Chapter 43: Frey 2 (Part 1)
TL: Scaramochi
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[Frey's POV]
I am Frey.
I belong to a silver rank party called Stardust, and I'm on an adventurous journey with Athena, the leader, Mirialia, an elves, and Dale.
The reason is that we can't enter the intermediate level of the labyrinth for the time being because of the appearance of a demon god.
When I was wondering what to do since I couldn't enter the labyrinth, Dale suggested that if we were an adventurer, why don't we go on an adventurous trip?
I've been thinking about becoming an adventurer...... and getting stronger and stronger by killing monsters and becoming a gold rank adventurer, but that ain't so bad either.
So Stardust and I set out on a journey to the royal city of Barontark.
On the way, Dale gave me a lot of challenges.
First of all, he wants me to learn how to cook.
I told him I didn't need that, but there was no guarantee that I would stay with Stardust forever. I may be alone, or I may join another party.
It was super tedious and I didn't want to do it at all, but I had no choice but to try cooking.
However, it was my first time to actually cook a meal by myself, and I couldn't seem to get it right.
I used to hunt wild beasts and roast them whole when I was hungry, and if I wanted good food, I could just go to a restaurant.
I had never cut and processed ingredients or used seasonings to make a proper dish. That's why the first dish I made was terrible. Instead of tasting good, it tasted bad.
It got a little better as the days went by, but it was still a hassle to cook, and I realized I wasn't cut out for this.
The next step was to train to strengthen my body.
Dale told me that I was so bad at controlling my magic that I could only do a hundred at any given time. That's not very fuel-efficient, he said. I was doing it because I was somehow able to do it, but isn't that how magic is supposed to be done?
I thought so, but apparently not.
While listening to Dale's lecture on magic, I realized the possibility of physical enhancement.
It's not just about vaguely strengthening the body. It's possible to strengthen parts of the body, such as the fists and legs, and even the senses, such as sight, hearing, and reaction time.
I was thrilled to hear that. If it really can do that, it will broaden the scope of my fighting.
But, according to Dale, there are not many people who can do that. He told me that I couldn't do it. I was really pissed off, but I could understand.
Athena has already fine-tuned her physical strength, but she can only do 100% at any given time.
So the first thing I need to do is to get used to the operation of body enhancement. As a first step, he told me to activate the physical enhancements 24/7. Don't unravel it even when I'm cooking.
Even I, who had confidence in my physical strength, had a hard time with this. I ran out of gas just after noon.
And because I was strengthening my body, I couldn't control my strength well, and I almost broke my tools. I can't even cook, and I can't even handle tools properly.
Damn...... Dale's character is really crooked.
The last thing he needs is a defense mechanism to "pass the buck".
This is a way of not defending against an attacker's attack head-on, but rather killing the force of the attack and minimizing the damage. It's also a way to break the opponent's stance.
Dale demonstrated it to me, and I have a vague idea of what it looks like, but it's really difficult when I actually try it. If I'm not good at it, I will get more clean hits than if my defend myself normally.
He said that as I do it, I will understand the flow of power, but I can't get the hang of it at all.
Athena was also going to train with me on ukegashi.
We both had the other attack, and we continued training to pass the attacker's attack. When I attacked Athena, Athena attacked me, and when Athena attacked me, I attacked Athena with a wooden sword. We would take turns doing this.
Unlike me, Athena gradually became good at it.
It's not fair that I can't do it at all. I told her how to do it, but she couldn't tell me because it's a matter of feeling. I knew it...... but Athena is a genius.
I can't lose, I can't lose to Athena.
I was burning with fighting spirit, and I worked even harder at my training.
As I was training like this, about a month passed in no time after I left on my trip.
Time seemed to flow faster than usual. Perhaps it was because I was so absorbed in the training.
Thanks to it, my cooking has gotten a little better.
I can only cook simple things like baked and stewed dishes, not elaborate ones. I'm sure that Mirialia is about the same age as I am, and she's getting better and better at Athena.
What I didn't expect was Dale. He is a good cook in spite of his face. Well, as far as cooking is concerned, Dale has been doing most of the cooking since we were at the party house. I knew he could do it, but when we tried it together, his deftness caught my attention. That's what pisses me off, or rather, what I can't explain.
I've become pretty good at manipulating physical enhancements.
I'm still up to two things, full power and energy conservation, but I can now do it all day long.
I guess it's just getting used to it. If you keep doing it, you get the hang of it, or your body learns. In short, it's a feeling. I'm not doing it with my head, so it seems to suit me.
Finally, the "sink" defense, I never got good at this.
I can't quite grasp the feeling of channeling power. When I try to do it, I end up doing normal defenses out of habit.
Unlike me, Athena is mastering the flow of power. I was so frustrated that she could do it and I couldn't. That made me even more impatient. So I became even more impatient, and I became even crazier than before. I knew that I was in the ditch.
I was aware of it even when I was training with Athena.
She is a genius and I am an ordinary person. But that doesn't mean I can give up.
Dale said it was a necessary skill for me to become stronger, and I knew instinctively that if I could master it, I could gain a level of strength that would take me to the next level.
So, I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep on trying until I can do it.
As we traveled along, training like this, we came to a town at the foot of a mountain. Apparently, once you cross the mountain here, Barontark is right in front of me. Dale told us that before crossing the mountain, we would take a rest here and get some supplies.
For a small town, there are a lot of people and it looks prosperous and bustling. Also, all the guys were dressed the same way.
