Chapter 83 83: Progress Of The Training
I haven't visited Griffith for a while, so she's going to break my bones when we meet up again. My free time has been significantly decreased due to some noble causes.
Four young noblemen, including three who are apparently my sister's suitors, came to our house and challenged me to a duel but became my apprentices after I beat the crap out of their asses. I gave them preferential treatment for ruining my summer.
I applied the same intensity of hell that our mothers gave us to the noblemen. They are coping hard with the sudden heaviness of the training but will gradually get used to it later on.
I slightly increases the pull of gravity as they overcome one weightlifting after another. They were able to move properly until they lifted fifteen times their own weight.
That was the training I gave Seth, Gauss, and Serdean.
Alexander, a pure magic caster, had a different routine from the others since he is not a physical type. I have him repeatedly spamming full-powered spells until he passes out.
Not only does he increase his magic power, but he also broadens his mana reserve from exhaustion as well. Serdean is also participating in this course.
I didn't allow them to kill any monsters during the duration of the month. I have them gain stats from their own efforts to gain more numbers when leveling, just like we siblings do.
Today is the day I decided to stop their vigorous training and give them permission to finally hunt monsters for the first time after almost a month. I also wanted to see the results of my tort--er, teaching.
Their stats and battle skills improved so much in this past month. If they continue their disciplined routine at the empire, or even at home, they would be able to grow stronger than anyone else.
In the middle of the Great Forest of Darkness, just a few hundred kilometers southeast of Raevender's border line, I am discreetly watching the boys as they team up together against a gigantic Level 548 Ram Bull Behemoth.
S-ranked Behemoths are the final evolution of some specific species of mammal-type terra monsters. It's the Goliath version of those monsters. No particular changes in his physical body and would endlessly continue to grow as it gaining Levels.
Gaining a massive body brings with it a massive amount of materials that can be traded for a massive amount of money. But only a few showed up on the market since they are rare to begin with.
The known monsters that could evolve into a Behemoth are Blood Bear, Hippocampus, Ram Bull, Saehrimnir, an evolution of Scarlet Boar, Thunder Sheep, and Red Ape.
There might be other monsters that can evolve into a Behemoth but weren't given opportunities to Level up themselves due to hunting. Reaching the Level of 500 is a bit too much for monsters to achieve.
I have a feeling that Horned Rabbits could evolve into one, but they are too weak and are hunted more often due to the demand of the market.
The Behemoth the four are facing right, stood at a height of five meters, which is too large for your average Ram Bull. Great size comes with great mass.
Long, pointed bull horns combined with virtually indestructible toughness skewered and crushed all obstacles in its way. An unstoppable force with steel-hard black skin that leaves nothing but destruction as it rushes.
A giant with destructive and earthshaking momentum. Each stomp of its behemoth hooves shook the earth and nearby tall trees. The boys are currently facing an entity of literal mass destruction.
"Moooo!"
But in spite of its monstrous feats and behavior, the group of young noblemen fought the Behemoth with some difficulty. The bull is full of slash marks and burns from the blades and magic the boys inflicted.
"Now!"
Gauss cried with his full lungs after he managed to incapacitate the bull with a mighty Power Swing on its stubbornly hard head for a few seconds.
With that very short breath, Seth and Serdean came from both sides and slashed their blades together. Seth's sword dropped fluidly, swiftly, and resistantly sliced the right side of the bull's neck. Serdean's ice-coated sword did the same thing on the other side.
Serdean is a magic swordsman like Mother and Sister. When Mother and Sister got lightning and I got fire, Serdean learned how to imbue the water element, specifically ice, into his own blade.
Since he only cast the default setting of the Weapon Enchantment on his sword, the only thing he did was add the water element to the blade, nothing like a spell. For that, I had him learn Level 7: Froze Blade, which inflicts an additional freezing effect upon contact.
"Mooooo!!!"
Serdean's sword drew pale blue marks on the bull's left neck after his blow. Blood sprouted from its severed arteries as the bull anguishedly cried out in extreme pain.
The three stepped out from under the bull as soon as they had done their job. They are not to get away from the rampaging bull, but to not get hit by an incoming attack.
"Level 4: Wind Blade!"
The forth person, Alexander, readied his weapon for pointing at the severely injured bull. After invoking the name of the spell, an extremely fast and sharp blade flew straight at the bull, causing it much suffering.
The blade passed through the icy rupture that Serdean made, shattering it like glass. Passing throughout its neck before slipping out from the deep slice mark of Seth.
Losing its life by a messy decapitation, the Behemoth lost the strength of its limbs and stumbled to the earth with a loud noise and a cloud of smoldering dust.
"Woo!" Gauss sirens in joy. "We really made it! We really killed an S-ranked monster! What's more? A Behemoth!"
"Haah... that sure was tough." Seth remarked that he was breathing staggeringly. "If you shout like that, you'll only attract monsters."
"So this is the result of that hell." Alexander muttered as he stared at his fists. "The stats I just received after Levelling up are quite larger than any of the Level ups I experienced before."
"Only Alexander Levelled up this time, huh." Serdean tagged a question. "Well, you're the one with the lowest level amongst us after all."
"I am sorry that our territory doesn't have dungeons or any nearby monster-rich areas. Besides, I only got a quarter of its EXP."
"Yeah, yeah." Serdean uttered these words while freezing the severed head and neck of the dead bull.
It's their first time fighting and defeating a S-ranked monster, so it's understandable how happy they are. Defeating a powerful monster such as a Behemoth is blatantly written on most adventurers' bucket lists.
"Good job, guys." I congratulate, canceling my cloak.
"Ah! The Sword Devil!" They yelled all together.
"Can you all stop calling me that?"
"No way!"
Ever since they started taking my boot camp training, they have been calling me Sword Devil. They said my guidance is already in hell mode from the start, and I am the one who facilitates that hell.
"Well, anyway, I'll keep your loot for now." Since Behemoth is too much for their magic bags, I dropped it into my subspace. "You have an Ogre King to slay."
"Yes, Sir!"
◆◇◆◇◆◇
I have been transporting the four around the forest via Warp for them to demonstrate the results of my guidance. I didn't get them near the vicinity of the dungeon, of course.
They faced different types of monsters, bipedal, quadrupedal, flying, formless, grotesque, physical, magical, and so on. I wanted to witness their tactics and strategies in any situation.
Their teamwork and communication with each other are going well. They meticulously analyzed every opponent and planned to play it well. They learned to adjust themselves to adapt with each other for them to overcome any challenges they bravely faced.
"Okay, that's all for today."
"But we still have strength to use." Protested Gauss.
"No stills no. Excess fats have to be burned to shape our body."
"If the Sword Devil said so."
It's been hours since they started Levelling up; it's past 4 o'clock now. The four noblemen gained sufficient Level so they have to experience hell again. But I guess they are to continue it in the academy and their own homes.
"Good. I will send you home first."
"How about you?" Seth asked, noticing I would not be coming with them.
"I have a business to take care of first."
"Are you sure? Are you going to be okay?"
"Your concerns are understandable. You don't have to worry about me. Besides, I've already explored the areas where more S-ranked monsters popped up alone. These A-ranked regions are no threat to me at all."
The four looked at each other before nodding in agreement. "We understand. We pray for your safety."
After our conversation, I opened a Portal to our estate, through which the four used to cross. Ensuring all of them had gone to the city safely, I turned my body in the direction of my business.
"...That thing has been observing us since then. It's pretty strong, much stronger than the lizard."
Along with the blow of the winds, I vanished and drew myself closer to that monster.