Chapter 98: How to Become a Predator
Teachings of an Absolute Being!
My body was already burning with excitement, but since I had promised Dorneth, I couldn’t carelessly wander around the castle.
‘First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll need to find a training ground.’
If I asked Dorneth, he’d probably secure a good spot for me.
I considered taking a short nap but ended up getting out of bed instead.
Maybe it was the tension from talking to Reto, but I felt hungry. I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep like this, so I crept over to Fenry’s bed.
There was a plate of fruit next to her bed.
It was prepared as a snack for her when she woke up, but it had long since become my go-to midnight snack instead.
Tonight’s treat was a fresh apple.
I took a big bite out of an apple right in front of her.
“Tastes better when I’m stealing it.”
How do you feel about this, Fenry?
I couldn’t openly confront her, so this petty act was my way of getting back at her.
After clearing the plate, I climbed back into my bed.
My stomach was full, my back was warm, and I had a comfortable place to sleep.
If I could forge a strong alliance, I wouldn’t have to keep struggling alone in this survival game anymore.
I’d finally have a safe nest.
‘Life is starting to look up.’
Thinking about how the hardships might finally be over, I sank into the soft mattress and tried to sleep.
I was sure tomorrow would be a better day.
But neither the sweet sleep I hoped for nor the happiness I dreamed of lasted.
[Wake up.]
Reto’s voice shattered it all to pieces.
“Wh-what? What is it all of a sudden?”
[Prepare an iron club. Training begins now.]
From the next day onward, I experienced hell.
***
“Where did he go?”
As usual, Sharbadin came to visit the lodging, placing a plate full of food on the table as she looked around.
Only Fenry was lying in the room, her figure lonely on the bed.
Arthur’s daily routine was simple. He’d laze around in bed until late afternoon, then have meals with her whenever she came by. But today, his bed was conspicuously empty.
Knowing he wasn’t allowed to wander around freely, she assumed he’d be back soon and sat on his bed to wait.
“I came early today to share some important news.”
She had received word that the elven stone had been completed and that Nella would be visiting soon.
Sharbadin’s role was to casually pass on outside information to Arthur per Nella’s request, but today it seemed she only needed to see him briefly.
Nella had said she wanted to meet him directly.
‘Guess I’ll be bored again.’
Losing her chat partner left her feeling slightly disappointed.
She brushed her hand across the spot where Arthur would usually lie.
A human with a special aura.
She had felt it even back at the pool of blood. His aura had a way of putting those around him at ease.
Though her master, Fenry, seemed reluctant to acknowledge that fact.
***
“He’s late.”
As the soup on the table cooled, Sharbadin pouted. She debated calling a servant but shook her head and instead made her way to Dorneth’s office.
“The lord is in a meeting with the elders.”
“I’ll wait.”
Dorneth had been extremely busy due to the abandoned mine incident.
Reclaiming a mining vein that was as good as lost in his generation meant there was an endless amount of preparation to do.
While quietly enjoying tea by the window, the office door swung open, and Dorneth appeared.
“Oh, my dear fiancée, Shar!”
Though he wore a forced cheerful expression, she immediately noticed his exhaustion.
His gaunt cheeks and hollow eyes suggested the elders had been giving him quite a hard time.
“Sorry to bother you when you’re busy, Dorneth.”
“What are you saying?! I’ve missed you terribly, not seeing you for so long!”
The two chatted briefly before Sharbadin brought up her reason for visiting.
“Where is Arthur… I mean, Alex?”
Alex.
That was the alias Arthur Clayton was using at the moment. Per Fenry’s request, they refrained from revealing his real name regardless of the setting.
At her question, Dorneth frowned and asked curtly, “Why are you looking for him?”
“He’s been gone all day. Wasn’t he told not to attract attention?”
“He’s elsewhere at the moment.”
“Where? Please tell me.”
