Chapter 27

Starting from today, I will update Chapter 2.

Thank you very much for your continued support.

The author, who never did summer vacation homework until the last day, couldn't write anything in advance, so I think there will be updates every other day (wry smile).

There is a school rule at this Ygralian Kingdom Knight and Mage Academy that all students must join a club activity.

It is part of the educational policy of the academy, which aims to cultivate generalists.

However, such a school rule, established long ago, has become a dead letter, and there are only a few club activities that are actually active.

For example, there are plenty of excellent dojos in this capital for martial arts, and the same goes for other hobbies, as it is not difficult to provide an excellent educational environment.

As society becomes more established, club activities also decline.

One month since the start of the academy.

"Stop just running aimlessly!

Think about the meaning of running!

Those who lack motivation, go home!

Get rid of your laziness!

Those who are slow, go home!

Exceed yesterday's self!

Those who can't exceed, go home!"

I had become a demon coach.

In the morning run, all the classmates of Class 1-A participated.

It seems that the fact that I could fight with Ryo for so long with my magic power gave a shock to the other classmates.

Ryo apparently used up about 70% of his magic power, which exceeds 50,000, in the 30-minute sparring session.

There was no opportunity to use breaking techniques due to the speed of my movements, and when he was about to be overwhelmed, he had no choice but to increase the output of his body reinforcement and use brute force.

However, such a big move couldn't be decided immediately, and he could only barely cut the distance for a moment.

But I immediately turned to a counterattack and brought the situation back to the same development.

Initially, he didn't expect such a stalemate.

I had just fought with Parry for over 10 minutes, and I have an absolute amount of magic power, which is rare, appearing once in 10 or 20 years in the magic power test of this royal academy.

Even if I had launched a short-term battle with my remaining magic power, he judged that he would win if he could withstand it.

So, he decided to focus on defense without giving any openings.

But my stamina, which should have been C-rated, didn't run out.

In fact, he was secretly sweating as he was gradually drained of magic power by me.

"Cutting the distance with a free hand after receiving the final kick was a coincidence.

The result might be different next time."

Ryo honestly told me with a serious face.

It seems that he really came here to improve his own strength, not just to win or lose.

The day after I unwillingly won the recommendation to Class A from my classmates, a problem arose.

Classmates started to be late one after another.

To eat Sol's breakfast, I woke up 30 minutes earlier and gathered at the main gate at 5:00 AM.

From there, we started running around the academy in a clockwise direction as usual, but by the end, only Ryo was able to keep up, and the rest of the classmates disappeared one by one after passing the one-third mark.

Even Ryo sat on a nearby stump and glared at me resentfully while I was doing hill sprints.

Well, there's no point in waiting for those who can't keep up.

I have my own routine.

Thinking that, I abandoned my classmates and returned to the general dormitory, ate Sol's bitter breakfast, and arrived at school before 9:10 AM. Only Ryo and Mob-faced A, whose name is Dan, were there.

Dan, whose face is definitely a mob face, has the second-highest magic power after Ryo. This year, there was a super genius like Ryo, but under normal circumstances, he could have taken the top overall score without any surprise, such a talented person.

◆

"Arlen Lovain.

Do you intend to destroy the 1-A class of this royal academy on the second day?"

Just before 10:00 AM, when all the classmates finally gathered, Godolphin questioned me.

I'm in trouble if it's blamed on me...

"I didn't ask them to follow me.

They decided to run on their own and were late on their own.

They'll probably come to their senses and run away with their tails between their legs tomorrow.

There's no problem at all."

I looked around at the classmates with a smirking face and taunted them.

Because I hadn't forgotten the resentment of being smirked at the day before.

At that time, I still underestimated the pride of those who entered Class A of this royal academy.

These people were celebrated as "the greatest genius in the family's history" in their respective territories and, unlike the former "Arlen," were also diligent in their studies.

"Hmm.

Do you have no intention of lending a hand to the friends who recommended you by your family name?"

