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Chapter 84

"What did you just say...?"

A low voice, the likes of which I had never heard before.

I suppressed the shivers running down my spine and spoke.

"Th-they said they\'ll lend it to me if I put this training hall up as collateral..."

At that moment...

Thud.

"W-wait!"

I sensed a murderous intent in Barundel\'s eyes and dashed out of the room.

Thump, thump, thump!

Barundel chased after me in an instant.

This wasn\'t some cute chase between lovers on a beach.

This was a life-or-death chase.

At this moment, even a murderer couldn\'t be more terrifying than Barundel.

"Stop right there!"

He shouted in a furious voice, swinging his axe as he chased me.

"So that\'s why you asked? If it cost a lot of money to build this training hall!"

"W-wait!"

"Aha! Now I see, you planned everything from the start! Your goal was to steal my property all along!"

"That\'s not true! ...L-let\'s put that down first and talk!"

Was he not even listening to me?

"You swindler! You devil! Die!"

Whack!

Barundel continued to run, slamming his sharpened axe into the ground.

No, it seemed like his speed had increased even more.

Now, I wouldn\'t be able to shake him off without using magic.

Crackle!

Dash, dash, dash!

In the end, I ran around the training hall with lightning magic enhancing my speed.

Meanwhile, I overheard voices.

"...This is the first time I\'ve seen Master so angry."

"His speed is incredible. Is this the true value of physical training?"

"...We still have a long way to go."

It was the chatter of my fellow mages, watching this situation as if it were a movie.

Somehow, it sounded irritating.

\'These guys aren\'t even trying to help!\'

Who were they to thank for being able to train here?

I wanted to smack them, but now wasn\'t the time.

All I could do was run like crazy, vowing never to forget this incident.

"Gasp...!"

How long had I been running?

By the time I was completely out of breath, Barundel finally stopped chasing me.

It seemed like Barundel had finally run out of stamina.

"Huff...! Huff...! Your speed has increased even more, Johannes!"

"Gasp...! Gasp...! Let\'s stop, shall we? Do you really intend to keep this up?"

"Huff... I\'m getting old, I\'m getting old."

Thud. Barundel collapsed on the floor and spoke between ragged breaths.

"Tell me how you came up with such an idea."

"..."

Judging from his tone, he seemed to be asking how I came up with the idea of offering the training hall as collateral...

Honestly, I didn\'t have much to say about this part.

"Well, it\'s the weapon Barundel will be using, and... besides that, we don\'t have anything else to offer as collateral."

"...Is that all?"

"No, it\'s not something to be taken so seriously. We\'re just making a contract with it as collateral, and you can still operate the training hall normally. If anything, we don\'t have to sign the contract at all."

"...You\'re saying I can still operate it?"

"Yes, if that wasn\'t the case, I wouldn\'t have offered it as a condition in the first place."

As I explained further, I could feel Barundel\'s breathing gradually calming down.

I wish he had listened earlier.

After calming down somewhat, he asked,

"...Is there anything else I need to know?"

Anything else I needed to know...

There was one thing.

"The rental period is 5 years, and after that, it has to be returned. After being raised to mythic grade."

"Hmm..."

"This is a good deal, isn\'t it? 5 years is enough time to level it up, and you\'ll probably have to retire around then anyway."

Barundel, still lying down, closed his eyes.

He seemed lost in thought.

A moment later, Barundel opened his eyes, seemingly having made a decision.

"...Alright. I\'ll think about it. When is the date we agreed to sign the contract?"

"Tomorrow."

"...That\'s a tight schedule."

"But if we\'re going to sign the contract, shouldn\'t we get it before the war?"

"Alright. I\'ll have made up my mind by tomorrow anyway."

That\'s what he said, but I wonder.

In my opinion, there was only one choice.

\'It\'s an opportunity to rent a mythic-grade weapon almost for free, how could he refuse?\'

It was a matter that could be easily concluded with a little rational thought.

If it was Barundel, he would surely accept the contract.

\'...Somehow it worked out.\'

With this, I could say that Barundel\'s end-game weapon had been secured.

There were some twists and turns, but it ended successfully.

As the tension eased, my body ached all over.

Since it had come to this, I got up to take care of the things I had put off.

"Shall we do some training after a long time?"

It was time for the 3rd stage of physical training.

I had been doing it bit by bit during the 2-week hunting period, but I hadn\'t completely finished it yet.

Perhaps he wasn\'t happy with that suggestion.

Barundel replied in a tired voice.

"Right now...?"

"Yes, now that we\'ve warmed up, it seems like the perfect time."

"Ugh... Alright."

With that, Barundel got up with difficulty.

As expected of Barundel.

Even though he must have been tired, he never refused training.

Thud, thud, thud!

After lightly stretching, I turned my head.

Towards the guys who had been leisurely resting.

