Training 2
One of the biggest turning points in Soul World, the episode that determines the overall difficulty: the academy's collapse. The demons had been plotting to overthrow the academy for quite some time, and one key part of that was the colorless magic circle. At first glance, it just looks like some fancy pattern. Even if you stumble upon it by chance, you'd probably brush it off easily.
Only one person—the protagonist—could identify a colorless magic circle on the spot. 'The setting was that he received special eyes from the gods.' Through them, he could preview item grades and effects. But it didn't reveal everything automatically; you needed some prior knowledge to grasp it fully. At this point, even if he found one, he'd only realize it was the demons' doing—he wouldn't figure out its purpose yet.
'Main uses: disrupting communications and suppressing magic.' Normally, the Monument would block all that. That's the biggest reason it was built in the first place. So the demons neutralize the Monument first. Then the rampage party begins. To prevent it as much as possible, you have to destroy the magic circles scattered throughout the academy.
'I wonder if Luna noticed.' Judging by her stiff expression when she checked the clock, it was about half-certain. From now on, she'd be running around trying to find those colorless magic circles. But they'd be hard to spot. Especially one hidden in a place no one would ever expect. That one caused a bit of controversy.
"Boxing and wrestling, including all forms of striking, aren't just about technique—they're optimized for elevating your overall 'movement.' Even in a dogfight, these two alone make you pretty damn good."
Anyway, moving past the magic circles. Kara, who had agreed to teach me basic striking and grappling, started with the theory. For reference, Luna was off to the side, diligently practicing her swordsmanship. True to her word earlier, she refused any instruction from Kara. Still, she couldn't help glancing our way every now and then.
"Explaining it like this might be hard to grasp. Let me show you an example. Say someone throws a punch at you like this."
Kara slowly extended her fist toward me. Without thinking, I stepped back. Even when hunting in the wild, I'd evade attacks by creating distance. It's the safest way.
Thud—
Her fist stopped right in front of my nose. After hunting beasts and monsters of all sizes, I'd mastered judging distances. Kara nodded with a satisfied smile at my reaction.
"Dodging by measuring distance like you did is fine. It's a valid method. But you can't just keep evading forever, right? Now you try throwing a punch. Oh, and slowly, like I did?"
She seemed impressed by that time I hurled a sword. The caution in her words confirmed it.
Swoosh—
I extended my fist slowly, as requested. Instead of stepping back like I had, Kara tilted her head slightly to evade.
"And right from there—bam!"
She then slowly pressed her fist into my side, shouting. An evasion followed by an immediate counter. The classic counterpunch.
"Get it?"
"Shit."
"Just nod if you do. Shake your head side to side if you don't."
I nodded to show I understood. I got it completely. Kara grinned at my response and continued excitedly.
"Combine that with footwork—or stance, if you prefer. It looks simple, but mastering it is tough."
She was right. In Soul World, these weren't even classified as 'skills.' They were fundamentals, varying by player skill. Striking boosted them massively, but basics depended on the individual.
"To make it instinctive without thinking, you need consistent practice. You might pick it up fast, though. You were good during our spar."
"Shit."
"That's 'thanks,' right? Now that you get the principle, let's dive deeper."
Kara taught me striking with full sincerity, even though I was her sparring partner. But she prioritized defense and evasion over punches, kicks, or grapples. Since it was just basics, defense mattered more. Plus, my physique was already top-tier—no need for conditioning; just technique.
"Usually, stick to weapons. Don't be a weirdo insisting on bare hands. Why do you think people use weapons?"
She didn't forget to warn me against picking up weird habits. As she said, unless you're aiming to be a striker, weapons are better.
'Striking's just a tool when fights break out anyway.'
In Soul World, clunky controls made player skill paramount. Even with skills, using them right was key to easier clears. That's why I was grinding techniques—to broaden my options. It'd make things smoother here in reality, where skill and talent mattered even more.
"Use your hips... yeah, like that. You're good. I keep stressing it, but hips and feet are key. Ready for advanced stuff?"
Once I seemed to get it, Kara grabbed a training sword.
