Chapter 43: Disciple (which means a growth-type sex toy) (2)

Chapter 43: Disciple (which
means a growth-type sex toy) (2)

Half
the world is dark.

A
shimmering darkness, like a mixture of latex and leather, obscured
half the world in front of me.

Combined
with the limited vision of my helmet, all I could see was the right
half of the world.

It
felt like a strange heat. A humid, sticky heat.

I
sniffed and smelled a scent that made me dizzy.

It
rose and fell a little with each breath, often flinching and
shuddering, and then crashing against my helmet like a warm steamed
bun that had spread, blocking my view completely.

I
watched it for a while and then opened my mouth.

“These
are unfamiliar breasts…”

“You’re
awake.”

A
casual voice with no sign of exhaustion came from above.

I’m
exhausted but how can she be so well by herself?

“You
don’t know how to exert yourself at all, you just swing as hard as
you can like an unintelligent beast.”

“That’s
because that’s usually how I get a one-hit kill with an axe⋯”

“Do
you think you can send me to the ground with a single blow?”

“⋯No
way.”

“I
see. You should have known what you were up against and hunted
differently.”

That’s
right.

“The
physical ability is there, but the technique is nowhere to be found.
If there were an objective score for technique, you’d be a zero.”

‘How
did you know⋯!’

[Nam
Soo-jin LV.12]

[Stamina:(8+10)
Strength:(7+10) Agility:(7+10) Wisdom:(0) Finesse:(0)]

[Free
Points: 0]

As
expected, experienced explorers have a different sense of
perspective.

My
level has risen dramatically since the Hobgoblin Village explosion,
and I’m up to the fourth floor.

‘It’s
a shame I didn’t have the opportunity to save my free points⋯’

At
the time, I was so desperate to survive that I invested in the stats
I needed right away after I leveled up, and in hindsight, I regretted
the lack of Finesse.

I
lifted my head and removed my helmeted head from Idelbert’s lap.

“⋯But
why did you give me a knee pillow?”

“Because
the floor is uncomfortable, and when you’ve passed out from
exhaustion, you need to be as comfortable as possible.”

I
see. I fainted in the duel with Idelbert.

Ten
shots? I could have had thirty and not landed a single one.

That
short duel was much harder than fighting dozens of hobgoblins, in
fact, it was hardly a duel at all.

One
simple punch from Idelbert and I was knocked out.

Even
though we were supposed to be fighting with similar specs, the
difference in movement was vast. Or should I say, different stances.

‘I
expected a gap, but⋯’

I
didn’t think I’d be able to touch her.

‘Does
she think I can be as strong as her?’

I’m
honestly skeptical. The power of Idelbert’s strength was phenomenal.
I couldn’t imagine a future where I could be as strong as her.

I
jumped to my feet, axe in hand.

I
didn’t have the luxury of time to dawdle. If I have time to dawdle,
I’ll swing the axe one more time.

“One
more time. Can we duel?”

“I
like challenges. Very curious. But.”

Idelbert
gestured to my battle axe with her hand.

“That
one. Are you going to keep it?”

The
axe. At first, I’d just grabbed whatever I could find when I fell
into the goblin lair.

I’ve
been using it ever since because I’m so good with it.

“A
mere axe will eventually reach its limits. The simple reach alone is
far inferior to a sword or spear, and it doesn’t harden with age like
a fist. You don’t need to be attached to such a weapon.”

“I’m
not necessarily obsessed, it’s just that, like you said, I don’t have
any finesse, so I use what I can wield.”

“Hmm⋯
I see.”

I’d
love to learn how to wield a sword or spear or something, but it was
clear from the start that I didn’t have that kind of skill based on
my finesse stats.

I’m
also intrigued by Deluna’s magic, but I’m afraid it’s probably beyond
my wits.

In
that regard, axes and other blunt weapons were an excellent choice.
All I needed to do was make good contact and wield it with brute
physicality.

A
strong body is a great weapon on its own.

Just
like Idelbert, who used her flesh and fists as a weapon of immense
power.

“That
gives me an idea of how to teach you.”

Idelbert
hesitates for a moment, then points at me. It’s her signal to fight.

“Will
you?”

“Come
quickly.”

I
immediately raised my axe and lunged at Idelbert.

***

‘Too
inexperienced.’

That’s
what Idelbert thought as she watched the axe swing in front of her.

The
axe, clenched tightly in his hand, swung straight and true without
hesitation, but that was all. There was nothing special about it
beyond that.

No
paint, no softening, just an honest blow with full power.

It’s
a great strike, if you limit it to simply cutting down monsters or
trees that are easy targets.

In
a “real battle” with all the hand-to-hand combat that
entails, it’s just a stupid way to drain your stamina quickly.

-Boo-boo-boo!

She
dodges with a slight shake of her head. The axe misses, and he
immediately aims for a second strike.

And
that’s when Idelbert realized that his grip on the axe had loosened
slightly.

His
arm, tense as a virgin’s for his first time, relaxed a little,
whereas before, he was swinging his axe with a rigid motion of
flailing arms.

-Boom.

This
time, it was a more concise swing, with a bit of ease.

Idelbert
dodged a little faster this time.

The
axe immediately drops to the lower left and swings diagonally toward
the upper right.

