the strength by myself.
“It would be the best if I can just continue living quietly.”
I wonder if it will be possible to relax for a couple of years alone this way. I always tell myself this, that I want to quit all these intensive training and live a relaxed way.
“So, what you’re saying is that you want to become stronger.”
“If you’re not strong, then you die. I need to protect my family.”
It’ll be hard to survive if I can’t even defeat the Orc King.
“Well said. We’re going to train more starting from tomorrow.”
Ah, I’m going to die again tomorrow. In this case, it’s easier to join Will in the Beginner Training Course……
“Hm? What’s the matter, Sati?”
While feeling hopeless about tomorrow, Sati comes and poke next to me.
“Aren’t you hungry? Let’s return back home.”
I nodded at Sati. It’s been a while since the sun has set. Normally it’s the time we’re eating our meal and taken bath. It can be help if Sati want to eat.
Let’s go back home and eat my wives cooking. Then have them comfort my wounded heart. Today is Ann’s turn. Yeah, just by imaging it I can feel the comfort.
What was waiting for me at home is Ellie’s cooking.
“You’re just starting now? Ellie? I thought I can eat right away.”
I thought that since I’m late, the food is ready.
“I should be able to cook a decent meal now. Just leave it to me.”
“What left is just the main dish……”
Ann says it worriedly. So, Ellie is going to cook the main dish too. I tried to confirm it from Ellie’s Menu, but the cooking skill is not there yet.
“Everyone please wait here. I’m going to check on her progress, so it should be fine.”
Ann and Ellie exchange looks. Seems like today dish is pasta. In this case, even if she makes a mistake somehow, it won’t turn out into some super weird dishes.
“You shouldn’t monitor me, Ann. Isn’t it you who said that we can’t cook together?”
“I did say that……can you do exactly like how I instructed you? If you need help, then come and ask, okay?”
“I got it already. This one is much easier.”
Yeah, somehow, I’m having a bad feeling.
The dishes that came out after a while seemed decent and the arrangement was beautifully done. Is this pasta sauce made of tomato?
“Come, please enjoy.”
But, as soon as I get a bite, an extreme sweetness spread out in my mouth. It has quite an exquisite taste. It’s gradually taste hot as we eat more. Did she mix grinded pepper inside as well? Yea, there is no way this is edible if someone can’t stand pepper.
“Hey Ellie, did you taste it first?”
“……I tasted it once.”
“Did you cook it as per what I said?”
“Since it’s no fun to cook as it’s, I tried to make my own original.”
“Is it delicious?”
“It’s not like you can’t eat it.”
“Delicacy.”
Just like what Tilika said, the taste has certainly changes.
“Nothing to worry about. It’s fine if you try to eat it carefully.”
Sati followed up. Certainly, this pasta is decent and it’s not like it’s non-edible just because the taste is slightly weird.
“It’s fine to turn your eye blind on that one. Picker eating is bad for health.”
“Didn’t I said to do it just like what I taught!”
“But, but……”
As expected it’s a mistake on Ellie’s part.
“Well, well. It’s fine for her to make mistakes since she is just a beginner. Please try your best next time.”
I also did something like that. Last time, I tried to mixed rice with coke. Coke is delicious. Mixing them would make it more delicious. That was when I was still in elementary school. It’s fine as long as we can still eat it.
“Masaru……”
Ellie looks happy that I defended her.
“If that’s the case, why don’t you finish them all by yourself?”
Ellie’s chopsticks don’t move after she has a taste once.
“……Is it fine if I don’t finish it?”
“Don’t do it if you can’t finish it then!”
All four of us tried our best to finish the dishes. Fortunately, after Ann added her sauce on the pasta, it become somewhat more delicious.
Of course, Ellie original sauce is naturally put aside.