CH 18.1

Litty, having a mock battle at Heavy Warrior’s Guild

“Oh, so this is a shield!” (Litty)

“Yup, that’s the shield.” (Instructor Gonza)

Litty was attempting to master a difficult skill of the Heavy Warrior’s guild, which required shields.

As usual, the one she was using was the smallest shield available in size.

During her stay with Yggdrasia, its members never used shields, so she wasn’t even sure how to use them.

“Shields are very useful. Even a swordsman can use them, but I don’t think they teach the use of shields over there.” (Instructor Gonza)

“Yes. Hmm… I’ve only used swords so far.” (Litty)

“When a Swordsman carries a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, it stabilizes their attack and defense. However, the downside is that your attacks will be less flexible and less powerful.” (Instructor Gonza)

“But now that you are training to be a Heavy Warrior, the weapon of choice is a spear or an axe. You must be thinking, why not a sword, right? A one-handed sword is less powerful than a one-handed axe and has less reach than a spear. A Heavy Warrior equipped with heavy armor and a shield can hardly make quick maneuvers, even when using a sword.” (Instructor Gonza)

Instructor Gonza was only giving a general example. Some Heavy Warriors could also get around well with one-handed swords, depending on their skills.

In fact, there had been many types of Heavy Warriors. Some would even use two-handed swords with no shield, others used a one-handed sword and shield, and so on.

There could be many combinations when it came to being a heavy warrior, but this was not recommended for beginners. The role of the training center was to teach the basic moves to the beginners.

“Try to defend against attacks from various angles with your shield. I know that you’re at a slight disadvantage with that small shield, but it’s worth giving it a shot.” (Instructor Gonza)

“Yes! I will try!” (Litty)

“Alright, here we go.” (Instructor Gonza)

Beginner apprentices would not be safe against Litty as an opponent. So out of consideration for their mental state, instructor Gonza had to come up with a good plan.

He decided that he, as the instructor, would be the best person to train Litty, who was full of unique talents.

He equipped a one-handed sword, which he was not quite used to using, and slashed at Litty, who was able to block it successfully.

“Like this?” (Litty)

“Whoa! You’ve got a good instinct for a first timer!” (Instructor Gonza)

“Thank you!” (Litty)

After Litty successfully blocked Instructor Gonza’s first blow, it was as if she fell into a rhythm. She repeatedly received the sword blows with her shield.

The defense was good, but the problem started with the next part.

“Oh, that looks good, but next time, try to use your one-handed spear to counterattack while blocking my sword strikes.” (Instructor Gonza)

“Yes, instructor! I’m ready!” (Litty)

“Come at me with all you got!” (Instructor Gonza)

“She is going toe-to-toe with Gonza-san.” Said one of the apprentices, who could not concentrate on their own training, because of the fuss being made by Litty and the instructor.

Instructor Gonza had noticed it too, but decided to let it be.

It was more important for him to concentrate on Litty right now. It was a brilliant defense. He wondered if he should continue holding back.

He was just worried that he would not be able to properly guide her if he didn’t hold back appropriately. After all, it may end up being too one-sided.

“Teyaaah!” (Litty)

“Whoa…!” (Instructor Gonza)

It was a vicious attack, aiming for his head without any hesitation. And although it was blocked, Litty’s spear still managed to graze the side of Instructor Gonza.

Litty boldly thrust her shield forward, distracted him with it, and then attacked him with her spear. It was a wonderful chain of moves.

This was only a training exercise, and also the first time Litty used a shield while attacking with a spear. 

Instructor Gonza was beginning to regret it little by little. 

He wondered if he would be able to save some of his dignity as an instructor.

Although Litty was only a 5th Rank, she was also an adventurer, just like him. Gonza, an instructor who was still active in the field, felt that her skills were no longer on the level of a mere student.

She would soon be able to rise to his rank. Gonza couldn’t help but assume so.

“Umm, instructor. Are we done?” (Litty)

“Oh, ah yes, you did well, Litty-san.” (Instructor Gonza)

The training had ended when the sword was not only blocked by the shield, but he was also forced to parry her spear with it. He could still feel numbness in his right hand, which was holding the sword.

