Chapter 60

My daily life can be described as a routine of almost the same tasks.

When I wake up at five in the morning, I first engage in self-training. After running around the town three times, I practice sword swings to make fine adjustments to my movements.

After that, the entire family gathers for breakfast, and then the training with the instructors begins.

I fight alone against five people, including the four instructors and Asuka.

These five are quite skilled at working together, but even so, they don't push me to my limits.

It takes some effort to break one of them, but after that, it's not too difficult. Maintaining their fighting strength after that is their challenge.

After the training, the instructors move on to teaching the disciples.

As the head of the family and the chief instructor, I directly teach only Asuka and the instructors, and I don't train the disciples.

I might observe them a bit at first, but that's all.

After that, I start the direct training of Asuka. This could be considered my most important task.

"pant... pant..."

"Alright, that's enough for today."

I tell Asuka, who is lying on the floor on her back, and lower my wooden sword.

When teaching new techniques, I often use Asuka as the target.

Every technique has a weakness, and understanding it is best done by seeing it in front of you.

Of course, it's quite a burden for Asuka to be the one to take it.

"The form of 'Gou' is... really scary."

"That's why you get serious, right? If you can respond with flowing water, you won't get hit. I'm careful about that too."

"Well, I understand that... but, why this technique—Shiroki? Honestly, I think it's too early for me."

"True. Besides, even if we start now, it won't be in time for the event."

Shiroki is a powerful strike that, while not reaching the level of secret techniques, is particularly destructive among the forms of 'Gou'.

In some schools, it might even be classified as an ultimate technique, and naturally, it is difficult to master.

It will be a while before Asuka can learn it.

But still—

"You tend to rely on small tricks. Using them to break down techniques is good, but you lack the finishing moves. Think about the timing to land a powerful strike."

"Ah... I understand. I'll think of various patterns."

Although I say this, Asuka's talent is considerable.

She has a nature that excels in the 'ha' and 'ri' stages of the 'shu-ha-ri' concept.

In other words, she is very good at adapting techniques she has learned to her own body.

The techniques of the Kyuugen Shintou-ryu are not something that can be used simply by mimicking the form.

They must be released with the optimal power for the situation to have the correct effect.

Asuka can do this intuitively, which makes her a very suitable disciple for the Kyuugen Shintou-ryu and for me as her instructor.

"...? What is it, staring like that?"

"Nothing. Go take a shower and then log in."

"Sure... Sensei, you're really into the game now, aren't you?"

I give Asuka a sidelong glance in response to her teasing smile.

Well, I can't deny it. I feel an extraordinary charm in that game world.

And at the same time—battles and the will to kill.

I can't help but chuckle at the familiar sensation I once had. It's a fact that I'm taking the game seriously.

"Sensei?"

"Come on, if you've caught your breath, get going. There's not much time left until the event."

The event will occur in three days, including today.

I want to be back in the capital a day before, so I can only dedicate today and tomorrow to training.

I want to grow as much as possible by then.

I don't know how powerful the demons will be in the event, but I should do what I can.

If that red-haired demon appears, it will be a tough fight—

"I'll do it. Ah... there might not be a better opportunity to use my sword like this."

I mutter to myself as I watch Asuka, who looks exhausted, head to the bath.

Until now, I've never used my sword in a proper battlefield.

The places I traveled with the old man were nothing but scenes of killing, not battles.

Of course, I don't say it was a waste. The years of traveling through battlefields pushed me to my current level.

But those battles—where we gradually whittled down the enemy and ourselves—were a hell where we slowly wore each other down.

"Essentially, nothing has changed... but at least I don't have to face an army with guns, so that's a relief."

I chuckle. Now that I think about it, it's a miracle that I'm still alive.

And yet, I feel a sense of excitement at being on the battlefield.

I guess I've been poisoned by that old man too.

"Well, I'll go take a shower too."

I don't know what kind of battle it will be.

It might not be what I hope for, but at least I won't be exposed to a rain of bullets.

While imagining what kind of battlefield it will be, I head to the bath, following Asuka.

* * * * *

After a quick shower and logging in, I find myself in the tent where I logged out yesterday.

Looking outside, the same checkpoint scenery as yesterday spreads out.

It seems there's no one around, just like yesterday.

I stretch a bit to check for any discomfort, then call out Lumin, who is in the form of a familiar crystal.

"Um... Good morning, Father."

"Ah, good morning, Lumin. We'll train hard today too."

"Yes, please!"

Satisfied with Lumin's enthusiastic response, I hand her the wooden sword I took from my inventory.

Lumin starts her practice swings as if she's ready to go.

While watching her, I check the contents of my inventory.

The inventory has 100 slots, and each slot can hold up to 99 items.

Since everyday items are also stored here, it's not a place to waste slots, but if you keep it organized, it's a comfortable amount.

However, that's not the case recently. After all, a large number of drop items are coming in.

The monkeys, bees, and ants drop a lot, and currently, my and Hima's inventories are filled with these drop items.

Not all slots are full, but there's still some room—however, at this rate, they will eventually saturate.

"Hmm... We're not collecting everything, but still."

There are many of them, and the battles are quite chaotic, so sometimes we leave materials behind.

However, the supply is still too much. If this continues, the inventory slots will eventually be compressed.

Well, they're not necessary items, so we don't have to collect them.

We'll think about it when we can't collect them anymore. Just as I concluded this, I sensed movement from the neighboring tent.

"Here we go... Good morning, Sensei."

