The Beast Lord's Martial Training

"Impressive. World's King."

Victor's gaze remained fixed on my tail, refusing to budge.

It was understandable. Even at a glance, the aura radiating from it was unmistakably threatening.

I withdrew the internal energy I'd poured into the tail.

"What did you think?"

"As expected from the World's King. I learned one move."

I couldn't get him to stop with the whole "World's King" thing. Ellen was probably laughing her head off at this.

I sneaked a glance at her expression, but there wasn't a trace of amusement. She looked dead serious.

"What are you doing?"

"Just thinking I need to work harder."

"Skip the preamble and get to the point. How is that not obvious?"

"Let's set Mister Onama aside. When exactly did you get this much stronger?"

"You're one to talk. You're out here performing in Diamond rank yourself."

Maintaining RP in the 1,500 range wasn't exactly normal. As I'd mentioned before, dimensions classified as lower-tier like Earth had average RP below one thousand. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠New arrivals usually got shoved straight into the demotion zone.

The gap between each hundred points of RP was massive. Elves, whose racial base stats averaged around 1,300, could easily handle two Earth-born players at once.

"Easy for someone who broke past 2,000 RP to say."

Well, that's true. If I couldn't reach this level even after using the cheat key of regression, that would be the real problem.

In my previous life, the old me would have called this completely natural.

"Look at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that. There's that shady smile again."

Even the Goddess had said the same thing. Ellen, not you too!

It's troublesome when people paint me in a weird light.

Tsk.

I wondered why she was so quiet. Just stay silent, will you?

The star of this training session is Victor, isn't it?

I turned my head slightly and met his eyes.

"What did you sense?"

"World's King. Your attack methods are diverse. I could not cope."

"Your bond with the monsters is excellent."

"They are my family."

"...Let's set the terminology aside. Even exchanging just a word or two with your family lets you move like a single body."

"Family and I. One body."

"Your judgment as the head is lacking."

"That fact hurts."

"It's like holding rock, paper, and scissors but stubbornly throwing only fists every time."

Victor silently clenched and unclenched his fist.

"What is the training curriculum like for the Uganda Vigilante Corps?"

"No curriculum. We just fight."

"Simply fighting without direction won't make you stronger."

Training that felt like real combat? That wasn't bad. But the thing was, when you kept fighting the same opponents over and over, you could practically read each other's minds. Once you saw through their intentions, sparring became optimized.

"What is your current RP?"

"1,324."

"If you use your existing abilities efficiently, you'll break past 1,500 in no time."

"I agree, Mister Onama."

He had three "family" members at Diamond rank alone. Victor's own combat prowess wasn't far behind, so theoretically it was like four Diamond rankers attacking in coordination.

What if this stubbornly honest man learned multiple attack patterns?

"Oh. That looks very cool."

In my previous life, I had no way of knowing what kind of combat style the "King of Africa" had ultimately established. There was never any reason to visit the Dark Continent that had embraced isolationism. Everything I knew about Victor Onama's tamer specialization had come indirectly from reading related materials.

Therefore, there was no way to tell whether the combat approach I was about to teach him was the same path the previous Victor had walked or not.

But so what if it wasn't?

The path I was guiding him toward would definitely be better. I could say that with certainty as the one who had survived until the very end of the Age of Destruction.

Victor Onama would become stronger than he was before the regression.

"Brother!"

"I'm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not your brother, though."

"From now on, we! Are brothers!"

Victor's eyes grew misty as he grabbed my hand tightly.

Hey, sir. You're getting emotional a bit too quickly. Once you actually go through the training, all that brother and World's King stuff will fly right out the window. I'd consider it lucky if you don't start cursing out your mother.

Clap, clap, clap.

"Such a heartwarming sight. It's really nice to see."

That's not what this is!

When I shot Ellen a glare, she just snorted.

"I feel like you've forgotten about me."

"Don't worry. I'll work you like a dog too."

"Ooooh. Scary. Like a dog, huh? Should I start by rolling over and showing my belly?"

Goddammit.

Mister William. One of your company's executives is causing a scene at someone else's workplace. Any chance of a return policy?

Ellen and Victor. Just because they had stood at the peak of humanity before the regression didn't mean I could give them special treatment. If I operated that way, Enrique was a Monarch candidate too, yet I'd still worked him like a dog—no, trained him properly.

"Owl Number One! Are you overflowing with power?!"

"Aaaack!"

Of course. I was simply maintaining fairness. I absolutely wasn't pushing them hard out of any personal grudge.

"I don't trust it."

"Master. Saying that with that face doesn't make anyone believe you, you know?"

"What's wrong with my expression?"

"Shall I bring you a mirror?"

"No need."

The two of them added extra sessions to the existing curriculum.

"Hek, there's more?"

"Owl Number Two. Training is still in progress!"

"Aaaaaack!"

"The next segment is sparring. Keep your mind sharp and come at me properly!"

"Aaaack!"

What Ellen needed was an opponent she could unleash her full "power" against. Ever since she'd taken Heracles as her Patron, her strength had risen to a level beyond comparison with before. Even among those with 1,500 RP, finding a match for her was difficult.

The only reason she couldn't climb higher was because most of her missions were team-based. Compared to the time she'd struggled against the warriors of the Croak dimension during her promotion match, she'd grown at a pace that could only be described as heaven and earth apart.

That was precisely why I had to face her directly.

A gray giant, now swollen to nearly ten meters tall, threw a punch. The golden energy shimmering across his body was Heracles's blessing. Taking that head-on with my bare body would be a bit much.

