Volume 8.5 - CH 8

Gobta’s Training Day 

Morning! This is Gobta. 

Today I’m going to talk about the old man’s… no, Hakurou-sensei’s training. At the beginning of the training, he taught me about ‘Danger Detection’. 

“Gobta, the important thing is to never allow a sneak attack to take place. If you learn the skill ‘Magic Perception’, then it should be alright. There’s still a long way for you to go. So for now you should learn to sense the atmosphere to detect danger.” 

Even though I was lectured so seriously, I was still completely lost on the subject. “Huh~hmm, Is that so?” And so I decided to let this pass in one ear and out the other— 

Siiia—! 

I immediately felt a sharp pain on the back of my head after hearing the sound. “Ayaa!” Tears filled my eyes at the sudden pain. 

“Wait, Sen-Sensei! What have you done?” 

I heavily regretted ever asking this. 

“You idiot, do not get careless! Before you learn to detect danger around you, you better believe I am always aiming at you. If you don’t want anymore painful memories, you’d better keep an eye out and be aware of all attacks!” 

I could tell that these words were gonna cause me a lot of trouble. 

This Old Man, he’s not kidding around! 

One look into his eyes immediately dispelled any thoughts I had about complaining. What stared back at me was a grin that could only belong to a devil. 

“Do be reassured. This Wooden knife can only double the pain, but its physical damage is in turn reduced… And I would not use my full force, one or two whacks won’t kill you.” 

Oi oi, this reckless old man has gone mad! Once or twice won’t matter, but it would probably be horrible after a couple more?! 

“Wait!? That means if I get hit multiple times—” 

“Listen well now Gobta, you don’t want to die, right? Then you have only one answer! Master it and show me. First detect my killing aura and prove to me your ‘Danger Detection’!” 

Alas my doubts were completely ignored, and Haruko-sensei promptly left after making such a one-sided speech. From that day onward, every single day of my life was spent in constant peril. 

*** 

For real now, what kind of sick joke is this! 

I rubbed my head in pain and complained again. 

“He told this to me…” 

“I see, Hakurou’s training can really be tough.” 

“Souei-san thinks so too? That old man really has no idea how to cut anyone some slack, does he?” 

“Although I would agree with that, are you sure it’s alright for you to be so careless?” 

“Of course. Surely Souei-san would be able to sense that old man approaching? Then, it must be safe here!” 

“—Hmm!?” 

Though I may be incapable of doing it myself, I could rest assured, knowing the people around me were powerful enough to cover for me. 

It’s a flawless plan, if I do say so myself. 

“Besides, how could ‘Danger Detection’ be such a simple skill to learn? It is just him swinging a wooden sword over and over every day. It sure is hard for those who are getting hit. How did Souei-san and your friends make it through?” 

“…Hmm. In the case of Benimaru, he was able to learn ‘Magic Perception’ while on the stage of learning ‘Danger Detection’, and began swordsmanship training without enduring much hardship. I also sensed the aura quite naturally and moved on to the next level.” 

“I see… then I guess you won’t be able to help me out here…” 

“If that’s what you are looking for, perhaps Shion can give you a hand.” 

“Is that so? Then I shall go get some advice from Shion-san!” 

“Ahah. You should be more cautious before going…” 

Using the prodigies Souei-san and Benimaru-san as a reference doesn’t work for me. If it is Shion-san, she must be able to understand my hardship. I should go seek her guidance. 

After parting with Souei and heading towards the canteen where Shion-san was located… For some unknown reason, Souei-san sent me off with a pitiful look in his eyes. This kinda bugs me. 

Meh, it’s probably just him reminiscing about his past training… 

“Is the conversation over, Gobta?” 

“Piyaa!?” 

I was too naïve. I’ve been betrayed! 

Souei-san must have noticed it mid-conversation. 

“Who did you call an ‘old man’, you idiot!” 

I saw the wooden sword coming down the moment I heard the shout. Could this be what ‘Danger Detection’ is about? But it was already too late. Unable to avoid it, I suffered another round of beatings from Hakurou-sensei. 

— What I learnt was that relying on others’ ability is dangerous. That’s the lesson of the day. 

*** 

After that ordeal, I was able to learn many meaningful things from Shion-san. 

“It’s not as complicated as you may think, Gobta. ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this.’ If you get that feeling, you’ll know what to look out for. Just keep practicing that and you’ll get it in no time! Anyhow, there is something else important—” 

She gave me this advice with a smile. In simple terms, I suppose you could call it my sixth sense. That’s how I understood it, so far. 

“I’m very confident in my cooking today! Please Gobta, come try it out and tell me what you think!” 

This is bad. 

This is REALLY BAD! 

A dangerous aura (smell) slowly spread that put Hakurou-sensei’s training to shame. 

Now, for real! I am experiencing ‘Danger Detection’. 

<<Confirmed, Extra Skill ‘Danger Detection’ acquiring… Successful>> 

Wow! Is this Real?! I was able to achieve the goal through unexpected means. Nice job, Souei-san, your tip worked out in the end. 

But…. 

It seems like eating that thing would definitely be dangerous, so I gotta run right now! 

Well then, see you next time!