NOVEL WEB Chapter 57
Past me, you bastard!
Chaerin hurled insults at her past self while sparring with Yor.
I’ve always been a jerk in the past, but today it seems particularly bad.
What on earth was that idiot thinking, preparing such a trashy content?
Of course, since past me is connected to present me, I can somewhat understand the thought process.
I wanted to learn, like those lucky users who got to be taught by masters, hoping to gain some enlightenment using someone else’s power.
To be honest, I also kind of wanted to get strong without putting in too much effort.
But little did I know that what was waiting for me was this hellish place.
Grrgh-!
“Ugh!”
With a heavy impact sound, the leather armor she wore sank in.
In the time Chaerin raised her dagger, he kicked her in the ribs.
Since the pain was minimized due to the low animation rate, it wasn’t that bad, but she still couldn’t help but collapse to the ground due to the shock.
She didn’t even see the attack coming; when did his foot even go up?
She wanted to take a breather, but the words coming from him were merciless.
“Again.”
Chaerin, with a teary face, begged him.
“Just a little bit, let me rest a bit more.”
“Why? You still have stamina left.”
“Just cut me a break! I haven’t even taken a hit yet…!”
“I’m already giving you enough leeway.”
Well… that’s true. If he were serious, I would be mashed to a pulp by now.
The blow to her side from before only had a bit of shock – the damage wasn’t that severe.
But isn’t this pushing it a bit too far? It’s been 30 minutes we’ve just been sparring.
[Stop! That guy’s life is zero already!]
[He has no human heart…]
[At least teach her something… don’t just hit her…]
[It’s rare to see the owner looking pitifulㅋㅋ]
[The guy who’s hitting her like a dog… I actually like this…]
[?]
Actually, most chatroom folks were sympathizing with Chaerin.
Of course, Yor had something to say too. He wasn’t just beating her up aimlessly.
He wasn’t a psychopathic sadist who would just bully her without reason.
“Haah… haah…”
Though seeing her huff a little made him feel slightly sadistic…
Still, that was a separate matter from now.
He was genuinely pushing her for her growth.
Being a mentor to someone felt great.
Now that he thought about it, during his time at the orphanage, he once dreamed of being a teacher while watching the nuns teach kids.
Although now he wasn’t teaching with words, but with combat.
He could say he had achieved his dream. And because of that, Yor wasn’t taking it easy on her.
But instead of just telling her what to do, he was making her learn through experience.
‘Hmm…’
Seeing her struggle, he decided to give a bit of advice.
“Do you know how many times you’ve been hit on your side?”
“Huh? Maybe… around 3 times?”
“Yeah, you’re leaving your sides way too open during fights.”
Yor was adjusting the sparring to fit her level.
That meant most of his attacks were tailored to fit her abilities.
If he could hit her, then the monsters here could definitely exploit the same openings.
“Your dagger’s short range is making you overreach and creating those openings. It’s only a downside at this point. If that’s the case, just grab a big sword and wildly swing it.”
“Your field of vision is too narrow too. Being agile is good, but you’re so focused on attacking that you can’t see your surroundings. You didn’t even react properly when I attacked just now, did you?”
“And why are you widening the distance while holding a dagger? I don’t get it. At least know the range of the weapon you’re holding. That’s why your big moves are predictable, creating openings.”
These were issues that even Yor, who had never properly trained in combat, could point out.
Sure, some of it might stem from the skill gap, but that just shows how obvious these issues were.
After around 30 minutes of this, it became clear to him.
Whew-! Oof-!
But for Chaerin who was hearing this, it felt like a dagger was piercing her heart.
Her eyes fell downwards, as if caught by guilt.
[Wow, I thought this guy was just good at hitting, but he’s good with words too ㄷㄷ]
[With that fierce face lecturing me, I really feel like peeing ㅠㅠ]
[Chaerin’s regretting planning this content, thumbs downㅋㅋ]
After shooting out those words for a moment, Yor took a slight breath.
Having whipped her with words, it was now time to give her a carrot instead of a stick.
“Well, overall, you’re not doing bad.”
“E-Eh, really?”
“Yeah. Your judgment is quick, and your body is flexible.”
He wasn’t just making empty compliments. A year ago, her combat experience was probably limited to clicking online.
Of course, it was still a game now. But ultimately, she was the one thinking and moving.
