The meeting with Artemis went better than Gabriel hoped. The goddess offered him the chance to become an adventurer. However, it wouldn't be Artemis's familia. The goddess marked her thoughts by forbidding the entry of any man into the family.
Although she hid her reasons, Gabriel understood why he hadn't seen any men since his arrival. Everyone had secrets and he intended not delving into his savior's past.
The following day, Rethusa offered to teach him the basics of an adventurer. A quick training before Artemis found him a familia. Rethusa gave him a set of linen clothes. After all, his orange prison garb unmatched with the traditional clothes of this world. But although he was reluctant to part with it, he agreed to wear his new clothes.
There was a training ground at the back of the big house. Nothing grand, but big enough for them to have room.
Rethusa held out a bow to Gabriel.
"What do you know about an adventurer?"
Her question made Gabriel puzzled. He repeated what the familia girls had told him.
"An adventurer fights monsters in the dungeon to defend the town."
The woman nodded, then threw a punch into the man's stomach. Gabriel's body twisted forward and he spat saliva. His erratic breathing left him unable to move.
Gabriel's thoughts fell into chaos. He hadn't seen her move or hit him. What beast was she?
"An adventurer fights monsters for himself. There are three fundamental rules."
The demoness's face stayed impassive. She held up three fingers.
"Prioritize survival."
She raised the bow in her hands. Level with the straw dummy in front of her, she notched an arrow.
"Always remain vigilant."
Gabriel saw her pull the bowstring easily. She inhaled. The arrow whistled. In a fraction of a second, it stuck in the dummy's straw head.
Rethusa turned to Gabriel, her face serene.
"And be ruthless with the enemy."
She held out her hand and helped him to his feet.
Gabriel wiped the dust from his clothes and looked her straight in the eye. He wanted to develop as strong as she was! No, even stronger.
"I want to become an adventurer!"
A hint of a smile appeared on Rethusa's lips.
"Your determination is a quality, Gabriel. I hope you keep it throughout your training."
The game window Gabriel hadn't seen for a while flashed before him.
| New secondary objective unlocked!
| Adventurer's Training: Prove your commitment to Rethusa by completing her training.
| Reward: Three hundred dimensional points.
| Failure: Rethusa will no longer trust you.
"Show me your bow skills."
Rethusa's voice snapped Gabriel out of his trance. He closed the window, his heart fraught.
Gabriel clutched the bow in his hands and looked at the straw target. There was at least fifty meters between them.
He reproduced the movements Rethusa had made. His fingers ran along the thin white string.
"The arrow."
Rethusa's voice brought him back to reality.
He released the tension and took an arrow from her hands. Although embarrassed, he repeated the process. His hand rippled to the side, and the arrow fell to the ground.
Gabriel looked at his teacher impassively. The two exchanged eyes without saying a word.
After a moment, Rethusa sighed.
"Your stance suck. An archer must be able to remain flexible, not be congested as if someone had stuck a stick up his bum. The way you hold the bow is flawed and you don't have the stamina to shoot several arrows in a row. Early level kobolds would tear you apart in two seconds."
Gabriel cursed inside. He came from a world where firearms had long since replaced bows and arrows. If she gave him a gun, he'd face no problem blasting his target.
She squinted.
"Given the state of your body, I'm guessing you're not a swordsman. And I don't think you wield magic either."
Gabriel worried that she wouldn't want to train him anymore, but the next sentence proved him wrong.
"We'll start with intense physical strengthening sessions to enhance your endurance. We'll follow that up with archery exercises."
Gabriel saw her turn towards the house.
"Where are you going?"
"Planning."
She replied without looking back.
"Grab the opportunity to prepare yourself mentally."
He noticed a hint of amusement in her voice.
Training began the next morning.
Rethusa woke Gabriel at dawn. He did a series of push-ups, runs, squats and sit-ups. Gabriel would be delighted if that were all it took. But Rethusa forced him to wear leather armor, and five weights of two kilos attached to a belt around his waist. He was allowed to take it off to sleep.
The archery sessions took place in the afternoon under a blazing sun. Sweaty and tired, Gabriel learned to shoot normally most of the time. But that didn't seem to suit the redhead. She made him pull with weights attached to his wrists, blindfolded and a few extra sessions at night.
She preached that adding so much difficulty to a training session would allow him to adapt to real-life situations. The monsters in the dungeon won't spare him because he didn't have the reflex to dodge at the time, nor will they sat for him to notch a new arrow after missing the previous one.
Overcome your mistakes and repeat the basics repeatedly to build a solid foundation under any pressure. Such was the motto of the Artemis familia's captain.
Week after week passed without Gabriel deviating from his training.
In the bedroom, as Gabriel prepared to continue his training, Rethusa waited for him at the door.
She wore a confident smile, as she did every time she met him.
Gabriel was surprised to see her there. She usually waited for him on the pitch.
"We're not training today. Follow me."
They found themselves in front of the house. The sun had just risen, gradually warming the land.
Gabriel noticed a group of five girls from the Artemis familia. They all had bows in their hands and wore light leather outfits.
Rethusa threw a bow towards Gabriel.
"We'll end the training. The real test begins today Gabriel."