Chapter 33: Week One of Training (1)

In an open field, loud yells followed the sound of bones cracking.

Crack!

“Oh no! You’re putting too much force on your legs!”

Snap!

“What’s wrong with your eyes?! Why can’t you avoid what you clearly see coming?!”

“I-I-it’s t-too…fast. Gaaahhh!”

It had been one week since Louis’s forced retraining project began. The entire guild continued to participate in daily drills. Throughout this past week, many fainted from exhaustion.

Ah… I wish I could faint too.

I’d gladly pass out if it meant getting some rest…

The guild members now envied those who lost consciousness. Despite taking numerous blows, they diligently practiced wielding wooden swords and learned techniques taught by Louis and the twins. Otherwise, they would suffer even more.

“All right, ten-minute break!”

During their brief respite, guild members collapsed on the spot.

“I-I think I’m dying.”

“Mmmuuhhh…” Whimpers spread throughout the group.

Gasping for breath, they gathered together and whispered among themselves.

“S-should we try to escape?”

“Forget it… The guy from the next room got caught trying to run away and ended up doing two days of nighttime ‘optional’ training. But let me tell you, that so-called optional training is pure torture.”

“I kn-know, but… Why do we have to endure this kind of training?!”

“Wow… You still want to live, huh?”

“What do you mean…?”

“I can’t believe you’re still thinking like that. I gave up on those thoughts long ago… Just empty your mind and take the beatings; somehow, each day passes by. Try it.”

“I—no, I mean, why do we heal completely overnight despite getting beaten up so badly?!”

For the past week, he had been pummeled daily. Before going to sleep each night, Louis prayed that he wouldn’t wake up the next morning, but for some reason, his body would feel refreshed and automatically open its eyes. It was truly inexplicable.

Louis smiled contentedly as he watched the three hundred guild members resting.

“They’re growing stronger by the day!”

He spared no effort on their training. To prevent anyone from trying to escape, Louis cast spatial holy magic near their lodgings. He also used mental holy magic during every session to keep them focused. Additionally, while they slept, he generously sprayed potion mist over everyone to alleviate any soreness for the following day.

I’m glad I brought plenty of potions with me!

These were top-tier potions unattainable by ordinary people.

The potion was made by none other than Genelocer himself. Even just one drop diluted with water matched the potency of potions crafted by master human alchemists.

Additionally, Louis taught them basic black magic gleaned from Genelocer’s lair. These were foundational spells that Louis had haphazardly selected for his own study and stored within his pocket dimension. Despite their rudimentary nature, any spell found in a dragon’s lair couldn’t be ordinary.

I feel conflicted about sharing this, but it’s all I know…

Dragons instinctively moved without needing to rely on black magic, as their Attribute Power naturally increased regardless of theoretical knowledge. Consequently, these were the only fundamental spells Louis knew at present.

Louis clicked his tongue as he watched the struggling guild members on the ground.

Tsk. You should consider yourselves lucky.

If Louis hadn’t needed protectors for Grower Furter or if he had more time to spare, he might have bothered teaching them some basic black magic suitable for humans. In a way, encountering Louis was akin to divine intervention for these guild members. Of course, they didn’t see it that way, as they spent each day pleading for their lives.

I can’t just hand this knowledge over so easily!

It would be disastrous if those left behind changed their minds after Louis departed. Therefore, precautions were necessary, and Louis had diligently set things in motion.

“Rest is over! Assemble!”

At Louis’s command, the exhausted guild members struggled to their feet.

He addressed them. “Are you tired?”

“No!” came the defiant reply.

Louis smiled like an angel, but his subordinates perceived it as the grin of a demon freshly risen from hell.

Sure enough, Louis cocked his head. “Really? I was going to give you all a bit more rest… Are you sure you’re not tired?”

“We-we are!”

“Oh, yes, I’m aware how hard this is on everyone here.” He nodded understandingly. “Each and every one of you must be struggling, yet you can endure because your colleagues have your backs, am I right?”

“Yes, sir!”

“When you’re tired and worn out, only your comrades can lift you up. That’s why we’ll start with shoulder-to-shoulder drills!”

“Yes, sir!”

“As we go down—”

“We stand together!”

“And as we rise—”

“We stand united!”

“Autonomous!”

“We stand together! United we stand!”

As Louis watched the wave of 300 bandits doing shoulder-to-shoulder drills, his expression was solemn. This was the first step he had planned for them: mental conditioning.

I need to instill camaraderie among these men. There is nothing quite like brotherhood forged on the battlefield. Heh-heh.

With strong bonds and clear motivation, Louis believed they could be settled here.

Louis had already devised something to unite them—a grand finale.

But first things first. I need to ensure they’re capable of holding their own.

He needed to push these men further before they could meet his standards.

As Louis plotted away, Pablo approached him cautiously and stammered, “Um…Sir Louis?”

“Oh, you’re here? Did you bring what I asked for?”

