Chapter 7 — Training Like a Martial Artist
The party returned to Axel just before sunset.
After completing their mission, the four adventurers walked into the Adventurer's Guild.
Zach carried the mission materials while Kazuma dragged himself behind everyone else.
"I'm tired."
"You didn't do anything," Zach replied.
"I mentally supported everyone."
"You complained the entire time."
"That takes energy."
Aqua walked beside them proudly.
"I think I did very well."
Kazuma looked at her.
"You got swallowed by a toad."
"That was one time!"
Megumin raised her staff.
"And I defeated the enemy with the power of Explosion."
"You also collapsed immediately afterward," Zach said.
Megumin turned away.
"Details."
They approached the counter where Luna was working.
Luna smiled when she saw them.
"Welcome back. Were you able to complete the mission?"
Zach nodded.
"Yes."
Luna checked the mission report and handed them their payment.
"Excellent work. Your reward has been processed."
Kazuma immediately reached for the money.
"Finally! Food!"
Zach grabbed his wrist.
"Wait."
Kazuma looked at him.
"What?"
Zach turned toward the others.
"We need to talk."
Kazuma's expression became suspicious.
"Why do I feel like I'm about to hate this conversation?"
"Because you know me."
Zach took a breath.
"We have a serious mission planned for tomorrow."
The joking stopped.
Aqua looked concerned.
Megumin became interested.
Kazuma crossed his arms.
"So?"
"So we're not ready."
Everyone became quiet.
Zach continued.
"We've been completing smaller quests, but if we're going to take on something genuinely dangerous, we need to improve."
Kazuma sighed.
"Can't we just become stronger naturally?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because that's not how training works."
Kazuma groaned.
The Training Regiment
Back at the apartment, Zach pulled out a piece of paper.
He placed it on the table.
"This is our training schedule for the next month."
Kazuma stared at it.
"A month?"
"Yes."
"Thirty days?"
"Yes."
"Thirty days of training?"
"Yes."
Kazuma looked at Aqua.
"Do something."
Aqua looked at the schedule.
Then she looked at Zach.
"…I think it looks reasonable."
Kazuma stared at her.
"Traitor."
Megumin leaned over the table.
"What does it say?"
Zach pointed at the schedule.
"We wake up at 4:00."
Kazuma's eyes widened.
"Four in the morning?!"
"Then we train."
"At four?!"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because we're going to build discipline."
Kazuma looked like he had just received a death sentence.
04:00 — Morning Training
The next morning—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"WAKE UP!"
Kazuma opened his eyes.
"Who died?"
"Nobody."
"Then why are you waking me up at four in the morning?!"
"Training."
Kazuma pulled the blanket over his head.
"I refuse."
Zach grabbed the blanket.
"Get up."
"No."
Zach pulled harder.
"Get up."
"No!"
Aqua walked into the room.
"Come on, Kazuma! We have training!"
Kazuma looked at her.
"Why are you enthusiastic?"
"Because I want to become stronger!"
Megumin entered behind her.
"And because I have no intention of allowing anyone to surpass the power of Explosion."
Kazuma stared at all three of them.
"I hate this party."
The Workout
At exactly 4:00, the four stood outside.
Zach explained the first part of their training.
"Today we're starting with basic conditioning."
Kazuma looked relieved.
"Finally. Something reasonable."
Zach continued.
"100 push-ups."
Kazuma's smile disappeared.
"100 sit-ups."
His face became pale.
"100 squats."
He slowly backed away.
"And a 10-kilometer run."
Kazuma turned around.
"No."
Zach grabbed him by the collar.
"Yes."
"This is insane!"
Megumin looked at the workout.
"Is this some legendary Crimson Demon training method?"
"No," Zach replied.
"Then why are we doing it?"
"Because I want all of you to build a strong physical foundation."
Aqua raised her hand.
"Can I use magic to make this easier?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because you're training your body."
Aqua frowned.
"That's unfair."
Zach smiled.
"Exactly."
05:30 — Breakfast
By 5:30, all four were exhausted.
Kazuma collapsed into his chair.
"I hate mornings."
Megumin was lying face-down on the table.
"My body has betrayed me."
Aqua was breathing heavily.
"I… can still move."
Zach sat down.
"Good. Eat."
Breakfast was simple but filling.
They needed calories.
They needed energy.
And, according to Zach, they needed discipline.
Kazuma stared at Zach.
"Is this what you're going to do every day?"
"For the next month."
Kazuma put his head on the table.
"I should've stayed dead."
06:30 — Work Training
After breakfast, Zach took them into town.
Kazuma looked confused.
"Where are we going?"
"To work."
"Work?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Strength training."
They arrived at a farm.
The farmer looked at the four adventurers.
"You're here to help?"
Zach nodded.
"Yes."
The farmer pointed toward a field.
"There's plenty to do."
"Perfect."
Kazuma looked suspicious.
"What exactly are we doing?"
Zach smiled.
"Everything."
They spent the morning doing physical labor.
Carrying dirt.
Moving stones.
Digging.
Lifting heavy objects.
Repairing structures.
Building fences.
But there was one important rule.
No tools.
Kazuma stared at Zach.
"You're telling me we're doing construction without tools?"
"Correct."
"That's stupid."
"It's training."
Zach remembered the training methods he had seen in Dragon Ball.
Master Roshi hadn't simply told Goku and Krillin to lift weights.
He had them perform ordinary tasks while wearing heavy equipment and constantly pushing their bodies.
Zach couldn't reproduce everything from that training.
But he could reproduce the principle.
Make ordinary work difficult.
If they wanted to become stronger, they needed to train their bodies constantly.
13:00 — Lunch
By one in the afternoon, everyone was exhausted.
They returned home and ate.
