Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Weaknesses Can Be Found in Unexpected Places. (3)
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Weaknesses can sometimes be found in the most unexpected places.
After the commission with the Black Axe Party, I decided this wouldn't do and started training.
After finishing my work, I figured going to the backyard—used for practical exams and training—would be perfect for exercise. No need to go out, and it wouldn't cost any money.
"Alright... let's get started."
The training method was straight from the book: start with cardio to warm up, then strength training and weapon techniques.
Finish with more cardio and stretching... or so I planned.
"Huff... huff..."
I realized a fatal truth.
I had a body that got exhausted just running laps around the training ground for 30 minutes to warm up...!
And there was one more problem.
This was a place open to all adventurers, so those testing new weapons or warming up before subjugations would end up watching my workout.
"Hey, what's that guy doing?"
"Isn't that the new instructor? Why's he exercising over there?"
"Who knows? He runs a little and he's already tired? Heh heh heh."
"This is why bookworms aren't cut out for it. Real-world experience from battles matters, not knowledge from books."
Adventurers passed by, snickering.
But it didn't embarrass or annoy me much.
I'd heard plenty of that while sitting in the academy library.
It was just their muttering next to me that grated on my ears.
"Phew..."
Still, resting a bit helped.
Next up: strength training.
Building muscle would increase both strength and stamina.
Of course, the heaviest thing I'd ever lifted so far was a thick legal tome, so the best I could manage was picking up and putting down 3kg dumbbells.
"Hngh...!"
Even that was tough enough to make weird screams slip from my mouth...
After some arm exercises, I did squats for the legs... Normally, you're supposed to split by body part, but for a scrawny guy like me with no muscle, building overall strength was key, so I trained my whole body.
"What's that guy doing?"
"Strength training? Still guys doing that stuff. Just train hard, risk your life in fights, and the muscle comes naturally."
I could hear mocking voices around me, but I didn't have the spare attention to listen properly.
It felt like only 30-40 minutes, but my whole body was screaming, and my heart felt like it would burst.
"Huff... huff..."
Damn... this is really tough?
Soldiers and adventurers sure are impressive... Without amazing aptitudes, they'd honed their strength purely through effort like this.
Of course, aptitude doesn't determine everything, but without it, you need far greater, more intense effort.
And most people can't endure that.
...Borrowing Marquis Sain's words,
'People who don't put in effort are loathsome, and most commoners don't.'
Of course, I'm not saying I hate commoners.
That's just what Marquis Sain said.
How many people in this world could put in effort that tears flesh, breaks bones, and risks their lives?
Especially when geniuses who surpass you with minimal effort are everywhere.
Take me—I was sprawled out because my muscles hurt a bit.
If you ask if my stamina or strength improved... who knows?
Scarlett, loaded with physical talent, probably would've seen noticeable gains from this much exercise.
"Tch."
Comparing myself wouldn't help.
Time to get up and train some weapon techniques.
I somehow forced my screaming muscles to move, stood, and headed to the training dummy.
Then I drew the dagger I'd bought for self-defense last time.
Of course, I knew dagger techniques looked easy but were actually quite difficult.
But for someone like me with no stamina or strength, nothing beat it for self-defense.
Let's see... basics of dagger fighting.
Number one: close-range attack stance.
"Extend the hand holding the dagger slightly forward, and tuck the other hand in to guard the body and neck."
It should be just like the illustration in the book... something like this?
Maybe because the weapon's reach is short, it felt similar to a fighter's combat style.
From this position, for an attack, pull the dagger arm back slightly... then thrust using the power from your lower body and waist...!
Puk!
My movement was a bit off due to muscle soreness, but I easily stabbed the dummy in front of me.
"Oh ho..."
The feel was pretty good?
Though it was just a dummy, so it felt kinda rough.
Let's see, next: how to defend against an opponent's attack...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "......"
Veronica, who had spent the whole day searching for the Troll Lord's hideout in the Ode Swamp again, returned to Hasler empty-handed once more, with only dozens of troll eyes to show for it.
"Here, settle this for me."
She tossed the leather pouch full of troll eyes onto the counter and sighed wearily.
Honestly, trolls were weak monsters that died from a single dagger slash.
But even so, she'd encountered over a hundred today while wandering the Ode Swamp.
For a stealthy assassin like her, that was an absurd number.
Trekking through the damp swamp was annoying enough, but with trolls constantly attacking, her irritation was beyond words.
She'd been so fed up that she hadn't even taken half the eyes, leaving the rest, and hadn't bothered extracting any refined troll blood at all.
'I need a break today.'
