Unnamed technique

Evening arrived over 10th Hamlet — the atmosphere over the settlement was still solemn from the death of the farmer. Speculation had already started spreading amongst the people that an evil wild beast residing nearby, some even believed a demon had killed the innocent farmer, while a few believed it was the handiwork of an evil human being.

Fear blossomed in their hearts. They prayed to their ancestors for protection, wishing he would grant Ragnar the wisdom to find the killer and strength to bring justice.

Merlina and a few women remained with the family of the deceased who had grown tired from crying. They took care of them, cleaned their hut, and even prepared something for them to eat.

At the same time, the two youths who had sworn to take revenge on the innocent farmer could be seen at the backyard of the ex-knight, swinging wooden swords with determination.

Ragnar and Noah had already begun to sweat profusely for more than three hours since they started training profusely.

Their hands had grown weak and their minds dulled, but they never stopped practicing.

"Hmph! Hmph!"

Their rough and uneven breaths could be heard as they moved uniformly.

|| Physique +0.1 ||

Onyx's voice announced it, but Ragnar was too focused on training and ignored it.

"Come on! Keep swinging! You're almost there!"

Old Man James encouraged with a loud voice. A proud smile plastered on his face as he watched their performance.

Their delivery of the moves he taught them had improved — their stance had become firm, their movement had become more graceful, but still lacking compared to an expert.

'I knew their talents and motivation are infinite, their thirst for revenge had pushed them further, especially Ragnar.'

Old Man James focused on Ragnar — while he performed the same moves at the same time as Noah, Ragnar's movement stood out more.

While it was difficult for others to notice, as someone who had fought in dozens of wars and nurtured hundreds of young swordsmen, Old Man James could tell the difference easily.

The activities continued.

One extra hour drifted by stressfully for the two young apprentice swordmen.

"Ahhh ahhh!"

The sound of the youths breathing loudly through their mouth as they trained could be heard.

Their clothes had been soaked with perspiration. Their bodies wracked with pain. The only sense of comfort was the evening wind blowing against their sweaty faces.

"You guys have surpassed my expectations for today," Old Man James said, standing up from the wooden stool. "Your tenacity is stronger than any I've ever seen."

Ragnar and Noah listened but they did not stop executing their newly refined moves.

The elderly man strolled closer to them and began circling around them, observing them from up close.

'With this tenacity, it wouldn't be long before they master all the moves in my arsenal. Then they would have to look for stronger teachers,' he thought with a smile.

"Alright, you two can stop now," he tapped their shoulder and said.

"Ahh!"

Ragnar and Noah collapsed on the ground right away and began taking in heavy breath to replenish their tired bodies.

"I can't feel my body anymore," Ragnar let out amidst his ragged breathing.

"Same here," Noah replied, breathing just as fast.

"Haha, the tired feeling will wash off after some time," Old Man James chuckled and said, "But I have something to make your recovery faster and make your training even more effective."

Ragnar and Noah were too weak to even reply at that point.

Old Man James smiled and strolled inside the hut, then he returned with two small wooden bowls containing a concoction.

He made the two of them sit and handed the concoction to them.

"Bitter.." Ragnar and Noah retracted the bowls from their mouths immediately after they tasted the green-coloured liquid.

"Drink up, only weak men run from bitter stuff," Old Man James encouraged. "And besides, you'll thank me later after experiencing the wonderful effects this concoction holds."

Ragnar and Noah exchanged worried gazes and heaved a long sigh together. Then they brought the bowl closer to their mouth and gulped the concoction.

Their expression turned even uglier as the bitter liquid slid down their throats.

Old Man James watched their reaction with a smile and asked them to wait.

Ragnar and Noah did not feel any extraordinary feeling from the concoction until after about half an hour has passed.

From their stomach, a gentle warmth spread across their system, calming their tensed muscles and reducing the pain.

After another half an hour, both of them were almost back to their peak state.

They sat down on the ground in front of Old Man James who remained seated on his wooden stool.

"The moves I taught you today are part of a technique I developed, I won't reveal the name but both of you have completely mastered it," the old man spoke.

The two youths listened attentively, like little children listening to midnight tales from their grandparents.

Old Man James spoke more about the technique, explaining how it took him over three months to form and master the technique himself.

"The last set of moves uses the build up from the first set to deliver a devastating strike of incredible powers. If you are strong enough, you can chop down a big tree with it!"

Ragnar and Noah reacted with interest. Chopping down a big tree was a big feat. Heck, it takes more than a hour for three men to chop down a single tree with axes!

"That is it for today," Old Man James said, standing up, "The sparring match I talked about would be held when you two are done mastering the entirety of the technique."

Both youths nodded.

"When you get home, try to consume more proteins; eggs, milk, meat and do not look down on sleep. Training does 50% of strength growth and resting completes the other 50%."

With that, the training for the day ended.

Ragnar and Noah waved at the Old Man and strolled back home together.

On their way, they discussed amongst themselves and swore to each other to get stronger and defeat the monsterborn.