LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 9 - The Beginning of Training (1)
Chapter 9 The Beginning of Training (1)
A strong desire to become stronger.
For the first time in his life, Yuri had engraved this desire into his mind, and Johan noticed this change.
‘Well, I only meant to break his pride… but it seems I’ve also ignited a spark.’
If he were an ordinary person, he would have been frustrated or given up in the face of Johan’s overwhelming power.
But Yuri found a goal and motivation in the power that Johan had displayed.
And Johan was very pleased with this situation.
People with motivation and goals grow quickly.
‘Let’s see… Should I throw some more fuel to keep his spark from dying out?’
Step-
Turning his body, Johan looked at Yuri and spoke.
“What I want to verify through you is the effectiveness of the new Magic Body Technique I’ve created. Let me tell you in advance, it’s an incomplete technique.”
“……”
“Until now, I’ve built the framework of the new Magic Body Technique based on my experience and knowledge… From now on, you and I will work together to put muscle and flesh on that framework.”
“……”
“That will probably be a grueling process that will take a considerable amount of time. It might be so painful that you’ll want to give up every day. If… you ever want to give up, you can run away at any time. I won’t stop you. However…”
Johan paused for a moment, his eyes gleaming.
His voice grew stronger.
“If you endure the entire process without running away… If my martial theory gets established because of it!”
Swish- Thud!
The sword slid back into its sheath. Johan grinned and pointed at Yuri with his index finger.
“You, who have mastered it, will be able to land a proper blow on not only my face but also on the Sword Master’s face. After all… that’s why I created the Magic Body Technique.”
“……”
“Well, do you think you can handle it?”
At Johan’s provocative question, Yuri tilted his head.
‘Is he seriously asking that?’
Run away?
Handle it?
The Unyielding Sword, who had challenged the Sword Master twice and survived.
The Magic Body Technique he created based on his experience, intended to counter the Sword Master.
Run away with the chance to gain true strength right in front of him?
It was nonsense.
Flames flickered in Yuri’s eyes, and a slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“Handle it? Can you handle it, old man? When I start something, I don’t half-ass it. Don’t run away later, saying you’re tired and can’t do it.”
“Puhaha, you little brat, all you do is talk big. Alright, let’s see who runs away first.”
A boy and an old man.
Golden and gray, but strangely similar, two gazes met in the air and sparks flew.
The pride-fueled staring contest continued for quite some time.
In the midst of it…
“Old man…”
Yuri’s slightly sullen voice flew in.
“Do you know?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I was going to leave anyway. So I had saved up quite a bit of money, items, food… Anyway, I had prepared quite a lot.”
“Ho? That’s convenient. You can take those and leave right away.”
“Yeah, but… they’re gone now.”
“What?”
“They’re gone now. They disappeared just now.”
“……?”
“You blew them all away. Along with that place.”
Yuri pointed to the spot where the cliff used to be, where his hideout had been.
“……”
“……”
There was silence between them.
Whiiing-
A cold wind blew through the place where the cliff and mountain used to be, now just an empty space, swirling between Yuri and Johan.
Yuri’s eyes widened in the wind.
“Old man.”
“……”
“I’m fine with showing off your strength… But!”
“……”
“My clothes? My food? More importantly, the money I saved up desperately for two, no, eight years?!”
With every word Yuri shouted, Johan’s gaze sank closer to the ground.
“That… you’re being too fixated on such trivial things…”
Johan tried to argue timidly.
“Trivial? Triviiiaaal? You’re calling the eight years of my life, poured out with sweat and blood, trivial?”
Haaaak!
Seeing the little black kitten hiss right in front of him, Johan completely lowered his gaze.
Thus, the first prideful staring contest between Yuri and Johan ended.
Hyaaaaak-!
With Yuri’s victory, accompanied by hissing.
* * *
The disappeared mountain and cliff.
The wide-open space that appeared in their place.
Gunther’s lips parted slightly upon seeing this.
‘My goodness?!’
The report that the cliff and mountain had disappeared came in early in the morning.
At first, he thought it was a prank, but it wasn’t.
Indeed, a mountain had vanished overnight.
Seeing this, Ashiraf was certain it was Johan Redner’s doing.
He said Johan was the only one in the vicinity capable of such a feat.
His certainty made Gunther even more astonished.
‘Is this really something a human can do?!’
He had heard of the Master’s fame, but he hadn’t expected it to be to this extent.