They secretly conspired to "get back at me."

I don't care about them at all.

"Hmph.

Do you want to say some comforting words?

This is for you, Faye!

Eh? No response?

You must be tired from staying up all night researching magical devices.

I'll call a carriage to the main gate for you tomorrow?"

"This is perfect."

I declared, ignoring Faye, who glared at me with teary eyes.

◆

The next morning, no one was at the main gate at 5:00 AM.

I was a bit surprised that even Ryo would break on the first day, but I thought, "Well, whatever," and started running around the academy in a clockwise direction as usual.

Then, these proud classmates had woken up even earlier and adjusted their departure times to match their own speeds.

They must have heard about the hill sprints from Ryo.

When I arrived at the wonderful hill at 6:00 AM, all 19 of them were waiting.

It's honestly a bit flattering that they value me so much.

"How long have you been running?"

I asked Coco, who arrived at the classroom the latest yesterday.

"I started at 3:30 AM.

Today, there was nothing in particular, so we started at different times."

Hmm.

Did everyone run to arrive at this time without consulting each other?

Despite being taunted so much yesterday, they all had a strong light in their eyes, far from breaking.

I had always thought of basic training as a solitary task.

When I confirmed that no one was at the main gate, I thought, "Well, whatever."

But...

I'm glad I came to this academy.

I stopped sulking.

◆

"Can you wake up at that time and continue every day?

There's no need to force yourself to run the same distance as me.

It's meaningless if you can't sustain it."

"...I think my physical strength and body reinforcement magic are the lowest in this class.

I don't want to become a bureaucrat who 'sits at a desk from the beginning and can't be used in the field,' as Mr. Godolphin said.

I have something I want to do.

...Can I share my thoughts?"

There was no Coco who was shy and trembling.

There was a person with a strong will to achieve something.

I was happy.

"...Everything I'm about to say is my personal opinion."

The classmates listened.

"It's important to run the same distance on a fixed course every day.

This allows you to measure your own growth.

Seeing progress is important for motivation.

Of course, the level of basic physical strength and magic manipulation varies from person to person, so the 'optimal distance' will vary widely.

However, I don't think it's necessary to be too fixated on the 'optimal distance.'

It's hard to figure out what's optimal, and it changes every day.

More importantly, it's far more important to be able to run without thinking about unnecessary things on the same course.

This is about bringing this running down to the level of a 'form' in swordsmanship.

In the process of improving the proficiency of body reinforcement, I think it's important to eliminate distractions and simplify the task.

Once you get used to it, you can activate body reinforcement only when your feet touch the ground and cut the body reinforcement magic while your body is floating in the air for the next step.

It's like eliminating residual magic power."

This is one of the reasons I've been thinking about why my stamina is superior to others since yesterday.

For Parry and Ryo, once they enter a combat state and turn on the switch, I'm concerned that their adjustments of strength are rough, and it seems they can't turn it off at all.

It's no wonder they get tired.

"...I see.

It sounds like a matter of magic manipulation sense.

But wouldn't it be a problem to run in an indoor arena?"

Al asked a question.

"Of course, that's fine too.

However, the perimeter of this royal academy has moderate undulations and a variety of road surfaces.

If you only use body reinforcement in the arena, it's effective to specialize in a particular technique, but if you want to improve your adaptability, I recommend running outside.

Time is limited, after all."

"I see."

Al nodded.

"It's a well-known fact that the closer you get to a master, the more delicate your magic manipulation becomes.

I think it's a weakness of ours to have neglected this area, relying on superior magic power.

However, I don't think that alone explains Arlen's stamina, do you?"

Stella, with her pink twin tails, pointed out.

I mentioned another possibility.

"Do you compress magic power during the intervals of using body reinforcement?"

"...That's impossible...

It's theoretically impossible to compress magic power while using magic.

It's like trying to drink and pour water from a hose with only one opening."

Stella answered with a look of "What are you talking about?"

