Chapter 128 – Training (2)

“Hunters all depend on their skills, abilities, and special abilities. You know that too.”

“Yes.”

Know.
Skills increase combat power and are convenient.
In the case of ability, it can be understood by looking at a simple example of swordsmanship.

Just by activating the swordsmanship ability, you can wield the sword more precisely and quickly.

If I, who don’t know anything about swords, invested all of my current stamina into swordsmanship, I would be able to get middle-level grades even if I transferred to the swordsmanship department right away.

“It’s not that it’s wrong. There’s nothing more stupid than not being able to use your abilities. But in the end, they are just auxiliary materials. No matter how many times you swing your fists in the air and hit the punching bag, your level will increase, but your skills will remain the same.”

Those were his words as an S-class hunter candidate.
It was clear that all these words came from the wisdom gained through experience, so I listened to what he had to say and thought about what he was trying to say.

“I will briefly explain it as the most commonly used sword. If you wield a sword, the level of your swordsmanship will rise. Yes?”

“Yes.”

“However, I don’t know how to aim for the opponent’s gap and insert the sword, and at what timing to withdraw.”

“After all, you are saying that you should not rely on your ability and experience it yourself.”

He nodded once to see if I was right.

“I don’t know when it will end, but from now on, you must never use your abilities.”

“Are you talking about the glass world?”

“Yeah, if you’re worried about GP or ratings, tell me. I will tell my brother.”

He looked me in the eye and said.

“It’s okay.”

It wasn’t like his caring.
I noticed that the question was merely a test of my will.
And he smiled contentedly.

“Okay, but it won’t motivate you just to be polite and follow my orders. What do you think.”

“… I honestly can’t deny it.”

As he said, in my head, doubts about whether his training method was really the right answer never ceased.
Is it really necessary not to use skills and abilities?
If you cannot use your skills and abilities, you will have to fight against weaker opponents.
Is that really effective?

“It’s good to be honest. And being passive and not just accepting is a good thing.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, I will stop explaining with words and explain with my body. Get your posture.”

He said, clenching his fists and pulling his left leg back.

I also got into position with him.

Perhaps because I had never learned martial arts, I imitated his posture, but I felt it was sloppy.

“How many stats do you have?”

“Strength 50, agility 50, stamina, 47 durability, 58 mana, 90.”

“Hmm, you’re pretty tall for your age. Hmm… This should be enough.”

Saying a brief impression, he touched the navy blue hood that was wrapped around his right forearm.

“This hood is a hood that adjusts the stats I borrowed from my older brother. Now I have the same stats as you.”

“Is it a cursed hood?”

“Do you know?”

“Yes.”

As far as I remember, it was an epic-level artifact that was often used to develop low-level characters in games.

“I won’t use any ability or skill other than putting mana in my fist, so use all your skills and special abilities to attack.”

“…Do you know how much my skills and abilities are?”

No matter how you say it, if you fight with me with the same stats as me, you will never be able to win.
I thought for a while whether he was trying to teach me something through his defeat, but that was ridiculous.

“Of course I don’t know. I just heard about it from my brother, but he must have many other abilities as well.”

“Then…”

“Until there. The verbal explanation was over. Go ahead with all your might.”

“… All right.”

There’s no way he couldn’t think of the things I think.
It might be conceited, but that’s enough to find out now.

Stealth, Invisibility, Instant Acceleration, Berserk, Battlefield, Blessing, Fight.

I used all of my abilities that could be used in a person-to-person battle.
Currently, with my mana, I can use all 7 skills and abilities at the same time in only 3 minutes.

‘It will be finished within that.’

I don’t know what he was thinking, but at this point, I couldn’t help but hurt my pride a little.
He kicked the ground and ran towards him.

The 10th level of stealth erased the sound even though I was so full that the ground shook.
Unfortunately, the martial arts ability has not been created yet.
However, the ability to reach 5 raised all my stats.
Reaching in front of him in an instant, I pulled his clenched fists behind him and swung them around his waist.

‘What…! Can you see me?’

However, the fist I swung was easily blocked by Taeshik’s palm.
And he made eye contact with me as if I could see me.
I was obviously using invisibility.

After retrieving the jammed fist in his hand, he raised his knee and aimed for his side.

“Slow.”

As if he had already anticipated my attack, he lowered his arm to block another attack.

‘Slow?’

It was nonsense.
My agility using all skills and abilities has increased by about twice.
Saying that he is slow, which is the same as my basic agility, means that it is absurd.
But he really blocked my attack.

I made a small leap backwards and turned around to try to get behind him.
But he turned his back as if he could see me.

‘Am I feeling mana?’

It’s not impossible to feel that I’m currently consuming all my mana at a tremendous rate.
However, being able to pinpoint the location of that mana so precisely means that his senses are tremendous.

Stealth and invisibility had no meaning anymore.

“Are you giving up already?”

“No, I will go again…!”

Reduced mana consumption.
Now you will be able to hold your current state for another 4 minutes or so.

