Chapter 61: Taking a short break (6)

Chapter 61: Taking a short
break (6)

I
have a record of 73 wins, 0 losses and 0 draws in my career.

That’s
my record against Idelbert.

Of
course, it’s not surprising.

Idelbert
is a level 70 monster, and I’m just a little boy who’s been an
explorer for less than three months.

‘It
would be a miracle if I could even wound her.’

It
was an overwhelming skill gap considering the hardships we’ve endured
and the experience we’ve gained are on a different level but I don’t
plan to use that as an excuse to run away.

If
I hesitate, there’s no point in this fight. It’s all about gaining
battle experience.

‘No,
I can’t be satisfied with that.’

I’m
going to defeat my master, who has this indifferent, nonchalant face,
but inside she’s harboring thoughts of a mad pervert.

That’s
how it has always been, and that’s how it will always be.

“You
may enter at any time.”

Unguarded
and unprepared, Idelbert snapped her fingers.

She
had the confidence that she could take me down with one arm.

‘Ha.’

I
sighed slightly and drew the axe from my waistband.

“⋯?”

Then
a strange, very strange sensation took over my fingertips. The axe
felt more comfortable in my hand than usual.

I
interpreted it as a positive sign. I must be in good shape today.

Regardless
of my physical condition, I’m always nervous to face Idelbert.

Somehow,
I’m even more nervous than I was when I fought the Boss Minotaur.

I
swallowed my hesitation and stomped the ground.

-Pow!

The
distance of about five meters closed in a few steps.

I’ve
always been physically strong, but now I feel like I’m really
becoming something beyond human.

Ka-ang!

Idelbert
blocked the axe at the nape of her neck with only her index finger.

There’s
the sound of iron clashing as the axe and her fingers collide.

“Still
an honest attack-“

-Pow!

Before
she could finish her sentence, I tried to push Idelbert away with a
side kick to her stomach⋯
but she didn’t even flinch.

It
felt like I’ve kicked a high castle wall. Only my leg hurts like
hell, but the wall is fine.

“You
should listen to your master. Disciple.”

“You
say you’re giving me flesh-and-blood instructions, when you usually
just fucking beat me up.”

“You
must have been bored with your training lately. Time to up the ante.”

The
first dirty trick, the temper tantrum, worked but it seems to have
worked too well.

Idelbert
grabbed me by the ankle and threw me into the air like a shot put.

There
must have been a 40-pound weight difference between us, but she threw
me so lightly.

Suddenly,
Idelbert was on top of me, her fists clenched.

“Guard
well.”

As
soon as I heard those words, I immediately raised my guard.

And
right after that.

-Pfft!

“Kghhh!”

I
felt a fist pierce my side. How cowardly of her to use words but it
wasn’t the first time I’d been hit, so I guarded my side.

Even
with my force control, a minotaur’s worth of damage pierced through
one arm of my guard.

I
braced myself for the impact of the fall but I was a turn away from
hitting the ground.

I
swung my axe at Idelbert, who was right in front of me.

-Wham!

The
axe sliced through the air. Idelbert was nowhere to be seen.

“What
are you aiming for? Look your opponent in the eye.”

The
voice came from below. Without even realizing it, I was caught into
Idelbert’s arms like a princess.

My
fist shot straight for Idelbert’s face, but she lightly blocked it
with her hand on my thigh.

“How
am I supposed to hit you when I can’t see you?”

“I
used to be good at it when I was your level.”

“Ah.
I see. I’m very jealous.”

“Don’t
be envious. You’ll be there soon enough.”

With
that, Idelbert pushed me to the ground.

The
first duel was over.

“Rest
for a while. I’ll get you a potion.”

Idelbert
gave me a moment to recover, for she is not satisfied until she has
fought at least three times a day.

If
I didn’t recover in time, I would be forced to fight anyway, so I
quickly closed my eyes and rested.

Even
as my body rested, my mind was busy with various thoughts.

First,
the biggest question.

‘The
axe feels unusually comfortable in my hand today.’

It
wasn’t just that I was in good shape.

My
ability to move my body in combat had been enhanced by my
confrontation with Idelbert but the sensations I felt now were
inherently different.

‘Something,
more basic⋯’

Suddenly,
I remembered the time when he had stamped Ellie’s ass with my praise.

Now
that I think about it, a strange sensation has lingered in my hands
ever since.

It’s
like every single finger, including the palm, is meticulously
controlled.

It’s
more than just swinging my arms and fighting.

‘⋯As
if realizing the essence of the act, the finesse with which I move my
body⋯’

“Here’s
a potion. Shall I give it to you?”

“⋯No.
I’m fine, I’ve recovered.”

I
was dragged back to the training room, axe in hand, by Idelbert’s
merciless urging.

My
fingertips tingled strangely as I stand holding the axe.

One
more step, and this inscrutable itching and frustration would be
replaced by a brilliant realization, but taking that step was not
usually difficult.

“Master.
What do you think I’m lacking?”

“Don’t
be silly, student.”

“I’m
at a loss to explain it to you, but I feel like I’m grasping at
straws, and yet I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

Idelbert
closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and pondered my question.

“⋯You
lack everything.”

“⋯Not
from your point of view, Master. Is there something I lack at the
level of an explorer similar to me?”

“You
are subtly lacking in all but physical prowess and instinctive combat
sense.”

Sure.
Physical prowess and grit are my biggest strengths.

Even
by status bar standards, I’m at 0 in everything but Stamina,
Strength, and Agility.