According to Dale, they are martial artists who gather at a dojo, a place for training, to master martial arts and train with other martial artists who have the same fighting style.
Hearing this, I was tempted to compete for the first time in a long time, but I decided to hold back because I needed to concentrate on my own training.
Damn, there are guys who are willing to test their skills. If I had been the same person before, I would have been unable to hold back and started a fight with anyone and everyone.
Does that mean I've grown up a little? I don't know.
When I was eating at a teahouse, a waiter got tangled up with a thug-like customer who looked like a punk. They were all arrogant and arrogant.
I don't like...... them. I'm in a good mood after eating delicious food and dumplings, but these guys piss me off.
I asked Athena and the others if I could try it, and they all gave me permission.
I'm going to go wild for the first time in a while.
But they were too weak to even talk to me. It really wasn't even a good way to eat a meal. Are they really martial artists?
In return for chasing off the goons, they gave me free food. I was lucky.
After that, Dale wanted to introduce me to some of his acquaintances, so I followed him into the mountains and up a long flight of stairs.
It was quite a distance, and I had to carry Mirialia, who fell down on the way.
I was skeptical about whether people really live in such a mountainous area. I was skeptical, and then we arrived at a small dojo.
But there was no one inside, and I was wondering what was going on, when suddenly someone was rubbing my buttocks. I couldn't feel any sign of him at all, but he had good nerve. I tried to back-fist him to see whose butt he was rubbing without permission, but he ducked.
No way....... he dodged my fist.
I was surprised and couldn't believe it, but the guy was inside the dojo.
It seems that this old man is an acquaintance of Dale's. He looks like just an old man, but my instincts are alerting me. This old man is no ordinary man.
Heh, isn't this fun? The thugs from before weren't enough for me.
I'm sorry, but I'm going to have you as my partner, old man.
I was motivated, but then I got scolded for not going inside with my feet in the dirt. What the heck, I have to take off my shoes every time...what a hassle.
I went up this time and attacked the old man, grumbling and complaining.
But...
(But... Damn it, I can't hit him at all!)
All the attacks I launched were ducked. They fluttered around like leaves in mid-air and never hit him. On top of that, this old man was rubbing my ass and Athena's ass while dodging. What an erotic old man.
Finally, I was thrown away without knowing why. I had no idea how I was thrown away. It reminded me of the feeling I had when I was competing with Dale.
I remember, I didn't know what he did to me then, too.
I still wanted to do it, but I couldn't do it any more because the old man said his back was hurting.
Then, while Dale was talking with the old man, the beastman kid suddenly appeared and jumped on Dale.
The kid's name was Meimei. She was about the same size as Mirialia and looked like a little kid, but it seemed she was the same age as us. She doesn't look like a kid at all.
Meimei and Dale are old acquaintances. They are talking happily, reminiscing about the old days.
Come to think of it, I don't know much about Dale. Well, I'm not interested in him, so it's okay.
As we were talking, Meimei and I decided to play a game.
I thought there was no way I could lose to such a small girl, but when I tried to fight her, she was strong.
She was able to parry my blows with ease. She had mastered the techniques I was trying to learn.
But I wasn't just playing around. I've learned to use my head.
My attack landed, and Meimei was blown away. But it wasn't a clean hit, and it killed the power of my attack. How can she do that in the air? She is really good.
I'm starting to enjoy this.
This time, Meimei attacked me. To test the results of my training, I tried to do a ukegashimi, even though it was awkward. I'm surprisingly good at it, I'm good for practice.
As I was inwardly pleased, Meimei's figure suddenly disappeared from in front of me. At the same time, I felt a floating sensation. The next thing I knew, I was being thrown and slammed to the floor.
(Damn...... again?!)
The game is over and I'm defeated when Meimei, who has taken over, puts her fist in my face.
I never thought I would lose. I thought I could win with a little time to spare.
That was the result of my foolishness in judging her strength based on her appearance alone. It was frustrating, but strangely enough, I wasn't irritated, and I was able to honestly admit defeat.
"I lost."
"Thank you very much."
"You're a...... tough one."
"Yes I am! Frey was strong too! My hands are tingling because of the heavy fist strike!"
"Damn, talking to you makes me feel like I'm going crazy......."
She should have won, but she's paying me respect.
I had never met such a refreshing person before, and it was a weird feeling.
Then, while talking in the guest room, Dale pursues the fact that he has no apprentice.
The old man didn't seem to want to talk, but Meimei explained.
It seems that some son of a bitch named Ryu had killed a man with a technique from another school. When the old man expelled him, Ryu encouraged his other disciples and pulled them all out of the school except Meimei.
I didn't think anything of it. It's up to you what you do to become stronger.
I might have switched to the Hattenryu if I could have become stronger. Well, Ryu is still an asshole.
Then, Dale suddenly said something like this.
"Hey, old man, will you take Frey as your disciple for a little while?"
"What? What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden? Why should I do that?"
"Are you kidding? I'm going to become an apprentice at this dojo? I'm in the middle of the training you assigned me. What about you?"
When I asked him that, he said with a serious expression on his face, "Well, well, I'm not just randomly saying that. I'm saying this because I think you need it right now."
"You think I need it? Really? You just got too lazy to keep up with my training?"
But he doesn't say random things. He must have an idea.
Damn it, I'll do it.
Watch me, I'm going to get stronger and get my revenge match against you this time.
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