‘If those called Masters are like this… How powerful is the Sword Master, who’s called a superhuman?’
The strength of the Sword Master, who had defeated Johan Redner twice, creating such unimaginable feats.
It was beyond comprehension.
Gunther, who had been standing there blankly for a while, clenched his fist tightly.
Crack-
‘The Unyielding Sword, Johan Redner, and the one he chose, Yuri Holland.’
He had heard they left Irons.
While he was in the Dragon’s Cradle, Yuri would grow under Johan Redner’s guidance.
And someday… he had a strong premonition that he would meet Yuri Holland again.
‘When that time comes… I don’t want to lose.’
He wanted to prove to Yuri Holland, whom he would meet in the future, that it wasn’t because he was lacking that Yuri was chosen instead of him.
‘I need to push myself harder.’
Yuri would rapidly grow under the systematic and excellent training method of the Master.
To defeat such Yuri, he had no choice but to train more and harder than him.
He steeled his resolve, but he couldn’t help feeling a bit envious.
“How great would it be to receive training from a Master?”
Gunther, who had a slightly envious and lonely smile, soon erased that smile and returned to the estate.
For today’s training.
Looking forward to the day he would see Yuri again.
* * *
When the sun was high in the sky.
Yuri and Johan, who had left Irons, were preparing lunch in a forest.
“Humming! Huhuhuhum.”
Yuri hummed a tune.
“……”
Johan frowned silently.
Unable to stand Yuri’s continuous humming, Johan finally voiced his complaint.
“You completely emptied my wallet, and you’re serving me rabbit roast?”
“Hehey, just rabbit roast? Wait a bit. I’ll serve you a special rabbit roast, Yuri Holland style.”
“Even if you gild a rabbit, it’s still just a gilded rabbit. What’s so special about it…”
“Stop grumbling, will you? Do you even want to eat this?”
“Grr.”
Johan groaned and closed his mouth, grumbling inwardly.
‘That… that little brat!’
Johan, who had completely wiped out Yuri’s savings with a very, very trivial mistake.
When Yuri kept grumbling, Johan had shouted, ‘I can compensate you for that!’
That was his second mistake.
As if waiting for that, Yuri had emptied Johan’s wallet.
‘No matter how much that brat saved, it wouldn’t be half of what he took from me…!’
However, Yuri, who had suffered the loss, insisted vehemently that it wasn’t enough, and Johan, gritting his teeth, handed over his entire wallet grudgingly.
With his now slim wallet, Johan ground his teeth.
‘Travel expenses can be withdrawn from the bank, but…’
What really bothered him was the fact that he had been swindled by a mere fifteen-year-old kid.
‘To think that I, Johan Redner, was scammed by a snot-nosed brat!’
One thing was for certain now.
‘That kid… won’t starve to death even in the cradle.’
Johan clicked his tongue inwardly and looked at Yuri, who was cheerfully roasting the rabbit.
Yuri was spreading something on the rabbit.
“What’s that?”
“Oh, this? It’s a mix of dried Angora root and various herb powders. Roasting it this way removes any gamey smell and seasons it well.”
Even while explaining, Yuri’s hands didn’t stop.
From the skill of quickly hunting the rabbit to preparing it, to collecting the pelt and cooking the meat.
Everything was very efficient and skillful.
Not typical for someone of his age.
Johan’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“Where did you learn that?”
“Learn? I didn’t learn it. After struggling to avoid starving for about eight years, I naturally picked up these tricks.”
“Eight years? Didn’t you say you were fifteen this year?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Huh… So, you’ve been wandering the world alone since you were seven? Where’s your hometown?”
“Dunno.”
“You don’t know your hometown?”
“I left my village and wandered around aimlessly. Since then, I’ve just been struggling to survive, and eventually ended up in Irons.”
“Huh…”
Johan’s face showed surprise.
Even though the continent was mostly peaceful under the Sword Master’s rule, the world was still not kind to a seven-year-old wandering alone.
Even with extraordinary powers, surviving alone was a different matter altogether.
The Avatar didn’t procure food or money for survival.
‘No wonder the kid turned into such a worldly old soul… He had to learn the harsh realities of the world at a young age.’
A child who lost his innocence, realizing the world’s dirtiness.
That was Yuri.
Johan, who had been watching Yuri for a moment, asked.
“What about your parents?”
“If I had parents, do you think I’d be in this situation?”
“Did they die?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you know?”