Nobody complained.
Nobody had enough energy.
That was progress.
13:30 — Meditation
After lunch, Zach gathered everyone.
"Next is meditation."
Kazuma groaned.
"Can't we sleep?"
"No."
"What is meditation supposed to do?"
"Help you control your power."
Zach sat down and closed his eyes.
He focused inward.
His breathing slowed.
He searched for the energy inside his body.
Ki.
At first, it was difficult.
But after weeks of training, Zach could finally sense it more clearly.
His Ki moved through his body.
Slowly.
Carefully.
He practiced controlling it rather than simply releasing it.
Everyone's Own Training
Zach focused on Ki.
Aqua focused on magical control.
Kazuma focused on improving his ability to sense and manage his magical energy.
Megumin focused on her own reserves.
Zach had realized something important about Megumin.
Her problem wasn't that Explosion lacked power.
Her problem was that she had almost no endurance after using it.
If she could increase her magical reserves and control, she might eventually be able to use her magic more effectively.
For the next thirty minutes, nobody spoke.
They simply trained.
14:00 — Specialized Training
After meditation, the party split up.
Each member had a different weakness.
Each weakness needed a different solution.
Kazuma — Sword Training
Kazuma began training with experienced swordsmen.
His goal wasn't to become a master overnight.
It was to improve his fundamentals.
Footwork.
Grip.
Balance.
Timing.
Reaction speed.
He already possessed surprisingly good luck.
Now he needed skill to match it.
Megumin — Mage Training
Megumin trained with other experienced mages.
The goal was simple.
Increase her magical reserves.
Improve magical efficiency.
Learn how to control her mana.
And, most importantly—
Stop becoming completely useless after casting Explosion.
Megumin wasn't happy about that last part.
But she understood the necessity.
Aqua — Priest Training
Aqua trained with other priests.
Her magical power was extraordinary.
Her support abilities were extraordinary.
Her healing was extraordinary.
Her problem was that she had terrible discipline.
Zach wanted her to become more reliable.
Instead of simply being the party's walking miracle machine, Aqua needed to understand when and how to use her abilities.
Zach's Training
While the others trained, Zach returned to the apartment.
He sat down.
The Dragon Ball Training System appeared.
System Notification
Starter Pack Available.
Zach had received several items from the system when he first arrived.
He had been saving them.
Now he decided it was time to use one.
"Let's see what I've got."
The system displayed the item.
Starter Training Facility
Includes:
Gravity ChamberTraining EnvironmentInstructor SelectionDuration: 3 Weeks
Zach's eyes widened.
"A gravity chamber?"
This was exactly what he needed.
But there was another option.
Select Instructor
Zach thought about it.
There were plenty of powerful martial artists he could choose from.
But he didn't want someone who would immediately teach him advanced techniques beyond his current level.
He needed fundamentals.
He already had a basic martial-arts foundation.
What he needed was someone who could teach him how to refine it.
Then Zach remembered one particular master.
"Koririn."
The system responded.
Instructor Selected: Korin
Zach smiled.
"Korin should be perfect."
He knew he couldn't rely on copying Goku's entire journey.
He wasn't a Saiyan.
He wasn't going to unlock Super Saiyan.
His path would have to be different.
But Korin could help him sharpen the fundamentals.
Movement.
Balance.
Speed.
Ki control.
Reaction.
Combat awareness.
Those were exactly the things Zach needed.
The Gravity Chamber
The world around Zach changed.
He suddenly found himself inside a training facility.
A familiar cat stood in front of him.
Korin looked at Zach.
"So you're the human who wants to become stronger?"
Zach nodded.
"Yes."
Korin smiled.
"Then show me what you can do."
Zach immediately entered his fighting stance.
Korin's expression changed slightly.
"Not bad."
Then—
THUMP.
The gravity increased.
Zach's knees nearly buckled.
"What…?"
Korin smiled.
"Your training begins now."
Zach gritted his teeth.
He forced himself upright.
The system appeared.
Training Facility Activated.
Instructor: Korin
Duration: 3 Weeks
Gravity Training: Active
Primary Objective: Adapt
Secondary Objective: Improve Ki Control
Warning: Training will not bypass fatigue, pain, or physical limitations.
Zach smiled.
"Good."
He stepped forward.
"I didn't come here to take shortcuts."
Korin nodded.
"Then you may become a martial artist worth remembering."
18:00 — Dinner
At six, the four reunited for dinner.
Kazuma was exhausted.
Aqua was exhausted.
Megumin was exhausted.
Zach looked perfectly normal.
Kazuma pointed at him.
"How are you still standing?"
"Training."
"I hate that word."
Megumin nodded.
"I agree."
Aqua raised her hand.
"I also agree."
Zach smiled.
"You'll thank me later."
"No we won't," Kazuma said immediately.
21:00 — Sleep
At nine o'clock, everyone went to bed.
The first day of the new routine was complete.
Tomorrow would be the same.
And the day after that.
And the day after that.
For the next month, the party would follow the same structure.
04:00 — Physical Training
05:30 — Breakfast
06:30 — Physical Labor / Work Training
13:00 — Lunch
13:30 — Meditation
14:00 — Individual Training
18:00 — Dinner
21:00 — Sleep
And while the others trained in Axel—
Zach would spend three weeks inside the gravity chamber with Korin.
The party wasn't simply preparing for another quest anymore.
They were preparing for something bigger.
Something dangerous.
Something that would require them to become stronger than they had ever been.
Zach closed his eyes.
The system appeared one final time.
Long-Term Objective: Create Your Own Legend
Progress: 1%
Continue Training.
Zach smiled.
"One month."
Then he fell asleep.
"Let's see how strong we can become."
End of Chapter 7