Chapter 336 – Village (11)
A pebble passed by my ear just barely. I tilted my head slightly and lifted one foot in the opposite direction. In order to balance it, I had no choice but to adopt this ridiculous body movement. Then, without a doubt, Theoter’s pebble flew aiming at my ankle.
I had to get down again and straighten my body. A pebble flew at half a beat as quickly as the body moved along the learned trajectory.
“Oops!”
Hit by a stone in the stomach, I rolled on the floor and spilled the stone. A.A, who was taking a break next to me, approached me. She asked.
“It’s okay?”
“Yes I’m okay.”
One week after starting the exam. We are nearing the end of Theoter’s exam. Theoter erratically threw a pebble around the time we had evaded all 20 of them, knocking us off each time. Theoter said as I robbed my seat and got up.
“Today ends here! We’ll do the rest tomorrow.”
At the sound of the end, we let out a deep sigh and sat down on top of Aglio Festa’s carriage. Before starting the test in earnest, A.A suggested that it would be a good idea to pack a wagon, so it was brought from the Dwarven Palace. There was definitely a wagon, so there was a place to sit and rest, and the advantage of being able to go home at any time was less nervous.
We sat on the carriage and soothed our weary bodies. The exam, which was thought to be passed within three days at the most, was seldom progressing. If this is enough for the first time, how long will it take to do the fifth? Thinking about it made my eyes go dark.
“How can I avoid it?”
“I know, right.”
A.A was also thinking of countermeasures in various ways to see if he wanted to pass the test. Beneath her feet was painted something that looked like a person, and several gold lines were squeaked across it. She seemed to embody her own figure avoiding stones. She watched the painting as if it were a montage of a criminal, squinting her eyes.
I could roughly understand what Theoter wanted. If you only avoid it according to the set pattern, your body will not be able to cope with unexpected situations. Therefore, to say that you have passed the test perfectly, you must be able to dodge a sudden attack.
“But trying to do it with a stone on her head is hard.”
The problem was balance. Even if we dodged like water, if we aimed for a hand that stretched out for balance or a leg that lifted slightly, we collapsed quickly. Theo Terre was watching the flowers from a distance and humming her. A. A frowned at her as her hair her was wrapped. She couldn’t seem to come up with her spirit solution even as she was. In the end, we went to sleep without resolving anything until the night.
“Wake up! We have to start over!”
We woke up rubbing our faces, frowning at the clear voice. Looking out of the carriage with a sleepy face, Theo Terre was waving his hand. For her, this practice seemed to feel similar to her play process her. A.A and I moved the stone back into the bowl and prepared to avoid the stone. Today, it was A.A.’S turn to do it first.
****
“Wow!”
Aye sighed and sat down on her floor. On her 19th throw her, she made a mistake. A stone that narrowly grazed her ankle she threw her off balance and she fell. I approached her and put the heel on her ankle. A.A said, slightly frowning her eyes as if indignant.
“That’s too bad.”
“It is to be expected. Move a little more irregularly.”
Theoter said. But words and reality were quite different. It was because we had to work to the limit to do what she could do as naturally as breathing. I thought with a stone bowl on my head. How can I avoid it?
Theoter said with a grin.
“Then shall we begin?”
AI was looking at me. I said while looking at A.A.
“Hero.”
“Yes?”
“Please cheer me on just once.”
“…I do not like it.”
I wonder if I expected something from her serious face her. When I asked for support, she pursed her lips and shook her head. I clicked her tongue and said.
“Ah, don’t do that. It’s because I think I can really avoid it this time if you support me.”
“…Cheer up… Cheer up…”
A.A lowered her head and cheered with a sound the size of a mosquito. I felt like I knew the power of that voice alone. My girl was cheering me on, so I couldn’t lose anymore. Theoter asked with a slight smile as he looked at the two of us.
“Then can I throw it?”
“Yes. Please come.”
Theoter’s pebble flew at me in a gray trajectory. I slightly twisted my body and lightly dodged the pebble. A pebble stuck in a wooden pole made a clear sound and dropped sawdust. Theoter praised me and threw the stone again.
“You’re doing great!”
It was as usual until here. The important thing was the last three slings. I had to avoid the last 3 times flying in an irregular orbit to pass the test perfectly.
“You’re doing great!”
When Theoter praised me, I evaded the stone by moving my body like a whale dancing. Then, out of nowhere, I had this thought. Why do you give the rest so easily? Isn’t it okay to throw it unpredictably from the beginning? What did Theoter want to do?
