A Goal to Strive For
I peeked at other groups' training sessions every day and found they all got the same treatment as us.
That is to say, by the end of the day they were all in a state of total exhaustion.
First in line, hero group. As they can get revived, this group gets the most merciless treatment.
No, I think those two were still pulling their punches yet there were already deaths on first day.
I didn't keep count but I believe it was double digit with Alma Papa, and with Alma Mama... Wonder how many times those guys died by her hand.
I only peeked for about ten minutes, and even then they kept dying like flies. Might have broken triple digit...
Aizawa group has a high average level, so they're putting up a good fight.
The couple pointed out the rough fighting styles Hyula-san and Gazanginando-san adopted, which they responded by fighting back ferociously. They still got torn apart in the end though.
Alma Papa was surprised to see Aizawa-kun's polished swordsmanship despite his thuggish mannerism. Amazing, Aizawa-kun.
But he failed to erase every single magic spells Alma Mama unleashed on him, so he took on a few direct hits resulting in him almost dying multiple times. He gotta readjust his over reliance on his Master Skill.
Radia group has the lowest average levels so the parents seem to be extra careful with them.
At first Alma Papa couldn't control his strength well and broke their bones whenever their wooden swords hit each other, but he eventually got it under control and stopped at bruises at worst.
It seemed Baredo and Rasfin didn't want to look pathetic to each other. They kept going until they couldn't move a muscle. Those two really got guts.
The problem is Radia-kun.
And no, I don't mean that he lost heart because the two were too spartan. Those who have half-baked resolve already got screened out anyway.
It's the opposite. He's too gutsy.
He kept getting back on his feet again and again no matter if his bones broke, his arm burned or he was coughing blood due to internal damage. Why's he so deadly resolute anyway. Scary.
Even the parents got slightly taken aback by this but then they'd pat his head after he passed out. They must have recognized his gutsiness.
Ah, crap. Those two are looking this way. Busted.
Gotta get back to the hunting ground with Fast Travel. They're gonna pick on me over this on training day. Nooo.
Hmm, every group is doing their very best.
Especially Hero-kun, Aizawa-kun and Radia-kun. They act like their life is on the line. They might even catch up with me if I'm not careful.
So nice to be young~. A reservist old man unit like me got no that kinda passion anymore~.
No wait, I was never that passionate even during my younger days anyway, guess it's not related to age... How am I so deadbeat~.
They have a concrete goal to strive for, which compels them to work so hard.
Hero-kun wants to defeat Demon King and builds a harem... The later motive is quite questionable, but the former is a noble goal.
Radia-kun wants to get back at his older brother who betrayed humanity for demons. And afterward, he said he would take the first step toward living for his own sake.
As for Aizawa-kun, he probably wants to take Alma for himself. Forcibly like he always does.
Yup. I get that all of them are doing it for their goal. That's a wonderful thing.
But I too have something I won't back down from.
If that's what Alma wishes, I don't have any issue of her going together with Aizawa-kun. No matter how much it hurts.
But him taking her against her will is a no go.
Therefore, if he wants to make it a show of force, I'm gonna play by that rule as well. Concretely speaking, I'm gonna physically (etc).
Guess I'll do my best for that sake too.
『Gyarururu...!!』
There was a nicely apt target near the destination of my Fast Travel.
It's holding a sword in its right hand, a shield in its left, a crimson goblin-like magic beast. It looks pretty weak at a glance.
But I wouldn't take my chance and confirmed its Status, revealing a powerful Lv76 beast with Lv6 Celestial Swordsmanship, and the evolved version of Shield Arts, Sturdy Shield Lv6.
It's called 'Goblin Emperor'. Looks aside, its Status and Name scream 'I'm strong'.
It's got the perfect balance of offense and defense with a build close to human. The perfect opponent to gain combat experience for me.
It's really nicely apt.
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『Gyaraa!!』
The crimson goblin charged at me at tremendous speed while swinging its sword.
'Ground Shrink' huh. Using Ultimate Martial Arts so willy-nilly.
It slashed at me--
『Giii!』
"!?"
No wait, it bashed with its shield!?
It's using Shield Bash as a cover while closing in the distance between us.
『Gi!』
"Wouu!?"
T-this beast hit me with 'Extended Mana Blade' it had activated under the cover of its shield.