"Calling it 'good morning' is a bit strange. Anyway, check on Lumin."

"Understood. If she's ready, we'll start the next training."

"Alright, I'll leave it to you."

I send Hima, who logged in a bit late, to Lumin and watch them.

Well, this time, we didn't train her continuously while logged out, so there won't be much change from before logging out.

However, Lumin's sword skills have dramatically improved since she acquired new skills.

At this rate, there shouldn't be any problems with the next training.

"Hima, you understand?"

"Of course. Come on, Lumin. Next training."

"Yes, Hima-nee!"

The next techniques to teach Lumin are Retsushin and Senga, as planned.

These are much more difficult than the previous techniques, and this is where the real training of the Kyuugen Shintou-ryu begins.

By the time she masters these, her center of gravity control will improve significantly, and the number of techniques she can learn will increase.

However, it's a very challenging process. Most disciples give up and quit before reaching this point.

It's a bit annoying that some only learn Takebetsu and Ryusui and think they've mastered the Kyuugen Shintou-ryu, but I don't expect that much from outsiders.

On the other hand, if it's a member of the Kyuugen family, I need them to learn it even if it kills them.

"Alright, Lumin, first practice falling forward while barely maintaining your balance."

"Um, barely?"

"Yes, like this."

As she says, Hima leans forward as if about to fall.

She tilts her body almost to the ground—just before falling, she kicks the ground to push her body forward, stabilizing her balance and easily standing up.

If you lose your balance, you'll fall flat on the spot. If you collapse at the moment you kick the ground, it will be a mess.

It's unbearable to see her face covered in bruises. I hope she's careful.

"This is Retsushin, but we'll start with a short distance..."

"I can't do it yet."

"Of course, that's expected. Let's first check the limit of what Lumin can do."

With that explanation, the Retsushin training begins.

Lumin repeatedly leans forward, maintains her balance at the limit, and stands up.

In our training, the instructor stands in front to catch the trainee, but in Lumin's case, it's not necessary.

After all, Lumin is a sprite and can float without any effort.

Even if she loses her balance and falls, she won't hit the ground if she floats in time.

Thanks to this, she doesn't fear leaning forward, which is a fortunate side effect.

(I thought Senga would be difficult, but at this rate, she might be able to learn it in time.)

It's best to check Lumin's level as it increases, but at this rate, learning Senga is within reach.

Senga is a simple but powerful cutting technique. It has a large opening, so overconfidence is dangerous, but it has sufficient power as a finishing move.

It will be a valuable card in Lumin's arsenal.

The question is how much growth this level-up will bring—my guess is until the next evolution.

I'm not sure what level that is, though.

(She gained a skill at level 10 without evolving. Maybe the next one is at level 20?)

If that's the case, it will be difficult to evolve before the event.

However, thanks to the concentrated level-ups recently, Lumin's level has increased significantly.

If Lumin hasn't evolved, it's possible that no tamed monsters have reached the next evolution.

I wonder if any players have the information on the next evolution.

I remember the mica jellyfish mentioned a player named Shepherd who is knowledgeable about taming—contacting someone I only heard about is difficult.

If I really want to, I could ask Eleanor, who has a wide network, but it's not worth the trouble.

"Well, it will be what it will be."

I watch the two practicing Retsushin and mutter to myself.

I'll start leveling up after this training is over.

■Avatar Name: Quon

■Gender: Male

■Race: Human

■Level: 22

■Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 22

VIT: 16

INT: 22

MND: 16

AGI: 13

DEX: 13

■Skills

Weapon Skill: 《Sword: Lv.22》

Magic Skill: 《Enhancement Magic: Lv.14》

Set Skill: 《Dead Point Strike: Lv.15》

《MP Auto Recovery: Lv.11》

《Plundering Sword: Lv.13》

《Identification: Lv.14》

《Life Sword: Lv.14》

《Demon Slaying Sword: Lv.5》

《Tame: Lv.9》

《HP Auto Recovery: Lv.8》

《Life Force Manipulation: Lv.2》

Sub Skill: 《Mining: Lv.1》

Title Skill: 《Fairy's Blessing》

■Current SP: 20

■Avatar Name: Hima

■Gender: Female

■Race: Human

■Level: 23

■Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 23

VIT: 15

INT: 20

MND: 17

AGI: 15

DEX: 14

■Skills

Weapon Skill: 《Sword: Lv.23》

Magic Skill: 《Fire Magic: Lv.18》

Set Skill: 《Battle Aura: Lv.16》

《Spell Charge: Lv.13》

《Fire Attribute Enhancement: Lv.14》

《Healing Proficiency: Lv.8》

《Identification: Lv.13》

《Dead Point Strike: Lv.12》

《Hand-to-Hand Combat: Lv.14》

《Combat Skills: Lv.14》

《Endurance: Lv.14》

Sub Skill: 《Gathering: Lv.7》

《Mining: Lv.4》

Title Skill: 《Scarlet Sword Maiden》

■Current SP: 24

■Monster Name: Lumin

■Gender: Female

■Race: Sprite

■Level: 10

■Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 18

VIT: 12

INT: 28

MND: 19

AGI: 17

DEX: 15

■Skills

Weapon Skill: 《Sword》

Magic Skill: 《Light Magic》

Skill: 《Light Attribute Enhancement》

《Flight》

《High Magic Resistance》

《Low Physical Resistance》

《MP Auto Recovery (High)》

《Wind Magic》

Title Skill: 《Servant of the Spirit King》