Chapter 38
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Hell Training
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“What you’ll be learning is body technique personally devised by Sir Alon himself, just as the name implies.”
Kaul began his quiet explanation.
“Naturally, you’re wondering how I know it. To start, I have zero blood ties to Sir Alon.”
Specialized techniques like body arts were typically passed down through bloodlines or families.
It was rare for them to be taught to outsiders.
Having said that much, Kaul spread his hands wide.
“But Sir Alon did pass his body technique on to all five of his disciples at the time.”
“To all five of them?”
Daniel blurted out in surprise. It was that unusual.
Kaul nodded.
“That’s right. And what I learned came from Ironwall Wulfren.”
Everyone’s faces registered shock once more at the name Wulfren.
He wasn’t as legendary as Sir Alon, but he was still hugely famous.
‘A fierce general who made his name during the Great War.’
Abel was plenty familiar with him too.
As commander of the northern forces, Wulfren had fought like a demon despite his advanced age.
There was even talk that without him, the Empire’s territory would have shrunk to a third of its current size.
Seeing their reactions, Kaul smirked and continued.
“Judging by your faces, you’re dying to know what connection I have to him.”
No one denied it.
Kaul explained in more detail.
“During the Great War, I served in the Imperial Army under him.”
He said he’d received direct instruction from Wulfren back then.
The body technique was one of those lessons.
“So to be precise, this should be called the Alon-Wulfren Body Technique. Wulfren refined it once more.”
Kaul pointed out a few key differences.
“He made the movements more linear, redesigning it for fighting multiple foes. Of course, that doesn’t make it any easier to learn.”
After warning them they’d suffer plenty trying to master it, Kaul turned to Daniel.
“As we discussed earlier, Daniel, you’ll focus on the defensive aspects.”
His gaze shifted to May next.
“And May, you’ll learn the movement and attack portions.”
Finally, Kaul looked at Abel.
“As for you, Abel—you’ll learn the whole thing. How much you take away depends on your effort and will. Got it?”
“Yes!”
Abel answered vigorously.
Daniel and May did the same.
Confirming their responses, Kaul spoke up.
“That’s enough talk. Time to get started.”
He plastered a ferocious grin on his face.
“Hell training.”
* * *
When physical conditioning ended, exhausted students lay scattered across the training grounds.
Normally, they’d have collapsed on the ground, then staggered back to the dorms like undead.
But things were different today.
Most were watching one spot with sympathetic eyes.
“Huff, huff.”
“Urk.”
Their gazes fixed on three students.
Daniel, May, and Abel.
“Ugh...”
It must have been brutal—even Daniel, the stamina monster, was pale and groaning alongside Abel and May.
That was how grueling the training had been.
Then Kaul’s sharp voice pierced the students’ ears.
“Daniel! Your form’s slipping! Focus!”
“Y-Yes!”
Daniel, whose shoulders had drooped slightly, snapped to attention and corrected his posture.
Abel caught the sight out of the corner of his eye and thought to himself.
‘We’re gonna die. For real.’
Kaul’s “hell training” wasn’t the least bit exaggerated.
The moment they started, he turned into a demon and drove them mercilessly.
Compared to this, his regular classes were pure mercy.
“Abel! You too!”
“Yes!”
Abel, lost in thought for a second, jolted at Kaul’s bark and fixed his stance.
He was currently holding the so-called horse stance.
It was tough enough on its own, but something else tormented him even more.
“Forget mana operation, and it’s all meaningless!”
Kaul emphasized it yet again.
Mana operation.
That was why even the stamina freak Daniel was struggling—they had to maintain the horse stance while operating mana simultaneously.
Mana operation was already a huge drain on mental and physical energy.
Doing it alongside the horse stance was impossible to sustain.
And Kaul called them out every time their mana flow faltered, as if he could see it with his own eyes. No slacking allowed.
“Hoo, ha.”
Abel breathed raggedly.
Of course, this training wasn’t forced on them. If anything, it was precious time they’d earned as a reward.
It was just that hard—enough to make weak thoughts creep in despite knowing that.
Still, Abel gritted his teeth and thought.
‘I can endure this.’
Dwelling on how tough it was would only make it tougher.
Like when raising his sync rate, Abel consciously emptied his mind and focused solely on the horse stance and mana operation.
