Chapter 103: Training in the Spear Secret Manual with Irene (2)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 103: Training in the Spear Secret Manual with Irene (2)

"Kuaaargh!! What the hell is this!"

I wouldn't be caught off guard this time.

The moment I opened my eyes, I grabbed my spear and focused on the fight.

'Right, for a moment there, I forgot Irene was a crazy psycho bitch.'

The innocent Irene was gone.

The woman before me was a psychopathic old hag whose mind had snapped after living for over a thousand years. I didn't know if that was actually true, but I'd assume so for now.

This time, I was getting serious too.

"Hoh, now that's a look I like to see. In that case, let's have a proper fight!"

I had no idea why she killed me first without explaining anything, but it wasn't a bad thing to face a stronger opponent with a spear in hand.

My competitive spirit surged.

'I will defeat you!'

Stab!!

That was my third death.

*

"You son of a bitch!"

I stacked Haste and Strength five times and raised my spear.

"Hoh...? Are you trying to win by shamelessly using a stat difference?"

"You're the shameless one, saying that when your stats are higher than mine..."

"They're the same."

"...What?"

"Right now, your stats and mine are exactly the same. Of course, there's a difference in skill and talent, so that can't be helped."

"Wh-What did you say? Don't lie to me!"

This time, I attacked first.

My agility stat had nearly doubled.

In the slowed perception of time, I could see her every single movement.

'This time, I'll...'

Stab!!

"...?"

And that was my fourth death.

*

"Seriously, stop lying!!"

I cast my buffs again and rushed toward her.

"You're like an angry cow."

And that was my fifth death.

*

"Hoo... Okay, let's calm down."

I wouldn't attack so recklessly this time.

My opponent was a treacherous bitch who used strange tricks, even if her stats were lowered.

Assuming she was an enemy who was two or three steps ahead of me, I kept a moderate distance and stayed on the defensive.

'Keep an eye on her spear... Here she comes!'

Stab!!

That was the sixth.

*

"Shit..."

I saw it clearly.

I saw her lift her spear and charge forward.

So I tilted my head to dodge and tried to counterattack, but the next thing I knew, I was alive again.

'So this is what it feels like to get hit by some dirty trick.'

It felt like I'd been taken down by some cheap magic.

"Are our stats really the same?"

"Yes. Have you finally come to your senses?"

"Haa... You goddamn bitch!!!"

While she was off guard with her spear lowered, I executed the fastest thrust I could muster.

Stab!!

The seventh.

*

"Heok! What was that?"

"A good attempt, but your attack was too easy to read. To thrust quickly, you must apply force. And to apply great force, you need a preparatory motion to gather power from your entire body."

"......"

She was right.

But I had optimized my movements quite a bit. That preparatory motion definitely didn't even take 0.1 seconds...

"And your intent is far too obvious, isn't it? You may not know it yet, but once you reach my level, you can read your opponent's intentions to a certain degree."

'No, I can do that to some extent, too...'

"Don't feel wronged. It's only natural for a mere mortal to be unable to read the intentions of their superior."

"You fucking bitch!!"

Suddenly, seeing her lecture me with that arrogant face filled me with a stubborn resolve.

'If I keep reviving in the same spot, I have the advantage. I'll analyze her piece by piece and win!'

Some might be traumatized for life after dying just once, but not me.

Even in my past life, I'd met opponents stronger than me and my physical body had died many times. But I kept reviving like a zombie and, in the end, I defeated them all. Pain? To be honest, I died before I even had time to register it, so I was revived before I could feel any pain.

But even if I had felt it, I wouldn't have cared much.

'Something like death can't break my will. If I can't do it, I'll keep trying until I can. I'll die hundreds, thousands of times!!'

"I quite like that look in your eyes."

"I'm curious if you'll keep that arrogant face even after my spear pierces it."

I'll beat this bitch, then fuck her while spanking her ass.

And so, an unscheduled battle to the death began.

Eighth time.

I died trying to predict and dodge her spear.

Ninth time.

I saw the spear coming for a split second before I died.

Tenth time.

I didn't need strength anymore. I invested all my divine power into agility and focused on seeing the spear.

Eleventh time.

I finally didn't die in one hit. Instead, my neck was dangling, which hurt a little.

Twelfth time.

I finally succeeded in dodging the spear, but I was immediately killed by the follow-up thrusts.

Thirteenth time.

Irene wore a satisfied smile.

"That's good enough to pass. You're more impressive than I thought!"

"Shut up!"

I swung my spear.

My arm and head were skewered together, and my consciousness faded to black.

Fourteenth time.

Again, and again, I tried.

I was slowly starting to see the spear.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

But seeing and reacting were two completely different things.

The moment I thought the spear was accelerating, my neck was already pierced.

Fifteenth time.

I finally managed to parry her spear for the first time. But I was immediately killed by the follow-up thrusts.

