Chapter 24: Training (2)

Chapter 24: Training (2)

One of the biggest crossroads in Soul World and an episode that determines the overall difficulty is the destruction of the Academy.

The demons have been planning to overthrow the Academy for quite some time, and one of their methods is the colorless magic circle.

The colorless magic circle appears to be just a fancy pattern on the surface. It's easy to overlook even if discovered by chance.

Only one person, the protagonist, Luna, can identify the colorless magic circle instantly.

It was a setup that she received special eyes from the gods.'

Through this, she can foresee the grade and effect of an item.

But it doesn't always reveal everything, a certain amount of information must be known to understand it accurately.

By now, even if Luna discovers the colorless magic circle, she only knows that it's the demon's deed, it would be hard to figure out its purpose.

The primary purposes are communication disruption and magic manifestation.'

Normally, the monument blocks all such magic. The main reason for erecting the monument is this.

Therefore, the demons first neutralize the monument. Then, a wild party ensues.

To prevent it as much as possible, Luna must destroy the magical circles installed throughout the Academy.

I wonder if she noticed?'

Looking at her stiff face when she looked at the clock, it was half certain.

From now on, Luna will also hustle around to find the colorless magic circles. However, it will be hard for her to find them.

Especially, one of the magic circles is installed in an unimagined location. This had caused quite a bit of noise.

"Fighting techniques, including boxing and wrestling, are not only about skills but also about optimizing movement.' Even in a street fight, having these two skills is a great advantage."

Anyway, moving on from the topic of magic circles.

Kara decided to teach me the basics of fighting and wrestling, starting with the theory.

Meanwhile, Luna is completely immersed in sword fighting next to us. As mentioned before, she refused my instruction.

However, she occasionally glanced at us, as if she couldn't help being curious.

"It may be difficult to understand even after explaining. I will give you an example. Suppose someone punches at you like this."

Kara slowly swung her fist towards me. Without thinking, I backed away.

Even when hunting in the wild, I dodged attacks by creating a distance. This is the safest.

Eventually, Kara's fist stopped right in front of my nose.

Having hunted various beasts and monsters, I've mastered the calculation of distance.

Kara, satisfied with my response, nodded with a grin.

"You can avoid like you did, by keeping the distance. That's one of the ways. But you can't just keep avoiding, right? Now, throw a punch at me. Oh, do it slowly, like me?"

It seemed she was deeply impressed with my sword-throwing skills. It's certain from her cautious wording.

I went along with her request and slowly threw a punch.

Instead of backing away like me, Kara dodged it by only slightly moving her head.

"And then immediately, bam!"

She then placed her fist slowly next to my ribs and yelled.

A counterattack in conjunction with evasion, also known as a counter.

"How's that? Do you get it?"

"Shibal."

"You just need to nod for this. Shake your head if you don't understand."

I nodded, signifying that I understood. I did understand completely.

Kara, satisfied with my response, continued her explanation with an excited voice.

"Combine this with the movement of your feet, that is footwork or the walking method. As simple as it looks, it'll be challenging to master."

As she said, those things are not even classified as techniques' in Soul World.

It's the most basic of basics, and depending on a player's skills, the measures could vary.

Fighting is something that supports those basics extensively, but the basics themselves can vary from person to person.

"You need consistent practice to do this instinctively. You might be able to pick it up quickly. You were good during the duel."

"Shibal."

"You're grateful, right? Now that we roughly know the principle, let's delve deeper."

Kara earnestly taught me to fight, even though I was her dueling partner.

However, the focus was on defense and evasion, not attack techniques like punches, kicks, or grappling.

Since she was only going to teach me the basics, she emphasized that defense was more important than offense.

Moreover, my physical ability is already perfected, so it's possible to teach techniques without the need for separate training.

"You should use weapons whenever possible. Don't insist on using your bare hands like a pervert. Why would humans use weapons for no reason?"

She didn't forget to worry in case I was entrenched with weird common sense.

According to her, unless I aim to become a fighter, it's better to use weapons.

After all, fighting is nothing more than a tool when a fight breaks out.'

In Soul World, the player's abilities are the most important due to the uncomfortable control.

Even if you acquire various skills, it is most efficient to know when and where to use them properly.

The reason why I'm trying to acquire skills is to broaden my choices. That would make things more comfortable.

This place is a reality, so not only the abilities but also individual skills are more important.

"Use your waist That's right. You're doing well. I emphasize repeatedly that the waist and legs are the most important. Shall we move on to more advanced stages?"

As I seemed to understand to some extent, Kara brought a training sword.

Whoosh!

She thrust at my face swiftly.

It was an attack without any precursor, but my quick reflexes easily avoided it.

If it were before, I would have moved back to avoid it. Now I just moved my face.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Boom!

Whenever Kara swung the sword wildly or stabbed, I smoothly dodged her attacks.

As I learned, I used my waist as much as possible and moved my feet lightly.

With the addition of my wilderness instinct, I could avoid everything without redundancy.

"Wow! You're good at this. Is it because you lived in the wild?"

Kara sincerely admired it after swinging the sword for ten minutes. Her deep green eyes shone brightly.

As I applied what she taught me outright, she had no choice but to admire her teaching perspective.

Honestly, it wasn't that difficult. Living in the wild, I was already used to evasion.nove(l)bi(n.)com

What Kara taught me was a kind of efficiency.' Not just for evasion, it also made immediate retaliation possible.

This alone is a great advantage for me. I should repay in the future.

"There are still gaps, but this is the advanced stage, so let's move on. Now the remaining thing is attack techniques"

Kara, interrupting her words for a moment, looked at Luna.

