I arrived at the training ground Arthur mentioned at exactly 8 o'clock. It was a massive training ground located in the mansion of the Lirius family, equipped with all kinds of weapons and armor. We had training dummies and a spacious area; moreover, according to Dolares, this area had a powerful protective enchantment, so even a dragon couldn't break through it with a single attack. Although I wasn't sure why we needed such strong protection.
It had been exactly 2 hours, and Arthur was nowhere to be seen. After waiting a bit longer, Arthur finally showed up.
"You told me to be here at 8, and you're two hours late. Are you kidding me?"
Arthur: "Hmm, did I say that? Why would I want to meet at 8 in the morning?"
This guy was really going to drive me crazy.
Arthur: "Anyway, your physical strength is really terrible, so we'll fix that first. After our daily training, you'll do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and run 10 kilometers."
Somehow, this training program sounded familiar...
Arthur: "For now, we'll do the same thing we did yesterday. I'll attack you, and you'll try to dodge. Don't even think about blocking. No matter how hard you work, it takes years of training to become physically strong. So, your fighting style should be more agile and fast. Lucky for you, your teacher is me."
"Okay, so all I have to do is dodge?"
Arthur: "And no using special abilities."
"What? But you saw what happened when I took just one of your punches."
Arthur: "Then try not to get caught."
Suddenly, Arthur started attacking me. I dodged a punch from the right, but then a fast punch came from the left. Without knowing what to do, I instinctively leaned back. Seeing me lean back, Arthur swung his fist from above like a hammer, and with my last-minute roll to the side, his fist hit the ground. I could see the cracks on the ground; if that punch had hit my head, I probably would've died.
"Hey! Are you trying to kill me?"
Arthur: "Man up a bit!"
And so, we continued with evasion training for days. I was so exhausted from the training that I vomited everything in my stomach. Additionally, after every training session, he wouldn't leave my side until I completed the workout he gave me to increase my physical strength. If I rested, he would beat me until all my bones were broken and then ask the healer of the Lirius family to heal me. Every time I got tired or injured, I would heal through the healer, and then I would continue the training. I was mentally exhausted to the point that some days I couldn't even sleep. Now, I could dodge attacks and better grasp the direction of incoming strikes.
Arthur: "Wow, looks like you've gotten a bit stronger."
"Really?"
Arthur: "So, now I can fight you at full strength, right?"
"W-What?"
Even though Arthur claimed to be fighting at full strength, I was sure he wasn't. He wasn't using any abilities, and yet, he was extremely powerful. As days passed, the difficulty of the training and the number of broken bones increased. One day, Arthur decided to change our training style again.
Arthur: "Why are you pushing yourself so hard? If you want, you can quit the training. I've seen you; you're good at leading people. Most likely, you can win most battles by managing people without lifting a finger. So why do you want to get so much stronger?"
"I don't want to get stronger; I have to get stronger."
I was so out of breath that it was hard for me to talk, and those were the only words that came out of my mouth.
Arthur: "Hmm, alright. Now using abilities is allowed, and you can attack me too. So, here I come!"
"W-WAIT, LET ME CATCH MY BREATH!"
Our battles with Arthur continued for days. By now, we had fought so much that I could use my abilities more skillfully. I used my portal ability to redirect the direction of his attacks and create openings for myself, and I tried to trip him up by creating small pits in the ground with my trap ability. Using my inspection ability, I could gauge the amount of force he put into his attacks and whether his strike was a feint or a real attack. Of course, every time I improved, he increased his power and attacked more. I couldn't land a single hit on him.
Arthur: "Okay, today was the last day of our training, so we can end it here."
"No, one more time... Let's fight one more time."
Arthur: "Why? Are you upset because you couldn't hit me even once? I told you from the beginning that what we're doing is just to train you."
"Hey, old man, don't be a coward. Come on, fight me."
Arthur seemed annoyed, but he wasn't someone who would get angry over such words. However, he definitely wouldn't miss the opportunity to dominate me and teach me a lesson, thinking that I was a weakling.
Arthur: "Alright, if that's what you want."
Arthur charged at me at full speed, and I had never seen him move so fast before. Using his speed to my advantage, I lifted the ground with my foot, trying to obstruct his view. However, being slow in doing so, he must have predicted my move because he quickly changed his position and got behind me. As he threw a punch to attack, I instinctively leaned forward, and he threw his fist like a hammer. At the last moment, I rolled to the side, and his fist hit the ground. Taking advantage of his loss of balance, I pretended to attack him as if I were going to strike, but my real goal was to get away from him and reach one of the knives behind him. After all, there was no rule that said I couldn't use a weapon, and I managed to grab a dagger.
Arthur: "You think you can beat me with that little knife? Such trivial things can't even scratch me."
"We'll see about that."
I quickly threw my dagger towards Arthur's head, but as expected, he easily dodged the attack.
Arthur: "So, is that all you can do? I thought this old man might have some fun."
Arthur quickly charged at me, continuing his rapid attacks. Trying to dodge all his attacks without using my portal ability was extremely difficult.
