CHAPTER 69: OH, DARLING

"Marginally less terrible," she observed. "Again. And again. And again. We’ll continue until your muscle memory overwrites whatever bad habits you’ve developed."

What followed was perhaps the most grueling physical trial Jack had ever endured. Thrust after thrust, each one critiqued with merciless precision, each failure met with cutting observations about his inadequacies as a warrior.

"THUNK!"

"SWISH!"

"WHOOSH!"

The sounds of spear work filled the training ground as Jack worked through the endless repetitions. His shoulders burned with exertion, his arms ached from the constant motion, and sweat poured down his face despite the morning’s cool air.

But something remarkable began to happen as the repetitions mounted. His movements grew more fluid, more natural. The spear began to feel less like a foreign object and more like an extension of his own body.

[+5 EXP]

[+5 EXP]

[+5 EXP]

The notification brought a surge of excitement that made the grueling exercise suddenly seem worthwhile. He was gaining experience from the training itself, each proper thrust building toward advancement in his new class.

But Sera seemed to sense his momentary distraction.

"WHACK!"

Her training spear struck his ribs with enough force to make him stumble, the impact driving the breath from his lungs in a painful wheeze.

"Did I say you could lose focus?" Sera’s voice carried the kind of authority that brooked no argument. "Training means training. Not wool-gathering about whatever pretty fantasies you’re having."

Jack straightened with effort, raising his spear to resume the exercise. The pain in his ribs was a sharp reminder that Sera’s ’training’ could easily become genuinely dangerous if he didn’t maintain proper attention.

"Better," she admitted as he resumed the thrusting motion with renewed focus. "You’re starting to develop some basic muscle memory. Only two thousand more repetitions to go."

The next hour was a blur of repetitive motion and burning muscles. Jack’s form gradually improved under Sera’s relentless criticism, each correction accompanied by either verbal instruction or physical demonstration. Her teaching method was brutal but undeniably effective.

[EXP gained: 12,500]

[Spearman Rank 1 → Rank 7 (3,700/10,000)

The advancement brought a rush of satisfaction that helped offset the physical exhaustion. Jack could feel his body adapting to the movements, muscle memory being carved into his nervous system through sheer repetition.

’Why did the class level up so fast?’

[This is a rare class. EXP required is different from a unique class like lightning mage.]

"Adequate," Sera pronounced as Jack completed the final thrust. "Your form still needs work, but at least you’re not embarrassing yourself quite as badly. Time for overhead strikes."

The overhead exercise was even more demanding than the thrusts. Raising the spear above his head and bringing it down in controlled strikes required different muscle groups and coordination patterns that Jack hadn’t developed.

"WHOOSH!"

"THUNK!"

"CRACK!"

Each strike had to be precise, controlled, and powerful enough to be effective in combat. Sera demonstrated the proper technique with fluid grace, her spear flowing through the motion like water finding its natural course.

But when Jack attempted to copy her movements, the results were clumsy and ineffective.

"No, no, NO!" Sera’s voice rose with frustration as she watched his attempts. "You’re flailing around like a child having a tantrum. Control the descent, focus the impact, maintain your balance!"

She moved behind him again, her hands guiding his movements as she corrected his technique. "Feel the weight of the weapon, use gravity to add force to your strikes, but never lose control of the point’s trajectory."

The physical instruction was accompanied by a running commentary on his deficiencies that would have been crushing if Jack hadn’t been too exhausted to properly process the criticism.

"Terrible balance, no follow-through, completely vulnerable to counter-attack," she muttered as she adjusted his positioning. "How did you survive this long fighting like this?"

"Magic," Jack gasped between strikes, his breathing labored from the constant exertion. "Lots and lots of magic."

"Magic won’t save you when someone gets inside your reach," Sera replied with brutal honesty. "Magic won’t help you when your mana runs out. Magic won’t protect you when you’re facing someone who knows how to fight properly."

To emphasize her point, she stepped away and immediately launched into a demonstration of what proper spear work looked like. Her weapon became a blur of motion, thrusts and strikes flowing together in combinations so fast Jack could barely track them.

Each movement was purposeful, controlled, and deadly. There was no wasted motion, no unnecessary flourishes, just the pure application of skill refined through decades of combat experience.

"That," Sera said as she concluded the demonstration, "is what you’re working toward. Precision, speed, and the kind of control that turns a simple weapon into an instrument of absolute death."

Jack resumed his overhead strikes with renewed determination, each repetition bringing him closer to the kind of skill Sera had just displayed. The experience notifications continued to flow in as his movements gradually improved.

[EXP gained: 12,500]

[Spearman Rank 7 → Rank 8 (6,200/20,000)]

"Two exercises down," Sera announced with satisfaction as Jack completed the final overhead strike. "Time for defensive parries. This is where things get interesting."

The parrying exercise was the most complex yet, requiring Jack to deflect imaginary attacks while maintaining proper positioning and balance. Sera called out attack directions randomly, forcing him to react with split-second timing.

"High left! Low right! Thrust to center! Overhead strike!"

Jack’s spear moved in desperate patterns, trying to intercept attacks that existed only in Sera’s imagination. But the exercise was teaching him to think defensively and respond instinctively.

"CLACK!"

"THUNK!"

"WHOOSH!"

The sounds of wood striking wood filled the air as Jack’s defensive movements gradually improved. His reactions became faster, his positioning more stable, his recovery time shortened with each successful parry.