Wedge!
I thought of something else, but involuntarily turned into a familiar trajectory and avoided the stone. It could be said that he habitually avoided it. And, it was only at the moment of avoiding that stone that I was able to understand a little what Theoter was aiming for. She was making us a habit. She made a habit of avoiding in a certain direction or posture, and was targeting that habit to exploit her weakness.
In addition to a sense of balance, she was asking us to make erratic movements that she herself could not predict. I decided not to care about what number of stones it was or how to balance it now.
Another stone flew. I lightly turned my body to the side to avoid the stone. Then, at the same time, a stone flew to the part where I had to put my feet up. But I didn’t step on it. I forcibly lowered my foot and slammed it into the ground. The leaning body stopped using the ground as a support.
Theoter’s eyes sparkled. Her stone her cut through the air lightly. The stone that passed right through the spot where I had to put my foot hit the rock in the valley and made a clear sound. I smiled confidently at Theoter. Theoter praised my improvisation.
“There is definitely progress. By the way…”
“By the way?’
“How are you going to avoid the next one?”
“Ah.”
Fuck!
I was hit with a stone and fell to the floor again. In the end, A.A, who got a hint from me, avoided the stone in a different way, and I also somehow managed to avoid the stone by clenching my teeth and moving my body in a direction that Cioter could not predict. It is quite difficult to erase a habit once established.
The moment the last stone narrowly missed my cheek, a status window appeared above my head.
[Theoter’s Special Training (1/5) has been cleared! A reward will be awarded.]
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I could definitely feel my body getting stronger. I called up the status window and checked the current stats.
Name: Peta Lucius
Occupation: Lord of Peta Manor
Level: 69
Stat
Strength: 264
Agility: 257
Intelligence: 270
Luck: 240
In addition to the stat rewards obtained through Siotere’s special training reward, his stats had risen a little more due to his past training and the level he had so far. Ayy felt that her body had become a little lighter, so she swung her arms in the air or jumped in place. Theoter looked at us and asked.
“There are still four more steps left, are you going to do it right now? I intend to stay here for now, but you guys are… You have a house. So I think it’s good for you guys to go home for a bit now.”
Theoter clearly didn’t want to let go. A.A and I faced each other face to face. Said A.
“First of all, I want to take some time to reflect on my newly acquired senses. I think I need to train my body lightly for a few days… What do you think, priest?”
I looked at Theoter. Theoter was looking at us with a slightly uneasy look. But I was a married man, and I was obliged to go to Peta Manor once to deliver my news. My wives will worry if I don’t go. I took Theoter’s hand and said.
“Theoter. Ten days. I’ll be back in ten days. I will go home and say once again that I will return after training, and then I will come back more fully prepared.”
“Are you really going to come back?”
Theoter held my hand tightly and promised me once more. AI also stood next to Theoter and said.
“Theoter. Are we friends? I will definitely come back.”
“Okay. Then i’ll wait must come I still have to protect this barrier.”
Theoter said so with a sullen face. I felt strange because I felt like I was abandoning my dog for some reason. But I couldn’t help it. Because I couldn’t get Theoter out right now. After A.A got into the carriage, I groaned in front of Theoter for a while. She asked, hinting at her subtle anticipation of her as I stood in front of her.
“Why, why? Are you going to train now?”
“… Theoter. If I pass all of these practices, something will… As a friend, can you give me something like a reward?”
“Prize? What award? It’s a reward given as a friend, so I don’t know what it is.”
It was not yet the time to speak directly. I said.
“I think you’ll be more motivated to bet on something, how about something like this? Just listen to what I want.”
“Wow, what do you want?”
Theoter looked at me with a bewildered face. Since I had a past where I was being eaten by others just a while ago, I reacted very sensitively to the word ‘what I want’. I said.
“Theoter, if you don’t like it, you can listen to everything and refuse. I won’t ask for magic stones or work for me.”
“That, is it? Okay then! Instead, I have to train harder, and do I really have to come back?”
“And Theoter. If someone looks for you while we’re gone, can’t you come out?”
“Yes? However, they can also be good people…”
“Theoter. No. The people who live around here are all dwarves, and they like to trick you.”
“That, is it?”
I was able to climb into the carriage only after receiving confirmation from Theoter several times. Said A.
“Would it be okay?”
“I do not know. I promise you, it will be fine.”
