Joshua went to a remote place, where he and Richard would train. Aurora said that she wanted to watch his training, but no way she would wake up that early, so she might as well go later.
"All right. What do you know about sword fighting?" Richard asked.
Silence. Joshua wanted to say, I'm from another planet and people use guns there, not swords and magic.
"Well, prepare to train, a lot. If you have zero knowledge you're already behind everyone. Just so you know, even Aurora knows some sword fighting."
Joshua expected that. He didn't know anything about magic or fighting, the only thing that kept him safe was his special ability.
"Grab this wooden sword and let's fight. I want to see exactly where you stand." Richard tossed a wooden sword to Joshua and grabbed one for himself.
Richard standstill in a powerful stance. Joshua was scared just looking at it. That man had an ??? above his head, indicating that he was far more leveled up than Joshua.
The only option was to attack, so Joshua got to it. He couldn't come up with a plan or anything like that. He was a newbie in fighting, and his adversary was a monster. Joshua dashed forward with his wooden sword in his hands. In Richard's eyes, he was slow as a turtle, and that was Joshua with his full attributes, as the Blazing Rage debuff had passed.
Richard dodged easily, dancing around Joshua, and hitting him in the back with his wooden sword.
"Again."
Every time Joshua failed and hadn't hit his opponent once. He didn't activate Blazing Rage for some reason. First, even with that skill, he would still lose. Second, he didn't want to expose his secret.
Aurora showed up after some time to cheer for him, but that didn't change the outcome, he still couldn't hit Richard.
"It's okay Joshua you'll get him eventually," Aurora said.
"Did you forget that I'm your father? Are you okay with me being hit?" Richard scorned.
"You're old but your bones are like steel," Aurora giggled.
Their training session lasted the entire mourning.
A notification popped up in front of Joshua's eyes, giving him a pleasant surprise.
[Novice Swordsmanship: Increase your damage when wielding any type of sword by 10%. You can handle swords with more ease.]
[Level up Progress: 0%]
'That's awesome. It's only the novice level but it already boosts my attack by 10%. But I learned this too fast. Is it because of my Hero Mark?' he glanced at his chest, where a blazing sun was marked. He always covered it, as people knew about the heroes.
*
Richard asked Joshua if he wanted to hunt with him, and he agreed. They went back to the village and grabbed some things to prepare for the hunt. A water bottle, some weapons, and a bow. Joshua got his giant sword. Richard said that it would be good for his training, as carrying that amount of weight would get him some muscles.
"We will be hunting a level 2 beast called Rhakun. It's pretty weak and its meat is delicious."
They walked through the forest, and Richard gave his insights about tracking. Joshua was stunned. Their agreement was about training to eventually get a class, and get stronger. These lessons about tracking and hunting were more like a generosity from Richard.
'He even made me build my own house. He's preparing me for the real world' Joshua was happy to find someone kind so fast in the new world he was in.
"You see this footprint? It's from the beast we're hunting. You'll need to learn a lot about beasts to know which one you're chasing. I have a book in my house about beasts, I can lend it to you."
"Remember one thing. Just because the footprint is small, doesn't mean the beast is weak. There are tons of small yet powerful beasts, some that even I can't face."
Joshua paid attention and listened to everything carefully. These things were all new to him, just like everything else in this world. He knew that the world was dangerous, and just because he had some divine-grade abilities doesn't mean he was immortal. He set his mind to train hard and become strong, to then leave a peaceful life.
They sneaked behind a bush and stared at their prey. The beast reminded wasn't that big but neither small. Its fur was thick and blue. Its eyes were red, showing some ferocity. That beast looked like a mutated fox from Joshua's previous life.
[Rhakun]
[Level: 2]
"Do you know how to use a bow? Well, forget I asked. Anyway, you'll be the one fighting this thing. Our advantage is that the beast isn't that smart, and we are hidden. You'll first shoot an arrow to get the beast wounded, before going into the melee fight, got it?" Richard explained their plan of action and lend him a bow.
Joshua was nervous. He had never used a bow before, so hitting the beast would be almost impossible. Well, it was a good thing he was one of the legendary heroes, and another notification popped up.
[Novice Bow Mastery: Increase your damage with the bow by 10%, and it makes it easier to handle the bow.]
[Level Progression: 0%]
'Man I'm awesome. And now that I think of it, I've never analyzed any of the weapons I got.
[Military Bow]
[Damage: 10-18]
[Durability: 25/25]
[A bow that lost some of its power due to time. Used in countless battles, and a common weapon for the army.]
'There's even damage numbers like an RPG. Back when I was fighting the bandits I was so enraged that didn't pay attention at all.'
Joshua grabbed the bow, placed an arrow, and aimed at the beast. He wasn't good at using a bow, but the mastery of passive skills gave him some benefits. Holding his breath, he adjusted his body and shot towards the beast.
[13 Damage dealt]
It landed on the left leg of the beast, piercing through it. The beast started to bleed, and its movements were now a lot worse, as one of its legs was disabled.
"Nice shot. Now grab your sword and get your ass there, and kill that thing." Richard kicked Joshua out of the bush.