As she waited for the troll eyes to be appraised,
"Man, this is seriously awesome. Keep it to yourself, okay?"
"Oh ho..."
She overheard a secretive conversation from somewhere.
No one else noticed, but to Veronica—the master of senses who could hear insect wings buzzing from 100 meters away—it sounded as clear as if they were right in front of her.
"Oh ho... an instant bomb. Why didn't I think of this before?"
"Right? Instructor Kane is something else."
'Instant bomb...? Instructor Kane?'
A covert chat mentioning bombs piqued her interest immediately.
You never know.
They could be aspiring terrorists prepping for something.
"Hey."
"Eek?!"
Veronica instantly moved to their corner.
The two adventurers jumped back in surprise upon seeing her.
"V-Veronica ma'am!"
One of them was a fervent fan who'd once said he admired her as his role model.
'C-rank assassin... name was Neko, right?'
Not important anyway, so she brushed it off.
Veronica got straight to the point.
"A bomb? What's that?"
She glanced at the item in their hands.
An oil bottle, a small ignition stone, and a grass-scent spray bundled together... some weird contraption.
'Hmm...?'
She instantly grasped its purpose and effect.
'I see, so that's the instant bomb.'
A combination of a flame bottle no one used and a grass-scent spray.
A typical adventurer wouldn't think of it.
Neither was particularly useful, and few actually used them.
'This Kane guy invented it?'
She'd heard from the guild chief.
A new instructor was coming, and he was an odd one.
'He's making and spreading dangerous stuff.'
But this crossed the line.
A homemade bomb for less than 200 brett.
Handy for adventurers on commissions or subjugations, sure, but mishandled, it could spark civilian coups or terrorist bombings.
A tool for serious crimes.
And it required no strength or skill—just money for the items and a hand to throw it.
'This needs to be stopped.'
With adventurers' public image already in the gutter,
For Veronica, who took pride in being one and loved their freedom,
She thought intervention was needed to keep adventurers from getting tangled in crimes like terrorism.
"Where's Instructor Kane right now?"
"Uh, at the training ground."
"Training ground?"
Why would an instructor be at the training ground?
Guiding training maybe?
She hurried inside anyway.
There,
"...Oh ho."
"That stance is definitely..."
Adventurers gathered like they were watching a spectacle,
And at the center, a man swinging a dagger in deep focus, ignoring the stares.
'...Ho, nice form?'
A bit of muscle wobble, but the stance was textbook perfect.
She'd recommend beginners reference him.
He had real talent.
But... enough to draw this crowd?
Good form, but just that.
"That's him, right? Instructor Kane."
"Yeah. He's been out here training like that for three days straight."
'...What? That guy's Instructor Kane?'
Realizing the textbook dagger master was Instructor Kane, Veronica suddenly understood.
Instructors were usually seen as bookworms,
Far from real combat, scrawny types.
With that image, him training publicly for three days straight,
Showing perfect dagger form no less?
Definitely spectacle-worthy.
'If he trains properly, he could be pretty skilled... wait, no, that's not it.'
Veronica shook her head, recalling why she was looking for Instructor Kane.
"Hey, can we talk a sec?"
"...?"
Kane, deep in concentration, turned at the voice.
Kane and Veronica faced each other.
Kane, the man, was taller, looking down, but Veronica's presence overwhelmingly dominated.
"Hey, isn't that Veronica?"
"S-rank... Black Death Veronica?"
"She's been active in Hasler lately."
"But why's Veronica talking to Instructor Kane..."
Murmurs rose around them.
Veronica ignored them and asked Kane,
"Instant bomb. You taught it?"
"Pardon...?"
At the mention of the instant bomb, Kane looked puzzled why she was asking.
He scratched his head briefly,
"Ah, yes... I told the people from Roa Village about it. Seems adventurers picked it up somehow and are using it discreetly now."
He spoke as if he'd fully grasped the situation and it was no big deal.
Veronica's face twisted, and a massive aura poured from her.
"You call that no big deal? Do you even know how dangerous this is?"
A situation that could lead to terrorism, dragging adventurers into it.
She figured Kane was oblivious, just bragging about his invention like an idiot.
Kugugugu—
Fury-laced mana erupted from her body, shaking the entire training ground.
Kane, right in front of her, lost strength and collapsed to the ground.
"...I-I get what you're worried about! So I've taken measures within my power!"
"You took measures without thinking... Huh? You took measures?"
She'd assumed he'd blurted it out thoughtlessly.
His unexpected response left her flustered.
"...Yes, within my ability..."
"......"
Suddenly, the atmosphere froze awkwardly.