Chapter 7 - War on Green (The Quick End of the Training Arc)

After I was done lecturing them on the basics of adventuring, we immediately go do some practical lessons.

I taught them the basics of the basics. Stuff that fledgling adventurers were surely taught when they were in their one week training before becoming a Novice.

With that said, you might think what's the point? Why teach them something so basic? Why not teach them some advanced techniques? That's where you are wrong. Most adventurers die before they ever touched the road to becoming a D-ranked adventurer; the doorstep to becoming a real adventurer. Most die before they ever get the chance to properly form a party. Before they got the chance to prove themselves. Why is that? It's because they did not put the fundamentals into practice.

Things like learning about the history and functions of Crafts and Signs that you are able to use. You can't use something that you do not understand to its maximum potential after all.

Things like, researching everything that you need to know before embarking on a quest. You need to be well prepared. Local herbs may help you in a pinch, and if you don't know about them, then sayonara.

It's because they are the basics of the basics that most people often failed to put into practice. They underestimate the functionality of these things.

Right now, I gave Salim some sort of tactical riddle. I gave her a situation, what a party of adventurers is able to use, then I told her to give me a solution so that that party would be able to survive. Of course, I didn't make the riddles myself. It's the question that my mentor used to test me. I also didn't give her the outrageous ones. Those are stupid specific, and I don't want to fry her brain circuit.

As for Alisa… Well, I gave him a little something while I am making myself familiar with the black sword. I'm swinging the sword around, using it in different stances.

Hmm… Calling this sword 'the black sword' all the time is inconvenient… Maybe I should give it a name?

…somehow I am feeling very reluctant to do so.

Never mind that. I'll just go back to practicing while observing these two kids.

Alisa ran full force from one end of the room to the other, wielding a red-tipped spear with an oriental-looking design.

"UOOOOOOOOH!"

"Hey! Don't make it a habit to scream when you're in combat! I told you this already!"

"S─sorry!"

It's one of the most common mistakes adventurers made. They made a habit of screaming, and when they had to be stealthy, they instinctively screams and alerted their target.

It should be common sense to not scream when you want to be silent, but somehow this fact eludes them still.

After losing focus after apologizing, Alisa lightly shook his head and increased his running speed. After he reached around the middle of the room, he released a thrusting attack. He obviously expected something to happen, as he kept doing this thrusting pose up until he crashed and rolled on the ground.

He slowly stood up, his cheeks red like a tomato. I kept swinging my sword as I fixed my eyes on him. I followed him with my eyes slowly and intently. He locked eyes with me a few times, and each time he became even more embarrassed. He's amusing to watch. Adorable, like a little dog.

He slowly walked to one end of the room and he ran again. When he reached the middle of the room he did a thrusting attack again. And he crashed and rolled on the ground again. Rinse and repeat.

It's great that he doesn't lose heart even though he kept failing to activate that spear's skill over and over. He has a great attitude toward learning.

I shifted my focus to Salim. She's deep in thought as she wrote and scratched words over and over. It seems she's still unable to find a solution. I already told her to come to me if she wants a hint, but she has yet to. I guess she wants to solve it on her own.

Speaking of which… It took me, like, a day to find the solution to that question by the way. My mentor laughed at me for taking that long of a time to solve a simple puzzle. Remembering it now makes me want to smack his pretty face with a broom. Yeah. I'll do just that when I get the chance to.

I did a rapid slashing attack with the black sword. One vertical slash, and without missing a beat I did a horizontal slash. Then, using the momentum, I spun and did a diagonal slash with my right hand. Then I materialized one of my iron swords on my left and thrust it forward.

Right. The effect of [Borrowed Power] is definitely still active. In the past, I tried the same move while practicing, I failed horribly. The sword flew out of my hand and I got pierced by another sword that I dropped after falling. The fact that I am able to do it smoothly now is clear evidence. Not to mention… even after all the moving that I did, I do not feel tired at all. I am quite confident that this is not because of the bio-pause. But one can never be too careful, so…

"Hoi! Alisa! Come here a sec!"

I shouted and called Alisa. He changed his running direction and ran at me.

"What's wrong kak? Did I do something wrong?"

"Ah, nah. I just have some questions. How do you feel right now? You have been running for like, what? An hour now?"

"Probably. Hmm… my body doesn't feel tired. But I FEEL like I'm supposed to be tired up here."

He pointed at his head.

"It's like my head is saying 'you are tired' but my body answered like 'nah'. Something like that. It's can't explain it well…"

He asked some questions about the spear that I lent him. About the nature of the spear, how did I get it, where can he find a similar spear, how to activate the skill, etc.

Though instead of answering, I opted to demonstrate instead.

He gave me the spear and I told him about the spear.

When I first touched the spear, like all relics, I instinctively knew what the spear's skill was. A vision of wings appeared in my head. The relic was giving me a hint of what it's capable of. All I need to do now is activate it. But how? I could hire an experienced appraiser, but that's too damn expensive. Trial and error were what I chose.

