Holed Up In The Mountains With My Master And Apprentice

Three days have passed since I returned to Erstadt.

「We're finally here!」

「Aren't you tired of walking?」

「I'm fine!」

「You're doing well, Effa-chan.」

「Ehehe. It's thanks to my master's training!」

On this day, I went to the mountain with my master and Effa.

It's a densely forested mountain about 300 km from Erstadt.

Last night, we took the night train to the town of Natla, and then walked for a few hours to reach this mountain.

(T/N: Raw: ナトラ)

There are no settlements near here, and no roads, so there are no wards to keep out the monsters.

In other words, there might be a monster lurking somewhere.

The reason why I came to such a place was to train Effa.

If you want to train, you can do it in the academy square...... The other day, we had the following conversation.

『What kind of training did you go through to become strong, Maurice-san?』

『I've grown strong by living in the mountains.』

『I see! Then I'll be staying in the mountains too!』

『But if you go to the mountains, you might run into a monster. Well, if Ash and I accompany you, we can protect you......』

『Then maybe we should try staying in the mountains on our next day off.』

『Really!? I'm so happy!』

And so it was decided that we would stay in the mountains for one night and two days.

「By the way, what exactly do I have to do to while staying in the mountains?」

Effa asks a question that is a little too late.

「I've fought monsters to become stronger...... but I can't let Effa-chan take such a risk......」

「I guess I shouldn't copy Maurice-san's training. If that's the case......, what kind of training did you do, Master?」

「Me? For me...... that's right. My first training was digging holes.」

「Digging a hole?」

Perhaps she hadn't expected it, but Effa was taken aback.

「When you dig a hole, you work out every muscle in your body. It also builds your strength.」

「That's a good thing! I'd like to try it too......, but I don't have the tools.」

I shook my head at the disappointed Effa.

「No, no. I dig with my bare hands.」

「Bare... Bare handed?」

I nod to the surprised Effa.

「I dig about 100 meters with my bare hands.」

「100 meters!?」

「The quota from master was 10 sets of 100 meters a day.」

「10 sets!? Is it really possible to finish it in one day......?」

「It's done properly.」

Nowadays, 100 meters is a piece of cake, but back then, it took a whole day.

I barely had time to sleep, and by the time I finished digging the hole, my body was a wreck.

The reason I was still able to keep digging was because I had a dream of becoming a magician.

As a result, I became a martial artist.

「You've always been an amazing person, master......? By the way, how long have you been doing this training?」

「Half a year.」

Effa sighed in admiration.

「Hae~...... You've been digging hole for half a year......」

「I was actually going to let him continue for a year. By the time I realized it, Ash was doing 100 sets a day.」

「100 sets!?」

Actually, I was voluntarily digging holes all over the place.

In the beginning, it takes everything I have to complete 10 sets, but day by day, I started to have more and more time.

So I decided to see how many holes I could dig in a day.

By moving my arms quickly and digging into the hard ground, I gained speed and power at the same time, and was able to unleash the 《Kamaitachi》.

(T/N: Raw: 風刀, wind blade/wind sword)

「But if I can't do what masters did back then, I can't catch up with you now, can I? I'm going to give it a try!」

Effa clawed at the dirt.

「I think one of my nails are going to peel off......」

Effa got teary-eyed and stopped digging the hole.

「I couldn't even dig 10cm......」

「That's normal.」

Master consoled Effa.

「I'm glad you're not hurt. Ash came home every day in a mess. His nails were peeling off everyday.」

「Every day......」

「Umu. Well, Ash's natural healing power was abnormal even back then, so he was back to normal in no time.」

「I thought Master was using the 《Heaven Cure》 to heal me.」

(T/N: Raw: Kanji: 万象治癒, Furigana: ヘブンズキュア)

Back then, I believed that my master was a great wizard.

「I want to become a martial artist like my master as soon as possible!」

「You'll have to train hard for that.」

「Yes! So, what should I do first?」

「Come at me with everything you've got until the sun goes down. I'll just keep dodging Effa's attacks.」

You will gain speed and stamina as you continue to aim at the fleeing target.

And even though it's not as good as digging a hole, moving around can work out all the muscles in your body.

And so, Effa and I began our training.