"Special Training and Equipment" Bell successfully defeated the Minotaur, achieving his first great feat. His courage and determination duri
"Special Training and Equipment"
Bell successfully defeated the Minotaur, achieving his first great feat.
His courage and determination during the battle were awe-inspiring, even to Finn. His tactics and techniques were secondary in comparison.
Bell, completely drained of both physical and magical energy and now unconscious, was brought back to the surface.
Welf was tasked with returning Bell to the abandoned church where Hestia resided, while the others went their separate ways.
It was clear that everyone would not soon forget the white-haired boy's fighting spirit.
Drake had anticipated that Bell's actions would inspire these top-tier adventurers, but he hadn't foreseen the extreme reaction from one particular individual.
Drake returned to his workshop and, having just set down his tools, heard a knock at the door.
Opening the door, he found Ais standing outside.
Drake guessed the girl's purpose, but his expression darkened. Ais was far too eager; she had clearly turned back halfway to the Twilight Manor to seek him out for special training.
Drake sighed. "If it's about special training, I still need to prepare some things. Come back tomorrow."
Ais looked rather dissatisfied, but she nodded and turned to leave.
Drake wasn't simply putting Ais off; he genuinely needed time to prepare for the training.
As Drake had previously stated, Ais's path to improvement would be far more challenging than Bell's.
For adventurers seeking to grow stronger, the only path is to gain experience. Both combat and training serve to acquire this necessary experience.
However, the stronger an adventurer becomes, the less efficient their experience gain becomes.
For top-tier adventurers, gaining even ten or so attribute points in a single Dungeon run is considered quite good.
Since Drake had agreed to train Ais, he couldn't simply go through the motions.
What Drake needed to prepare were magical tools to assist in her training.
His inspiration came from the overused trope in countless novels and anime: gravity equipment.
In his past life, there had been methods of weighted training, such as using sandbags, but ordinary weights were of little use to top-tier adventurers.
To achieve any effective training effect with ordinary weights, one would need to carry a weight equivalent to an entire house.
But Drake possessed both [Mystery] and [Smithing], allowing him to create a convenient and practical magical tool.
Moreover, having witnessed and experienced Valletta's skill Drake had even more inspiration.
Selecting a suitable hammer, Drake's fingers glided across the various materials on a nearby shelf, quickly finding his target.
Mithril, a rare metal with the best magical affinity.
Drake had purchased a significant quantity of rare materials after making a large profit from the Loki Familia, including not only materials dropped by monsters but also Orichalcum, Adamantite, Mithril, and Adamantine.
Drake summoned Fal, who expertly transformed into an unfeeling forging machine, taking up its position and emitting flames without requiring any instructions from Drake.
The rare metals Drake had purchased were all high-quality ingots, ready for immediate forging.
The hammer fell, the flying sparks illuminating Drake's face, and the metal ingots began to take shape according to Drake's design.
…
Early the next morning, Ais once again knocked on the door of Drake's workshop.
Drake opened the door, glancing at the sun just peeking over the horizon. "I figured it would be you. But the preparations are complete; let's go to the city walls for training!"
Ais glanced at the box Drake was carrying and quickly followed him to the city walls where Drake had previously trained Bell and Welf.
Drake opened the box in front of Ais, revealing a pair of silver armguards.
The armguards were styled like crowns, with a purple gem embedded in the center of each.
"These are...?" Ais picked up the armguards, her voice laced with curiosity.
Drake replied, "Put them on and find out."
Ais obediently fastened the armguards to her forearms. The moment the armguards clasped together, she felt a significant weight settle upon her, causing her waist to involuntarily bend.
Ais bit her lip, struggling to straighten her posture.
Drake said, "Not bad, you adapted quite quickly. These are custom-made suppression armguards.
Explaining the mechanics would be too tedious. Just understand that these armguards apply pressure to you from all directions, affecting your muscles, bones, internal organs, and even your magical power.
Under these conditions, the effectiveness of your training will be significantly enhanced."
Drake was right not to explain too much. Ais was clearly only concerned with the last sentence; as long as these items could help her grow stronger, that was all that mattered.
Ais looked at Drake. "And then? How am I supposed to train?"
Drake responded, "Naturally, through combat. I can see that your swordsmanship foundation is quite good; there's no need to start from the very beginning.
What you need now is to integrate your fragmented swordsmanship techniques and forge them into something that is truly your own. Combat is the best way to achieve this."
Drake wasn't flattering Ais. Based on his observations, even Ottar might not necessarily surpass Ais in terms of combat skill.
Of course, Ottar's attributes completely overshadowed Ais's, and the difference in skill alone wasn't enough to bridge the gap between them.
The reason for this was that Ais possessed swordsmanship that was considered top-tier even among top-tier adventurers. This was also the reason why everyone had bestowed upon her the title of 〈Sword Princess〉.
Ais's father was the mercenary king, the ultimate hero Albert Waldstein, who had famously blinded a black dragon with his swordsmanship.
Even if Ais had only observed the mercenary king's daily training and learned just a few scraps of his swordsmanship, her skills were still quite extraordinary.
Drake couldn't help but feel a pang of regret that he wouldn't have the opportunity to witness the unparalleled swordsmanship of that ultimate hero.
The strongest swordsman Drake had ever encountered, and he wondered who would be stronger in a comparison between Albert and that pure white Valkyrie.
With these thoughts in mind, Drake assumed a combat stance, signaling to Ais that she could attack whenever she was ready.
Ais drew Despair Sword and charged forward, immediately launching a thrusting attack.
This was Ais's first time engaging Drake as an opponent, but she didn't dare to be careless in the slightest, even though Drake wasn't wielding any weapons.
From the moment Drake had assumed his combat stance, Ais had begun searching for any openings or weaknesses. However, even after she had drawn her sword, she still hadn't found a single exploitable gap.
On Level 24, she had already witnessed Drake's immense power, but now she had a completely new understanding of his capabilities.
Facing the tip of Ais's sword, Drake simply raised his hand and struck out with a palm strike. The contact between his palm and the blade sent Ais's sword flying away.
Despair Sword had come within a fist's length of Drake's head, but Drake had already closed the distance with Ais. His other hand formed into a fist, aiming directly for Ais's abdomen.
Ais hastily retreated to evade the blow, but her footing became slightly unsteady.
Drake, of course, wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. He advanced, launching another punch.
Ais barely managed to raise her sword to block, and Drake's fist slammed into Despair Sword, producing a sound like that of metal striking metal in a workshop. Ais was sent flying backward.
At that moment, Ais felt the full effect of the suppression armguards. With the armguards on, she felt that every movement was becoming increasingly strenuous.
However, Ais didn't complain, because she saw that Drake also had armguards on his arms. Although the style was different from her own, they were undoubtedly the same type of equipment.
Ais understood: Drake was far stronger than she was, and all she could do was to use him as her target and strive to catch up!
Therefore, ignoring the throbbing pain in her hand, Ais charged forward once more.
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