‘⋯?’

What
do I lack?

Wisdom
0. Finesse 0.

In
general, explorers with 0 stats are fairly rare.

Your
base stats are randomized, and your stats are also randomized as you
level up while exploring the Labyrinth.

At
least, none of the level 10+ Explorers I’ve ever seen had two stats
that were zero.

Suddenly,
I remembered the details of the Blessing of Swordsmanship that Jubeel
had shown me.

+1
Wisdom and +5 Finesse.

It
was a good blessing, and the stat increase was huge, but that’s not
the point.

‘Why
did her Wisdom and Finesse increase when she was using
swordsmanship?’

After
a short thought, I came to the conclusion.

‘Do
you need Wisdom and Finesse to use swordsmanship?’

[Free
Points: 3]

Naturally,
my gaze turned to the free points.

“I
feel like I’ve found the answer.”

“⋯You
did?”

I
must have been in a rather excited mood if it could be seen in
Idelbert’s eyes as well.

After
all, I’ve been interested in magic and fantasy ever since I fell into
this world.

My
jaw dropped as wizards and priests performed their various spells and
miracles, and when Jubeel drew her sword, I didn’t flinch, but I
thought my stomach was going to drop.

But
I was too afraid to waste stats. What if I took the wrong shot and
got screwed?

But
now I saw the light.

So
I’m going to close my eyes and just take one shot.

[Would
you like to allocate 1 free point to Wisdom?]

[Would
you like to allocate 1 free point to Finesse?]

Yes,
yes, yes.

***

Idelbert
thought she’d gotten a good idea of Balkan’s level from the previous
matches.

‘Simple
physical abilities are below mid-level explorers. Other abilities are
subtly below average for a low-level explorer.’

It
was good progress. How many people could show this kind of growth in
less than half a year as an Explorer?

‘He
must have some pretty good blessings.’

Each
blessing has a huge impact on an explorer’s life.

Many
explorers cling to them, crave them and desire them but Idelbert was
a woman who saw the individual, not the blessing.

Boom!

Idelbert’s
fist slammed into Balkan’s cheek.

Balkan
narrowly avoided a fist that was flying straight for his face.

He
squints and stares at the fast-moving fist until it’s about to land
on his face, then calmly decides whether to dodge or parry, and takes
precise action.

‘It’s
something that can’t be done with ordinary guts.’

This
was the nature of the individual, which could not be overcome even by
blessings.

-Ka-ang!

The
blow was immediately followed by a calm and precise strike.

It
was a blow that would have killed him if he didn’t have a body of
steel.

The
corners of Idelbert’s mouth twitched upward.

‘He
has a good taste.’

Every
time I duel and train him, I can see that he continues to grow.

Even
when he suffers hardships, he never stagnates, always looking for the
next move, the next breakthrough, to become stronger.

The
speed at which he gained combat experience was also significant.

At
first, Idelbert was fighting Balkan lightly, with one-arm, as if he
were a child, and then she was fighting him with her whole body,
loosening the limits of her strength little by little.

He
certainly has the qualities to go to greater heights.

‘⋯But.’

There
was something nagging at Idelbert’s mind.

‘Strangely,
he only grows physically.’

He’s
still a beginner explorer, so he can’t handle magic.

For
the rate at which his physical abilities are rising, there’s almost
no growth in his skills to back it up.

To
put the current situation of Balkan in a more favorable light.

‘He’s
got a big cock, good body control, and he can get erections and
ejaculate at will, so he’s definitely the best, but I feel like he
doesn’t know how to wiggle his ass.’

“Hmph.”

Idelbert
let out a dumbfounded voice.

It
was an even more shocking flaw now that she thought about it.

‘⋯Even
if I somehow manage to solve the problem with the specs for now, if
the gap between his technique and the specs gets wider and wider⋯a
major flaw will
appear one day.

⋯Should
I change my training method?’

But
even if she changed his training method, it wouldn’t improve. This
was entirely his problem.

No
matter how gently she instructed him, if he didn’t instinctively
realize the movements, it would mean nothing.

-Boom!

Idelbert
instinctively stopped thinking and focused on dodging the axe coming
for the nape of her neck.

Similar
force, similar trajectory, similar angle, in every way it was not
much different from the previous axe strikes.

Strangely,
the blade seemed more threatening than ever before so Idelbert dodged
the blade.

Releasing
control of her power, in earnest.

-Pow!

In
one swift movement, a huge gust of wind blew up and turned the
training room upside down.

“Hmph.”

Balkan,
caught in the gust, let out an odd laugh as he slammed into the wall
of the training room.

The
mockery clearly belonged to the loser.

“This
time, I win, Master.”

At
this moment, there was no loser.

Idelbert
stared at him, bewildered by Balkan’s sudden growth and change, but
also humiliated.

“⋯A
pupil dares to defeat his master.”

“But
honestly, this round is my round, right?”

“⋯⋯”

“Isn’t
it?”

“⋯⋯”

“Yes,
Master, you heard me, I won, didn’t I?”

Balkan
laughed softly under his helmet, perhaps excited at the prospect of
his first victory.

Idelbert
was silent for a long moment, then sighed and nodded.

Balkan
exclaimed in glee. It was a worthy victory after 74 defeats.

Idelbert
was strangely unhappy with the reaction.

“…Be
very happy. There will be no more complacency from now on.”

“Eh.”

Balkan’s
body stiffened at the low muttered words.

He
racked up nineteen more losses that day.