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Chapter 43: Interlude - Berald\'s Martial Arts

After parting ways with Juliet, I headed to the training ground with Berald.

‘As expected of the Ryu family, I suppose.’

Berald already had a private training ground, which I had intended to rent with the gold I borrowed from Juliet.

“It’s nice having a private training ground. The soundproof barrier around it is particularly good.”

“It’s something the family provided.”

Berald smiled somewhat bitterly as he changed into comfortable workout clothes.

As he warmed up lightly, he asked,

“By the way, why the sudden interest in learning martial arts? Did you also forget that I’m a magic department candidate?”

The fact that he said “also” suggested that others’d often mistaken him for a warrior department candidate.

‘Well, who would believe that someone with his build is a magic department candidate?’

Honestly, I too had assumed he was from the warrior department when we first met in our supplementary classes.

‘I even thought he was an upperclassman.’

It was quite a shock to find out that Berald was actually a magic department candidate a year below me.

By now, I’m used to it, so it doesn’t bother me, but it was surprising back then.

“There’s no rule that says magic department candidates can’t learn martial arts.”

“Well, that’s true…”

Berald scratched his head with an awkward smile.

“Well, alright. If it’s just to try it out lightly.”

He clenched his fist and nodded.

“Alright then, let’s start with a light test.”

“A test?”

“I need to know your current level.”

“Ah, I see.”

Berald assumed a stance, understanding my point.

“Hoo…”

He raised both fists to face level and lowered his body.

His breaths were short, and he loosened his muscles, ready to spring at any moment.

Despite never being taught, he naturally assumed a proper stance.

‘He’s really got a natural talent for fighting.’

I smiled faintly and took a step back, creating some distance between us.

I didn’t bother getting into a stance.

I stood relaxed, almost as if I had just woken up, with my arms hanging loosely at my sides and my back straight.

“…”

Berald’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he took in my posture.

There wasn’t a hint of readiness for battle in it.

“Heh. It seems like you’ve gained some profound enlightenment since I last saw you.”

Did he feel insulted?

Berald’s eyes gleamed fiercely as he clenched his fists tighter.

“But let me tell you one thing, brother.”

The Stigma engraved on Berald’s left chest began to glow as mana spread throughout his body.

“I may not know much about magic, but I’m pretty confident in my fists.”

Boom!

With a heavy sound that echoed through the training ground, Berald’s massive body launched forward with terrifying momentum.

The distance between us closed in the blink of an eye, and his mana-imbued fist swung toward my face with a ferocious sound.

Indeed, it was a precise strike that made it hard to believe he had never properly learned martial arts before.

“Well, that’s good.”

Thud.

I leisurely reached out toward the incoming fist.

Just like a hawk snatching its prey, I grabbed Berald’s wrist, kicked his ankle, and roughly pulled him down by the wrist I had seized.

“I’m also quite confident in my fists.”

In an instant, Berald’s large frame was lifted off the ground.

A skyward flip.

The martial arts that Berald himself had taught me in the past turned back time and flipped his body upside down.

Boom!

“Ugh!”

Berald groaned in pain as he slammed into the floor of the training ground, gasping for breath.

“What’s this? Already done?”

“Ugh… You’ve certainly gained some kind of enlightenment, alright!”

Berald wobbled as he got back on his feet and then lunged at me again.

Thud, thud, thud!

The ground of the training ground trembled as if an earthquake had struck, and his 2-meter-tall frame charged at me.

“You think you can win just by overpowering me?”

Instead of dodging Berald’s terrifying charge, I rushed at him.

A massive fist swung with force.

Berald’s fist collided with mine.

Bang!

As soon as our fists met, a sound like an explosion rang out, and Berald’s fist was flung backward.

“Grrr!”

Even though Berald’s raw strength and the mana in his fist were far superior, he recoiled, clutching his fist and groaning as he staggered back.

I took a step forward toward the retreating Berald.

“If the strongest always won, why would we need martial arts?”

Thud, thud, thud!

This time, it was my fists that relentlessly pounded Berald’s body.

“Ugh! Gah!”

First, a hit to the philtrum.

Then two consecutive strikes to his throat and solar plexus.

I kicked his knee, breaking his stance, and swung my hand like a knife, striking the top of his head.

“Ugh!”

Berald clutched his head with both hands and let out a strange scream.

“Do you want more?”

“N-no! Stop! I surrender!”

The difference between us was so overwhelming that there was no need to continue the fight.

Berald blinked in disbelief as he stared at me.

“Grr, where did you learn techniques like that?”

“Well…”

I trailed off with a faint smile at Berald’s question.

“…I wonder?”

How could I tell him?

That the one who taught me this was none other than him.

That I exist because of him.

“Hmph. You don\'t have to tell me if it’s hard to talk about.”

Berald shook his head as he got to his feet.

“Still, I thought I was confident in my fists… It seems warrior department candidates are on a whole different level.”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“I bet if you lined up all the warrior department candidates, only a handful could beat you in hand-to-hand combat.”

Even though Berald claimed never to have learned martial arts, he was already exceptionally skilled.

He had a natural, almost absurd level of strength, supported by immense mana.

His punches were heavy yet sharp, making it hard to believe he’d never learned martial arts.

He even instinctively adjusted his breathing to match his movements.

‘He really does have a natural talent for fighting.’

He couldn’t put up much of a fight against me and ended up getting beaten one-sidedly because of one thing.

‘Because his opponent was me.’

It might sound arrogant, but there was a gap between us that no amount of talent could bridge.