If a modern person had this level of combat skill in just a year, that was impressive.
Yet, there was still something indescribable that remained. The discomfort that Yor himself hadn’t fully grasped yet.
To figure that out, he commanded her once more.
“Then, come at me again.”
“Phew, okay…”
Chaerin nodded and charged at him once more.
Swoosh-!
With a sharp sound, her dagger sliced through the air. Knowing it wouldn’t hit, she didn’t hesitate in her swing.
Swoosh-! Swoosh-!
As Yor dodged her dagger, he felt his suspicions turning into certainty.
‘Indeed…’
Her sensation wasn’t keeping up with her physical abilities. Her body and mind were working separately.
No, to be more accurate, the mana wasn’t keeping up.
As he mentioned before, everything in the world possesses mana.
And the more you train, the more that mana moves according to your will.
He didn’t even need to reach the advanced techniques level of “blade techniques.”
Reaching a B-level adventurer skill should be enough to circulate mana within one’s body.
Surely, they weren’t literally ripping bears apart with their bare hands, right?
All of that was made possible because of the miracle of mana.
Yet, watching her movements, he could feel that the mana didn’t envelop her body at the right time.
It wasn’t a lack of mana. It simply wasn’t flowing properly.
As if she didn’t quite know how to move.
‘Well…’
Unlike the locals, otherworlders probably had only had about a year of experience managing mana.
It was understandable that they wouldn’t move smoothly, like having suddenly gained a tail.
In fact, the game’s balancing effect that allowed her to reach B-level amidst all this was impressive.
But now that she’d reached this level, it seemed like she was hitting a wall.
Now, how do you solve this problem?
He had identified the issue and could roughly guess its cause.
Having sparred enough, it was time to mention the solution.
Clap.
Thus, Yor grabbed her wrist as she was lost in her rhythm of swinging her dagger.
“That’s enough, let’s stop here.”
And that seemed to have been a mistake.
As he grabbed Chaerin’s wrist, her footwork got completely tangled.
“Whoa…!”
Unable to counter the momentum, her body lurched forward.
Having only thought to evade the dagger, Yor didn’t expect her to lean in so close and ended up colliding with her.
In a way, it caught him off guard. Successfully landing a surprise attack, she surely deserved some praise.
And soon, Yor and Chaerin found themselves sprawled on top of each other.
Thud!
With the sound of falling, she was enveloped by something sturdy yet soft.
The dizzying impact caused Chaerin to hold her head for a moment.
“Ouch, ouch…”
She opened her eyes and could see Yor, glaring down at her from beneath.
At the same time, the chatroom was rapidly filling up.
[Whoa, whoa]
[Wow, the owner really just tackled her recklessly]
[Chaerin, no matter how desperate you are, you shouldn’t stream this…]
[ㅋㅋㅋ You’re so done]
“Gah!”
As she realized the situation, she quickly jumped up from Yor.
Then promptly bowed her head in apology to him.
“I-I’m sorry! It wasn’t intentional!”
“No, it’s… well…”
Yor scratched his head and nodded.
Just like she said, it wasn’t intentional. In fact, it was surprising to be in a situation where she was apologizing first.
The feeling he had when he fell still remained in his mind. The sensation of something big and fluffy pressing down on him.
Especially since the armor she wore was made of leather rather than metal, it felt even more pronounced.
[Poor Yor, suddenly tackled ㅠㅠ All the girls are dead, lolㅠㅠ]
[At least I’ve recorded the video and saved the PDF. Let’s meet at the police station]
[Seriously Chaerin, just stop being happy already]
A brief awkward silence hung between them.
Regardless, the chatroom was filled with people teasing her.
Feeling uncomfortable from the atmosphere, Yor changed the subject as though nothing had happened.
“… Anyway, let’s talk about the issues.”
“Ah, yes, let’s do that!”
Chaerin eagerly responded to Yor’s words.
The flow of mana is slow.
She can’t properly utilize her remarkable physical abilities.
The reason is that the sensations felt from her body are too few.
Since her senses are dull, she can’t recognize the changes happening within her body.
That was the cause of the issue Yor had identified.
So, the answer is just as simple.
Having finished explaining lightly, Yor said to Chaerin.
“Want to try increasing your animation rate?”
Might as well push it to the max.