The next day after class, Jin and Altina once again faced each other at the Training Grounds of Class A.
In truth, Jin wasn’t particularly keen on seeing her, but with no more choices left, he could only walk to the Training Grounds with an expression akin to that of a cow being led to slaughter.
“So, is today the first day? Or should I say, the first day?”
Altina, in stark contrast to Jin’s expression, beamed with a smile that suggested she was eagerly looking forward to the upcoming lessons. Of course, to Jin, that smile felt even more horrifying than that of a grim reaper.
“I have no idea how to train by myself. I truly expect great things. You must have some methods to offer that I couldn’t even imagine, right?”
…I’m sorry. In fact, I don’t know anything either. I can’t even manage myself, how could I possibly teach someone?
“Oh, if you’re going to teach me, you should first explain how far I’ve progressed, right?”
With those words, Altina grabbed a training sword and immediately infused it with aura, causing the blade to hum.
Whooooosh—
As Altina focused her strength into the sword, a hazy aura began to form along the blade. It was precisely the aura that Jin had never been able to obtain despite over a century of everything he had attempted.
“As you can see, I haven’t made any progress aside from generating aura through the sword. I think I understand how to conjure aura itself, but I have no clue on how to use that aura efficiently or how to refine my strength.”
“…..”
To be honest, Jin couldn’t comprehend what on earth Altina was talking about. He thought aura was simply about being generated; who cares about efficiency or refining?
Gazing at the captivating light emitting from her aura, a surge of jealousy bubbled within him for some unknown reason.
Some people had not even caught a whiff of aura despite it being over a hundred years, while others were discussing its efficiency and perfection. Truly, it seemed that the ones who had something always wanted more, and there was certainly no denying the old saying about that.
Yet, it seemed Altina’s expression also shifted slightly in response to Jin’s envious demeanor.
“Ah… I’m sorry. Is this a bit too much? Now that I think about it, it’s quite embarrassing. This is something you should also be able to do, so it seems I’m just showing off in front of you.”
…No, the truth is I can’t even use aura. And if I fight you, I would definitely lose. If it came to wrestling in the mud, it might be a different story, but in a sparring match, I might very well get beaten and end up in tears.
Right from the start, he felt like sighing heavily. He just wanted to call it quits, head back to the dormitory, and sleep.
However, standing in front of him was Altina, filled with zeal, staring at him with sparkling eyes. It seemed she had no intentions of letting him off easily.
“Okay, so what should we start with? Regardless of how you want to teach me, I’ll follow your instructions without complaint. You’re like my teacher now, right?”
Looking at Altina, who was smiling brightly at him, his heart felt torn with guilt. His mind went blank. How on earth could he teach that naive girl who so firmly believed he was stronger than her?
“Um, so—”
He might not know much, but he understood one thing clearly.
Time, he needed time. Not to craft a curriculum for teaching Altina, but to devise an intricate lie that would allow him to deceive her flawlessly.
In the end, since enrolling in Nineveh, what had increased was not his own strength but merely his ability to spin tales.
—Hadn’t he squeezed his brain all night without yielding anything? And now, out of nowhere, brilliant excuses were springing up?
“Shut up, this is all happening because you haven’t cooperated at all.”
Jin gritted his teeth and growled at Erekaya.
Indeed, just yesterday, Erekaya had filled Jin with hot air about taking on the role of Altina’s teacher, yet barely uttered a word about how he might actually teach her.
Erekaya, being someone who had reached mastery, would surely find it easier to teach Altina if she offered her assistance, and yet she remained tight-lipped, leaving Jin puzzled about her intentions.
—In any case, this is stupid. Both you and that girl are laboring under a horrible delusion. Do you honestly think that someone could teach a master?
‘…What do you mean by that?’
—Don’t worry about it. Just teach her as you see fit. If I’m right, no matter how you choose to teach, the results won’t be that bad.
‘…?’
Deciding to just ramble whatever came to his mind since he had no concrete advice, Jin replied, “Uh, um… First, let’s run around the Training Grounds about thirty times. That’s the priority.”
“Running around the Training Grounds? Not practicing swordsmanship? Why?”
Altina wasn’t dissatisfied with his suggestion; she merely asked the intention behind it.
Why? I don’t know. It just feels like running should be the starting point for training. That’s how they do it in documentaries featuring athletes.
“Um, so this is to measure how well your body performs… Yes, to measure.”
“Measure?”
“Yeah, each individual has training methods that suit them and ones that don’t. I’m planning to assess your physical potential by watching you run around the Training Grounds.”
But is it really possible to gauge someone’s physical potential by just making them run? I honestly don’t know. Well, the world is vast, and there are many people; maybe there’s someone who can do that.
“Oh, I see. Then I’ll start right now!”
With that, Altina immediately began running around the Training Grounds.
One lap, two laps… then ten laps, twenty laps…
Altina’s posture didn’t differ at all from when she first started until she had run twenty laps. No, she didn’t show a sign of losing her breath.
Even though she was running laps within a confined Training Grounds, to not sweat a drop after twenty laps? Is that woman really made of steel?
“…I think you can stop running now.”
Jin called out to Altina when she had surpassed the original target and run about fifty laps.
“Really? Already? I can still run more.”
Sure, she could run more. But the problem is that it wouldn’t make any sense to do so.