"What are you doing? You guys have to join too."

"W-we do...?"

"Barundel, they won\'t die from doing the 3rd stage, right?"

"That\'s true, but... it\'ll put a tremendous strain on their bodies."

A tremendous strain... that\'s exactly what I wanted.

"That sounds fine. Let\'s proceed together, shall we?"

"W-wait a minute! What about our opinion...?"

They asked urgently, but I didn\'t bother to reply.

I just muttered inwardly.

\'This is all for your own good.\'

The easy training they had been doing so far was over.

***

The 3rd stage of dwarven training was simple.

Stand with your eyes closed, maintaining a still posture.

And when you sense something approaching—

Whoosh!

\'Good.\'

All you had to do was twist your body like this to dodge.

Of course, it was only simple in words. Actually doing it was agonizing.

If you missed even a slight hint of movement, immense pain would wash over your body.

Whack!

"Argh—!"

Yes, just like that.

I heard the sound of Rief, who was doing the same training next to me, collapsing after being hit by Barundel\'s club.

Of course, the clubbing didn\'t stop.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

"W-wait a minute! I\'m going to die! I\'m dying!"

"Quickly get back into position!"

Hearing that cheerful sound reminded me of something from a while ago.

\'...It was horrible.\'

When I first received this training from Barundel...

I was beaten with that club so many times I lost count.

It felt like I was going through a meat tenderizing process instead of training.

At first, I wondered if it would be effective, but Barundel wasn\'t the type to lie.

Look.

Whoosh!

Even now, couldn\'t you feel the club swinging in the pitch-black darkness?

\'Now!\'

With my eyes closed, I accurately grasped the trajectory of the swinging club and twisted my body in the opposite direction.

The movement now flowed as naturally as water.

"Phew."

After the relief of dodging the attack, I heard Barundel\'s applause.

Clap, clap, clap!

"Good. That\'s enough for the 3rd stage."

Finally, Barundel\'s passing notice had been issued.

"Is it over?"

Just as I opened my eyes and asked...

Whoosh!

Without a moment to catch my breath, another attack followed.

A blow delivered completely without warning.

Swoosh!

But before I could even register it, my body moved.

Barundel nodded in satisfaction.

"Indeed. You pass."

Behind me, I heard the amazed voices of those who had already been knocked out.

"Whoa... what was that just now?"

"Is that even a speed a human can react to?"

It seemed they had witnessed the whole thing properly.

Honestly, even I was surprised by that.

\'...I certainly didn\'t expect that at all.\'

I had a similar experience before.

When I was sparring with Roan.

Back then, in the midst of the hazy smoke, I dodged the ice spear by leaning back as soon as I saw the attack.

The realm where the body makes a judgment before the mind.

Was this the effect of the 3rd stage of dwarven training?

When I voiced my question, Barundel replied,

"All nerves are connected to muscles. That includes the brain. Once you reach a certain level, you can move without thinking."

Crack, crack.

Barundel stretched his neck from side to side and continued his explanation.

"That\'s not the only effect of the 3rd stage. In the process of dodging attacks with your eyes closed, your dormant senses and muscles awaken."

"...Dormant senses and muscles?"

"How much do you think people utilize their own bodies? The average person uses less than half of their full potential. Think of it as activating those remaining parts."

"...I see."

It seemed complicated, but I understood.

Simply put, after this training, you could utilize 100% of your body\'s capabilities.

Even just looking at it that way, it was a tremendous effect.

"It will be a great help in the war."

"Indeed. This training shines even brighter in chaotic battles."

To be honest, I hadn\'t planned on completing the training, but I was glad I did.

This would significantly increase my chances of survival in the war.

Thinking about that, I suddenly became incredibly curious.

"What\'s the effect of the next stage?"

My body itched to learn it right away.

If it was already this amazing, how much greater would the effect be with a fully trained body?

However, Barundel shook his head firmly.

"It\'s too early for you to ask about that. I\'ll tell you more after the war is over."

"...Ah, yes."

It was a bit disappointing, but I accepted it.

There must be a reason why Barundel wasn\'t telling me in advance.

Anyway, after finishing the training...

Barundel brought a container of medicine from somewhere and started giving first aid to the collapsed mages.

"Don\'t move. If you move now, it\'ll break."

"Ugh... You\'re the one who did this!"

"Are you complaining now?"

Tight!

As Barundel tightened the bandage with all his might, groans emerged.

"Argh! Stop! Stop!"

I lay down, enjoying the sound as if it were pleasant music.

As I rested like this, many thoughts came to mind.

\'It really is almost time.\'

The Great War, which had felt so distant.

Now it was truly just around the corner.

But why?

Why was there a hint of anticipation mixed in with the fear and tension?

Perhaps it was because I had become strong enough to no longer fear war.