Dorneth’s eye twitched as his fiancée, who hadn’t visited in three days, now seemed more concerned about Arthur than him.
Although he didn’t see her every day, he received reports of her activities through his servants.
Apparently, she spent a lot of time with Arthur as a conversation partner, even preparing his meals and checking on his bedding. The thought had filled him with jealousy before, and now she was actively looking for him in his absence.
‘That lucky bastard!’
So when Arthur had come to him at dawn, requesting training arrangements, Dorneth had eagerly agreed.
“He’s currently in the lord’s private training ground.”
“The training ground? Why there all of a sudden…?”
“He said he wanted to loosen up after resting for so long. He’ll probably be spending a lot of time there from now on.”
“Then I’ll bring his meal to the training ground.”
At Sharbadin’s last comment, sparks seemed to fly in Dorneth’s eyes.
He’d never received such attention himself, yet here she was… giving it to Arthur.
Just then, the knight captain, Natone, approached Dorneth.
“What is it?!”
“…Ah, well…”
Startled by the lord’s sharp glare, Natone hesitated before awkwardly raising a broken iron club, stained with blood.
While he didn’t explicitly report the bloodstains, the sight alone spoke volumes.
“We need to increase the durability of the equipment.”
“You’re saying that’s all his strength could manage?”
“Looking at the marks, that doesn’t seem to be the case….”
“No matter! He’s about to become Beneta’s benefactor. We need to support him properly. I’ll instruct the smithy to provide a solid steel club. That should never break.”
“…A solid steel club, sir?”
“You knights also mentioned needing more men, didn’t you? I’ll send you some tough ones. Push him to the brink… I mean, assist him properly.”
“……”
Sharbadin looked curious.
What kind of training was this, for Dorneth to be smirking while Natone sighed in resignation?
“Curious?”
“Can I follow Natone to check it out?”
“I was planning to issue you an entry pass anyway, so go ahead and take a look.”
The lord’s private training ground required his explicit permission to access.
Handing her the pass, Dorneth was confident that after one visit, she would never want to return.
Dorneth recalled Arthur’s early morning visit. After hearing his absurd training request, Dorneth had uttered just one word:
“Lunatic.”
‘He must be insane. Or maybe the mine’s curse infected him?’
Even the knights assigned to assist Arthur had found the training so incomprehensible they were reluctant to take part.
Leaving the office, Sharbadin grabbed a basket of food and followed Natone.
Her plan was to ensure Arthur had a proper meal after training. But upon seeing the basket, Natone shook his head with a grim expression.
“He won’t be able to eat that.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
No explanation was necessary.
One look would be enough for her to understand.
Natone sighed deeply, reflecting on how he had been roped into this madness, and headed for the smithy.
A while later, Natone, now carrying a bundle of solid steel clubs over his shoulder, marched toward the lord’s private training ground.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Sharbadin asked, “Why are you personally handling this, Sir Natone?”
“No particular reason.”
“Why not have the knights do it?”
“I’m the only dwarf who can still move around, that’s why.”
“The training must be quite intense.”
Intense training.
At her comment, Natone let out a hollow laugh as they arrived at the tall, brick-walled enclosure.
The lord’s private training ground was connected to the knights’ training ground, but the tall brick walls ensured no one could easily peek inside.
Creak—
As Natone opened the iron gate, a fierce gust of hot air rushed out, making Sharbadin’s hair whip wildly. The wind carried a thick, suffocating heat.
And then—
“Ugh!”
She recoiled, covering her nose and mouth as the strong stench of blood hit her.
The open gate revealed a training ground stained entirely red.
When Natone fully opened the door, she dropped the basket in shock.
The scene before her was utterly horrifying.
“…This is training?”
“Well, that’s what he calls it.”
Natone gripped one of the steel clubs and stared at the bloody training ground.
“He says it’s the way to become a predator.”
Lying in the center of the blood-soaked ground was Arthur, completely battered and unconscious.
