10
Chapter 10
Days spent training their basic physical strength.
Running. Running, and more running.
It was around the time Benny and Edelyn's footprints had worn into the empty lot.
After some thought, Enoch called Benny over.
Benny stood before the teacher, clutching a training wooden sword, his eyes full of anticipation.
'Finally, am I going to learn something new from the teacher?'
"Since I'm not a Martial Arts Type Awakened, I can't teach you any special techniques."
"But you already taught us the Engine for gathering mana?"
"I simply passed along what a friend of mine created."
Benny couldn't hide his disappointment at Enoch's blunt words.
'I thought the teacher would teach me a special skill or a finishing move.'
Does that mean I have to keep doing basic training?
"Instead, I'll show you how that friend used to train."
Benny was delighted by Enoch's words, but anxiety soon crept in.
'If he's the teacher's friend, he must be incredible. If he could create something like the Engine, I might not be able to keep up.'
"Was he... extremely strong?"
"He was very strong."
"Will I be able to follow that kind of training...?"
Though he didn't know what the training entailed, a vague sense of pressure weighed on Benny.
'What if the teacher sees that I'm not meeting his expectations and leaves F Class before the Academic Festival?'
"My friend told me that the most important thing in training is the basics. He didn't do anything complicated."
Benny's expression brightened.
"Ohhh! Then I should be able to do it!"
"But it's still hard to actually follow."
"What?"
'It's not a complicated drill, but it's hard to follow? What does that even mean?'
Seeing Benny's confusion, Enoch gave a smirk.
"Just try it. You'll see."
#
The first training session with the teacher.
"You just want me to swing it from top to bottom?"
"Exactly. Raise the sword above your head and strike downward vertically."
'Isn't this... too easy? All I have to do is bring the sword down...'
Though he didn't understand the teacher's intention, he followed the instructions. Taking a deep breath, he tensed his shoulders and raised the sword high.
"Hah!"
With a shout, he swung the sword down.
The tip of the sword wobbled in the air, and his waist failed to absorb the recoil. His feet left the ground, and he tumbled forward.
Stagger—!
"Whoa! Whoops...!"
Thud—!
"Ouch!"
He felt embarrassed to have face-planted with such a pathetic sound. He immediately looked up to see if the teacher was disappointed.
Unbothered, the teacher reached out a hand to help him up.
"You're falling because you're only swinging with your arms. Use your whole body. Your whole body."
I took the teacher's hand and pulled myself up.
"My whole body?"
"Spread your legs shoulder-width apart and bend your knees. Dig your toes in and put your entire weight into the strike."
I bent my knees so much they began to shake. It felt as if my thighs were about to explode.
"It'll be tough since you're using muscles you don't normally use, but you're not doing bad."
As I dug my toes in, the sword strangely felt lighter.
"Relax your arms and focus. Now!"
The power rising from my feet traveled through my waist and reached the sword. The blade above my head carved an arc perfectly perpendicular to the sky.
Whack—!!
'I didn't fall over this time!'
My legs didn't leave the ground; they stayed firmly planted.
It was only a single Downward Strike, but a bead of sweat dripped from my chin.
"What... what was that, Teacher!"
It was the first time I'd felt a proper blow. A sensation as if everything from my fingertips to my soles was connected. A strange sense of omnipotence surged through Benny's body.
"That is a Downward Strike. Only when the power rising from your feet reaches the tip of the blade is it a true Downward Strike."
'With this, I could actually become a swordsman!'
As Benny imagined his future, Enoch spoke.
"Do it again."
Setting his imagination aside, he got back into position.
'Just like before... Power from the feet! Let it travel up the waist to the tip of the sword!!!'
Whoosh—
'Wait, this doesn't feel right.'
Benny felt the discrepancy, and there was no way Enoch didn't notice.
"Why bother drawing power from your feet if you're just going to rely on your arms? Tighten your armpits!!! Straighten your back!"
He corrected his posture according to the teacher's instructions.
It felt like his entire body was becoming rigid.
He held his breath.
"Strike now! Don't grip the sword, let it go!"
He pressed the sword down instinctively.
Whack—!!
The sword made a sound as if it were shattering the wind.
Benny stood dazed for a moment before looking up.
"That's the sound you should hear when you strike with your whole body."
Drunk on a sense of accomplishment, Benny savored the lingering feeling for a long time.
"Now, keep repeating the Downward Strike until sunset. Call Sancta if you hit your limit."
He had been feeling quite good until the teacher said that.
#
There were no special techniques.
Just a simple Downward Strike.
But that didn't mean it was easy. If he swung carelessly, the sound changed completely.
