Right now, I was in the midst of training while being closely observed by Leo.
"I'm telling you again! Perform a down slash, followed by an up parry, a middle block, and finish off with a forward thrust," Leo instructed.
It had been a week since our arrival on this southern mountain range.
Having honed my fundamental spear skills to a satisfying degree, Leo now asked me to start connecting my thrusts, slashes, blocks, and parries.
Basically, he said he wanted me to combine everything that I had practiced until now to perform combos attacks.
Initially, I didn't understand what he meant by that… and I still don't.
"Why can't you understand?!" Leo yelled in exasperation. "Aren't you supposed to be a genius?"
"What does a down slash, up parry, middle block, and forward thrust even mean?!" I retorted, yelling back. "And aren't you supposed to be a world-class fighter?!"
"Huh?! Of course, I am! How is it my fault that you're too dense to comprehend what I'm saying?!" Leo replied, his frustration evident.
"Well, you know what they say, there are no bad students, only bad teachers!" I shot back, maintaining the same tone.
"....."
That last comeback of mine caused Leo's veins on Leo's forehead to bulge out as he clenched his teeth and struggled to contain his rising anger.
"Fuuu!"
Just as I braced myself for what I thought would be the beating of a lifetime, Leo released a deep breath and cooled his head.
"Yeah, you're right," he said as he walked up to me, summoning the black spear into his hand. "Here, I will demonstrate it to you myself."
I instinctively took a step back, giving him the stage. Leo closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and then swiftly opened his eyes again.
In the next moment, he sprang into action. He took a step forward, bending one knee as he knelt on the ground.
From that position, he executed a flawless horizontal slash.
Continuing his motion, he gracefully rose from his kneeling stance, sweeping his spear upward in the air.
With precision, he brought his spear back in front of his chest, gripping its shaft with his hands wide apart.
Finally, he took another step forward, pulling his spear back to the side before thrusting it forward at lightning speed.
I stood there with my eyes widened and my mouth hung open. In that instance, the world around me turned quiet.
I could only see a man with his long red hair tied into a braid, moving so gracefully upon the snow in front of me.
My gaze was fixed on him, and I couldn't look away, mesmerized by the masterpiece he created with every swing of his spear.
It was so silent. His spear didn't make any noise as it moved in the air.
"...cas!"
Can I ever reach that level of mastery? Can I ever reach that level of precision?
…Can I ever recreate the masterpiece I'm seeing before me now?
"Lucas!"
The sharp sound of Leo's voice pierced through the silent haze that enveloped me. Startled, I turned my gaze towards him, still in a daze.
"Did you catch it?" Leo asked.
The urgency in his tone forced me to nod long before I could even realize what I was nodding to.
"Good," he said. "Now, do exactly what I just did."
Do exactly what he did?
B-But how could I possibly replicate his masterful movements?
His graceful command of the spear was mesmerizing.
Can I even wield my own spear with such mastery?
Can I swing it with such elegance that it wouldn't even make a sound?
"Lucas, what are you waiting for? Come on, perform the combo I just showed you," Leo urged, his voice cutting through my uncertainty.
I instinctively nodded once again at his words.
Tightening my grip on the spear, I began to mimic the steps and swings Leo had demonstrated to me moments ago.
Swoosh, Kwish, Swish—!!!
After I was done, Leo nodded in my direction. "Good job," he said. "Now, onto the next."
Good job? No, it wasn't.
What I did was nothing but a shallow imitation of how Leo wielded his spear….
†
Today marks the eighth day since our arrival on this southern mountain range.
"Haaah! Haaah! Haaah!"
If it sounds like I was tired, it's because I really was tired.
The reason, you ask? Well, I had been running up and down the mountain all day long.
And as if that weren't enough, I had also subjected myself to perform one thousand blocks, parries, thrusts, and slashes before doing this.
My body ached, muscles screaming with every step I took.
Fatigue seeped into my bones, and my eyes burned in this cold wind pressing against my face as I logged uphill.
All I want to do is to return to my apartment and collapse onto my bed! I want to lie down and just sleep!
And of course, I want to eat some hot, spicy instant ramen before that.
Grrrrrr—!
Ugh! Just the mere thought of food has triggered another hungry growl from my stomach.
I haven't had a thing to eat in the past seven days, and I doubt today will be any different.
These days, our practice sessions have become an endless marathon.
We don't even take that many breaks between training anymore. From dawn till dusk, all I do is swing my spear and exercise!
If I happen to pass out, Leo would give me a stamina potion to revive my energy, and we would return to training again.
If I run out of mana, he would give me a mana potion which would help me replenish my mana pool.
And if I fall down due to thirst, he would offer me water. If my muscles refused to move, he would give me a healing potion.
If I fall because of mental fatigue, we take a break for a couple of hours and engage in deep meditation before recommencing the training.
But no matter how many times I collapse from hunger, Leo never offers me anything to eat! Not even a snack!
I truly believe that I'm on the brink of death.
Death from hunger. How pitiful of a death would that be, huh?! Haha!
Initially, I feared I was going to be freezing to death when we came to this place, but the chilly temperature here no longer bothers me now.
It's as if I'm gradually adapting.
Yet, I can't adapt to hunger!
