Chapter 16

"Which weapon do you want to use?" The old man, seeing that Zhao Mai's attention had returned to the right path, asked him. In his tree hollow, there was a box. When opened, it contained various old and mismatched equipment.

Without the old man's explanation, Zhao Mai understood the origin of these weapons. They were undoubtedly spoils of war, accumulated through the victories of the ranger. Inside, one could see the saw-toothed knives of the goblins, the double-headed axes of the orcs, the spear-tailed war axes of the centaurs, and the double-edged giant cleavers of the gnolls.

Though his martial skills were completely zero, Zhao Mai's perspective was undoubtedly of a transcendent level. From the bone clubs of the primitives to the light sabers of the Star Wars, from high-manganese alloy swords to high-frequency ion vibration knives, his theoretical knowledge—or what he called brainstorms—surpassed anyone in Golarion. Heroes from all ages and literary works, whether historical or fictional, were stored in his memory. Now, he needed to choose the path that best suited him.

When it came to the weapons of a ranger, one would think of the elven ranger's unparalleled archery skills, and the other would be the dual-blade ranger's impenetrable web of blades. Both paths were excellent, with both appearance and power being top-notch. However, if one thought about it carefully, just because someone could reach the pinnacle didn't mean it was the most suitable for everyone, especially for Zhao Mai, who had no foundation. He was just a human and couldn't spend a hundred years training in these martial skills like elves or dark elves.

If he had a hundred years to train, Zhao Mai would definitely choose Tai Chi or find a way to cultivate internal energy, which would be more reliable than being a dual-blade ranger.

He understood that martial skills were about defeating the enemy while protecting oneself. It was very difficult to achieve both offense and defense with a single weapon, so he quickly decided on the path he wanted to take.

"Shield and short spear," he found the corresponding words and said to the old man, "Shield as the main, short spear or sword or hammer are all fine."

This was the safest path, with survival being the top priority, and it didn't significantly affect flexibility. He had already chosen the shield, which was the spare tire from his car. Though it was a bit heavy, with some rope to secure it properly, it would be the strongest magical shield!

A short spear, also known as a one-handed spear, was a weapon used only for thrusting. When holding a shield, only the simplest and shortest thrusting action could ensure that the defensive hand was not affected. The ancient Spartan warriors combined shields, short spears, battle formations, and ironworking techniques with their military culture to create a legendary army. Zhao Mai felt that using this combat style as a foundation was the most suitable for him.

As for later, he would definitely need to learn ranged weapons, such as crossbows. Ranger Karl's crossbow was a light crossbow that could be fired with one hand (though it required both hands to reload), and it wouldn't affect his use of the shield. Zhao Mai's principle was to hide behind the shield, watch others fight, and focus on finishing off the enemy.

This choice had no outstanding advantages, but it also had no disadvantages, and Karl agreed. He was actually very worried that Zhao Mai would choose some flashy but impractical combat techniques, such as dual-wielding long swords and daggers. Such martial skills required more footwork, which Karl didn't know, and he was afraid of teaching him incorrectly.

The shield and spear were much simpler, with fewer actions to learn. Shield techniques included the alert shield-holding posture, five skills: blocking, sliding, deflecting, pushing, and smashing, along with sufficient arm strength, sharp reactions, and sustained focus.

Using a spear, in simple terms, involved only one action: thrusting. Since the other hand held the shield, Zhao Mai could focus solely on attacking with the spear without needing to learn defensive techniques with it. The old ranger Karl took out paper and pen, drawing a wobbly human figure, and began explaining the basic combat training methods.

He divided the plane in front of Zhao Mai into nine squares, like a computer keypad, and labeled them with numbers. 1 represented an attack from the lower left, 6 from the middle right, and 8 from the top center. As long as one could defend the squares under attack and strike the squares where the enemy was not defended, victory could be achieved.

This was a very simple and refined method, easy to understand. He held his wooden shield and demonstrated the basic defensive actions for each of the nine squares, making Zhao Mai mimic them until he got them right. Then he picked up a wooden stick, called out numbers, and launched corresponding attacks.

Without considering feints or techniques, only simple blocking, this was the most basic of basics. Zhao Mai listened to the numbers, quickly reacted in his mind, and performed the correct actions. At first, Karl's stick moved very slowly, but it gradually sped up, and Zhao Mai had to quickly keep up with the rhythm.

Strength, speed, and technique were the core components of martial skills, but they needed to be built on a foundation. Karl might not be able to train a martial arts master, but he was the perfect beginner teacher for Zhao Mai. He guided Zhao Mai step by step, watching him form the most basic reactions and ensuring he mastered the basic actions before letting him practice on his own.

Putting down the light wooden shield, Zhao Mai picked up the heavy spare tire shield. His center of gravity was thrown off by this thing, and just standing steadily was a challenge. Practicing with a light shield was not impossible, but without the spirit of hard work, how could he improve faster? No pressure, no motivation, and this wasn't someone else making it difficult for him; it was a requirement he set for himself, so there was no reason not to strive!

He practiced each action from the beginning, gradually becoming familiar with the center of gravity and inertia of the spare tire shield. The soreness in his muscles was nothing, and the only thing Zhao Mai regretted was the lack of a large mirror. If he had a full-wall mirror like in a dance studio, it would greatly help in correcting his movements.

When he trained, Máo Máo Dog couldn't sit on his shoulder. The little guy didn't stay far away, watching Zhao Mai's training with big eyes, his little tail wagging. Whenever Zhao Mai performed an action correctly, his tail would wag quickly; if not, it would be lazy. Though it was strange to have a dog correct his training, this was, after all, a fantasy world, wasn't it?

As the sky gradually turned to dusk, Ranger Karl called a halt to Zhao Mai's self-training and went to the kitchen to cook, carrying salt. Zhao Mai wanted to follow, but his arms couldn't lift. In his twenty-plus years of life, he had never been so exhausted, nor so satisfied. He didn't need praise from others at this moment because he could feel his own progress.

Suru, the half-orc, tilted his head and sized up Zhao Mai, pursing his lips, and followed Karl to the kitchen. Tonight's dinner would include cheese and sweet wine from Nipo Town, which he had been craving for a long time.

Suru didn't like "Mike" sitting in the yard waiting for food without helping. He thought it was a sign of "weakness and uselessness." "Teacher, are you going to train him to be a ranger?"

"No, he won't become a forest ranger. He won't stay here forever." Karl thought about how Mike had come to this world and knew that sooner or later, Mike would leave. He shook his head and asked Suru to fetch more water.

The half-orc's broad shoulders were growing wider. In terms of physical attributes, Suru was much better than himself. In strength, endurance, and speed, he could take over the position of forest ranger, but the only thing Karl was worried about was the half-orc's temperament.