Clearing his mind, he raised the sword above his head. Then, he brought it down to his feet.
The wooden sword descended vertically.
Whack—!!
As he continued to swing, the posture became more natural and he felt a change. At some point, the wooden sword felt like an extension of his hand.
A feeling of the sword descending on its own. The sensation of the arm relaxing as only the wooden sword fell.
Whack—!!
Clatter.
I lost my grip on the wooden sword.
Perhaps because I hadn't rested, my arms were screaming. My grip had failed so completely that I couldn't even make a fist.
I looked down at my palms. Blisters had burst.
"Sancta!!!!!!!!!!!"
I shouted her name loudly, as if trying to shake off my exhausted body.
She approached like the night sky and healed me with her mana.
— Whoosh.
"Why do you go this far?"
She, who had only ever given answers until now, asked a question for the first time.
I was so happy that I wanted to share my true feelings.
'But how should I answer?'
I couldn't even remember why I was practicing the Downward Strike anymore.
'I think I had a goal before I started training... Was it the Academic Festival? Or was it because I didn't want to be a mere extra?'
Having repeated the strike over and over, the original goal had slipped my mind.
However, there was one thing I could say for certain.
"It's just fun!"
Sancta looked at Benny for a moment. After a while, she nodded silently.
#
Whack—!!!!
Whack—!!!!
The sound of the wooden sword cutting through the air grew sharper.
He had been swinging the sword all day. As if no other movement was necessary.
Without pause, he struck down again and again.
Whack—!!
Whack—!!
Clatter.
He continued to swing until he could no longer hold the sword.
"Sancta!!!!!!!!!!!"
He roared my name. The orange-haired boy was gasping for breath. I approached in response.
'I just healed him, and yet again...'
No matter how many times I healed him, he quickly became a mess.
Not long ago, his hands had been clean, but now they were covered in blisters.
I had heard that mana healing enhances regeneration. This meant he must endure immense pain every time he was healed.
— Whoosh.
The boy simply stood up again in silence, as if it were nothing.
He was on a completely different level than when he was just running.
Although he swung a wooden sword, it felt as if he were looking beyond it.
"Why do you go this far?"
He pondered my question for quite a while.
Finally, the answer came.
"It's just fun!"
He meant it.
I chewed over that answer for a long time. Having nothing particular to say, I nodded once and returned to my spot.
#
Whack—!!!!
Whack—!!!!
In Benny's novice form, Enoch saw a faint glimpse of his old friend.
"Impressive."
Honestly, he had expected Benny to give up. Most people couldn't withstand his friend's training.
It was monotonous, endless, and provided no way to tell if one was even improving.
But Benny was different.
Perhaps it was because he had never been taught before; the tip of his sword swung straightforwardly, free of distractions.
In a way, it was because he was a blank slate that he could fully absorb the training.
Enoch had seen many geniuses before his regression, but this was only the second person he'd met who tried to get stronger with such honest, brute-force persistence.
"As I thought... using mana capacity alone as a benchmark is just wrong."
Enoch stepped closer to Benny.
Whack—!!!!!
Benny's shoulders heaved violently from the previous strike, yet his posture remained steady.
"Good. Now you're ready to use mana."
Enoch pointed to his own heart.
"The Engine you learned will activate your heart once you start cycling your mana."
"Huff... huff... What do you mean by that?"
"The more mana you use, the faster your heart beats, accelerating the blood throughout your body."
"What's the benefit of the blood flowing faster?"
"It allows you to reach a level unattainable by the human body. Further than those who simply reinforce themselves with mana!"
Benny closed his eyes and focused on his mana.
He felt his heartbeat.
Thump. Thump.
It wasn't much different from usual.
As he tapped into his mana, his heart was engulfed in a searing heat, and warmth began to spread across his body.
From head to toe.
It felt as if every single vein had caught fire. Soon, a haze began to shimmer around his body.
"Try a Downward Strike! It'll be completely different!"
Benny's eyes snapped open. His feet dug deep into the ground.
It was a sensation unlike anything he'd felt before.
It felt as if the ground, not his body, had become weightless!
— Whoosh!
The wooden sword left a brown afterimage along its trajectory.
Boom—!
A shockwave sent clouds of dust billowing into the air.
Benny's footprints were etched clearly into the earth, and a crater had formed before him. The surrounding grass was flattened by the wind pressure.
Speechless, Benny stared down at the hole he had created.
"That is the Engine you've learned."
Benny slowly raised his head. He looked at the teacher, then back at the crater.
He looked down at his own hands.
And then, he smiled with satisfaction.
Then, he promptly collapsed.
Enoch laughed loudly and called for Sancta. Sancta was already on her way.