“Actually, it would be right to start with basic exercises, but your situation is a little different.”
“Situation?”
“Somehow, your body is um… too weak.”
“………”
I actually knew that much, but hearing it from someone else made me a bit sad.
“No matter how sturdy my body is, I should at least have a minimal sense when I get hit properly, but you don’t have that feeling. It’s like being hit by a teddy bear.”
“I see…?”
Could it really be that bad?
It seems that the Philia Professor is really overlooking her own body.
What kind of abs are like cement, and how can that be called weak?
“But strangely, that one strike you made has a power that your current muscles can’t generate, right? Like that first counterattack.”
“Uh……”
“So, can you tell me what that is? If I can figure that out, I think I can train you more specifically.”
The moment I heard the professor’s words, I thought, here we go.
She must have been interested in this technique from the very beginning.
However, I couldn’t explain it at all.
It’s not like I did it myself; I just felt my arm instinctively move very quickly and then retract, so I didn’t even know the principle of how it was activated.
It felt like one of those ‘one-inch punch’ things from a manga or a novel, though.
I don’t even know if this should be called a technique. It’s just one of the additional effects added to my traits.
Isn’t it closer to a passive that can block instant death just once?
That’s why…
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can tell you.”
I reluctantly implied that I couldn’t, and the professor thought for a moment before cheerfully moving on.
“Is that so? Then there’s nothing we can do! Is there truly no way to learn this? Like a school or something…?”
No, it doesn’t seem like it was just a cheerful transition.
I could still hear her muttering to herself as she followed behind.
“Do you perhaps belong to any school? An instructor or…?”
“No, I’m self-taught…”
“What? Really?”
“It’s just that I feel it intuitively…”
“A genius…?”
“Not really.”
I wish I were a genius, but unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of trait.
“Hmm… Haa, maybe there’s nothing to be done.”
Leaving her looking very disappointed behind, we finally arrived at a place with several magic circles scattered around.
“This is the perfect training ground for you!”
“What is this place?”
“I haven’t used this space in a long time. Its efficiency is pretty low, so I generally don’t use it unless necessary, and there haven’t been many students suited for this until now.”
Then she approached a part of the space where a glass wall was set up, brushed off some dust, and started to operate a device.
Vrrrrrrrrr…
Then, one after another, the lights of the magic circles started to activate.
“Right now, you don’t have the stamina to keep up with my basic training. In fact, it’s difficult for you to run or walk for a long time in the first place.”
I totally agree.
Last time, it was exhausting just carrying 5 kg of rice from the store that was only 5 minutes away from my dorm.
Moreover, even if I didn’t carry anything, my body was very weak, and walking for a long time was a bit much.
My legs were so thin they could almost be called arms.
“Moreover, you’re not very tall, and your weight is quite low as well. What do you usually eat?”
“Uh… no, chocolate.”
I might have made curry porridge, but when it comes to quantity, it seems I eat more chocolate.
I don’t particularly love chocolate, but it’s the only way to sneak in some alcohol.
“Hmm…!!”
On hearing that, she looked very displeased.
“Can’t you eat protein or something like that?”
“That’s right.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t have money.”
I didn’t particularly like it anyway.
I don’t like chicken, let alone eggs.
Even tasteless chicken breast? I would eat it, but I wouldn’t want to.
Of course, even if I set all that aside, I can’t buy it because I don’t have money.
“Oh… I see.”
When I mentioned that my family was poor, the professor nodded as if she understood.
“Then why do you eat so much chocolate?”
“Because it doesn’t make me hungry easily?”
The sweetness and bitterness of the alcohol are perfect for forgetting hunger as a snack.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but my brain is a simple one that can only feel either hunger or deliciousness.
“Phew… There’s nothing I can do. It would be better if there were protein, but in this situation, let’s just try exercising first.”
And the lights of the many magic circles turn on.
“Want to go inside?”
Following her words, I entered a massive room surrounded by numerous magic circles on all sides.
“It feels strange.”
“That’s how it is at first.”
Then, when several more buttons were manipulated, all the lights of the magic circles behind me went out, leaving just one magic circle above me lit.
Boom!
Then a heavy gust of air was released.
Since I had just used Power Release, I couldn’t use counterattacks but managed to evade with a secondary dodge.
“Right now, where you are is a place where beings with different bodily senses and perception train.”
“………”
“You didn’t understand?”
As I stared at her in silence, the professor smiled as if she understood and continued explaining.
“To put it simply, it’s a place used by those who tend to rely only on their instinctive senses and ignore what’s in front of them.”
