Chapter 18 — Growth [2]
I strolled through the academy, taking in the scenery.
Then, something caught my eye.
'That place… was the training grounds, right?'
It was where students aspiring to become swordsmen, archers, or spearmen spent most of their time training.
I was originally headed toward the spire, but curiosity made me turn toward the training grounds instead.
'Yep, looks just like I remember.'
Numerous sandbags and training dummies lined the area, along with various practice weapons neatly arranged.
'…Only muscleheads here, huh.'
Countless students were training diligently—muscular bodies glistening with sweat as they exercised or swung their weapons.
'I'll probably end up coming here often.'
After all, I was aiming to become a knight too.
Even though the body I'd possessed had good physical stats overall, neglecting training would make that all meaningless.
If I wanted to return to my original world, then while I was stuck in this one, I needed to give it my all.
'Nothing particularly interesting though.'
The training grounds looked exactly like they did in the game—students working up a sweat, various equipment scattered around… all identical.
I was just about to leave quietly when something caught my attention.
"Huh? What's that…"
At the far corner of the vast gym stood a long, barred enclosure.
Inside the bars sat a device that seemed to operate through magic.
"This is definitely…"
Just from looking at it, it reminded me of a batting cage from my original world—
a place where people hit baseballs for stress relief or fun.
Except here, instead of baseballs…
'It shoots magic arrows.'
Those magic arrows were designed to be harmless—getting hit was supposed to sting just a little, nothing more.
I'd only ever seen it in the game, never experienced it myself.
"Hm."
This facility was used to train reflexes and agility—in other words, to improve one's ability to dodge projectile attacks.
But suddenly, I wanted to try something different with it.
"Let's see…"
I opened the barred door and stepped inside.
The magic arrow launcher stood about fifteen meters away.
At first, I wasn't sure how to activate it, but then—
[Training Magic Arrow Launcher. Would you like to begin?]
Words appeared before me, projected like a hologram.
I was startled for a moment, but then I smiled faintly.
It reminded me again that this was a world where magic was commonplace.
"Yes."
[Please select a difficulty level from 1 to 10.]
[Please set the number of magic arrows.]
"Hmm… Level 1. Ten arrows."
[Confirmed. Launching in 10 seconds.]
[10, 9, 8…]
I drew Mistcatcher from its sheath.
'Let's see if this works.'
There was something I'd been curious about—
Could my defensive swordsmanship block projectiles?
In the game, it was possible.
Now, I wanted to see if it worked in reality too.
[…3, 2, 1. Begin.]
The holographic text vanished, and a glowing blue magic arrow shot from the device.
I could see the red dot marking its trajectory.
Instinctively, I brought Mistcatcher to that spot and blocked the arrow.
Clang—!
"…It works?"
The magic arrow's speed was impressive, but my reaction time was faster.
As soon as another red dot appeared, my body moved reflexively, the blade following my instincts.
'Yeah… this'll definitely be good training.'
I still wasn't completely synchronized with this new body.
To be precise, my thoughts couldn't yet keep up with my body's reflexes.
But if I trained with this machine, I could probably adapt better—think faster in battle.
Clang—!
I easily blocked the second arrow.
Then, without even thinking, my body began to automatically intercept each incoming arrow one after another.
[Level 1, 10 arrows, complete.]
When the hologram text appeared announcing the end of the session, I smiled in satisfaction.
I felt good—energized.
Blocking those arrows while making full use of my swordsmanship had been surprisingly fun…
'It actually feels like I'm really growing.'
There wasn't a stat window like in the game to confirm my progress, but still—
I could feel it.
That I was getting used to this body.
That I was becoming more accustomed to real combat.
Something like that.
"…Level 2. Fifteen arrows."
[Confirmed.]
Whatever the case, I had found enjoyment in the process of growth through this arrow-blocking exercise.
And for a gamer, feeling that sense of growth—that thrill of progress—was one of the most important things.
So this magic arrow training?
For someone like me, a former game veteran, there was absolutely no reason not to go all in.
---
[To be Continue]