—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Damn my past self!”
Chae-rin cursed under her breath as we sparred.
Her past self was always a jerk, but today, she seemed particularly egregious.
What had possessed her to plan such a hellish training session?
Of course, her past and present selves were usually connected, so she could roughly understand her reasoning.
She wanted to learn, she probably envisioned something like an educational program.
Like those lucky users who somehow managed to connect with experts and receive their guidance, she’d hoped to glean some insights, perhaps even a shortcut to power.
Frankly, she’d probably been hoping for an easy power-up. She had no idea she was walking into an endless abyss of pain.
Thwack!
“Oof!”
A dull thud echoed as her leather armor caved in. While she’d raised her dagger, I’d kicked her in the side.
She’d minimized her pain synchronization, so it wasn’t excruciating, but the impact forced her to her knees.
The attack had been so swift she hadn’t even seen it coming.
She wanted to use the opportunity to rest, but my words were merciless.
“Again.”
Chae-rin pleaded, her face a mask of misery.
“Can we, can we take a short break?”
“Why? You still have plenty of stamina.”
“At least go easy on me! I haven’t landed a single hit…”
“I am going easy on you.”
‘Well… he has a point.’
If he were serious, she’d be a puddle by now.
The kick to her side had barely registered as damage, only a slight impact. Still, this was brutal.
They’d been sparring for thirty minutes straight.
[Stop it! Her life bar is already at zero!]
[He has no human heart…]
[At least offer some guidance! Don’t just keep hitting her…]
[It’s rare to see the streamer looking so pathetic lol]
[A man who beats her senseless… I like it…]
[?]
The chat was mostly sympathetic towards Chae-rin.
I had a defense, though. I wasn’t just mindlessly beating her up. I wasn’t a sadistic psychopath who enjoyed inflicting pain.
‘Though, seeing her gasping for breath does stir something…’
I pushed that thought aside. I was doing this for her growth. Being someone’s mentor was surprisingly satisfying.
It reminded me of my childhood in the orphanage, where I’d dreamed of becoming a teacher like the nuns who taught the children.
While I wasn’t teaching literacy, I was teaching combat.
A dream fulfilled, in a way.
I wasn’t just going through the motions. My teaching method was just more… hands-on.
‘Hmm…’
Seeing her struggling, I decided to offer some advice.
“Do you know how many times I’ve hit your side?”
“Uh… maybe three times?”
“Exactly. You leave your side completely open when you fight.”
I was sparring at a level appropriate for her current skill.
Which meant my attacks were targeting weaknesses exploitable at her level. Weaknesses that the monsters here would also target.
“You’re trying to compensate for the dagger’s short range with large movements, which creates openings. It’s all downside. You’d be more threatening wielding a greatsword and swinging wildly.”
“Your field of vision is too narrow. Being agile is good, but you’re so focused on attacking that you can’t see what’s around you. You barely reacted to my last attack.”
“And why are you creating distance with a dagger? It makes no sense. You need to understand your weapon’s range. Your large, predictable movements create openings.”
These were flaws even I, someone with no formal combat training, could point out.
Of course, the skill gap made them more obvious… but they were glaring weaknesses nonetheless. Thirty minutes of sparring had made them crystal clear.
Thud! Thud!
Chae-rin’s face fell with each criticism.
[Wow, this guy doesn’t just beat you physically, he roasts you verbally too lol]
[His savage face and those criticisms… I’d be terrified]
[Chae-rin regretting this content plan is hilarious lol]
After my verbal barrage, I took a breath.
Time for the carrot after the stick.
“But overall… you’re not bad.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You think quickly and have a flexible body.”
I wasn’t lying.
A year ago, her only combat experience would have been clicking a mouse. This was still a game, but she was the one thinking and moving.
For a modern person to achieve this level of combat skill in a year was impressive.
Yet, something still felt off.
A nagging dissonance I couldn’t quite place.
I prompted her to continue.
“Come at me again.”
“Okay…”
She nodded and charged.
Swish!
Her dagger sliced through the air. She wasn’t holding back, knowing she wouldn’t hit me anyway.
Swish! Swish!
I dodged her attacks, a realization dawning on me.
‘I knew it…’
Her senses weren’t keeping up with her physical abilities. Her body and mind were out of sync. Or more precisely, her mana flow was lagging.
Everything in this world contained mana. With training, that mana could be manipulated at will.
It didn’t require mastery of advanced techniques like ‘Sword Qi.’ Even B-rank adventurers could circulate mana through their bodies.
They weren’t ripping bears apart with their bare hands. It was the miracle of mana.
But watching her move, I could sense her mana failing to keep up with her body.
It wasn’t a lack of mana, but a lack of flow. Like she didn’t know how to use it properly.
‘Well…’
Unlike the natives of this world, the otherworlders had only been manipulating mana for a little over a year.
It was like they’d suddenly grown a tail and were still learning how to control it.
The game’s balancing, which had allowed them to reach B-rank despite this, was remarkable. But even that seemed to hit a wall at this level.
So, how to solve this?
I had identified the problem, and I had a hunch about the cause. I’d done enough sparring.
Time to offer a solution.
Grab-
I caught her wrist mid-swing.
“Stop. Let’s pause here.”
That was a mistake.
Grabbing her wrist disrupted her footwork.
“Whoa…!”
Her momentum carried her forward, and she stumbled. I hadn’t anticipated her closing the distance, and we collided.
She’d caught me off guard. Credit to her for landing an unexpected blow.
We tumbled to the ground, me underneath her.
Thump!
Something firm yet soft pressed against me as we landed. The impact momentarily stunned me.
“Ow…”
She clutched her head and opened her eyes.
Then, she saw me, lying beneath her, looking up at her.
The chat exploded.
[Whoa whoa!]
[Holy crap, the streamer just went for it!]
[Chae-rin, even if you’re desperate, you shouldn’t do it on stream…]
[Lol you’re so dead]
“Oh my god!”
Comprehending the situation, she scrambled off me, mortified. She bowed her head in apology.
“I’m so sorry! It wasn’t intentional!”
“It’s okay…”
I rubbed my head and nodded.
She hadn’t meant to do it. I was more surprised that she was apologizing to me.
The sensation of her… chest against me lingered. The leather armor, rather than metal plating, had amplified the feeling.
[Poor Yor, assaulted like that! Death to all women!]
[Recording saved, PDF created. See you in court, streamer.]
[Damn it, Chae-rin, stop being so lucky!]
An awkward silence hung in the air.
The chat, oblivious to the tension, continued to tease her. I decided to change the subject.
“…So, let me tell you what the problem is.”
“Oh, yes! Please!”
She eagerly agreed, equally eager to move past the awkward moment.
Her mana flow was sluggish.
Her excellent physical abilities weren’t being utilized effectively.
The reason? She lacked sensitivity to her own body.
Her dulled senses prevented her from properly perceiving the changes within her. That was my diagnosis.
The solution was simple.
I explained briefly and offered a suggestion.
“Try increasing your synchronization rate.”
As high as possible, preferably.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Thx for the chapter