Whoosh!
She thrust at my face with blinding speed—no warning. But my reflexes dodged effortlessly. Before, I'd have stepped back. Now, just my head moved.
Swoosh! Slash! Swing!
As Kara wildly swung and stabbed, I evaded smoothly. Twisting my hips as taught, light steps, and my Wild Instinct topped it off—perfect evasion, no waste.
"Whoa! You're seriously good! Must be from living wild."
After ten minutes of swinging, Kara was genuinely impressed. Her vivid green eyes sparkled. No wonder; I was applying her lessons perfectly. Honestly, it wasn't that hard. Evasion was second nature from the wild. What she taught was 'efficiency'—for evasion and counters. Huge gain for me. I'd repay her later.
"Still room for improvement, but that's advanced, so we'll skip. Now, offense..."
She trailed off, glancing at Luna. Luna was fully focused on her solo drills now, repeatedly overhead-cutting with her training sword. Sweat beading meant she'd been at it a while.
"Asking her feels awkward. Hmm..."
Not wanting to interrupt, Kara looked around. Then she spotted a perfect target and lit up.
"Hey, blondie over there!"
Her booming voice echoed like thunder. The gym-like training hall amplified it.
"Blond? Not me?"
"Huh?"
"Why's she calling me? No reason to."
Blondes—including Luna—turned to stare. Plenty of them around. Kara realized her mistake, facepalming.
She had her airheaded moments. Kinda charming.
Blushing briefly, she pretended nothing happened, then corrected herself.
"Sivar's guardian!"
"... ..."
The targeted blonde's face stiffened. Perfect timing—Elvin had just entered the hall. He'd caught her eye passing by.
Under stares, Elvin reluctantly approached. Visibly annoyed, but not ignoring her.
"...What do you want?"
He glanced at me, then asked. I had no clue why she'd call him. She said offense training—why Elvin?
"Nothing big. Just need help. Teaching him striking."
"Striking?"
Elvin looked baffled, eyeing me with indescribable feelings.
"You know it takes two experts, right? You're noble—surely know basics."
"...I do, but why not ask Luna?"
"She doesn't. Never learned grappling, let alone striking."
Elvin's eyes widened at Luna. She turned away, feigning ignorance. He muttered, surprised.
"Unexpected. Top admit, yet no basic striking..."
"She makes up for it. So, help?"
"...Fine. I'm his guardian anyway."
Elvin grudgingly agreed. Skipping lunch was easy; this wasn't. Great assistant secured, Kara handed him mitts from somewhere. He snorted at the absurdity while slipping them on. Things had slithered forward like eels over a fence.
"Basics first: punching. Grip like this."
Kara showed her clenched fist—steel-hard just from the grip. I stared at her trained hand, then slowly clenched mine. My big hands made it look massive.
"Whoa. One solid hit from that, you're done. Face aside, that's scary."
"Lucky I didn't eat it."
Even Kara was impressed. Elvin, who'd sparred me, sighed in relief.
'Come to think, I've hardly clenched fists.' In the forest, I used stone axes or spears. Bare-handed, magic over punches. Might show Kara in our next spar.
"Watch. Punching needs hip and shoulder rotation. Like this."
Thwack!
Kara twisted fully, unleashing a power punch. Elvin's arm, holding mitts by his face, snapped back. He pulled to absorb, but his grimace said it failed.
"Power punches like that, or light jabs for control. Watch."
"Go easier, please."
"Got it."
Accommodating, Kara hit slower. Light taps, then a hip-twist power shot. Expert—looked effortless.
"Punches about sum it up? Styles vary, but hips and shoulders universal."
"What style do Tatars teach?"
"Not much different from your empire. Practical, battle-focused striking."
Not wrong, just off-track. Tatar's harsh—martial arts specialized for real fights. Every warrior a combat specialist, knowing when to use what.
'No wonder high-level zone.' Levels aside, patterns brutal. Monsters, humans—nightmare. Especially Kara's dad, Tatar's king... best not. Run's wiser.
"Your turn. Like I did."