Everyone had similar expressions.

I smiled and answered.

"Of course, I can't do that.

By 'intervals,' I mean the gaps between movements."

"...I've never thought about that.

The fact that a peer like Arlen can turn body reinforcement magic on and off while running is shocking enough.

...You're not saying you compress magic power during the time your feet are off the ground while running, are you?"

Stella glared at me.

"Of course, I do.

Whenever I can turn off body reinforcement, I try to compress and store magic power as much as possible.

In fact, during the sparring with Ryo yesterday, I was storing magic power during the intervals of movement.

It's impossible during intense anaerobic exercises like sprinting, but while the output of body reinforcement is around 50%, I can cut it off during the intervals and compress magic power.

For routine tasks like running and swinging, I can do it at over 70%.

My magic power won't run out with these actions.

I'll reach my physical limits first."

Jew, with her blonde headband, chuckled.

"You always say such unconventional things with a straight face.

It's known that compressing magic power speeds up recovery compared to natural recovery.

However, it's a very concentration-intensive task.

It's difficult to do even while walking, let alone compressing magic power during the intervals of movement in combat."

What do you mean by "always"?

It was Faye who said something unconventional...

But is it really like that...

Mother did it casually, and my sister and I practiced and mastered it as a matter of course...

Indeed, no matter how much I explained, my brothers couldn't do it.

"The key is to view magic compression for increasing maximum magic power as a separate task from the meticulous folding of magic power.

Certainly, some sense is required, but I think everyone here can do it if they train and bring it down to a 'form.'

...However, it might not be necessary to maintain magic power for so long in battle, even if you go through the trouble of mastering it."

Indeed, battles rarely last that long.

Unless it's a one-on-one match between evenly matched opponents or a battlefield where enemies keep attacking without end, battles rarely last over an hour.

In that sense, the traditional approach of focusing on improving instantaneous output is not wrong.

It could even be considered the orthodox path.

"...What's the purpose of the hill sprints we're about to do?"

Coco asked.

"Good question!

What I've said so far is just a warm-up. This is where the real training begins!

Al! Stop rolling your eyes!

Don't worry, there's nothing special!

The short-distance sprints on this hill aim to perform a full-body exercise at 'maximum effort,' improving muscle strength and the proficiency of body reinforcement magic at maximum output.

I believe that sprinting is the most efficient muscle training in the world.

Look at this hill!

A 10° slope, 500 meters long, and a straight line—perfect conditions.

Running up this hill at full speed and slowly descending while storing magic power can train all the basic muscle strength needed for a knight.

By routinizing running and focusing on improving your time, you can comprehensively train muscle strength, maximum output of body reinforcement, explosive power to increase output, and the ability to maintain it.

In other words, it's a training that covers power, speed, and endurance.

Moreover, you can adjust the physical load by changing the number of repetitions."

"...Full effort on this hill with large and small stones rolling around...

Ryo, can you do it?"

Dan asked Ryo.

"There's no way.

It would take months of training.

If I fight Arlen outdoors, my chances of winning would be even lower.

He has an astonishing sense of magic manipulation."

...Is that so?

I'm in trouble if everyone looks at me with such a moist gaze...

Click

I looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Faye had attached some kind of magical device to my wrist.

"...What is this?"

Faye explained with a smile.

"This is a magical device I improved for 8 hours yesterday.

Actually, I just modified a device that measures residual magic power to record data.

This will expose all of Arlen's secrets—"

I picked up a nearby stone and smashed the magical device without hesitation.

Ignoring Faye, who was stunned with a "Why?" look, I concluded.

"Although I've talked a lot about the theory, the most important thing is for each of you to think about why you're running and come to your own conclusions.

If you just accept what others say, you won't truly develop your strength.

Practicing, verifying, and gradually improving your routine is the most important process."

I bowed to the hill and started running.

Spending more time talking here would interfere with my routine...

I still have the challenge of eating Sol's breakfast in my morning routine.