Even Professor Lucas wouldn’t stand a chance against me in hand-to-hand combat, so how could Berald, who hadn’t even learned proper martial arts, possibly match up to me?

‘Don’t feel too bad about it.’

Because it’s thanks to you that I’ve become who I am now.

“But what you just showed… Are you sure that’s martial arts?”

“Huh?”

“It felt… different from what I know about martial arts.”

Berald narrowed his eyes as he continued speaking.

“When our fists collided earlier, didn’t something happen? Something exploded before your fist even touched mine, and my fist was knocked back.”

“…”

“I’m not sure how to describe it exactly… But it felt more like magic than pure martial arts.”

“…Huh.”

I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

‘So, you’re saying that this is a martial art you created yourself.’

I didn’t expect him to grasp it so quickly.

“You’re right. This martial art can only be fully utilized by someone who’s learned magic.”

“A martial art that requires magic to use…? Such a thing exists?”

“Yes.”

I nodded quietly, and Berald let out a low hum.

"What’s the name of that martial art?"

"Name?"

"For a martial art of that level, it must have a name, right?"

"A name..."

I stifled a small laugh and shook my head.

Suddenly,

a fragment of a past life flashed through my mind.

-Hey, come to think of it, what\'s the name of this martial art?

-The name, you say?

-Yeah. You\'ve taken a bit from here and there, but it\'s basically a martial art you created, right?

-Well, I\'ve never really thought of a name for it.

-Hey, you\'ve made a martial art of this caliber, and you’re telling me it doesn’t have a name?

-Hahaha! If it needs a name, let\'s call it \'Berald’s Martial Art\'!

-Seriously, you\'re going with that name?

-Isn\'t it cool?

I shook my head as I watched Berald shrug his shoulders.

-There are names like Tai Chi or Five Elements Fist... Aren\'t those pretty cool?

-Haha! But I like Berald’s Martial Art!

-Why?

-The only people who know this martial art on this vast continent are you and me.

-And?

-Since you have an immortal body, you’ll live for a long time, right? Our old man used to say that as you age, you start forgetting even your children\'s names.

-...

-But no matter how long you live, you won\'t forget the name of a technique you\'ve mastered for a lifetime, even after thousands of years, right?

That\'s why,

Berald’s Martial Art.

-Even if I die, at least remember the name.

-No one\'s dying, idiot.

-Hehe. Anyway, since I created this martial art, I get to name it!

-Sigh. Fine, we\'ll call it Berald’s Martial Art. But don’t talk nonsense about dying.

-Haha! Of course! Do I look like someone who would die easily? I\'ll live until I smash that Demon God\'s head and paint the walls with... well, you know!

-Yeah, yeah. I\'ll clean up after you when the time comes.

Not long after that,

Berald lay cold and lifeless before me.

"..."

I clenched my fist, and thick veins bulged between my knuckles.

"Huh? Brother? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing. Just lost in thought for a moment."

"Hmm. So, what’s the name of that martial art, after all?"

"The name is..."

I glanced at Berald and shrugged.

"It doesn’t have a name."

"What? A martial art of that level doesn’t even have a name?"

"Martial arts are generally considered a fringe skill."

"Even so..."

Berald sighed and shook his head in disbelief.

"Then how about this?"

"Huh? How about what?"

"If you fully master this martial art... You attach your name to it."

"My name?"

"Yeah."

I nodded and continued.

"We\'ll call it Berald’s Martial Art."

"How can I attach my name to a martial art I learned from you? If anything, it should carry your name."

"Shut up, idiot. If I say that’s what we’ll do, that’s what we’ll do. Or I won’t teach you."

"Hmm."

Berald looked troubled, swallowed a sigh, and then nodded.

"Alright, if I fully master the martial art you teach me, I’ll call it that."

"Good. Let’s get started then."

I looked at Berald and held up two fingers.

"There are two main ways to handle mana. One is circulating it internally to influence the internal world. The other is releasing it externally to influence the external world."

Blending these two methods harmoniously was the key principle of Berald Martial Art.

"W-Why are you suddenly giving a lecture on mana? I thought you were going to teach me martial arts?"

"Just listen, idiot. You need to understand this to use the martial art I’m going to teach you."

"Ugh, I’m terrible with theory..."

Berald trailed off, looking discouraged.

Seeing him lose heart before we even started made me want to smack him upside the head.

\'Hold it in.\'

When Berald first suggested I learn martial arts in my past life, didn’t I have the exact same reaction?

"Generally, when we talk about \'magic,\' we\'re referring to the use of mana to influence the external world... in other words, the macro world."

"Is that so?"

"...What do you mean, \'is that so?\' You learn this in your first year, idiot."

"Hmm! Strange... I don\'t remember learning that..."

"..."

Hold it in.

Hold it in.

In my past life, Berald must have found me just as frustrating, yet he never said a harsh word while teaching me.

"Anyway... What’s more important here isn’t the visible effects in the macro world, but the micro world."

"Oh, the micro world! So that’s what that means!"

Berald nodded, stroking his chin as if he finally understood.

\'Right. Even if he didn’t attend class, he should at least know this much basic common sense.\'

Feeling a bit pleased with myself, I continued my explanation.

"I never knew you shared my tastes, Brother!"

"What?"

What tastes are we talking about now?

"Haha! When it comes to women, it’s the refined, mature ones that really stand out, right?"

"No."

What nonsense is he spouting now?

"A woman with a sorrowful past and a lonely heart! The deep allure that young girls can never possess..."

"Shut up."

"Huh? Shut up about what?"

"Bang your head."

This idiot...