But Sera wasn’t content to simply call out directions. As Jack’s confidence grew, she began adding actual attacks to the mix, her practice spear lashing out in controlled strikes that he had to deflect for real.

"CRACK!"

Her spear struck him with enough force to send vibrations through his arms, testing not just his technique but his ability to maintain grip and position under pressure.

[Spearman EXP gained: 12,500]

"Footwork next," Sera announced as Jack deflected her final testing strike. "This is where most amateurs fall apart. They think combat is all about arm strength and weapon speed, but real fighting happens with your legs."

She demonstrated the basic movement: forward advance, backward retreat, lateral movement, and the crucial pivot steps that allowed a spear fighter to maintain optimal distance while reacting to changing battlefield conditions.

"Your feet should never be static," she instructed as Jack attempted to copy her movements. "Always moving, always adjusting, always ready to explode into action. A spear fighter who plants his feet is a dead spear fighter."

The footwork drills were exhausting in an entirely different way than the previous exercises. Jack found himself constantly off-balance, his legs burning with the effort of maintaining proper positioning while moving through the complex patterns Sera demanded.

"Step, pivot, thrust! Step, pivot, retreat! Advance, parry, counter-thrust!"

Sera’s commands came in rapid succession, forcing Jack to think and move simultaneously. Each mistake was met with immediate correction, often delivered through the pointed end of her practice spear.

"POKE!"

"Wrong foot forward, amateur!"

"JAB!"

"Terrible balance, try again!"

"THRUST!"

"Did I say you could rest? Move!"

By the time Jack completed the footwork requirements, his legs felt like jelly and his lungs burned with each breath. Sweat poured down his face in streams, and his training clothes were soaked through with perspiration.

[Spearman EXP gained: 12,500]

[Spearman Rank 8 → Rank 9 (11,200/50,000)]

"Last exercise," Sera announced with obvious pleasure at Jack’s suffering. "Weapon spins and grip changes. This teaches you to manipulate the spear’s balance point and leverage, essential skills for advanced techniques."

The spinning exercise was perhaps the most difficult yet, requiring Jack to maintain control of the weapon while rotating it through complex patterns. Different grip positions changed the spear’s effective length and striking power, but transitioning between them required precise timing and muscle control.

"WHOOSH!"

"SPIN!"

"WHIRL!"

The practice spear became a blur in Jack’s hands as he worked through the prescribed movements. His palms grew slick with sweat, making grip control even more challenging, but he forced himself to continue despite the burning exhaustion in his arms and shoulders.

Sera watched with predatory interest, occasionally calling out corrections or demonstrating proper technique when Jack’s attempts became too clumsy to be effective.

"Tighter grip on the transitions! You’re losing control of the point!"

"WHACK!"

Her corrective strike caught him across the knuckles, sharp enough to get his attention without causing serious damage.

"Better extension on the recovery! The weapon should flow, not jerk around like a dying fish!"

[Spearman EXP gained: 12,500]

When Jack finally completed the last weapon spin, his entire body was shaking with exhaustion. He’d been training for nearly four hours straight, pushing his physical capabilities far beyond what he’d thought possible.

But the sense of accomplishment was undeniable. He could feel the difference in how the spear felt in his hands, the way his body had begun to adapt to the weapon’s requirements.

"Not entirely hopeless," Sera admitted as Jack swayed on his feet, barely able to remain upright. "Your learning curve is actually quite impressive for someone with no formal training. Most nobles would have quit after the first hour."

"I’m not most nobles," Jack managed between gasping breaths, pride overriding exhaustion despite his depleted state.

"No," Sera agreed, her green eyes studying him with something that might have been approval, "you’re not. Which is why this is going to be so much fun."

She gestured toward a shaded area where water and towels had been prepared. "Rest for exactly ten minutes. Hydrate, clean yourself up, and prepare for the next phase."

"Next phase?" Jack’s voice cracked with disbelief. "We’re not done?"

Sera’s laugh was like crystal breaking. "Oh, darling, we haven’t even started the real training yet. That was just basic conditioning to prepare your body for actual technique instruction."

Jack stumbled toward the rest area, his legs threatening to give out with each step. The water was cool and refreshing, but he could already see Sera preparing for whatever torment she had planned next.

Ten minutes passed far too quickly.

"Time’s up, disciple," Sera called out with obvious satisfaction.

Jack hesitated, pride warring with pragmatism. The title stuck in his throat like a stone, but he could see the expectation in her eyes, the way her hand rested casually on her weapon.

"Master," he said finally, the words tasting like ash in his mouth.

"Good boy," she purred, and suddenly a real spear materialized in her hands. Not a practice weapon, but cold steel with an edge that could part flesh as easily as silk. "Now catch."

The spear flew through the air toward Jack with deadly precision. He caught it instinctively, his newly trained muscles reacting before his mind could process the action.

"And now," Sera said with a smile that promised pain, "your real training begins. I hope you’re ready, because I’m about to beat the shit out of you."

Jack tightened his grip on the spear, lightning beginning to crackle around his form as adrenaline surged through his system. "Bring it on, Master. "

"Hahaha!!"

Her laugh was the sound of a wolf howling at the moon, wild and dangerous and full of anticipation.

"Oh, darling," she said, her own weapon appearing in her hands like magic, "you have no idea what you’ve just asked for."