"Wait, I hold the mitts?"
"Adjusting's annoying. Just do it. You're his guardian."
"Ugh..."
Grumbling, Elvin complied. Face screaming "This can't be right"—still not reformed. Game needed events for that; suffering now's good.
'Twist hips and shoulders...'
Before hitting, I mimicked Kara. Instinct fighting felt awkward thinking it out. Seemed easy watching her; doing it? Tough.
'Swing straight.'
Beginner—no basics. Mistakes fine. I eyed the angled mitt by Elvin's head, pulled back, rotated hips/shoulders smoothly, smashed fist forward.
"Whoa, wait—easy, I said—"
Kara's late warning. I'd held back, so no issue.
BOOM!
Mitt exploded on impact.
Crack!
Elvin's arm flung back with a sick sound. So fast, even he didn't register.
Dangle—dangle—
"...Huh?"
Blinking, Elvin stared at his right arm swinging like a pendulum. One punch—dislocated. Even restrained.
"... ..."
Too sudden for pain? Or too clean? His handsome face went dumb as he blinked. Exposed his weakness: poor situational awareness.
"...Elvin?"
"...Yeah?"
"...Your arm's dislocated...?"
Luna, pausing at the boom, pointed quietly. Elvin blankly eyed his dangling limb.
"...Yeah?"
"... ..."
"Why'd it pop?"
Still clueless.
Elvin, shoulder dislocated by Sivar's punch, was rushed to the hospital. So stunned, he looked dazed en route. Clean(?) pop made resetting easy, but depending on damage, he might miss the upcoming spar. That'd hurt.
"Haa."
Luna sighed deeply. Sivar caused two incidents today. Both from poor communication. Realizing 'can communicate' ≠ 'understands' hit hard.
'At least he knows he messed up.'
She eyed Sivar standing blankly. Expressionless, but red eyes darted guiltily. He got it.
Huge progress.
"Don't look so guilty. This is just a 'accident.' Got it?"
Kara patted his shoulder reassuringly. Luna frowned prettily. Don't let him absorb bad norms. Prevent wild power use. 'Accident' excuse could justify swings.
"Kara. Apologize first. Hurt someone before calling it an accident."
"Oh, right. Hear that?"
"... ..."
Sivar just stared blankly, no reply. Seemed clueless. Kara's face twisted oddly.
"You know what an apology is, right?"
Sivar shook his head. Good—he did.
"Apologize later then. You know what you did?"
He nodded. Luna smiled satisfied. Ellie must've taught well. Long road, but big win...
"Good. Looks like poor power control. I'll help from now on."
"...?"
Something off. Luna blinked at Kara. That sounded like sticking around long-term.
"Hey. Top stud—er, Luna."
As Luna puzzled, Kara turned from Sivar, grinning toothily with a request.
"Can I be his guardian too?"
"... ..."
"Help with training, convenient. We'll hang a lot anyway."
Luna's mind raced. Barbarian + feral? Perfect match. But Kara's style: violence first on insult. If Sivar copied...
'No way!'
Disaster. Especially after that punch. Insult → violence = murder for him. Violence can't be casual. This was 'civilization,' not wild law-of-jungle.
"No."
"Why?"
"You use violence too easily. Imagine Sivar copying."
"... ..."
Kara scratched her cheek at Luna's logic. But defended anyway.
"I don't like using force. They insulted me first."
"Punching first after insult is wrong."
"Nitpicky. But wait..."
Pretending to concede, she grinned wickedly. Ominous. Then pierced core.
"Why ask you?"
"Huh?"
"President's permission is all."
"... ..."
Luna gaped. Pierced through. Guardians appointed by President Lord. His okay = Kara in. Training excuse? He'd approve.
"Take me to him weekend. Got it? I'll train him hard till then."
"... ..."
Kara patted frozen Luna's shoulder, returned to Sivar. Brief chaos, but training resumed. Luna watched blankly. Head already messy; more mess incoming.
'...Fucking dogshit.'
She, far from cursing usually.
'Nothing goes right.'
This time, even inwardly, she had to swear.