Chapter 4: To a New Town – 09
Before the sun rose the next morning, I left the inn and headed outside the town, towards the outskirts of the road with Freinir by my side.
Of course, we were there to train, but I couldn’t neglect my own development either. So, I decided to have Freinir do the same training as me, albeit with a lighter load.
As an Awakened One, her physical abilities were already superior to those of an average adult. However, since she was still in her growth phase, her training would focus primarily on her skills.
I made sure to emphasize training her in Strength, Stamina, Speed, Vision, and Dynamic Vision. The training consisted mainly of relentless repetition. It seemed that this kind of work didn’t bother Freinir at all, as she diligently executed the movements I instructed.
“How does it feel? You must find it much easier to handle your weapon now, right?”
“Yes, it’s a strange sensation. I’ve never done anything like this before…”
I had given her a spear that was just under two meters long. I could have let her use the same mace I wielded, but I hesitated to have a girl engage in close combat.
Ideally, a bow would have been better, but I had a gut feeling that she would eventually become a magic user. Well, Freinir was a delicate girl, and considering it from a game-like perspective, that seemed natural enough, albeit a rather foolish notion.
In any case, if that were to happen, she would likely end up wielding a staff, so I judged that training her spear skills would not go to waste.
By the way, for now, she was wearing light armor over the simple white dress she had been donning. I noticed that the breastplate looked quite constricting, revealing that there were parts of her physique that were somewhat inappropriate for her age. Not that it mattered much, but it was an observation nonetheless.
We continued training throughout the day, and she didn’t utter a single complaint. However, she did widen her eyes in surprise as I swung my Dark Metal Rod beside her.
I believed she had managed to acquire a full set of skills similar to mine.
Freinir’s movements were completely different from how they had been in the morning, and she wore a slightly pleased expression. Gaining confidence in herself would likely change her perception of dungeons as well. For her, that was the first step.
The next day, we continued our training in the same manner.
Freinir’s skills had overall improved by one level, and it seemed she would be ready to head to the dungeon the following day.
The question was whether she could thrust her spear against monsters, but I decided to take a bold approach to that.
“Alright, thrust.”
“But…!”
I stood defenseless in front of Freinir, having removed my armor, adopting a strong stance.
This was simply a training exercise where she would thrust her spear at me, imagining I was a monster.
Of course, it wouldn’t make sense unless she thrust with the intent to kill, so I made sure to emphasize that. I had already informed her that my Steel Body skill would render her attacks ineffective. Thus, this was more of a mental training exercise.
Since Freinir was hesitant to commit, I decided to take it step by step.
“Then, start with a light thrust. Just enough for the tip to touch. You can do that, right?”
“Y-Yes, I’ll give it a try.”
With trepidation, Freinir thrust the spear forward. The trembling tip made contact with my abdomen, and it was deflected by my Steel Body skill.
“Wow… it’s so hard.”
“That’s the power of skills. Now that you know it doesn’t hurt, thrust a little harder.”
“Okay, here I go…”
As we gradually acclimated her, she eventually learned to thrust with full force. Admittedly, the tip penetrated about an inch into my body, but of course, it healed immediately thanks to my Regeneration.
Watching the wound close rapidly, Freinir’s eyes sparkled with wonder.
“The wound heals so quickly. It’s like magic…”
“Indeed, skills are akin to magic. There are even skills that allow you to use actual magic.”
“Really!? How do you acquire those?”
“You defeat the boss of a dungeon. Doing so grants you a special skill. If you’re lucky, you might even gain the ability to use magic.”
“What about you, Soushi-sama?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t possess any skills related to magic. I probably have the magic god’s disfavor.”
When I feigned sulkiness, Freinir chuckled softly. It seemed she was gaining a bit of confidence.
“I have a feeling that you will definitely be able to use magic, Freinir. How about it? Shall we enter the dungeon together tomorrow? Let’s aim to defeat the boss and acquire a special skill.”
“Really…? If you say so, Soushi-sama, I would be honored to join you.”
“Yes, with your current abilities, you should be fine. Once you get used to it, you’ll be able to defeat the boss too. I’ll help you.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best!”
I could sense a newfound vitality in Freinir’s expression, one I had never seen before. Perhaps she had acquired a mental skill like ‘Bravery.’ Such psychological matters can be difficult to resolve, but if skills can ease that burden, then I would be grateful.
The next morning, Freinir and I headed toward the F-Class Boulder Dungeon.
As we reached the entrance, I asked, “Are you ready?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” Freinir replied confidently.
With that momentum, we entered the dungeon.
Almost immediately, we encountered a single Goblin. This was the pivotal moment that would determine Freinir’s fate as an adventurer.
Facing the Goblin charging at us with its club raised, Freinir seemed to freeze for a moment. I placed a hand on her shoulder and reassured her, “It’s alright.”
Then Freinir replied firmly, “I’m going!” and thrust her spear sharply toward the oncoming Goblin.
The spear tip pierced the Goblin’s chest beautifully. As she withdrew the spear, the Goblin’s corpse crumpled to the ground, leaving behind materials before vanishing.
“Phew… I defeated it, didn’t I…?”
Freinir looked up at me with a dazed expression. When I nodded and praised her, “Well done,” relief washed over her face.
“I’m so glad… I did it. Thanks to you, Soushi-sama.”
“It was your effort that made it happen. But this isn’t the end. We’re going down to the fourth floor today.”
“Yes!”
With that, we continued down to the fourth floor together.
It seemed Freinir had leveled up during our journey, as her movements improved remarkably, even from an outside perspective.
At first, she struggled to pierce the Rock Lizards’ scales, but after battling a few, she became adept at thrusting her spear, eventually able to deliver the finishing blow on her own.
Facing the Boar Wolf head-on was impossible, so I took the brunt of its charge while she delivered rapid thrusts from the side. It appeared she leveled up even further, and she was astonished by the changes in her abilities.
“That should be enough for today. We’ll train again after this and head back to town. Use the experience gained from battle in your training.”
“Yes!”
Having reached a good stopping point, we decided to call it a day.
However, as I dragged Freinir along with my routine, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was pushing her too hard as an adventurer.
Well, I was simply enjoying myself, and if it became too much for Freinir, she would surely take some action. Until then, I would have her accompany me for what I deemed necessary.