“What do you mean by instinctive senses…?”
“That air burst a moment ago; you didn’t even see it with your eyes yet you moved, right? It’s that kind of feeling.”
“Wouldn’t it be a good thing if I could instinctively avoid it?”
In the movies I know, the spider hero dodged missiles with his eyes closed when trapped in an illusion.
“Generally, it’s not a bad situation, but if there’s a big discrepancy between that and your actual perception, then problems can arise. For example, if you think you need to thrust but your instincts tell you to stab, they get misaligned.”
“Is that something that could happen?”
“Hmm… It’s embarrassing to say, but I also used this at first; it was similar back then.”
Oh, the backstory of a support character. This is quite an intriguing story.
“If your head can’t keep up with your body, conversely, the body can take control. That can lead to judgments and results you don’t want.”
The professor stated this coldly.
Perhaps because I knew about the professor’s past, she appeared that way.
She lost someone dear to her on the battlefield in the past.
“You might have to give up on saving someone; even though you know with your mind that you can save them, you’ll run away due to instinctual fear. Wouldn’t you agree that kind of instinct is unnecessary?”
“Is that… so?”
A person I need to save? Would there be someone like that in this world?
I still don’t know.
“Therefore, this training can be said to be to conquer your instincts and attack perception.”
“So, how long will this take…?”
“………”
The professor only smiled and said nothing.
“Professor?”
“As long as you can.”
And I saw the lights of numerous magic circles come into my view.
Vrrrrrrrrrrr———!
“Um… wait, a moment to prepare…!!”
In a space of about 4 pyeong, countless air bursts flew towards me.
From the front, back, left, right, up, and down.
Even if they hit me, it didn’t hurt much, but I could feel that I had been struck.
Moreover, since the professor was in front of me, if I slacked off or acted lazily, I would be caught immediately.
‘For now… should I give it a try?’
Boom!!
Dodging to a certain extent is possible.
I ducked under what was coming from above, and when I felt the sensation of the wind coming, I slipped my body to evade.
However, all of this was due to the support dodge.
When I forced my body to move, ignoring the dodge, I ended up getting hit by all the incoming attacks with a creaking sound.
“Ugh…”
Bang!! Puff!!
The wind was hindering my view by constantly blowing my hair over my eyes, which was annoying.
Should I just cut it?
I really don’t understand why long-haired women appear in combat or superhero stories.
Having hair flying around like this is just uncomfortable.
But I focus.
Hair doesn’t matter.
I close my eyes and concentrate on the sensations of my whole body.
Feeling the wind coming, I sensed why the secondary dodge of Drunken Fist wanted to evade so much.
Shhhhhhhhh…
So many winds and air bursts flying in the space.
The airflow forming within them.
The layers of chaotic air and their mix intertwining made them hard to read.
“Phew…”
And.
Boom!
“Ah.”
Puff!
“Ugh.”
.
.
.
.
.
After being struck by winds for several minutes.
Even though my body moved recklessly, the wind was so cool that I quickly dried off my sweat, but my stamina had completely run out.
“Haa haa…”
If I were a genius, I would have noticed the support dodge much earlier and shouted, “I’ve realized it! The essence of evasion!”
Unfortunately, I don’t have that talent, and I kept getting hit for a long time.
“It hurts…”
At this point, getting hit in the same area, even by wind, felt painful.
While I trained, when the professor returned after guiding other students, she looked at me rubbing the spot I had been hit and remarked with a strange expression.
“Oh? You still haven’t gotten the hang of it?”
“Yeah… sadly, that’s how it turned out.”
“That’s odd; I thought you’d finish it a while ago since you managed that much self-taught.”
“And how long did it take you…?”
“Me?”
And then came the ridiculous answer.
“Uh… was it 5 minutes? Even at my best, other kids usually took about that long.”
“Other kids…?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I heard names like Beril Einshwartz and Karnoa…”
What the heck, those are all characters that appear near the end!
Just as I was getting tired of the professor speaking nonchalantly about these monster-like humans.
“But it’s okay, there’s plenty of time.”
“Huh? It’s okay…?”
“Oh, I spoke to the other professors, and I took a whole day off for you today. That means you can train all day long!”
“Uh……..”
I didn’t say things like, “Are you joking?” The expression on her face was as if she were stating the obvious.
“Then what about my other classes…?”
“Oh, it won’t slow down your progress or anything like that. Since you won’t be able to keep up anyway, it would be difficult to go along with those things from the start.”
“Oh… ahhh!!!”
And so began the longest day of my life.