Luna, as if she didn't care about us, was completely absorbed in her private training.

Repeatedly striking with the training sword in her hand. Judging from the beads of sweat rolling down, she's been at it for quite a while.

"It's a bit awkward to ask her for help. Hmm"

Kara seemed unwilling to break her focus, wandering elsewhere.

Then, as if she had discovered an admirable target, she hailed out.

"Hey there, blonde!"

Her shout resounded like an echo.

Because of the gym-like structure of the training facility, her cry sounded exceptionally loud.

"Blonde? That's not you, is it?"

"Who knows?"

"Why would she be calling me? I've got no reason to be summoned."

" "

Was it because it happened so suddenly that he didnt feel the pain? Or was it because it was dislocated too cleanly that he couldnt feel the pain?

Elvin made a stupid face with his handsome looks and blinked.

One of his weaknesses, situation awareness, was fully exposed.

"Elvin?"

"Yeah?"

"Well your arm is dislocated."

Luna, who had momentarily stopped training after hearing the loud sound, quietly pointed it out.

Elvin looked blankly at his swinging arm in response to her remark.

"Is that so?"

" "

"Why is it dislocated?"

He still didnt seem to understand the situation.

*****

Elvin, whose shoulder was dislocated by Sivar's punch, was immediately transferred to the hospital.

He looked so absurd that throughout the transfer he maintained a stunned expression.

But thanks to the arm being dislocated so cleanly (?), it seemed like it wouldnt be too difficult to fix.

However, depending on his condition, it's possible he might not be able to attend the upcoming tournament. This could be a bit of a critical issue.

"Sigh."

Luna let out a deep sigh. Sivar had caused two accidents in just one day.

The first and second incidents occurred because there was no prior warning.

It was a moment when she realized that having some degree of communication was different from understanding one another.

But he seems to be aware of his wrongdoing.

She looked at Sivar, who was standing upright.

Although he maintained an expressionless face, his bright red eyes were roving around. He was observing the situation.

It seemed like he understood what he had done wrong. This alone was a great improvement.

"Dont be too sensitive. Things like these are usually considered accidents. You understand right?"

At that time, Kara patted Sivar's shoulder, who was being overly considerate, and reassured him.

Luna narrowed her beautiful eyebrows at the sight. What would happen if he accepted this misunderstanding?

Measures should be taken to prevent Sivar from using his power recklessly.

If not handled properly, he might swing it under the pretext of an accident'.

Kara. Before anything else, you should apologize. You caused someone to get hurt even before it became an accident."

"Ah. Thats true. You heard that?"

" "

Sivar didnt respond and just stood blankly. He looked as though he didnt understand.

Looking at his expression, Kara made a strange expression and asked in a doubtful tone.

"You dont happen to not know what an apology is, do you?

Sivar shook his head from side to side. Thankfully, it seemed he did.

"Then you can apologize later. You do realize what mistake you've made right?

Sivar nodded. Luna smiled in satisfaction at his response.

It seemed that Ellie had done a good job teaching him. The journey still has a long way to go, but this alone was a great achievement.

"That's good. It seems like you have trouble controlling your strength, so Ill help you from now on."

"?"

Something was strange. Luna blinked her eyes and glanced at Kara.

That statement roughly translated to theyll be together in the future as well.

"Hey. Admission numno, Luna."

Just as Luna was getting confused, Kara shifted her gaze from Sivar to Luna.

And then, revealing her snow-white teeth with a smile, she made a request.

"Can I also become his guardian?"

" "

"It would be a win-win situation, dont you think? Well be spending a lot of time together?"

At her words, Lunas mind raced.

A combination of a savage and a wild one. It's a truly harmonious combination if they get along.

But the problem was with Kara's behavior. The moment she feels insulted, she resorts to violence.

If Sivar mimicked Kara's behavior

"That can't ever happen!"

It would be a disaster. After witnessing Sivar's strength just now, she couldn't help but think that.

The moment Sivar resorts to violence just because someone insulted him, it wouldn't be violence, it would be murder.

As she consistently pointed out, they couldn't accept violence too easily.

After all, this place was a civilization', not a wilderness where the law of the jungle applied.

"You can't."

"Ah. Why?"

"Because Kara uses violence too easily. Imagine if Sivar follows that."

" "

At Luna's reasonable words, Kara picked at her cheeks.

However, unwilling to admit to being at fault, she launched a defensive argument.

"I dont like using my strength either. They started it by insulting me in the first place."

"Responding to an insult with a fist is a wrong act."

"You're so picky. But come to think of it"

Kara seemed to accept the criticism and then suddenly giggled. Naturally, it made her uneasy.

In the meantime, Kara asked a key question that left Luna at a loss.

"Why do I have to get permission from you?"

"Huh?"

"If I get permission from the Principal, that's all that matters."

" "

Luna opened her mouth wide. It wasn't just a penetrating comment, it had nailed the crux of the matter.

The person who designated the guardian for Sivar was the Principal, Rod. If he gave his permission, Kara could also become a guardian.

Moreover, if she uses training as an excuse like today, there's a high chance that Rod would willingly give his permission.

"Take me to the Principal over the weekend. Alright? In the meantime, I'll gladly teach him."

" "

Kara patted Lunas frozen shoulder and walked back towards Sivar.

There had been a brief disturbance, but the training was not over. Kara began to guide Sivar again.

Luna, who was watching this scene in a daze, had another concerning matter added to her already complicated mind.

Damn it.'

She was someone who usually stayed far away from cursing.

There's nothing that's going right.'

This time though, she couldn't help but curse internally.