“No, that seems sufficient.”
“Could it be that you’ve already assessed my physical potential? Did you manage to measure everything in such a short time?”
Altina looked at Jin with a gaze of admiration.
“Uh, yes. Anyway, it seems we don’t need any more measurements.”
I’m not some kind of personal trainer. How would I know about your physical condition based only on how you run?
“So, what do you think? How should I train? How can I wield the power of aura efficiently and, further, defeat Erekaya?”
Well, if I knew such brilliant methods, I would have already practiced them and reached mastery by now.
As Jin opened his mouth with a plausible expression – actually, a blank look – Altina gulped.
“I see two issues with you.”
“Two issues?”
Altina’s eyes widened in surprise. At that moment, she was genuinely astonished. Having only run around the Training Grounds since she arrived, had he figured out her flaws in such a brief time?
‘Just as I thought, I wasn’t wrong.’
Indeed, this was the correct answer. Although he could be a bit arrogant, his tone rather rude, and he didn’t seem to consider others’ feelings, he was undeniably powerful, a force to be reckoned with in Nineveh.
Opportunities to learn from a strong individual like him were rare. In the entire Empire, there were only about eight individuals who had reached the level of master, even fewer unofficially.
On the other hand, while Jin was babbling in front of Altina, he didn’t have much thought.
‘If I only have one thing to say after making her run around that much, it wouldn’t sound impressive.’
The teacher should always hold an authoritative presence in front of their disciple.
And the easiest way to assert that authority as a teacher was to belittle the disciple and point out their flaws, right?
“First of all, you have too much wasted movement.”
“Wasted movement?”
“Yes, I mentioned it to you before. Your stance when swinging the sword was slightly off, and it became the reason for the massive wall blocking you.”
“This is just an extension of that. You’ve ingrained the wrong footwork for far too long. As a result, your center of gravity and flow of power tend to become misaligned.”
“The disharmony between the power generated by your body and the relaxation guiding it. If you can’t achieve that, it doesn’t matter if you reach the master level or any other realm; it will be meaningless.”
Of course, that’s a load of nonsense, if not complete and utter nonsense. How could he possibly uncover anything just by observing someone else run?
He was merely taking a gamble, having previously pointed out Altina’s stride, which coincidentally hit the mark, and thought that if he pointed out the same aspect again, he would face at least no loss.
“Ah, I see.”
Altina, being innocent, nodded as if it were profound advice. In reality, he was just rambling whatever came to mind.
“And secondly, your movements are too textbook-like. They’re so perfect it feels as if you’re directly copying a swordsmanship manual.”
“Is that bad? Isn’t perfection a good thing?”
Altina tilted her head, not quite understanding Jin’s words.
Sure, being textbook-perfect is good. But since I have to find a way to critique you somehow, I need to twist it.
“No, in your case, being too correct and proper means that you’re overly pursuing perfection, which actually makes your sword not free.”
“Free…?”
“Yes, your sword is bound by something. That’s why it isn’t free. A sword that has reached the master level should be infinitely free, unbound by anything, yet your sword and movements feel restricted by a limit you’ve unconsciously set for yourself.”
Upon hearing Jin’s words, Altina’s mouth dropped open in genuine admiration.
“W-Wow. Such martial discourse… I’ve never heard anything like it before.”
Of course, that was to be expected. This was simply Jin stitching together phrases from martial arts novels he read back in Korea.
“S-So what should I do?”
“It’s simple. From now on, you should train on your own.”
“Wait… What?”
This was the critical part. Jin made a pensive expression toward Altina before dramatically turning away from her. It was a sort of desperate acting to appear more mysterious.
“Actually, last night I came up with a few ways to teach you. But now, I feel those methods might not be very effective for you. Because the issues you have stem from your own heart.”
What methods I was thinking? That’s nonsense. I spent all night wracking my brain but ended up sleeping without any ideas.
But Altina had no way of knowing that.
“M-My heart…”
“Of course, if you want, it is not impossible to forcibly guide you to a level. But that would be meaningless and could even become a poison hindering your growth in the future.”
As he said this, Jin shook his head side to side, almost as if it pained him not to be able to teach Altina right then.
“Think for yourself. Realize what you possess, what you lack, and what you should pursue. Instead of being bound by laws, make the absence of laws your own. Then, you’ll automatically understand what path you should take.”
“B-But I—”
“My advice ends here. Good luck to you.”
With that, Jin walked out toward the exit of the Training Grounds without looking back, accompanied by a resolute gesture denying any further rebuttal.
‘How about that? Isn’t this truly perfect? Now Altina won’t bother me anymore. Oh, by the way, did I mention that my career aspiration was to be a teacher?’
– …I thought you were a hero who would save humanity, but it seems you are more blessed with the talent of a con artist. You are truly hopeless.
‘To be lectured by a devilish woman who once brought about the end of humanity, maybe I’ve been living rather righteously. So, is that a compliment?’
– No, it’s truly my preference. It’s somewhat different from what I had pictured, but her experiencing a setback is something I wouldn’t wish for less.
Thus, the pair of man and woman left the Training Grounds, quietly rejoicing in their hearts.
“…My own, law? Freedom?”
While Altina stood alone with a dazed expression, endlessly mumbling about Jin’s earlier words.
