Ch 14
NEYMAR
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Chapter 14
The days fell into a routine.
Mornings were for magic research, afternoons for physical training, and evenings for gathering information at the tavern.
Then, on the fourth day, something changed.
“Hoo! Hoo!”
As I was working on my strength like any other day, Barundel suddenly came over, prodded my body here and there, and then broke into a satisfied smile.
“Hmm, your body’s in fair shape now.”
“You think so?”
“The potions you drank at the beginning certainly helped. It’s about time we wrap things up.”
“Wrap things up…?”
“Now, it’s real combat.”
Thump, thump.
Barundel entered his room.
When he reemerged, he was holding an iron hammer as large as his own torso.
“What is that?”
“Training the body isn’t so different from forging a sword. The more you strike it, the harder it gets.”
“Are you saying you’re going to beat me with that…?”
“Depends on how you look at it.”
Vwoosh! Vwoosh!
“It’s been a while since I’ve done this.”
Barundel, who had been warming up by swinging the hammer around, turned his head toward me.
“You have 30 minutes. Think of this as a real fight and do your best to dodge. Of course, you’re free to attack as well.”
“Hey, so suddenly…”
There was no time to argue.
WHOOSH!
In an instant, Barundel was right in front of me.
The distance had closed in a flash.
What is that speed…!
It was a movement akin to the high-level spell, [Blink].
How was that even possible with those short legs…?
But the surprises from the Dwarf didn’t end there.
A menacing hum echoed from Barundel’s hammer as he swung it with all his might.
VWOOOOM—!
It was a simple swing, but in terms of both speed and power, it was in no way inferior to the silver-haired knight’s sword.
This… is dangerous if it hits me.
My judgment was swift.
Thump! Thump! Thump…!
-Entering an Awakened state.
Crackle!
As my heart pounded, yellow currents of electricity bloomed around me.
It felt as if my dormant senses and nerves were waking up.
Just before the hammer made contact, I bent my back and reacted.
My flexible body was already showing the effects of the training.
WHOOSH—!
The iron hammer, radiating a terrifying pressure, skimmed past my chest.
I immediately kicked off the ground to create distance.
Tap.
“…Isn’t this progressing a bit too fast? I almost got the body I worked so hard to build crushed, you know?”
My complaint was brief. Our eyes met.
For some reason, Barundel looked utterly bewildered.
“…You were a wizard?”
…Come to think of it, I never told him.
I nodded in affirmation.
“Yeah, well… I don’t have any circles yet, though.”
“…Hah, then why in the world is a wizard building up his body?”
Barundel asked as if he genuinely couldn't comprehend it.
Then again, it must have looked strange to him.
In [Devil Fantasy], wizards were a breed that devoted every spare moment to magic research.
But according to my own research, combining physical training was far more efficient, provided the right conditions were met.
Of course, explaining all that would be complicated, so I gave a vague excuse.
“It just doesn’t look cool if you’re using magic with a scrawny body.”
“…You are a truly strange man.”
Changing the subject, I immediately took a fighting stance.
“You definitely said I could attack, right?”
“Of course. I’m not so weak as to lose to a mere wizard.”
“Harsh words.”
As Barundel showed his confidence, I held out my palm.
Since it’s come to this… it wouldn’t be a bad idea to see just how much stronger I’ve gotten.
Soon, a sphere began to form above my palm.
Shiiik—.
[Mana Compression].
It was the first skill I learned after coming to this world.
But this sphere was incomparably larger and more intricate than the one from back then.
“Hoo…”
I slowly controlled my breathing and imbued the sphere with my will.
The image I conjured…
Flame.
FWOOSH!
A large flame erupted over my hand.
It had a completely different feel from the flames Keila had produced.
Its image was far more fluid and gentle.
This was probably the unique property of my mana.
“…A beautiful flame.”
“You might feel differently after it hits you.”
“Heh heh.”
With that, Barundel and I clashed once again.
KABOOM!
The battle became a chaotic dance of hammer swings honed by years of experience and magic learned in a flash.
Dodge, attack, deflect, absorb…
How much time passed like that?
“Haah… haah…”
“Huuuhm…!”
We collapsed from exhaustion at the same time.
The result… was regrettably my defeat.
No, there was nothing to regret.
“…That wasn't just a bluff.”
10 matches, 0 wins, 10 losses.
A complete and utter defeat.
Barundel, catching his breath, spoke as if to console me.
“…Don’t be too discouraged. There were many dangerous moments.”
“…”
“I’m serious. Dealing with a wizard is truly exhausting.”
“Did you work as a mercenary before opening this place?”
“Well… something similar. A long time ago.”
“I see.”
Something similar…
I had many questions, but he didn't look like he wanted to talk about it.
Instead of probing further, I dusted myself off and stood up.
“Care for another round?”
“…Does your mana never run out?”
“I tend to recover pretty quickly.”
“…I’m good. This old body has had enough of a workout for one day.”
Barundel waved his hands dismissively.
From his expression, he looked truly drained.
Well, unlike me, who had mostly been firing off ranged magic, he had been moving his body directly… he was probably twice as tired.
After lying sprawled on the floor for a while, Barundel suddenly spoke up.
“Dwarven training cannot be completed in a short period. It’s divided into several stages.”
His voice was remarkably serious.
I nodded slightly and replied.