'Someday, I swear...'

*

After I had died about twenty times,

I started to figure out what kind of thrust Irene was using.

'Straight Heart One Spear... The first form from the secret manual...'

She hadn't even used any other techniques.

Only the thrust.

With just a single thrust, she overwhelmed all my miscellaneous techniques and skills.

No matter what I tried to do, her spear reached me before mine could.

'Hoo... How did it work again...'

I tried to recall the contents of the manual I had just been reading.

'Infuse the spear with ki, become one with your body, and thrust...'

Stab!

I died again.

Twenty-first time.

"It's impossible. That's not a technique a mere mortal like you can master on your own."

Irene said, looking down on me with an arrogant expression.

"Could you stop with the 'mere mortal' thing?"

Honestly, it might have stung a little. To think that I, who had once reached the pinnacle of power on Earth, was being called a mere mortal.

"Let's take a break. It's commendable that you reached this realization on your own, but you're still far from it. This isn't something that can be obtained through combat alone."

'Dammit...'

I had no choice. As she said, I stopped the fight for a moment.

I was by no means surrendering or giving up. If you encounter a high wall on your path, you have to use a ladder to climb it, right? I, too, realized that continuing like this was just a waste of time.

"Excellent, as expected. Sometimes, one must know when to retreat to achieve their goal."

"Hoo... Fine, I've had enough epiphanies, so can you just teach me the form already?"

I'll suck your techniques dry and surpass you in no time.

"Yes, I was about to do just that. It feels good to have warmed up."

"......"

To think that what was dozens of deaths for one person was just a warm-up for another.

'Doesn't matter. Just get ready to have your pussy spanked later...'

"Well then, I'll be touching your body."

"What? Wait..."

Zzzzap...!

"Guh!?"

My body was fixed in place by something, unable to move.

"You have a good body..."

She said, groping my body...

'Don't tell me... again?'

ZZZZZZZZZZAP!!!

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!!!"

It wasn't.

This was by no means a sexual stimulus.

"Tell me anytime if you want to give up."

'Crazy... psycho bitch... You think I'd give up just because I can't stand a little pain like this!!!'

"Guaaargghhh-aaahhh-oooo-aaah!!"

Ignoring my agonized screams, she burned and created something in my body.

How much time had passed like that?

"Guh... you... crazy bitch..."

"Still, you're lucky. It should have taken about three hours, but thanks to the meridians already formed in your body, it was over in five minutes."

'It's only been five minutes...? If I had endured that torture for hours, I would have lost my mind...'

It had been a while since I'd felt the pain of having my nerves directly gouged out. Only now did I realize how considerate the Abbot and the Heavenly Demon had been.

"So what's different?"

"Hmm... Not much? Expanding your body's meridians a bit and opening up all the parts that were still blocked is all I can do for you. The rest you have to do yourself. Haven't you read the secret manual? If you become one with the spear, you can achieve thrusts faster than you can imagine. I'll give you a light, slow demonstration."

She summoned something like a scarecrow from thin air and aimed her spear at it.

"I'll show you step by step. First, gather a moderate amount of ki inside your body and send it to the spear."

"...?"

Irene kindly demonstrated, even coloring her mana blue.

The mana spread throughout her body surged, gathering in her hand and spear. As that power and mana were transferred, mana erupted from behind the spear like a rocket propellant.

It wasn't a release, nor an explosion, but a very smooth movement.

"One more time..."

"...Watch closely. I'll do it even slower, in separate motions."

The blue mana in her heart instantly spread throughout her body.

"First. This is the basic. If you can't do this, you can't learn any of the other forms. Simply spread your ki throughout your body and strengthen your muscle movements as you retrieve it. Just do it as if you were using your muscles to draw power from your entire body."

'Strengthen muscle movements while retrieving ki... That's exactly what the manual said. But how do I do it?'

"Second. Gather the retrieved ki in one place. By the time you do this, the spear should already be extending outward. Reinforce the muscles in your arm once more to further accelerate the spear."

'Right, my neck was pierced the moment I saw that move.'

"Finally, as you send the ki to the spear, burn and release it in the exact opposite direction of your thrust. If you want penetration, concentrate the ki at the tip of the spear. If you want destructive power, envelop the entire spear with ki and thrust. There's no need to foolishly expand your ki like an Aura Blade; just use it where it's needed, in the right place at the right time."

'It's not that I don't understand the method itself...'

But understanding and making my body move were two different things.

Just as a human understanding the structure of a bird's flight doesn't mean they can grow wings, my divine power didn't move so freely.

"Excuse me. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠How do you strengthen muscle movements with divine power?"

"Just think that you're doing it. Your ki is a power that creates miracles. Depending on how you use it, it can either strengthen you or make your body explode."