A clash of strength against strength. Two overwhelming powers collided without the slightest technique involved. The result was a draw.

"Whoa. You actually took that?"

"Look who's talking."

Just how ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠much had I inflated my stats through Devour? I'd even activated Reverse Scale, which displayed its true power after using Dragon Form when I became draconic. To think that was all she could do against that.

"You're disgustingly strong."

Clang! Claaang!

"You know what?"

"What?"

"You've been stealing the words right out of my mouth since earlier."

With Ellen, I added sparring sessions where we stubbornly clashed power against power.

"It's refreshing to just trade blows, but is there any real effect?"

"Be honest. Controlling your strength is difficult, isn't it?"

"Ah, well... yeah, a bit."

"I can take it. Even your full power."

"Hmmmm. Then I'll take you up on that."

The contract with Heracles.

And the rewards that had risen upon entering the 60th floor zone. The sudden excessive spec increase in such a short period had slightly thrown off the balance between mind and body.

I'm a bit different, though. After increasing my stats through Devour, I always adjust my senses to match the strengthened body. Since I'd already walked this path before, it wasn't difficult. The addition of qi in martial arts made things slightly different, however.

Claaaaang!

The heavy impact, like being struck by a hammer, sent me sliding back. This one actually hurt a bit.

As Ellen grew accustomed to her own power, I gained small benefits as well.

The Dragon Factor I'd obtained on the 67th floor. Maybe because there was so much of it, it would occasionally flare up and try to interfere with my body. Like hammering heated iron to forge it into shape, every time Ellen poured out her monstrous strength, I transferred the impact to the Dragon Factor. The rebellious draconic power eventually knelt before the overwhelming violence.

This was what you called a win-win.

Ehehehe!

Victor's training method was the complete opposite.

"Your attacks are too obvious."

"Kuh."

A sharply forged spear shot up from behind. Elder Rapid Dash's eyes widened as he stumbled backward in shock.

"You need eyes in the back of your head too."

Fighting with your sixth sense was basic knowledge once you reached Diamond rank and above. There were just too many techniques that could deceive your vision. Between experts, countless feints were thrown to distinguish the real from the fake.

"You and your friends' attacks are too honest."

"Oooops. Not honest. Aimed for the back of the head."

"If you announce 'I'm aiming for the back of your head' before charging in, it loses all meaning."

Even if his friends spread out and attacked from multiple angles? In a dimension where you read the enemy's intent to fight, it didn't hold much significance. This was a realm where battles were decided by 0.01-second differences.

Victor and his friends' coordination wasn't that precise yet. Their intentions were too obvious. Either he had to reach a level where he could react sensitively even to 0.01-second gaps, or he had to completely integrate his intent with his friends' so they could press the attack without giving the opponent any breathing room.

A whole bowl of facts suddenly slammed into me.

The original PT schedule had been set for one week. However, the two of them had each scheduled additional training in their own way, so we ended up staying longer. I had to personally oversee the additional training—the customized sparring sessions.

The two of them were powerhouses who surpassed even the guild members. Even Shin Junseok and Hong Yunsu—the two considered the strongest in Yeokcheon after me—would need to team up to have a chance of winning.

"Ah, how are you going to compensate me for the experience loss?"

"The second shipment of fossils will arrive at Incheon Port within this month."

"Thank you."

You should have told me that as soon as the deposit cleared. It wasn't exactly a waste of time for me either. Ellen's full-power punches were perfect for taming the Giant Divine Dragon's Factor.

And so, the special training session continued without any of us noticing the passage of time.

Two weeks passed by in the blink of an eye.

"Thanks to me, you even got a diet out of it."

"I'll kill you."

"Oh dear, how scary."

"Um, Master. Executive Director Ellen is genuinely emitting killing intent right now."

Ji-yeong tugged at my collar and shook her head from side to side.

Why? I'm being serious. Look at her—sunken cheeks and hollow eyes. Isn't that a successful diet?

"Master. I recommend keeping your mouth shut."

"Carla, dear. You shouldn't defend your former teacher so blindly just because she used to be your master."

"No tact whatsoever."

Good grief. They won't even believe me when I tell the truth. The robber barons must be the ones who created this capitalist society full of distrust. William Rockefeller, you bastard!

"Ellen. I was very seriously drawing up blueprints for the future."

"You were probably just badmouthing our guild master again."

Ack. She caught me.

Unlike when we'd arrived, the Yeokcheon guild members came out to see us off this time. They wanted to catch a glimpse of Uganda's top ranker, the powerful player expected to become Africa's strongest.

"Now that I think about it, I've never fought a tamer-type before."

"It would be good if we could test our skills against each other next time."

I knew it would be like this. A competitive spirit swirled in both Shin Junseok's and Hong Yunsu's eyes. The training schedule had already been so tight that I hadn't called them in, and it turned out to be the right decision.

"Brother's friend. I would like to invite you to my country once."

"Junior. When did you get acknowledged as his brother?"

"I don't know."

That "brother" title was incredibly burdensome. I tried to play it off like I hadn't heard, but Victor stepped forward.

"It is true. Please come visit us without fail."

"Please invite me sometime."

The King of Africa, who had clung so desperately to isolationism in the past. Seeing him now unhesitatingly invite people from other countries made me feel once again how the future was changing.

Uganda.

Suddenly, I had a strong premonition that I would definitely have reason to visit there someday.