Arthur: "Aren't you going to use your ability? Right, your mana is quite low, isn't it?"
It seemed like Arthur was enjoying himself as he continued his attacks faster, as if the speed of his punches increased with each strike. While attempting to dodge his last punch, my foot slipped, and I fell to the ground. I had no place left to escape.
Arthur: "Any last words? Because I'm about to punch you in the face."
"Hey, old man, do you have time to talk?"
I raised my hand in the air and pointed to the right with two fingers. Although Arthur didn't understand what I was pointing at, he looked to his right. As he turned his head, a knife sliced through his long hair.
Arthur's inner voice: "This knife... it's the same
one he threw at me before. How did he do this? With his portal ability? But how did he throw it so fast? Hahaha, no, this doesn't matter. I lost."
Arthur: "Alright, you won."
"Ah, come on, I didn't even touch you. I just cut a strand of your hair. Why do you have to be so strong?"
Arthur: "But you managed to land a cut, didn't you? Also, I'm sure you don't know, but the number of people who have been able to touch me in a fight is less than the fingers on one hand."
Who was Arthur? Why was he so powerful? He could easily dominate me without even using his abilities.
Arthur: "So, how did you throw the knife so quickly?"
I was lying on the ground, almost dead, trying to breathe, while Arthur stood there asking me questions.
"Oh, that? I caught the knife I threw to you with a portal and aligned the entry and exit directions with another portal, so the knife coming out of the upper portal falls into the lower portal and repeats the cycle by coming out of the upper portal again. All I had to do then was wait for the knife to reach its maximum falling speed, and when it was right between the two portals, align the exit direction with your head. The rest, as you saw, is history—the knife was thrown and missed your head. I had calculated all the attacks, but when I told you to look right, I didn't really think you would listen. I'm really stupid."
Arthur: "Let me confirm something. How did you time the moment when the knife was between the two portals while it was moving so fast?"
"What do you mean? I just calculated it."
Arthur: "Calculated? How?"
"Well, considering the weight of the knife is between 350 and 400 grams, and factoring in the acceleration it gained when I threw it to you..."
Daichi continued to speak, and Arthur watched him in bewilderment without understanding what he was saying. Arthur wasn't stupid; he had actually understood what Daichi meant. What surprised him was how Daichi managed to perform all these calculations and processes during the fight and evasion.
Arthur's inner thoughts: "He thinks he's stupid because he couldn't scratch me, but in reality, he's a genius. Being able to calculate these things in such a short time is not something everyone can do. Is he upset because he cut my hair? No one has been able to touch me in a fight since I battled the king."
[Foreseeing] Ability activated.
Foreseeing ability? What's this? And why now?
[Foreseeing: Allows you to see the future depending on the extent of your intuitive power. This is a limited ability; there are only two people in total with this ability.]
Isn't this a powerful ability? Only two people? Or...
"Hey Arthur, is there a reason why I can foresee my attacks on you so easily?"
Arthur looked at Daichi in astonishment.
Arthur: "What? Have you already mastered this ability?"
"So, I'm right? Is this the reason for your strength?"
Arthur: "Hahaha, do you think so? Do you believe that you can't be strong without gaining abilities? Didn't you already foresee my attacks and evade them throughout this whole battle? Will you rely on this ability from now on? Working hard to gain abilities is the result of hard work. In other words, no one gains abilities and strength for free. You worked hard, and this is your reward, but as I said before, this ability was already within you. Now, it's just strengthened a bit. If you want to be as strong as me..."
Arthur changed his stance, assuming a combat position, then threw his fist into the sky, creating a high-pressure area. The punch scattered all the clouds in the sky.
Arthur continued: "You have to work and train for years."
Arthur's inner thoughts: "Sure, it took you a month to master your [Foreseeing] ability, but it took me about 30 years... You may seem weak for now, but soon, no one will not know your name."
Arthur: "You endure all this for the sake of entering the tournament and helping a friend, right? The tournament is in a few days; what will you do after? I'm sure you want to learn from me, but-"
"No, I don't want to."
Arthur punched me in the stomach. Even though I foresaw the punch through my ability, I couldn't react quickly enough. At least my body was stronger now, so instead of flying meters away, I stayed in place and started vomiting everything in my stomach.
Arthur coughed and continued speaking: "Yeah, what was I saying? After all this tournament and saving your friend, what will you do? I won't be around, so you'll have to continue your training on your own. Also, if you miss even one day of physical training, it will find you and then..."
"Okay, okay, don't worry. I'll make sure to train every day. As for what I'll do afterward, honestly, I don't know. For now, my only goal is to save my friend. Maybe after, we can go for a drink with my friends. When everything is over, you can come too, right? Especially since there's a place I want to take you; I'm sure you'll love it."
Arthur: "You have a place you want to take me? I can't say I'm not curious, but I won't be around for a while. Still, when I come back, you can be sure I'll find you."
"Well then, thanks for everything, sensei!"
Arthur: "What's with this emotional atmosphere?"
Arthur punched me again.
Arthur: "Hahaha, look at this weak guy. Thanks, sensei, HAHAHA!"
I can't believe I thanked this guy.