“Well, yes… As you requested, but…”

Being of dwarf lineage, Pablo was an excellent craftsman. Louis had ordered him to make something specific, so hearing that it was ready brought a smile to Louis’s face.

“Oh! Really? Well done! Ha-ha-ha.” Louis chuckled heartily, his chubby cheeks stretching to both sides as he did so.

With hands clasped behind his back, Louis watched the surfers riding waves energetically.

“Ahem. Did you know that lions drop their cubs off cliffs to make them stronger?”

“What?” Pablo cocked his head, puzzled by what Louis was saying.

Of course, Louis had no intention of explaining further; Pablo would find out soon enough anyway.

Louis waved him off. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

“I-is that right?”

“Yes, but where is it?”

“It’s ready at the location we discussed earlier.”

“Well done! Go ahead and get ready there. I’ll bring everyone over soon.”

“…Understood.” Pablo reluctantly agreed but was filled with questions. He had made what Louis requested without hesitation, but he couldn’t fathom why Louis wanted it created in the first place.

“But…what do you plan to use that for?”

Puzzled, Pablo trudged away from Louis.

Little did he know that the item he crafted would lead to a horrific event in his future. Had he known, he wouldn’t have made it even if ordered by Louis himself.

Soon after, three hundred guild members diligently gathered at Louis’s behest on top of a cliff, standing shoulder to shoulder with large backpacks strapped across their backs. They whispered among themselves as they exchanged glances.

“What’re we doing here?”

“And what’s up with these weird bags?”

They couldn’t fathom the intentions of their monstrous kid instructor.

Their confusion was interrupted by Pablo’s shout.

“Move aside!”

Pablo pushed his way through the crowd, dragging something along behind him with all his might.

Thud, thud, thud.

He maneuvered it past the guild members and positioned it at the edge of the cliff. Their eyes widened at the sight.

“A catapult?”

“But why do we need one?”

The object Pablo had struggled to haul over was indeed a massive catapult.

The one who could answer their questions soon appeared.

“Heh-ho!” Louis leaped down from atop the catapult. “Everyone, pay attention!”

Looking more serious than ever, Louis addressed them as he felt all eyes on him.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why we’ve gathered here today. I could explain it to you, but seeing it with your own eyes would be much better. Come forth, my skilled trainees!”

“Present!”

“Yee-haw!”

As soon as Louis finished speaking, the twins emerged from behind the catapult, each carrying a backpack bigger than themselves. Without hesitation, Kani climbed onto the catapult seat.

Confusion spread among those watching her.

“Huh?”

“Wh-what?!”

“No way…!”

Some among them could already predict their fate.

No way! It can’t be, right?

R-right… No sane author would do that, would they?

The quick-witted ones prayed fervently for their suspicions to prove false, but unfortunately, reality unfolded exactly as feared.

“Fire!” Louis declared confidently.

And then…

Ka-pow!

“Woooo-hoo!”

The catapult shot forward, launching Kani high into the sky. Higher and higher she soared—very, very high. The airborne girl flailed her arms and legs gleefully, while those watching from below couldn’t help but curse.

“Oh no! She’s flying!”

“I-is she insane?!”

“A-ahhh!”

Everyone except Khan, Kani, and Louis was horrified.

Everyone except three individuals was shocked out of their wits, including Pablo, who had brought along the catapult.

Is this what he meant by “cliff diving”?

Louis’s words were literal and quite straightforward: He’d been preparing to hurl lion cubs off the cliff with the catapult. The horrified onlookers could only stare agape.

“…” After a brief moment, they spotted Kani deploying his parachute far below as he floated gently down toward the ground.

“Yes, excellent! It works perfectly!” Louis beamed proudly and turned around, then faced the group of 300. “See that? That’s how it’s done.”

“…”

No one responded, understandably so. Who would’ve imagined using a catapult at the edge of such a precipice?

Who would’ve thought they’d be catapulted off a cliff?

Louis cocked his head at their silence. “Did you not see that properly? Then I’ll demonstrate again. You just need to open your parachute once you feel like you’re at the highest point of your arc. Okay, let’s go with our seasoned trainee first!”

“I’ll go!” exclaimed Khan excitedly as he hopped onto the catapult before anyone else could react.

And…

Fwip!

“Yippee!”

Khan was launched high into the air, twirling around.

Whooosh!

As Louis watched Khan gracefully float down after deploying his parachute, he rubbed his chin.

Since these kids are so light, they flew farther than expected.

Khan and Kani landed somewhat farther from where Grower was buried.

Well, that’s still within acceptable range.

The reason Louis had devised this catapult training regimen was simple: to reduce response time for raids.

What good is catching up with them after they’ve already stripped a dungeon clean? We need to move quickly!

The Blood Axes’ base of operations was located atop a cliff. While it provided excellent surveillance over Grower’s resting place, the downside was the delay in reaching their target during missions. Thus, Louis came up with a plan to fly—or rather, hurl—his men across the sky.

It’s perfect! He beamed at his own brilliant idea.