"We'll start with the basics of combat. Get into position."
Ludelth, his muscles aching, moved into stance, raising his hands in front of his face and bending his knees slightly.
Even though the wound on his stomach had healed, his entire body still throbbed from the blows he had taken during their fight.
Seeing his stance, Scáthach could only shake her head.
"With that stance, you'll fall like a leaf."
She moved in a flash, and before he could react, struck his shoulder, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"You haven't fought much, have you?"
As Ludelth pushed himself up, he replied through clenched teeth,
"I've only fought some monsters and sparred with knights during training."
"But I mostly fought using my Aura."
"And that's exactly the problem." Scáthach's voice was sharp.
"You've been so focused on using your Aura that you've skipped all the basics of combat."
She crossed her arms, her crimson eyes narrowing.
"From now on, you are forbidden from using your power until I say so. Am I clear?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. Now, watch what a real stance looks like."
In a smooth, swift motion, Scáthach settled into her combat stance. Compared to Ludelth's, hers was balanced and without openings. Her fists were aligned with precision, her feet firmly rooted, yet she looked as if she could launch forward at any moment.
Ludelth watched, comparing her posture to his own. He had never truly trained in the art of combat, always focusing solely on increasing his Aura reserves while avoiding real confrontation. Even in the few fights he had won, it had been because of his superior Aura reserves.
He had always blamed his losses on the opponent having more Aura, believing that if he had the same amount, he would win. But he had missed the real point entirely. In chasing after what he didn't have, he had neglected everything else.
Only now did he realize how shallow his understanding of combat had been, as if a veil had been torn from his eyes. Seeing Scáthach's relaxed yet ready stance made his own look like a child trying to imitate a parent.
But not anymore. He had to change. He would need to put everything he had into regaining what he had neglected.
"Now, copy this stance."
With determination burning in his eyes, Ludelth tried to imitate her stance or at least, he tried.
"Your legs are too stiff. Loosen them."
"Your head is too high. Lower it."
"Arms perpendicular to your body."
"Straighten your back it's too curved."
For several minutes, Scáthach listed every flaw he needed to correct, her voice calm but unyielding.
Once the major issues seemed resolved, she nodded.
"Alright, that's acceptable for now. Let's see how you handle this."
Ludelth blinked and found Scáthach's fist rushing toward his face. He quickly brought his hands up to guard, but in doing so, he lost sight of her.
Scáthach took advantage of his blind spot and drove her fist into his exposed stomach.
Ludelth gasped in pain, the punch hitting like a speeding train.
"Wrong." Scáthach declared, shaking her head.
"Don't assume every attack is real, and above all, never take your eyes off your opponent."
"Now, get back into position and try again."
Ludelth didn't argue. Gritting his teeth, he slowly resumed his stance, even as pain radiated through his stomach.
The wind seemed to stop when Scáthach moved.
The punch came like lightning.
Ludelth saw it at the last moment as Scáthach struck with an open palm, aimed straight at his chest.
He shifted his hips back, sliding his weight onto his rear foot, letting the strike brush against his tunic. The impact rippled through his bones, but he stayed on his feet.
She followed with a second strike, aimed at his side. Ludelth dropped his elbow to block, focusing on keeping his arm firm so he wouldn't lose his balance.
The blow knocked his arm just a few centimeters off course. But a few centimeters were enough to disrupt his center of gravity.
Scáthach lifted her foot and set it down on his shin with the gentleness of someone moving furniture.
Ludelth staggered backward, gritting his teeth, but forced himself to pivot his hip, stepping back to regain his balance. The grass crunched beneath his sole, his heart drumming in his chest.
"Better. But too slow."
The third strike wasn't a punch. It was a flick of two fingers to his forehead.
It was enough to make his knees buckle, instinct forcing his eyes to shut, nearly costing him his stance.
"Open your eyes. Never close them."
Scáthach looked at him with no trace of emotion, observing him as if she were dissecting every flaw.
"Position."
Ludelth caught his breath, adjusting his stance once more, heels turned slightly outward, shoulders relaxed, hands raised in front of his face. He inhaled, stabilizing his body.
Scáthach lifted a foot and let it drop onto his knee.
The blond-haired boy felt his leg buckle, but he slid his foot to the side, bending the other knee to absorb the pressure. His heart exploded in his chest, but he stayed standing.
A punch came for his chest. Ludelth prepared to deflect, but realized he wouldn't have time. Forcing himself to bend his knees, he lowered his center of gravity, letting the impact strike him like a drum. The shock spread across his shoulders, down his back, and into his feet.
He dropped to his knees, hands sinking into the damp grass, gasping, spitting saliva.
Clenching his teeth, Ludelth pushed himself back up, legs trembling.
"Again."
Scáthach stepped forward, quick but not so fast as to be invisible. Ludelth saw her hip rotate, her arm rising, her shoulders relaxing. He understood the strike was coming for his side.
