Agonising yells reverberated for fifteen minutes as he endured the barrage of projectiles.
His arms were sore and swollen, and his body was covered in bruises by now.
Honestly? If he hadn't endured Garduck's full-powered throw, he would have believed the demon tried to end his life.
Yet, a thud echoed in his ear as he jerked his head to the side. Then, a pebble dropped to the ground after digging a few millimeters into the wooden wall.
"Congratulations! You dodged one after fifteen minutes! Keep it up and you'll improve soon."
Garduck clapped his hand, his guttural voice almost sounding charming when he complimented him.
After all, he had suffered for this one dodge and felt pride in his heart with this meagre success.
More importantly, the method worked. Fueled by his ardent desire to escape the pain, his body reacted before his thoughts, almost by reflex.
'It takes too much time to see the pebble and then order my body to move. I must move the second it leaves his hand and adapt my posture to dodge the trajectory.'
The realisation settled in his mind with an excited boom.
"Again! We still have five minutes."
Garduck nodded and resumed the training.
Five minutes later, he dropped to the ground, exhausted but smiling.
'I dodged two more! Tomorrow, I'll try to dodge six. No, twelve!'
"Good job, my lord. I'm sure your skills will improve in a heartbeat."
Garduck nodded in recognition before helping him up.
"Now, I'll teach you how to parry. This training won't require you to suffer in the initial stages, so focus on recovering for the last twenty minutes."
'Only in the initial stages?!'
He saw him back a step before taking a fighting pause.
"I'll move slowly to attack you. Parry with the most optimal move you can think of. I'll correct it later, and we'll ingrain it into your brain before switching to other ones."
He grinned in excitement. It was exactly how he imagined a VRMMORPG would be. Well... except for the pain. Still, the feeling of his muscles twitching, his heart drumming, and the noticeable progress weren't things he could have felt in a simulation.
'This realm is so good! I'm grateful to whoever reincarnated me!'
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In an excellent mood, he threw himself into the practice, listening to Garduck with rapt attention and adapting his movements.
The demon acted like a veritable expert, forcing him to use his palms, legs, elbows, and knees. The sheer range of parrying movements opened his eyes to the rich world of martial arts.
The wind whistled in his ears for twenty minutes before Garduck clapped his hands.
"Ready for the last part? The others are growing impatient."
He only noticed now the demons and six imps watching them.
Shihan and Bart nodded in approval, commending his courage in seeking instruction from his subject despite his title, while others sat with bored expressions.
Meanwhile, the djinn cooked the rabbit meat one after another, controlling the crackling campfire like an extension of his body.
He noticed the setting sun coloring the sky in orange hues and the chilling wind next, making him realise night would arrive soon.
"I can't wait to eat this well-deserved meal!"
He grinned at Garduck before taking a rudimentary fighting pose.
"I'll show you how to attack without endangering yourself. You'll repeat my movement using all your strength, and I'll retaliate if I see a glaring opening."
Enticed by the smell of melting fat, they moved into action without wasting a second.
The noise of their footsteps echoed as he felt a raging torrent of frustration build up within.
Each time, Garduck countered him, stopping his fist, claws or legs a centimeter before his face, ribs or throat.
But the worst were his infuriating comments. The demon would say each time, "You're dead."
Despite the annoyance, he could already see minor improvements in his fighting style.
'I must limit useless movements and my range of motion. The more condensed my strikes are, the less opening my adversary will have.'
The method reminded him of his PVP sessions. The key was to force the adversary to use his cooldowns before assaulting him with an unblockable and devastating combo.
'Short movements first, then wider ones after staggering or stunning them. Exactly like in a game!'
After all, with how fierce and realistic the gaming industry became in the twenty-first century, the developers included real battle strategies and movements in them.
The realisation made him grin as Garduck bowed his head before him.
"I'm eager to continue tomorrow, my lord. You have potential and a good head on your shoulders. We can probably increase the intensity in four or five days."
"That's because you're a skilled teacher. Let's eat before they jump on the meat and leave nothing for us."
He chuckled, forgetting the painful first twenty minutes, and sat with the others.
Shihan instantly retrieved a grilled rabbit from the djinn and placed it on a set of clean leaves before them.
Satisfied expressions covered their features as they filled their grumbling stomachs in a hearty atmosphere.
His subject recounted how they killed two wolves and a boar before returning with the logs. Of course, he already knew about it because of the notifications and six experience points he got.
Meanwhile, the imps fought to get the largest share under the tomte's reprimanding glares.
After an amusing moment that relaxed his mind, he rose to his feet.
"Bring Luna some food. You can also choose a house and share it with someone. I trust you not to let the imps alone together, though."
He winked at his subjects and left to collect the materials.
[Obtained: unit of wood x140.]
[Obtained: unit of food x35.]
[Obtained: One beast core.]
Humming an RPG tune, he rushed to his hut and touched his lord's emblem.
[Materials required to level up: fifty units of stone, a hundred units of wood, and a population of fifteen citizens. Proceed?]
He pressed the yes button floating before his eyes, curious to witness how the hut would transform this time.