Ackster didn't have time to laze around or dally, and he got up as soon as he stopped moving. He ignored the pain in his shoulders until he realized one of them was in a state he couldn't ignore.
The pain of the dislocation wasn't so bad, thanks to Pain Tolerance and the adrenaline rushing through his veins. However, the fact that he couldn't move it properly was a problem, especially if he was going to try again. So, while looking up to see where the bull was and how far it had flung him, Ackster grabbed his dislocated shoulder with the arm that, while hurting, wasn't as badly injured. He gritted his teeth.
He hadn't dislocated or relocated his shoulder before or seen someone do it. But he could feel what was wrong and where his arm needed to go to return to its rightful place. He gripped his wrist tightly and, with an explosive jerk, popped his arm back in place.
Ackster grunted before swinging his arm around to see how bad it was. Fortunately, it was just a little stiff. It might be because of the adrenaline and the heat of the battle, but he couldn't sense anything else wrong. But it could also be thanks to his skills and stats.
Ackster didn't have any more time to leisurely ponder on the state of his shoulder as the bull was already charging at him. He was pretty sure he could see the bull's eyes gleaming with a sadistic playfulness. It was a little like a child with a new bug to tear wings from.
It felt like the bull was just playing with him.
"I'll show you why you don't play with food, you fat cow."
Ackster glared at the bull and reassumed his defensive stance.
The bull hadn't flung him that far, but it was still enough for it to build up enough momentum and ram Ackster again. Ackster wasn't sure whether trying again would lead to a different result. But it didn't matter.
If he wanted to get Iron Wall in the shortest time possible, this was what he would have to do. Thankfully, he had met a beast more than willing to help him focus on his training. And if the bull had such a mean attitude as what Ackster could feel from it, he would probably get pretty far in his training. The only problem was that he didn't have any real ways of fighting back against the bull.
He had his gauntlets, but the bull looked sturdy enough, and its hide resilient enough that ordinary attacks probably wouldn't do much.
But that was a matter for later. First on Ackster's agenda was acquiring Iron Wall and Fortify if possible.
So, when the bull tossed him back after another charge, Ackster wasn't discouraged. He got back up without any trouble. He felt a couple of bruises begin to blossom in several places over his body, and his hands had taken a headstart on Nold's secret technique since it seemed like he had broken a majority of the bones in them.
But with Strong Body, his increased Fortitude stat, Leather Skin, Resilience, and Stone Fists worked together to keep his body operative and ready for yet another charge. Strong Body was also doing its best to recover the scrapes, bruises, and fractures he incurred. It seemed like his hard work in harming himself and incurring as many injuries as possible had helped develop his Strong Body a little. Broken bones healed quickly enough that he didn't have to think about it in the heat of battle, as long as the damage was slight enough.
Broken hands made it a little more difficult to receive the bull's charge, but strangely enough, it helped him focus on the other parts of his body and make up for where his hands dragged him down.
Since his hands couldn't take the impact, he had to use the rest of his body. But he wasn't strong enough to receive the bull's full power, even when he used his body and his hands were intact.
But he didn't have to use his body.
Instead of trying to catch all of the bull's charge with his physical strength alone, Ackster began trying to use his surroundings. He was still too weak to do it properly, and he could feel his body, muscles, spine, and knees buckle under the pressure. But he wasn't tossed into the air as soon as the bull made contact.
Ackster grabbed the bull by the horns, and rather than trying to block its charge, he acted like a lightning rod for physical power. He channeled the bull's charge into the ground below him. He bent down and leaned forward so that it was nigh impossible for the bull to topple or flip him backward.
He didn't have enough grip with his feet to stop the bull still, so the bull plowed the ground with him until he hit a stone and fell over. But his slight success had him brimming with a crazed thrill.
Somehow, stopping a stampeding bull, or being capable of such a feat, was unexpectedly self-confident. And the closer he got to succeeding, the happier he was. So, even if it took tens or hundreds of tries, and no matter how many times he got thrown about and tackled by the bull, who was gradually becoming bored of Ackster, he didn't give up.
His hands were a couple of bleeding messes, and he had dislocated both shoulders several times, which, without fully functioning hands, were difficult to relocate. It was even worse when both popped out of their joints at the same time. But he figured it out by jumping back and landing on one shoulder at a time to fix them.
Ackster hadn't even realized how much time had passed until the sun's light crawled its way up the horizon and gave the grass' dye of grey nightly darkness a glossy green shine. The sudden realization of time also made Ackster acutely aware of how hungry and tired he was.
'I need to end this.'
The bull was also panting heavier than it had done at first, but it wasn't as tired as Ackster. It was, however, more than fed up enough with Ackster's stubbornness. And it seemed like daybreak was a sign for it to begin wrapping things up now that it had had its fill.
Ackster realized that it was now or never. If he didn't succeed this time, the bull wouldn't wait for him to get back up. It would ram him again and again. It would run over him, trample him, and turn him into a tenderized piece of meat that would fall apart in its mouth if it decided to eat him.
He got in position again. As did the bull. One last time.