Five holographic dummies remained, standing lifeless. Tatehan expected any of them to attack at any moment. He stretched his neck, though it made no sound, the gesture helped him prepare.
Anxiety crept through him, almost fear. From the looks of things, he would have to fight and defeat all remaining dummies.
If not for the energy-boosting coffee he'd consumed before training, he would be drained by now. The drink seemed to enhance all his senses further, but only if he remained relentless.
The spaceship's AI spoke:
"[One holographic dummy will activate and fight you. The goal is to defeat it within three minutes. If you fail, the others will join the battle every three minutes thereafter.]"
What the hell!
What did the spaceship's AI think he was, some godlike being?
The AI seemed to notice his speechless reaction and his concern about the difficulty.
"[You will face much harder missions ahead, mainly searching for spaceship repair components. You'll fight other humans and encounter tense civilizations. Believe me when I say this is just the beginning.]"
It paused, as if waiting for Tatehan to absorb the information.
"[Complete this training, and I'll be satisfied with your progress.]"
Tatehan nodded. He would have to fight with insane intensity to complete this challenge.
He had struggled breathing after facing just one holographic dummy, and now he would face five, almost simultaneously.
One holographic dummy suddenly slid toward him, targeting his midsection just like he'd done to the first bruteneck.
Tatehan somersaulted backward quickly—a bit slow but just in time to dodge the assault.
He needed speed. He couldn't risk fighting multiple holographic dummies together; he had to end them individually.
The dummy threw a punch. Tatehan sidestepped to dodge, rolled on the floor to avoid another strike, then delivered a punch to the dummy's side, hitting its stomach area. With fluid movement, he circled to its back and targeted its neck.
Though he wasn't physically striking anything solid, the sensation of punching air while watching the dummy react felt satisfying.
Punch!
Punch!
He stopped punching and switched tactics.
Slam, double slam, kick, double kick, reverse kick, double reverse kick, and a final double punch.
As the dummy dissolved into holographic dust, another stepped forward. Fighting this one proved much harder than the previous, it seemed like facing two opponents simultaneously.
The dummy dodged all of Tatehan's attacks while landing many of its own.
Three minutes passed without victory.
Another dummy joined the fight.
Tatehan threw a punch, but it dodged, circling around and striking the back of his head.
If it had been real contact, he would have collapsed in pain, gasping while his opponent finished him.
So Tatehan dropped to his knees, pretending to be hurt to maintain the simulation's realism. When the other dummy attempted a finishing blow, Tatehan hit the ground before it connected. Rolling away, he launched himself upward like a missile and kicked the nearest dummy.
It staggered back as Tatehan engaged the others with precision and intensity. Soon all three lay flat, dissolving into holographic dust.
Another dummy lunged at him immediately. Tatehan shot a kick toward its jaw, straining his muscles beyond their limits. This opponent moved faster than he'd anticipated, but he struggled through the encounter until this dummy too withered away.
Now the final holographic dummy approached. Tatehan clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. For some reason, this one appeared much larger than expected, not the normal size at all.
This one stood like a giant, two feet taller than Tatehan.
Even though it couldn't physically harm him, the sight made him panic slightly.
It was enormous! Massive hands, legs, and thighs gave it an intimidating presence.
It paused, motionless, when it reached close range.
Tatehan stared at it, wondering how he could possibly take this down.
Then the beast-like humanoid dummy charged.
Tatehan decided his only option was extensive dodging and evasion.
The large dummy threw punch after punch. All Tatehan could do was dodge, avoiding physical contact as much as possible.
But this proved harder than expected. The dummy's strikes created gusts of wind that hit him even when the punches missed.
The spaceship's AI explained:
"[This creates urgency. Feeling nothing doesn't bring out your full potential.]"
Tatehan realized the truth in those words.
He needed pressure to defeat the holographic opponent before him.
Now when the dummy threw punches, Tatehan felt each impact. Though they didn't hurt like real strikes, they caused damage, weakening him progressively.
He tried throwing punches and kicks, attempted various escapes, but nothing seemed to work.
The holographic dummy felt like all six previous opponents combined. Tatehan nearly gave up, he wanted to shout for the spaceship's AI to stop the training, that he'd had enough, but then he realized something crucial.
Everyone has weaknesses, including humans and monsters on Mars. This holographic dummy represented them.
Defeating the brutenecks had required finding their weakness, their necks. Looking back, the weakness of the five previous holographic dummies had been speed. The only way to defeat them was being faster, even if only slightly.
Tatehan absorbed the punches while studying the giant dummy's legs.
That was it, speed and the legs.
He gathered all his remaining strength and slid under the dummy with lightning speed, so fast and unexpected that the massive opponent couldn't react.
Before the dummy could turn and catch him, he targeted the back of both knees, forcefully bringing the giant to its knees.
With a fierce shout, he struck the dummy's head with both feet, reducing it to dust.
"[Congratulations, host. You've defeated five holographic dummies!]"
"[You've completed your first training session.]"