Bung-!

A
much simpler and cleaner axe strike than the second. However, he uses
his entire body to pack more power than before.

‘One
word of advice, three axe strokes, and the problem is fixed.’

This
was quite remarkable, even if the simple axe strokes did not contain
the intricacies of the sword-like martial arts.

The
first duel confirmed that the student didn’t have any particular
skill with the weapon, but the change was nevertheless remarkable.

‘He
had begun to gain more and more control over his body.’

Idelbert
read the aura and information radiating from her apprentice’s entire
body.

He
was excited for the battle at hand but he didn’t seem to be moving
with the control of a single muscle fiber.

If
he had to think about every detail, he couldn’t react this quickly.

In
other words, he was doing everything instinctively.

‘If
only I could control that body to my will.’

-Gulp.

Idelbert
swallowed hard.

Her
apprentice was brilliant and talented, but inexperienced and
immature.

‘If
I can give them a taste of proper intense combat and sparring, and
mix in a spoonful of my own preference for martial arts…It might be
possible.’

Idelbert’s
lower stomach rumbled slightly. Her leotard tightened slightly as her
womb quivered in anticipation.

-Kaaaaang!

“Crazy.”

Nam
Soo-Jin paled and stared at the axe dented along Idelbert’s
waistline.

Idelbert,
who had so far dodged or deflected every axe blow, suddenly stopped.

“Apprentice.”

“Ah,
yes. Master.”

“From
now on, you will come here every morning, except on the day you go to
the Labyrinth and the day before.”

Idelbert’s
words made Nam Soo-jin pause.

Every
day was a bit hectic. In the evenings, he has to help Diana with the
tavern.

“Well,
if you want to get stronger at a snail’s pace like a slug, I won’t
stop you from coming every other day.”

But
I fell for that cheap provocation. “Yeah. I’ll sleep less.”

The
truth is, this kind of training is best practiced as a daily routine.

And
best of all, it’s for my own good. The more time I spend practicing,
the faster I grow.

“Can
I come tomorrow?”

“Sure.
For today, let’s stay another hour just to get a taste.”

“Ah.
By the way, is that axe-“

“Axe?
Throw it over there. I’ll get you a better one later. And from now
on⋯”

-Pfft!

Idelbert
slammed her fists together, and a tremendous shockwave exploded out
and filled the training room.

“It’s
time for martial arts sparring.”

Nam
Soo-Jin saw Idelbert approaching with her tail flicking like a whip
and sensed that something was wrong.

“I’ll
teach you the ‘real battle’.”

***

The
leg didn’t move properly. Not just my legs. None of my limbs are
moving the way I want them to.

“Don’t
be silly. You used an advanced potion, it should have healed those
bruises.”

“No,
I mean, I can’t even walk⋯?”

Surprisingly,
it wasn’t a bruise or injury, but muscle pain.

I’m
not kidding, I can’t even stand on the ground.

I
tried to walk, but my thighs immediately wobbled and I fell to the
ground.

I
hadn’t felt this much muscle pain since the first time I went out for
a run, so it was quite a shock.

But
I stayed positive.

I
thought to myself, “This means I’ve gained a lot of dueling
experience today.”

The
biggest thing I lack now is experience and knowledge.

Until
now, I had been able to overpower any opponent quickly thanks to my
boosted stats and enhanced cognitive abilities from my helmet, but I
couldn’t expect this to always be the case.

If
I’m inexperienced in combat and face an opponent with similar stats,
I’ll start to lose ground, and if I face an opponent with the same
stats, I’ll struggle.

In
that sense, it was a good choice to make a master-disciple
relationship with Idelbert.

I’ll
be able to gain quality combat experience in the future, although
it’s a bit much.

“We’re
here. But you managed to calm Diana down. For her to regain her
senses after going berserk…”

“I
had my methods.”

Idelbert
was very surprised that Diana had regained her senses and opened the
inn.

After
carrying me around her waist to the inn, Idelbert opened the door and
entered.

“Ah.
Welcome, Se⋯e⋯”

I
locked eyes with Diana, who was wiping down the tables in preparation
for the evening’s business.

Her
eyes traveled to Idelbert’s hand on my stomach, and then to my
trembling limbs.

-Poof.

The
dishcloth in Diana’s hand fell to the floor and I felt a strange
sense of déjà vu at that moment.

‘I’m
sure I’ll be in a similar situation to this one day⋯’

Diana’s
gaze shifted upward from me to Idelbert, who was hugging me.

“It’s
been a while. How’d the runaway go, Diana? I borrowed your staff. Oh,
and this one. He’s my apprentice from now on. Every day from now on.”

I
remembered.

Her
reaction was similar to the one she had one day when I brought Grumpy
to the inn.

But
Deanna’s reaction now, it was nothing compared to then.

-Kaaaaaah!

Something
flashed behind Diana’s back, and Idelbert’s reaction was
instantaneous.

-Pfft!

“Thud!”

I
fell to the ground and looked around dazedly.

“⋯What
the hell, where did you
both go?”

What
the hell just happened?

After
a moment of panic, I glanced back, and my mouth dropped open.

“Crazy⋯”

A
giant ice pick, dozens of meters tall, soared into the sky.

It
was stuck at the entrance of the inn.