He quickly threw his fist at Tae-shik’s philtrum.
He moved his head slightly to the side, as naturally as water, to dodge his fist.

But I was already expecting to avoid it.
Swinging his opposite hand to the side, I aimed again for the side of his head, but I could barely touch the tip of his nose.

‘A gap…’

Didn’t see
Obviously I’m faster and stronger, but I couldn’t be sure that I would hit anywhere I attacked.

‘Not yet.’

The remaining duration is about 3 minutes.
It was still too early to give up and I ran into him again.

I swung his fists at his vital points and kicked him, remembering Taekwondo I learned as a child.
However, he avoided my attack as if he brushed my fists and feet.

And three minutes passed.

“Aww…!”

When all of the mana in the body was consumed, symptoms of mana deficiency came.
However, it wasn’t so severe that he couldn’t control his body, so he took out the mana potion from the dimensional pouch he had received from Riel and drank it at once.

“How was it?”

I asked Tae-shik, who was looking at me with his back to the sun without a hint of tiredness.

“You seem to have some talent… But you said you never learned martial arts, right?”

“Yes, today is the first time I am learning properly.”

“It wasn’t bad for a first time.”

“… Is that so.”

Should I take this as a compliment? After thinking about it for a while, the moment he decided to pass it on, he opened his mouth again.

“You seem to have a lot of questions.”

Of course, questions abounded.
How I was able to identify my location in real time using stealth and invisibility, and why my attacks, which inflated my stats using various skills and abilities, never worked.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t answer your questions.”

And shocking words came out of Taesik’s mouth.

“… What is it? I knew you were training me.”

“Yes, I am training you. But if I explain it to you one by one, you won’t be enlightened.”

At the moment I wondered what that meant, he opened his mouth again.

“All I will tell you is the basic framework of martial arts and sparring. Just like in the sparring with you, there are many ways to overcome the stat gap. Each person has their own way, so you have to realize it in your own way.”

“Enlightenment…”

“Don’t be impatient and work diligently on training. Even after the training is over, if you review the sparring with me, you will be able to suddenly realize something. Originally, enlightenment comes without any warning.”

“All right.”

I still don’t know how he blocked and dodged all of my attacks.
Did he read the movement of his muscles or did he feel my mana?

Or maybe it was an anticipation of my behavioral patterns that even martial artists don’t know about.
Anyway, once I rolled, I had a hunch that I would know something.

“I can give you a hint though.”

“Didn’t you just say that you have to realize yourself?”

“It’s something simple that maybe you have already realized. And it’s just the basics for attaining countless kinds of enlightenment. What are you going to do?”

At Taesik’s words, I started thinking for a while.
I guessed it to some extent, but if you listen to him, you will be able to confirm your guess.

“I will do it myself.”

But I thought it wouldn’t make any sense.
I couldn’t exactly understand the abstract concept of enlightenment, but I was sure that gaining confidence on my own would help me even more.

“I see, it’s a little bit, but your eyes have improved. When I recover to some extent, I will start sparring again.”

“I can do it right now.”

I gave my strength again and answered.
For a while, it was difficult to control the body due to the lack of mana, but after taking a little rest after eating the mana potion, I felt that the vitality of the body started to come back again.

“Yeah, it seems like a great will. Then we’ll start right away. Do not use any skills or abilities this time.”

“All right.”

I followed him and got into a position.

“In the recent Dalian, there was no chance to counterattack, but this time I will attack too. Do you still have the healing skill?”

“… Yes.”

In an instant, his words reminded me of the time we first met.

And I was hit like dust on a rainy day like when we first met.

“Cool… Are you sure you have the same stats as mine…?”

He coughed with his mouth covered.
Fortunately, no blood came out, but hot pain was felt in every part of his body that had been hit by him.

“Yes, it is the same state as the stat you said. If you are tired, you can take a break and start again.”

“It’s okay. I’ll start right away.”

I could feel his pain disappear as I healed the bruises all over his body using the heal that raised his level with the buff.
This time, unlike the previous match, I looked at his eye movements.

He was looking at something other than my fists and feet, but he couldn’t quite determine what it was.

Of course, since I was looking at his eyes, not his fists, I was beaten more severely than in the previous sparring.

“Today we will end here.”

“Yet whoa… More, you can.”

I told him as he looked at me, breathing heavily.

“No, that’s it for today. You are too tired now.”

As he said, he was definitely tired.
He did his best during the three sparring sessions, so he consumed a lot of physical strength, and most of all, he allowed almost all of his attacks.

“Training must be accompanied by adequate rest to achieve proper efficiency. And soon it’s time for the kids’ academy to end. I have to go get him.”

“Ah…”

It was a more realistic reason than I thought.

“Then there is nothing you can do. Thank you for today.”

“Yeah, good job. Come back tomorrow at the same time.”

And he coolly turned his back and left the arena.
He seemed to be a caring father at home.

‘It hurts so bad…’

Can’t you be a little kinder to me too?