He pushed off with his right foot, letting the strike hit the arm he had positioned to absorb the blow. He felt the bones vibrate, but he didn't fall.
Ludelth panted, but inhaled slowly, letting the air hiss out of his nose in a thin wisp of vapor.
The next punch came for his face.
This time, Ludelth slipped his head to the side, bringing up his forearm to deflect the blow, letting the force pass by him while bending his knees slightly to stabilize the impact.
His blue eyes met her violet ones.
Then Scáthach lifted her knee and drove it into Ludelth's side with the speed of a striking snake.
Ludelth tried to twist away, but the blow landed anyway. He felt his ribs scream, blood rising in his throat. The force knocked him sideways, sending him crashing into the grass.
Pain was all Ludelth could feel. His entire body ached, but he didn't give in. He pressed his hand into the grass, moved his leg in front of him, and stood up again, even though his vision was blurred.
Scáthach remained still for a long moment, watching him. Then she tilted her head slightly, like a predator acknowledging the tenacity of a cub.
"Good. Your stance is acceptable. Now, we move on to attacking."
"Throw a punch."
Ludelth threw a punch with all the strength he had, but it was stopped by the woman's open palm.
"Too slow. You need to be faster than that if you want to hit someone in a fight."
The boy tried again. And again. And again. Until his arm struggled to lift, and his hand throbbed as if he had been punching a wall.
Scáthach said nothing, simply observing with that impassive face, analyzing every movement he made.
After a while, the red-eyed woman could only sigh.
"That's not how you throw a punch."
"You keep trying to punch using only your arm."
She turned and stood in front of him, raising her hand, beckoning him to watch closely.
Ludelth's eyes widened. He didn't want to miss a single detail.
The woman rotated her hips, her shoulder followed, her elbow slid forward, and only at the last instant did her fist close.
The punch sliced through the air with a sharp crack, like a branch snapping, and a gust of wind struck Ludelth's face.
It was just a punch into the air.
Ludelth swallowed, his eyes fixed on the hand that relaxed immediately after the strike.
"The punch starts here." Scáthach placed a hand on her hip. "Your power must flow from your legs, through your hips, up your spine. If your body isn't unified, your strength scatters."
"Now, you try."
Ludelth clenched his teeth. He inhaled, trying to copy exactly what Scáthach had just shown.
His hip rotated, his shoulder followed, and his arm snapped forward. His fist closed just as it cut through the air.
Ludelth flinched, surprised. His punch was at least twenty percent stronger than before.
"Better. But you're holding your breath."
Scáthach's fist shot out, slamming into Ludelth's stomach.
He doubled over, air ripped from his lungs, his face confused. He wanted to ask why she hit him, but it was hard to get the words out.
Seeing his confusion, the woman spoke.
"If you hold your breath, your body locks up. If you freeze, you die. The fastest way to learn that is through pain."
"Now, try again. And if you don't want to get hit, do it properly."
He inhaled, trembling, clutching his stomach. After a few moments, he forced himself back into position, ready to throw another punch.
"Again," Scáthach said, watching him, correcting every mistake with her therapy of pain. "Again."
And again.
And again.
—————————-
The sun had already risen above the trees. Sweat dripped from Ludelth's forehead, slid down his chin, and fell into the grass. Every muscle burned. But with each strike, each punch was straighter, heavier than the last.
With every punch, Ludelth could feel the power gathering in his hips, climbing up his spine, snapping through his shoulders, and finally exploding into his wrists.
And then a punch, sharp, slicing the air with a crisp whistle.
Scáthach raised a finger, stopping him.
Ludelth collapsed to the ground, gasping, his arms trembling.
Lying on the grass, he looked up at the sky, watching the clouds drifting slowly, imagining himself as one of those clouds, floating, free. But his mind was pulled back to reality as Scáthach spoke.
"You've made good progress. But this is only the foundation. We will continue like this until it's etched into your bones."
And then, as if she had been waiting for the moment, she vanished, scattering into small particles of light, leaving only silence behind.
Ludelth remained there, lying on his back, staring at the spot where his Master who refused to be called Master had disappeared.
He inhaled slowly, trying to calm his ragged breathing, attempting to stand but failing. His body wouldn't move.
In the end, he had asked for this. He wanted to train to become stronger, but he hadn't expected this. In his mind, he found himself complaining to the system.
'Couldn't I have gotten a kind old grandpa cultivator who would give me some universal cultivation technique where I just sit around and become the strongest in the universe?'
'Instead, I'm stuck with this hellish training…' Ludelth could only sigh.
That hour of training had felt like an eternity. But maybe, he thought, this was exactly what he needed to improve not mindless power, but someone who would show him his flaws and force him out of the cage he had built for himself.
'Come on, it was just the first day. I'm sure I'll start getting used to it tomorrow, and things will get better. I hope…'
But what Ludelth didn't know was that this was only the beginning of his hellish training.