43 43: Soft Fist

Hearing the question, Dunn was silent for a while before saying.

"Rina chose the Soft Fist, but she has no progress. Athena, like me, chose the Feathery body. I don't want to admit it, but she was slightly ahead of me in terms of mastery of the technique. The feathery body requires the user to have a flexible and agile body. As for Tamasai... I don't know. That bastard didn't bother to learn anything from the captain."

'So Rina, Miles, and Tamasai are the only that haven't managed to learn a technique. When the time comes, what should I choose?'

Caleb fell into deep thought. Seeing this, Dunn didn't interrupt and just let the young man think. When suddenly, Caleb shook his head three times as if not in favor of something. Then he looked at Dunn and asked a question:

"You didn't explain the Soft Fist, though. What does that technique do?"

"The principle of Soft Fist?" A ponderous expression appeared on Dunn's face as he fell into the mode of thinking. "Well, the principle of the technique was focused on softness. It requires the user to have perfect control of his strength, thus achieving one of the most difficult punch techniques that only masters or grandmasters could do. Transferring the force from external to internal. Subsequently injuring organs that are closely intertwined with the area. It's a dangerous technique that is a great counter for those who wear armor or have a tough body. No matter how tough the external is, their internal organs would be fragile. Of course, except for Destinies."

Caleb nodded his head.

"Is that the one Captain Fushigiro used to kill the Octavian Bear?"

With a surprise on his face, Dunn laughed.

"Hahahaha! Great observation. Yes, the Captain used the Soft Fist to mess up the brain of the Octavian Bear. See? No matter how tough the skin of the bastard, it died... After all, the brain is a delicate organ. However, the Soft Fist wasn't that effective against Apokalips and Destinies who can circulate physical energy to counter the impact. Still, if there's an element of surprise, it has the chance to severely injure them"

"Isn't the technique too OP?" Caleb fell into a dilemma. He didn't know what to choose. Deku Step or Soft Fist? Both could greatly increase his comprehensive strength. Deku Step was versatile and good at dodging and escaping. While Soft Fist focused on offense against enemies with abnormal defense.

'Really, making decisions is truly a pain in the ass. What a drag...' Caleb sighed.

"What the fuck does OP mean? Well, don't think too much now. You still have a lot of time to consider things. Soft Fist might be powerful, but it was also difficult to learn. In fact, it might even be harder than Deku Step. You see how talented a captain is?"

'Yeah, I already know it. He's a monster!'

...

Just like that, the hunting party rested for a few minutes while talking about the Octavian Bear. Octavian Bear turned out to be a menace in the Forest of Death due to their tough defense, lethal claws, and powerful bite. Fortunately, Octavian Bear doesn't work together due to their temper.

Then Dunn dissected the corpse, took the useful parts, and removed the useless ones. In the process, Dunn explained to him each body part and how to cleanly remove organs without damaging them. Caleb, new to things like dissection, listened attentively. In the future, he knew that dissecting the corpses would be useful. And it was a way to get rich. To sell parts and the meat of animals you hunt. Lastly, dissecting was one of the must-have skills for hunters.

An hour later, the group decided to continue their journey. When they exited the forest, the gush of the river and the familiar sound of the streams entered their ears. Athena and Dunn went directly below the cliff. It was their usual spot. Fushigiro and Jin, on the other hand, walked towards the river. It was the River where Caleb jumped to pass his second test.

Calen sighed when he recalled this. 'Time really flies. Where would fate bring me next?'

"What does Captain and Jin intend to do?" Caleb asked Rina, who remained beside him. As it turned out, Rina was the one that he would fight for the first four days. She will be his sparring partner.

Rina smiled and looked at Fushigiro and Jin in the distance, who had removed their shirt and dived into the river. She heard the splash of water, which had reached three meters high. She closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled the fresh air around with a hint of enjoyment and then answered:

"What else? It's to catch fish. The meat of the Octavian Bear is a good match for Trout and Salmon."

Seeing Rina's watery mouth, Caleb couldn't help but chuckle for a moment. Which made Rina give him a questioning look. Caleb shrugged and teasingly said:

"Aren't you a foodie? I didn't expect it. Don't mind me. I just remembered Fatty. He gives the same reaction when food is being mentioned."

The corners of Rina's mouth twitched.

"Hey... Don't compare with that kid. At least I can control myself. Do I look fat to you?"

Hearing the slightly offended tone of the beauty in front of him, Caleb defended. "Don't get me wrong. I didn't say that you're fat. I just said that you behave like him. That's all."

With a chuckle, Rina walked toward the spot where Dunn and Athena were... Leaving Caleb alone with the introverted Tamasai.

'Huh? She left me just like that?'

With a sigh, Caleb gave his bald teammate a glance, who in turn looked at him with a neutral, bored expression. A black line appeared on Caleb's forehead at this moment. He felt that Tamasai wasn't living his life enough. 'I wonder... Is this guy even capable of excitement?'

Then Caleb studied the place where he would have to train for a month one last time. There was the river on the left side that had clean water and housed different types of fish such as Perch, Chad, Sunfish, Carp, Pike, Walleye, Catfish, Bass, Salmon, and Trout. A literal paradise for fishermen.

Then there's the mountain cliff below, which had a spacious spot, white sand, and shade provided by the cliff that made it an excellent site for a temporary resting spot. Caleb raised his head at the gloomy sky. The evening was about to come. 'Seems I have to make myself comfortable in this place for a month.'