My arm got stabbed but I suffered no damage thanks to my HP Buffer. But there's no denying I got hit.
This guy's good. Some real good moves there for a magic beast.
It tried to Shield Bash me again which I responded by punching it with an energy-buffed fist.
The shield looks pretty sturdy, but it should break with this much energy.
"Ooh!?"
The shield turned sideways into a slanted position just before my fist hit, sliding it away.
With my balance lost, the goblin unleashed a barrage of 'Mana Blade Split Strike' on me.
"Oh no you don't!"
I struck back with multiple Mana Pile Bunkers at once.
Repelling away the sword as well as the mana strike.
The crimson goblin lost its balance this time which I followed up with more pile!
But it somehow managed to perceive and block the invisible stake with its shield.
The goblin got blown 20 meters back from the hit. No, it softened the impact by leaping backward using Ground Shrink.
...Nice, very nice.
It's neither too small fry or is it too strong like Alma parents and Oni-sensei. It's just right.
It employs human-like tactics using weapons instead of randomly attacking like large magic beasts. There's no openings in both its offense and defense.
Trying to figure out how to break that apart is fun.
"Phew...!"
I blended my mana, life force and energy before discharging it.
I put around 100 of each to create some sort of a body clone. As I'm controlling it remotely, it's more like a funnel though.
This clone can use Mana Pile Bunkers just like me and probably even High Power Pile if I put in more effort.
"Gaaa!!"
『Gi!?』
I grabbed the goblin's shield with Mana Hand, stopping it on its track.
I could have stored the shield away in Item Screen then and there, but this is a training. I gotta see it through the end.
『Gyaraa!!』
The goblin thrust at me with Extended Mana Slash which I stopped by biting it.
I wouldn't have done this if I didn't have my HP Buffer, but uh, there's a first to everything.
You've got both your shield and sword sealed, what do you do now?
Let me see how you deal with my pile.
I aimed at the crimson goblin's torso but it kicked it away as if it could see the mana pile.
This thing's also an expert martial artist huh. You really can't underestimate magic beasts at this level.
Next, how do you handle my blended mana?
I used it to activate mana pile behind the crimson goblin!
BOOM!! The mana pile hit the crimson goblin's back while producing the usual booming sound.
『Gyaaruaaaaa!!!』
It seemed to have sensed the attack as it bent its body forward to minimize the impact spot.
Nevertheless it's a fatal wound. I could tell from Menu the goblin's insides are a mess.
It's gonna die in a few minutes even if I leave it alone.
Yet it's still standing strong against me.
It didn't flinch from the damage inflicted by my pile, heck, it even used the momentum to headbutt me instead.
'Iron Headbutt'. A powerful offensive skill that doubles user headbutt's attack power. Crimson Goblin's STR is 1600, hence this headbutt boasts 3200 attack power.
This could have been dangerous. But I've seen this move already~.
I buffed myself as well and headbutted back with 5000 STR.
『Gyaa!!』
Another headbutt.
『Gubee!!?』
Headbutt. Headbutt. And here's a headbutt to the face!
『Gyaba!? Babyo! Gabyaaaaa!! Ga... Bu...!!』
Crimson goblin's face has caved in. This goes beyond that even.
Ah, my level went up. Fumu fumu, I guess you get a lot of exp fighting a magic beast over 10 level higher.
...Yeah, I brute forced my way again in the end. This is not it, I can't keep going like this.
I want to create a complete style that stands out like [Swordsmanship] or [Spearsmanship].
No wait, not like doing that's gonna produce a new type of Skill nor is it guaranteed to be effective.
To begin with, there's only so much I can do.
Mana, Energy and Life force control. And then there's pseudo Kempo as well as swinging the exploding great hammer around.
Rather than trying to create a completely new fighting style, maybe I should find a way to combine all that.
Ah, I might have come up with a rather nasty style.
I'm gonna give it a try in my next sparring session with Alma Papa. Gonna test how effective it is and ask for tips.
『Gorurururu...!!』
『Giriririri...!!!』
Oh, two of the same type of magic beasts as the crimson goblin showed up.
I'm gonna kick their arse to finish my leveling session today.
But man, this hunting ground is simply perfect with all these real dangerous over Lv70 beasts prowling around everywhere.
The thought of this spot producing a Stampede gives me the chill... That's not a flag is it? Tell me it ain't.