Right... Mana, ki, divine power—all these disparate energies were powers that created miracles.

First, as she said, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tried sending divine power throughout my entire body.

Then, I tried to think about strengthening my body.

'Get stronger!!'

As expected, nothing happened.

"......"

"Normally, it takes mere mortals decades to learn this. Still, you should be grateful you've been given the qualification to learn it. Ordinary people from Earth like you can't learn it in the first place, and even if they tried, half would give up at the start out of fear of death, and most of the rest would go mad from the pain of their meridians expanding and become imbeciles or give up."

Indeed, the pain I had endured for five minutes was too severe for an ordinary person to withstand.

I once again spread divine power throughout my body.

The energy spread smoothly, but I couldn't do anything from here.

'How on earth? Is this something that can be achieved through imagination and will alone?'

As I was struggling, she said,

"Don't you have any skills you normally use? Try moving it like you're using one of them."

"Ah... there's a way?"

I moved the energy as if I were using one of my skills. The divine power in my body moved instinctively, and I could feel my arm muscles strengthening.

'Oh... so this was the principle.'

It felt like I was finally understanding the basic principles of the skills I had been using all this time.

All this time, I had been using them without knowing the principles, just moving my divine power instinctively. The reason the skills worked properly was probably because I had used them before, so my will was imbued in them as naturally as breathing, subconsciously.

"Now then, try doing that to other parts of your body with that same thought."

'Right, if I do this, I can do it elsewhere too.'

With the same mindset, I sent divine power to my thigh.

"......"

But it wasn't easy when I actually tried it.

I felt a tingling sensation as if something was happening, but I didn't feel my body getting stronger or any other sign of it.

'Why...?'

It was frustrating.

Feeling like something was blocked, I sent a large amount of divine power.

Wooooong...!!!

'Uh, wait...'

At that moment, my thigh swelled up and...

"Eh...?"

BOOOOOM!!!

My thigh exploded, sending blood and chunks of flesh flying everywhere.

"Oh dear..."

Irene formed a barrier to block my blood and approached me.

Stab!

That was my 22nd death.

*

"Heok! No, what was that."

Irene, who had killed me cleanly, approached.

"This happens because your divine power is excessively ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠high compared to your other stats. You're lucky it happened here. If this were outside, you would have been permanently crippled from the waist down."

"......"

A cold sweat ran down my back.

"Your control is not as good as you think it is. Start with a very small amount of energy and slowly build up your control."

"Yes..."

I found myself speaking formally without realizing it.

"I can't look after you here forever, so I'll give you some homework. Control improves the more you use it. From now on, you are forbidden from using any skills given by the system, except for those with magical principles."

"What? All of them...?"

"If you must use them, use only SSS-rank skills or higher. You know, don't you? That those pathetic skills you have don't even come close to the tip of the first form, the most basic of basics."

She was right.

I had tried using my own spear skills, but they were all neutralized by a single thrust from her. Power, speed, everything was a superior version.

In particular, a skill like <Supersonic Spear> felt like a completely inferior version.

"From now on, focus only on controlling your energy. First, become so accustomed to it that you can instantly strengthen any part of your body just by willing it. When you're done with that, come back. Partial concentration, external release, and energy combustion can only be discussed after this prerequisite is met."

"Hoo... I understand."

'Why does my little Irene seem so big...'

"Don't rest from your training, even in your daily life. It must become as natural as breathing. Train and familiarize yourself with it while eating, moving, and before sleeping—in every aspect of your daily life. If you have no talent, it will take decades. If you have talent, it will be possible within a few weeks."

"I understand..."

"Good. Never be arrogant, and if there is something to learn from others, learn it. I have seen countless individuals with talent like yours, and I have seen countless of them die in vain. Above the sky, there is always another sky. These are the words of someone who has lived at least several dozen times longer than you, so take them to heart."

I was being lectured by Irene.

By the pathetic pussy Irene who would squirm if I just rubbed her clit...

"Yes..."

Irene, seemingly having no intention of teaching me further, opened a subspace portal and left for somewhere.

"I hope you'll be more polite the next time we meet."

"No..."

Irene left, and I was alone.

"Haa... Chat window."

- lolololol

- He submitted to Irene kek

- An arrogant and haughty bitch... I wonder what face she'll make when she's getting fucked.

- Yo, you crying?

- From now on, call her Master Irene~

- Master Irene~~

- lolololol

- Got schooled by pathetic pussy Irene, didn't ya?

"No... Hoo, I'll be leaving for now too."

There was no emotional reunion like in my dreams, but it wasn't bad.

'So I could become even stronger...'

To be honest, I might have been a little arrogant.

Drunk on the glory of being the world's number one in the past, I thought I could beat anyone and anything.

Heaven Beyond Heaven.

As she said, above the sky, there is always another sky.

'I will become stronger.'

And so, my life of training began.