***
[Don’t lose consciousness. The moment you give up, all this training will be for nothing.]
“...Shi… t…”
I was kneeling in the dirt, both hands and knees pressed to the ground, completely numb. I couldn’t tell if my limbs were trembling or broken.
Actually, the lack of feeling made me think I might be better off.
The pain from the relentless beating had been excruciating.
Drip—
Suddenly, my vision turned red.
Blood dripped from my forehead, soaking into my eyes.
I wanted to blink it away, but I resisted.
Closing my eyes might mean losing consciousness, and I couldn’t afford that.
The blood ran down my face, dripping onto the ground in steady droplets.
My forehead felt deeply gashed or perhaps shattered altogether.
[Pathetic. You’re still far from ready.]
Thump!
My heartbeat thundered in my ears. I could hear the blood coursing through my veins, loud and clear.
At the same time, the Ring of Desire glowed crimson.
But instead of a cool, soothing sensation, an unbearable suffocation rose within me.
The healing was agonizingly slow.
Reto’s doing, of course.
[Feel the sensation of your wounds closing, your bones mending, the sound of blood flowing through your heart. Slowly carve the feeling of life into your brain.]
“...Kuhh, huff, huff.”
My body’s gradual recovery.
The process felt suffocating.
Teetering on the brink of death, the pain forced my mind into a heightened state of awareness.
My senses were sharpened, and time seemed to slow down.
Every sound distorted, echoing unnaturally in my ears.
Even the faintest sensations in my fingertips felt overwhelming.
Naturally, the pain was amplified.
The agony was so intense I couldn’t even speak.
“Ghh… ack!”
Reto called this the “brink of death” state.
It was like running a 100-meter sprint after finishing a marathon.
My wildly pounding heart felt like it was about to explode.
[Collapsing or sitting idle is what prey does. To become a predator, you must stand. Move. Bite into your enemy.]
“...You… bastard, kuh!”
I was barely clinging to consciousness, and now he wanted me to stand? To move? To fight?
I wanted to scream at him to shut up.
Grinding my teeth, I clenched my fists.
My nails broke off as they scraped against the dirt, but that pain was nothing compared to the feeling of my crushed lungs.
[Move!]
I gritted my teeth harder and lifted my head.
My vision was red.
Scattered across the bloody dirt were dwarves lying sprawled out.
Some sat slumped, staring at me like I was a monster.
They were gasping for breath, looking like they were about to keel over.
Damn dwarves.
The ones swinging the clubs at me had collapsed before I did.
Those guys were all at least third-rank knights. Yet I had fought them without using mana, relying purely on my physical strength.
No, it wasn’t a fight—it was one-sided abuse. To pit someone without mana against knights who used it? That was sheer madness.
And yet, I had done it.
Because Reto demanded it.
He was an Absolute Being, so I thought he must have had some kind of plan.
But there was nothing.
This damned Absolute Being said training could only begin when I was on the brink of death, struggling to breathe.
Seriously, what was I supposed to do here?
I was a human being, after all. My body was screaming at me to stop before I completely ran out of strength.
[When you break past the limits of your instincts, a new world will open up to you.]
“……”
[The body of Retonicalus knows no limits. Drawing a line for yourself is a weakness of lesser beings. Break the wall. That is the first step in my training.]
This mentor of mine was clearly a sadistic lunatic who specialized in extreme pain.
A true madman.
“……”
My head lolled like a ragdoll.
That was the extent of what my battered, half-dead body could manage.
Move?
Was he insane?
My instincts had taken over, and I finally let go of consciousness.
My face hit the ground as I collapsed.
[So weak….]
Through the faint haze of my fading awareness, I heard Reto’s sigh.
But I smiled faintly.
Who knew passing out could feel this good?
A shiver of catharsis washed over me.
It was bad enough that I might end up possessed by a demon from sheer relief.
Thus ended my first day of training.