However, he held his sword firmly, making sure that no one noticed the anomaly. Next time, he planned to use a spear and then an axe.

With some more training, Litty would be able to improve on her form, but it would not be significant enough to strengthen her skills. Knowing this, instructor Gonza was reluctant to continue her training.

“Now, I’ll be using a spear. But unlike a sword, it has a longer reach, so be careful.” (Instructor Gonza)

“Yes!” (Litty)

Everyone in the training facility, including the other instructors, had stopped to watch Litty and Instructor Gonza engage in a mock battle.

Instructor Gonza’s main weapon was an axe, but he was also good with a spear.

Instructor Gonza was feeling the heat build up inside of him as he was looking forward to their next confrontation.

However, knowing that his qualifications as an instructor would be questioned if he injured an apprentice during their training, Instructor Gonza suppressed those boiling emotions and went on the offensive.

“Whoa! Ah…!” (Litty)

“Oh! There, Good, block it well!” (Instructor Gonza)

“Mugu!” (Litty) 

“Go, Gonza-san, woah… He isn’t showing mercy…” (Bystander)

A mock battle on the first day was unthinkable under normal circumstances.

Besides, everyone noticed the enthusiasm of Instructor Gonza.

The other instructors seemed to have noticed the seriousness of the issue, too, so few of them directly approached the place of the mock battle.

Instead of letting them continue and watching from the sidelines, they intervened when Litty was hit by Gonza’s shield.

“Stop it there, Gonza. Aren’t you getting a little too carried away?” (Instructor 1)

“Oh, oh. Maybe I am.” (Instructor Gonza)

“Oh no, instructor! I can still continue!” (Litty)

“Litty, the training facility is about to close. You should rest for today.” (Instructor 2)

The sun was about to set, but Litty was so engrossed in her training that she failed to notice this.

Litty was not conceited, but she was confident.

She earned the title of Swordsman, and even though it was with the efforts of her and Roma, she was able to take down a Named Demon.

She was optimistic that she would also do fine as a Heavy Warrior.

“Um, I… I’ll do my best tomorrow, then.” (Litty)

“Oh… I’ll be waiting for you as well.” (Instructor Gonza) 

Today, she could not overcome the onslaught of Instructor Gonza, as she failed to master the art of simultaneously manipulating a shield and a spear.

For a while, Litty was quite positive with her training, but as she continued to lose, she was becoming more depressed. She could not even find a place to vent her frustration.

But that was all only in Litty’s mind.

Contrary to what she was moaning over, the mood of the others, including her instructor, Gonza, was not so relaxed.

“You let her advance to a mock battle in one day, Gonza.” (Instructor 1)

“If you had seen her training, you would understand why. I was actually surprised when I heard that she only spent two months in the Swordsman Training Center before graduating. Now, I actually wonder why it took her that long.” (Instructor Gonza)

“If that’s the case, how long do you think she will take to graduate this time?” (Instructor 2)

“I’d say we might be expecting a final exam tomorrow at the earliest.” (Instructor Gonza)

“Woah… There are some truly absurd folks out there…” (Instructor 3)

The instructors would naturally want to continue teaching such an extraordinary person.

If they were to choose what rank someone like Litty would belong to, it won’t be a 2nd or 1st Rank, they could already see her as someone belonging to the Special Rank. Her talent could not be measured on the same level as a normal human. Of course, she would still need to put an extraordinary amount of effort to actually materialize that talent.

However, looking back at himself who failed the Advancement test to 3rd Rank several times, he concluded that there was a limit to what a normal person could do even if they put all their efforts.

“Well, a person with such talent will be able to survive to maturity, right?” (Instructor 1)

“Yeah. There have been stories of people who possessed such remarkable abilities, but didn’t live long.” (Instructor 2)

They both knew that conversing about such things was unsuitable for instructors but they were adventurers, too.

They could see Litty’s small back as she left the training center in a strangely emphatic manner, and they wondered how the guys at Swordsman Training Center handled this extraordinary creature.

“She was taught more than what a normal Instructor would have”, Gonza thought, but soon stopped thinking about it.