So I started running downhill. I swung the spear around, waiting for something to happen. I reached the foot of the hill. Nothing. I ran uphill, swinging it around again. Still nothing. I started jumping while running and swinging the spear around. Nothing. I repeated it for some time until I started thrusting. If swinging doesn't work, then thrusting is the way to go right? Thrusting also fits the wing motive that I saw better. I imagined a person thrusting a spear, wings on his back, as he plow through enemies in a straight line.

So I started running while thrusting. Running up and down the hill, thrusting all the way. Still nothing.

Since the vision was of wings, I figured jumping from a tree might help. So I did. And it did help. When I jumped with the spear pointed down to where I aimed to land, the mana in the air started to gather. Nothing happened, but I knew I was on the right track.

After that I─ well long story short, I found out that throwing it was the main function of the skill. When thrown, the spear would manipulate the air to propel it at high speed, forming a wing of wind, and damaging the target it was thrown at. Also, with enough speed, when thrusts, the spear could also propel the user as well.

"Well, that was about it. Alisa, observe."

With myself currently being buffed, I can do this more easily than back then.

I spun the spear above me and assume a combat stance. First, is the throw.

I spun the spear once again and raised it to my side in a throwing stance.

I aimed straight at a pillar and threw it.

The spear flew normally for about one second when it was suddenly enveloped by wind, as wings of wind appeared around it. The speed ramped up suddenly and in an instant, the spear crashed into the pillar.

The pillar was pierced and the spear winded up on the other side of it, laying down on the floor.

Alisa was awed. Salim didn't even move though. She was still deep in the puzzle. She needs to be more aware of her surroundings, seriously.

I told Alisa that I am not done yet before I went and retrieve the spear.

From the other side of the room, I started running. In no time I reached around the middle of the room when I released a thrusting attack.

In that instant, I felt the wind around the spear to condensed as wings of wind started to sprout from somewhere around my back.

Both the spear and I picked up speed and zoomed across the room. Before I hit a wall or anything stupid like that, I forced the spear's skill to cancel by forcefully swinging the spear horizontally. I used the momentum gained from the thrust to spin five times before I stopped. Safely, I might add.

I gave the spear back to Alisa and warned him about not trying the thrusting attack (not that he can activate it) if he still wants to live. I told him about the guy who foolishly stole the spear from me and ended up being a mush on a wall somewhere.

Alisa twitched a little but was still excited. I told him to practice swinging the spear and throwing it lightly at a wall in the corner. I emphasized 'lightly'. The power of the skill adapts to match the power of the throw, so he better not get overboard.

Anyways, I am now confident that the buff is still active.

In this Lost Ground, our biological functions are paused. That was already established. Well, maybe paused is not the right word… If it is paused, i.e. stops working, then how can we still be alive here? Is there a better word for this?

…stasis. Our biological functions were put into stasis. So this Lost Ground locks the condition of our body. I entered this place when I was still buffed. That's why [Borrowed Power] is still active. There.

Now the question is... What if we get hurt inside here? Being hurt changes the body. That contradicts the stasis. …I'll put that question on the back burner for later. I would have to make a report about this place after we return and advise the guild to determine the nature of this Bio-stasis before committing to a large-scale exploration.

I guess I could do a little test by using a sword if I have to…

Eh, I'll pass. We don't know if it will heal or not. So it's better to not get injured.

With that thought, I went back to swinging the sword again. Overthinking things is not good, so let's just move your body.

────

I sat down with the spear that kakak Ahiro lent beside me. I don't really need to rest, actually. I wasn't even sweating. I don't feel tired, but I FEEL tired. I can't say it well, but… Yeah…

It's been quite a while since we first arrived here in this Lost Ground. Because of the stuff we did, we now know that we wouldn't get hungry, thirsty, and possibly even grow in here. It's a blessing and a curse, really.

We do not need to eat nor drink here. So we don't have to worry about ration.

That's good, right? We are stuck here though. We can't leave.

Neither kak Ahiro nor Salim mentioned this, but I am worried about our mental health.

Right now we are fine since kak Ahiro is teaching stuff to us. We still have things to look forward to.

What about later? What about after we have learned everything that kak Ahiro could teach?

"…"

Yeah, it's like kak Ahiro said. It's not good to dwell on negative thoughts.

Right. Let's get back to practicing. I'm getting the hang of using the throwing skill. We have all the time we need here, so let's exploit it for all we can.

I stood and pat my thighs.

I approached the corner of the room that was empty and immediately started swinging.

I'm getting used to the weight of this spear relic. That's good. After the next break, I'll switch to using my usual spear. After throwing the relic spear, I'll have to rely on my own spear, so I shouldn't let my technique be rusty.

Right. I'm looking forward to what I can achieve with this.

"HAAAAAAAAGH!"

…

Ah right. Shouting is no good.