“How would I know if the parents who abandoned me are dead or alive?”
“……”
“There was an old lady who took me in and raised me, but she died, eight years ago. Don’t look at me with pity; I didn’t have that great a relationship with her either.”
At Yuri’s indifferent, calm voice, Johan found himself at a loss for words.
‘I had guessed from his initial wariness and personality…’
It seemed Yuri had a tougher time than Johan had imagined.
Johan remained silent, deep in thought, while Yuri glanced at him with narrowed eyes and shot back.
“What’s with the sudden interest in my background?”
At the sharp reaction, Johan loosened his stern expression and joked.
“If you die, I’ll need to return you to your family.”
“Don’t jinx it! Spit three times!”
“Puhaha.”
“Why say something so unlucky? I’m not gonna die! Spit!”
Their bickering continued until the delicious aroma of cooked meat ended their argument.
Yuri, with his cheeks stuffed with meat, asked.
“So, when are we starting this experiment or training or whatever?”
Yuri’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Although the old man seemed dubious, his strength and reputation were that of a Master.
What would be the first thing a Master like him teach?
What kind of meaningful beginning would it be towards true strength?
Yuri’s heart pounded with anticipation.
As if understanding Yuri’s eagerness, Johan grinned and answered.
“I was planning to start today even if you didn’t ask. Eat up and rest well. This will be your last supper.”
“I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Just don’t start whining later that you can’t do it.”
“That won’t happen.”
Yuri answered with a confident face.
But it didn’t take long for Yuri’s confident expression to change.
A little while later.
Yuri alternated his gaze between Johan and the item behind him.
“Old man, what’s that?”
“What do you think it is? Haven’t you seen a cart before?”
Johan answered grumpily, tapping the old cart.
After saying he would be away for a while, Johan had come back with an old, creaky cart.
Yuri tilted his head at Johan’s answer.
“Of course I’ve seen a cart. I mean, why did you bring it? We don’t have that much stuff to carry.”
Johan smirked at Yuri’s words.
Then, quickly climbing onto the cart and hooking his wooden leg on the railing, he declared.
“Pull it!”
At his grand proclamation, Yuri was momentarily stunned.
He naturally had to ask again, thinking he must have heard wrong.
“…Pull this? Me?”
“Who else? Do you think I should do it?”
“Why should I pull it?”
At the fundamental question, Johan crossed his arms and answered.
“Tut-tut, foolish boy. Do you know what you lack the most right now?”
Yuri pondered for a moment before answering.
“Mana, I guess?”
But all he got in return was a snort of ridicule.
“Pfft? Mana? What nonsense are you babbling? What you lack the most right now is stamina, stamina!”
“What do you mean? I have plenty of stamina!”
“That’s only compared to ordinary people. The ones you’ll be competing with from now on can run for three days and nights carrying boulders weighing dozens of kilograms without breaking a sweat. Compared to them, you have pitiful stamina!”
“Pitiful stamina?”
“If you want to survive, you need to consistently build up your physical strength and energy! Only then can you harmonize with your soul. So stop whining and pull the cart!”
“What am I, a horse?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you run better than a horse in no time. Heh-heh. Now get moving, or are you planning to spend the night here?”
Thud- thud!
Johan’s wooden leg kept tapping the cart.
It was clear from his stance that he had no intention of getting off the cart.
Yuri’s eyes narrowed.
“…Old man, just to clarify.”
“What is it?”
“You’re not just making me do this because you don’t want to walk, right?”
“……”
“Isn’t that right?”
“……”
“Right?”
Johan didn’t answer Yuri’s repeated questioning.
Instead, he averted his gaze and tapped the cart with his wooden leg again, shouting loudly.
“Ha! What do you know? Back in my day, if the Master told me to drink ditch water as a lesson, I’d drink it without a word!”
“…Disgusting, really.”
“You brat, just do as you’re told without talking back!”
Seeing Johan’s obstinate and old-fashioned behavior, Yuri was speechless.
‘What? Training method of a Master? Meaningful start?’
There was no such thing.
No, he shouldn’t have had any expectations in the first place.
“You brat, get moving! What’s the matter? Can’t do it? Think you can’t? Gonna give up? Just on this? Tsk tsk, I really misjudged you!”
Johan kept provoking him with loud shouts.
Seeing Johan’s antics, Yuri was firmly convinced.
‘This old man… is a real quack.’
Master, my foot.