[ You have completed the daily basic training ]
It took three hours to finish, mostly because I spent a lot of time resting.
During my breaks, I observed my surroundings again, the small insects, the horses in their stables, and the birds in the sky. The gentle breeze and the warmth on my skin made this place feel incredibly real. It made me marvel at this skill once again. There were no other humans wandering around this place, but the reason for that didn't need to be questioned.
In the soothing silence, I contemplated one thing.
If the goal was to make me the strongest, wouldn't it be enough to just give me quests with lots of rewards?
'Hmm…'
After a moment of thought, I slowly shook my head.
No, the life I have now is far more suitable for me than being tied to a stressful quest system. Here, I can breathe freely, relax whenever I want without any haunting pressure. Besides, my system only shows my character stats, it has never burdened me with exhausting missions or demands. Even the system in this space feels friendly, not burdensome, but more like guidance, directing my training without cruel compulsion.
After a 20 - minute break, I began the next training session, martial arts.
Swordsmanship could start tomorrow, and magic could be an afterthought.
I stood in the training field and asked the system of this space to show me the basic martial arts training method.
I stood tall, my feet slightly apart to maintain balance. My right hand shot forward, delivering a straight punch that hit the air firmly. Then I followed with a side punch, feeling my shoulder and waist muscles rotate with it. I controlled my breathing, channeling power from the tips of my toes to my fingertips.
Next, I practiced low kicks. My right leg swept forward, then I alternated with my left. The movements were simple, but they were enough to make my legs feel heavy. I continued with a combination, a straight punch followed by a quick kick, then I stepped back and reset my stance.
Every movement still felt stiff, but slowly my body began to follow the rhythm. I imagined an opponent before me, dodging their punches, parrying with my arms, and then countering with a simple attack.
There were no flashy moves, just repetitive basics, the foundation that had to be carved before I could advance further. Sweat began to bead on my temples, but there was a certain satisfaction in feeling my body work properly. These basics would later become the foundation of every real fight.
While training, I also took several-minute breaks. In this place, I could feel fatigue, thirst, and hunger. I'd probably be sent back to the original world if I starved to death here, so during my breaks, I returned to the barracks to eat from a supply of ingredients that, for some reason, never ran out.
The second day was spent training in martial arts.
On the third day, I began basic swordsmanship training.
I walked to the training field and picked up a training sword. I casually used [ True Sight ] and looked at the sword. The result shocked me.
…
☆4 items
That wasn't an ordinary rank, even across the entire continent, only kings and few characters such items. Yet here, a mere training sword was rated ☆4. I stared at the simple sword in my hand, finding it hard to believe.
A training sword should be no more than ☆1, just strong enough for a beginner learning to swing a weapon. But what I held now was on par with a royal weapon.
"This… is insane." The whisper escaped my lips unconsciously, my throat feeling dry.
If a simple training sword was of this rank, then how powerful was the Atherion Empire, really?
An idea occurred to me, to put it into my [ Dimensional Storage ].
As if reading my mind, the system displayed a warning.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Message:
- The [ Atherion Dreamforge ] skill prohibits bringing items that originally existed here to the original world.
- However, items created or brought from the outside may be moved in and out via the [ Dimensional Storage ] skill.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
What a shame…
I carried the sword and walked to the training field. I also asked the system of this space to show me the basic swordsmanship training.
I took a deep breath, straightened my back, and settled into a ready stance, left foot slightly forward, right foot supporting from behind. I gripped the sword firmly in my right hand, while my left hand balanced my movements.
The first movement was a vertical slash. I raised the sword high, then brought it down slowly, cutting through the air with a steady motion. The sharp whisper of the sword slicing through the air was audible, even though it touched nothing. I repeated it many times, ensuring the downward swing was perfectly straight, not wavering to the left or right. My arm muscles began to tighten, but the movement felt increasingly natural.
After that, I switched to horizontal slashes. From right to left, then left to right, the sword swept through the air at a measured pace. With each swing, I bent my knees slightly, maintaining my center of balance to avoid leaving an opening. Fatigue started to creep in, but I knew these basics had to be perfect.
The next movement, a diagonal slash, from right shoulder to left hip, and then the reverse. This slash demanded more hip rotation, causing sweat to drip more heavily from my temples. I grunted softly as I repeated it, my body getting used to channeling power from my hips, not just my arms.
Then came the straight thrust. I took a small step forward, pushing the sword straight ahead as if piercing an enemy's vital point. This movement was simple but demanded high precision, being off by an inch could mean defeat. I practiced thrusting and retracting the sword, over and over, until it felt like every step and every breath was in sync with the thrust.
Finished with the slashes, I practiced my footwork. Forward, backward, sidestepping, then a half-circle pivot. The sword remained in a ready position, as if an enemy could attack at any moment. I tried to maintain an imaginary distance, moving lightly without losing balance. Occasionally, I combined a swing with my footwork, getting my body used to attacking while maintaining position.
This training felt slow, monotonous, and draining. But that was precisely where its value lay. Every swing, every step, seemed to sculpt my body to move in harmony with the sword. I could feel my grip becoming steadier, and my movements more controlled than when I first started.
When I paused for a moment, I was breathing hard, my chest rising and falling. Yet, beneath the exhaustion, there was a deep satisfaction. These basics, though simple, were the foundation that would guide me to higher techniques. Mastering the basics at a high level would accelerate the growth of all other sword techniques. And that applied to everything.
I looked at the sword in my hand, a faint smile appearing on its own.
"Still a long way to go," I murmured softly, then raised the sword again, ready to repeat the movements from the beginning.
The third day passed with swordsmanship training.
The fourth day with martial arts.
Until, the seventh day arrived.
I planned to use the special training room.