How much time passed like that?
“Stop!”
Kaul’s voice yanked Abel back to reality.
“Ugh.”
His focus shattered, and his legs went limp.
Abel nearly collapsed but managed to hold steady and stand straight.
Daniel and May looked much the same.
Kaul eyed them, then spoke sternly.
“You’ll do this for two hours every training session until it’s second nature. Understood?”
“Yes!”
Only after their resounding reply did Kaul flash a satisfied smile.
“Not bad for your first day. As a little reward, I’ll show you something good.”
With that, Kaul slowly assumed a stance.
“Burn this into your eyes.”
His expression grave, Kaul exuded a totally different aura now.
The air around him grew heavy, pressing down.
He held the pose briefly, then extended his fist forward—slowly, very slowly.
In that instant.
Abel’s eyes widened involuntarily.
It felt like a massive tidal wave crashing toward him.
Thud.
Daniel staggered back a step—he’d probably felt something similar and retreated without thinking.
All from Kaul slowly thrusting his fist forward.
The sensation didn’t fully fade until Kaul withdrew it.
“It looks like just punching, but this is the core of the body technique you’ll learn.”
Kaul continued in a weighty tone.
“Body technique might seem less important than weapon arts. Even in a Gigant, you fight with weapons, after all. But.”
That’s only knowing one side and not the other, Kaul said, then elaborated.
“True body technique is the foundation of everything. Swinging a sword. Thrusting a spear. Blocking with a shield. It applies everywhere. Got it?”
“Yes!”
“Alright, that’s it for today. Rest up. Resting is part of training too.”
“Got it!”
“Yeah!”
“Yes.”
With that, Kaul’s words marked the end of training.
Abel waited for him to leave, then said to Daniel.
“Let’s wash up and grab some food.”
“Yeah... May, let’s go!”
Daniel half-carried the dazed May.
The three headed back to the dorms in uncharacteristic silence.
* * *
The body technique training continued daily without fail.
They even had sessions on Saturdays, when there were no lectures—Kaul insisted two days off would dull their edge.
“At least we get one day to recover. Small mercies.”
Abel muttered wearily.
Any training gets easier with time and familiarity.
But Kaul’s body technique sessions were the exception.
Every time they started adapting, he ramped up the difficulty.
So each one felt as brutal as the first.
“That just means the instructor’s dead serious about teaching us.”
Daniel chimed in, responding to Abel’s grumble.
He looked happier than usual, and the reason was obvious.
“You say that, but you seem thrilled.”
“Me? Why?”
“Why? Next week’s a break from training.”
Daniel just smiled at Abel’s words.
Sure enough, there’d be no training for the next week.
It wasn’t mercy from Kaul or some sudden errand.
As Daniel put it.
“It’s not really a break. We’ve got field training.”
“Yeah, true.”
Starting next week, it was outdoor practicals.
They’d be outside the academy, so training was impossible anyway.
“Still, heading out has me kinda excited. Nervous too.”
“Won’t be easy, probably. Everyone comes back from field training beat to hell.”
Abel said dryly.
Many first-years were buzzing like Daniel at the idea of field training.
They knew it’d be rough—they just couldn’t help looking forward to piloting Gigants on real missions outside.
‘But...’
Abel’s face hardened as something occurred to him.
Then.
Someone burst into the cafeteria, shouting loudly.
“The field training site’s out!”
Every eye locked onto the boy delivering the news.
His face flushed, he yelled.
“It’s Telif Plains!”
Telif Plains.
The moment the words left his mouth, reactions split perfectly in two.
Students with excited faces. And those whose expressions turned grim.
The former was fine, but the latter had a simple reason.
They all knew the infamous reputation of Telif Plains.
Site of the Great War’s biggest battle, and after the war, where a Gigadeus had taken root.
It had once held small towns and people, but now it was nearly devoid of human traces.
Way too extreme for a training site.
But Abel wasn’t all that surprised by the location itself.
‘The actual training’s on the outskirts of the plains anyway.’
The academy hadn’t picked it lightly.
They’d thoroughly “cleaned” a safe zone for exclusive training use.
What worried Abel wasn’t the place.
‘External enemies.’
This field training would bring dangers even greater than the Wall of Glory.