“Yes, I know. There are five stages, aren’t there?”
“I don’t know how you know that, but… yes. From the process of building the foundation… to completing the physique. It consists of five stages in total. And with that practical training just now, the first stage is finished.”
“…You mean the foundation is built?”
“Touch the parts where my hammer struck you.”
Following Barundel's words, I touched the various places I had been hit.
But what was this?
Far from feeling pain, it felt like my knotted muscles had been loosened.
Almost as if I’d drunk a potion.
“How… is this…”
Seeing my shocked expression, Barundel continued.
“This is no ordinary hammer.”
As he said that, he slowly lifted it.
And then.
Ssssss—.
Golden dust scattered from the hammer, and its appearance changed.
It transformed from a plain iron hammer into one engraved with intricate, ancient patterns.
I realized it the moment I saw it.
“…It’s an Artifact.”
“Indeed. It has the property of correcting a target’s physique. It’s an heirloom, passed down through my family for generations.”
In short, a family treasure…
As I looked closer, the design was familiar.
It was an item I knew.
The ‘Hammer of Balance.’
It was an Artifact used more for repairing broken things than for fighting, and it came with a ‘Dwarf-exclusive’ restriction.
…You could use that thing on bodies, too?
No, something else was even more surprising.
“You corrected my body with that? While fighting me?”
“If I couldn’t do at least this much, I wouldn’t have opened a training hall.”
“…Hah.”
A dry laugh escaped me at his matter-of-fact tone.
Why would a Dwarf of this caliber be running a shabby training hall in a place like this?
“Anyway, the first stage is now complete. I’ve corrected all the imbalances in your body. …You’ll probably feel the difference soon. Ah, the next stage can begin in two months…”
I didn't know why he was doing so much for me, but…
I walked over to the reclining Barundel and bowed my head respectfully.
“Thank you.”
I meant it.
I had received an amount of help from this Dwarf that I truly didn’t deserve.
Barundel sat up and tapped my leg.
“…If you’re grateful, bring some customers next time you come.”
“Haha, business is tough, huh?”
“Can’t you tell? Not a single customer has come by these past few days. Just maintaining this place is breaking my back.”
“Leave it to me. By then, you’ll feel like even two bodies aren’t enough.”
“…We’ll see about that.”
Barundel let out a smirk.
I laughed along with him and said, “Two months from now, you said. I’ll see you then.”
“Leaving already? You’re a cold one.”
“I have somewhere I need to be.”
“Well, if that’s the case… alright. We’ll have a drink next time.”
“Of course.”
We bumped fists.
It was my farewell to him.
I wasn’t sad.
We’d be seeing each other again soon enough.
After Yuhan left, Barundel, who had been sprawled on the training hall floor, let out a deep sigh.
“Hoo…”
His expression was complicated.
His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.
After tossing and turning for a long while, Barundel stretched out his arm while still lying down.
It was an arm that had been trained for decades, one already nearing perfection.
But right now.
That arm was trembling faintly.
And it wasn't just his arm.
The muscles in every corner of his body were crying out with a sharp ache.
His muscles were sore.
“Heh, heheh.”
An empty laugh escaped him.
This was a man who had been training his body for less than a week.
But his own body was sending signals that it had been pushed to its limit just by sparring with him?
Even considering he was wielding the [Hammer of Balance] and expending mental energy for the practical training, this was an impossible outcome.
Moreover.
His opponent was a wizard.
“…How can you call that a wizard?”
Barundel was a Dwarf who had experienced countless battles against wizards.
As such, he knew how to fight them.
Get as close as possible and don’t give them an inch of distance.
However, that man was on a different level from any wizard he had ever seen.
Even while mercilessly firing off spells, the man was always aware of the closing distance.
And when the gap narrowed, he would immediately shroud his body in lightning to boost his speed and counter in close quarters.
His very way of thinking was different from other wizards, who would do anything to avoid getting close.
Barundel vaguely recalled the man’s words.
—It just doesn’t look cool if you’re using magic with a scrawny body.
That was the answer the man had given when asked why a wizard was building his body.
But was that really the reason?
“…As if.”
The man used magic and his physique in a perfectly appropriate manner.
It was as if he had been training his body from the start with this exact goal in mind.
Any other wizard would scoff at the idea.
Magic and physique? What kind of absurd combination was that?
But having faced it directly, Barundel’s thoughts were a little different.
“It’s a completely new way of fighting.”
Combat was a life-or-death struggle.
In such a fight, being able to fluster an opponent, even slightly, was a significant advantage.
This was even more true considering that the absurd combination was surprisingly effective.
A sudden thought made Barundel flinch.
—Yeah, well… I don’t have any circles yet, though.
What if that man’s magical skills grew to the point where he could enter the high circles?
And what if he completed his physique through the upcoming Dwarven training?
Just what kind of wizard would he become?
“Hmm, this…”
A mix of emotions filled Barundel’s eyes.
Expectation, interest, excitement… and a little bit of fear.
“…I think I may have let a monster into my hall.”
In the silent training hall, Barundel pushed himself up and swung his hammer on the spot.
A cool, sharp sound cut through the air.
VWOOSH—!
“I can’t let myself become a burden.”
It had been ten years since he had stopped training along with his hunter work.
For the first time in a decade, his training had resumed.
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