21 - Hellish Training

Mase was writhing in agony on the ground, while Finn, drenched in sweat, appeared to be in remarkably good condition.

Meanwhile, Albert lay on the ground, gasping for breath and muttering to himself, "I never should have agreed to be his student. He's completely insane!"

[5 Hours earlier]

"Wait a minute, we haven't officially accepted you as our teacher yet. How can I be certain that you are as good as you claim to be? In other words, how do I know that your training will be worthwhile?" Albert questioned Osvaldo.

"Follow me outside."

As they stepped outside the lodge, they were greeted by the crisp mountain air and a vast open field that dwarfed a football field threefold.

Venturi slowly turned around and removed his shirt revealing a breathtaking physique that belied his age. He could easily pass for a man in his thirties if not for the wrinkles and white hair. His body resembled a Greek sculpture, with each muscle perfectly defined and proportioned for a skilled fighter. A daunting scar cut across his left clavicle and traversed diagonally through most of his pectoral muscle. In a commanding voice, he declared, "Usually, when people doubt my skills, I challenge them to come at me, and I push them to the brink of death. But in your case, and especially yours," he said, looking directly at Albert, "you aren't even worth fighting."

Albert gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Kid, which weapon do you wish to learn?" Osvaldo asked with a commanding tone, glancing at Finn who responded promptly, "A spear, Sir."

"Let me borrow yours for a moment." Finn hurried towards the wooden house where they had left their belongings and retrieved his spear. Walking back towards Osvaldo, he said, "No need to hand it to me, just throw it at me."

Surprised, Finn replied, "Throw it? Are you crazy?"

"Just do as I say. I take full responsibility." Osvaldo reassured him."

Finn reluctantly threw his spear, its trajectory and form awkward. However, what happened next was a surprise. The old man caught the spear midair and used its momentum to perform a graceful spin, beginning an outstanding solo performance. Fighting with an invisible opponent, even though they had no weapon experience, they were awed by his incredible skills. His every move was performed with grace and without waste. The momentum of each move seemed to chain with the next, almost like a never-ending attack. After what felt like hours but was only 30 seconds, the man finally stopped. With a calm yet imposing tone, he asked, "Do you think I am qualified to be your teacher?"

Albert was so amazed by the display of skill that it took him a few seconds to gather himself before replying, "Yes, please teach us." He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. 'I have never seen anything like that before. I didn't even know it was possible to move with such grace and precision. If we can learn even 10% of his mastery, it would be tremendously beneficial for us.'

Venturi smiled and said, "Well, for starters, you will practice the first movement of your weapon of choice 1000 times."

The three of them looked at Osvaldo with puzzled expressions.

"Don't worry, I'll show you how to execute the first movement properly." he reassured them.

"No, no, no, no. That's not the problem" Finn spoke up. "The problem is repeating it 1000 times."

"What? Usually, I ask for 2500 repetitions, but I thought to go easy on you guys since you lack previous training."

Finn stood still, completely baffled. 'Ah, I see...we're going to die.' he thought, accepting his fate.

Venturi instructed Finn and Mase on the thrust, "Pay close attention, as I will only demonstrate this once. The rapier and spear rely heavily on thrusting attacks, and mastering this technique can greatly improve the efficiency and ease of your fighting."

He proceeded to demonstrate two different techniques, first using the spear to showcase proper thrusting, and then executing a lunge with the rapier. He dedicated a considerable amount of time to refining the boys' form before giving them the green light to begin practicing. Once satisfied with their progress, he moved on to the bow.

"Bows may seem simple, but they are actually quite complex weapons. Their simplicity comes from the fact that their sole purpose is to shoot arrows. While bows can technically be used as a blunt weapon in close quarters combat, a skilled archer would never find themselves in such a situation. The real challenge of mastering the bow lies in the difficulty of shooting accurately, particularly in real-life scenarios where both you and your target may be moving. To begin, you will practice shooting at a stationary target while standing still."

After picking up the bow, he pulled its string to his ear and concentrated for a second before releasing it. The arrow found its mark, hitting the perfect center of a knot on a tree approximately 70 meters away.

"To start, I want you to aim for that tree and hit it at least a hundred times before dinner."

[...]

Finn was the first to complete the task, which took him six hours. 'Shit, I could have probably finished much faster, but almost a third of my attempts didn't count because I messed up the form. My arms are burning.' He was quite in pain, his arms hurt the most, but his entire body was sore. Nonetheless, he was in much better shape than the other two.

Mase had completed 70% of the task, but his grip on the weapon had become so weak that his failure rate had exponentially increased in the last hour. 'Maybe I should give up, I can't feel my right hand anymore,' he thought.

Albert was struggling the most, only managing to reach 50% of his goal. Despite the blisters covering his hands and the excruciating pain in his shoulder muscles his attitude was completely different from Mase, 'No matter what I must become useful in battle.' That was the only thought that filled his head each time he shot an arrow.

While watching the three boys, Osvaldo had been giving constant advice and reminding them if a move was not performed properly. He smirked as he observed the sheer determination and focus in Albert's eyes, 'Maybe I was wrong on this one.' He thought before disappearing into the pine grove.

[3 hours later]

Everyone completed their training by evening. Mase maintained his pace, while Albert steadily improved his hit rate. By the end, he was hitting almost half of his shots. Finn approached his friends and cast [Small Heal LV1] to cure the blisters on their hands and fingers. Although the pain and fatigue remained, at least they were completely healed physiologically.

"I wonder where that demon of an old man went. I'm starving!" Finn exclaimed.

Just as he said that a large figure came out from the forest. The shadow was clearly too big to be a human, so they immediately picked up their weapons preemptively. They relaxed when the figure that became visible was actually Osvaldo. The reason why the shadow was so big… Well, he was carrying a male boar on his shoulders.

For the second time of the day they were left speechless. 'That old geezer hunted a boar down barehanded and carried it all the way here on this steep mountain. That boar must be around 80 kg and for all I know he isn't awakened, just what kind of life has he lived to be able of such a feat.' Albert thought.

[Meanwhile, Turin, Dellucci gym]

[SWOOSH, SWISH]

A cold sweat drop trickled down the coach's temple. 'I can't believe this. I know he is awakened, but technique alone is only correlated to talent. Even if someone possesses incredible physical traits, what this kid just did surpasses any logic. I've never seen such talent in my career. He mastered the one-two in a few hours. I'm raising a terrifying monster.'