46 46: Master the Basics

"So mindset isn't really something that can be taught right? I need to realize it myself?" Caleb frowned and asked in deep thought.

"That's right." Miles simply nodded.

Great!

If that's the case, Caleb didn't have to worry about the third aspect! Mindset? He had already acquired the mindset of a killer from his first life. Would a killer who had a kill list hesitate to kill? Softness? He already lost that after his first... No third kill on the Earth. Actually, as long as you understand the essence of combat and actively apply it. The third aspect is no longer a problem.

"Let's begin. Now, the first task I want you to do is..." Miles put on a playful smile.

Caleb waited with a bated breath. 'What? Damn it! Don't keep me in suspense!'

"Well, repetition. To do that. I want you to use the Odachi captain gave you and do 1500 slash every day."

"Huh?" Caleb was dumbfounded, "Are you damn serious!?"

Miles nodded with a solemn expression.

"I'm not joking. I want you to do that. Do you think it's useless? Slash is the core foundation of any sword move. One becomes strong by mastering the basics. If you can't do a proper slash, how do you hope to learn my other advanced sword moves?"

Caleb didn't complain any longer. Well, there was no point to begin with. Since objectively speaking, Miles was right. And he was an expert on the sword, so Caleb had to respect it.

Seeing such a good attitude made Miles smile. 'Well, at least he has a good learning attitude. Not bad...'

"Don't worry, Johan. You would thank me in the future for making you do this. You won't regret it."

Caleb nodded. Then Miles went beside Rina with his arms crossed behind his back. He whispered something to Rina before both of them put all their attention to Caleb, who began his relentless swinging of the sword.

"Stuck your chest a little."

"You raised your hand a little higher!"

"Don't tuck your elbow when swinging."

With every swing of the sword, Miles watched like a hawk spotting every mistake and nuance in Caleb's swinging posture.

...

"One thousand four hundred ninety-five."

"One thousand four hundred ninety-six."

"One thousand four hundred ninety-seven."

"One thousand four hundred ninety-eight."

"One thousand four hundred ninety-nine."

"One thousand five hundred!"

DING!

The Odachi fell to the ground, producing a metallic sound. Caleb tried to raise his palm to wipe the sweat from his forehead, but his arm limped and he failed. His two arms were just hanging like a dead dog. Bruised, battered, and devoid of energy.

Soreness, ache, pain, and numbness were all he could describe the feelings in his arms right now. As it turned out, even with his physical strength, swinging the not-so-light Odachi wasn't as easy as he thought. However, that's really not the biggest issue!

He can endure that pain. What's worse than it was the arduous and boring task of just swinging the sword while staring blankly at the air. It was more of a mental challenge than a physical one!

Under the approving eyes of both Miles and Rina, who were sitting on the sidelines while eating meat and fruit... Caleb lay down on the ground, facing the sky with a hollow look. 'Who am I? What am I? What am I doing?'

He was starting to doubt if there was really any benefit in swinging his sword mindlessly. Of course, he knew. He has just a bad habit of complaining, Nonetheless, he would still do it!

"Get all the rest that you can get. You will start with Rina later. As for me, it's time to sleep." Miles said to Caleb before scurrying away.

Rina stared at Caleb, who had no energy whatsoever to even stand up on his own feet. Still, she didn't show any impatience. She just sat down on the ground and waited.

Two hours passed. Caleb took his time to let his body and aching arm, rest. The hunting party, on the other hand, has already started the day and does their own business.

Dunn, Tamasai, Athena, and Jin, led by Fushigiro, went beyond the Sasmuan River, not far from the Quincy Mountain Range. It was a large, no... very large, bridge. One has to cross the bridge if one wants to enter the outskirts of the mountain. A paradise for wild beasts. The hunting party usually conducts a hunt there once in a while and with their strength, no wild beast could stop them. Well, except if beasts like Octavian Bear decided to band up. But they won't...

...

"Are you sure you're ready? I can actually give another hour of rest." Rina offered. She glanced at Caleb's swelling palms with a wry smile on her face. In her opinion, Caleb won't be able to perform optimally with the current state of his hands.

"No, I'm sure." A shit-eating grin made its way to Caleb's face. It's not as if he was new to pain. He could still fight if he really pushed himself. Thinking of this, he picked up the Odachi, lying not far away from him.

'Let me show you what I'm capable of!'

Caleb stood up and took a fighting stance. Now, he clasped the hilt of the Odachi.

HISS!

He felt as if the skin on his palms had been pierced by a needle. The skin was so sensitive that he could feel the pain even with the slightest contact. However, he only greeted his teeth and ignored the searing pain. As the old saying says... No pain, no gain!

"Well, don't blame me if I beat your sorry ass back to the ground, then." Rina took out her sword from the sheath. The blade of the sword reflected a chilling silver glow.

'The same sword that she used to attack the Octavian Bear.'

Just like that, Caleb and Rina watched each other's movements. The two waited for each other to make the first move. A half minute later, they have circled each other three times already.

'Damn it! If you won't attack. I fucking will!'

Caleb dashed towards Rina whilst struggling to keep the proper form, slashing form that Miles taught him. He found out that it was ten times harder to maintain the form when moving than when he was stationary.

"Lesson number one... Don't be impatient." Rina dashed forward in response and prepared her sword to meet the blade of the Odachi that was about to come her way.