Basic Training 2: "My First Punch"
After a brief rest and a few sips of water, Kazuma led Bell to another part of the yard where some wild grass grew. He gave Bell a pair of thick cloth gloves.
"Now, let's fix your punching technique," Kazuma said. "Put these gloves on."
Bell obediently put on the gloves, clenching his fists. "Like this?"
Kazuma observed Bell's fist and immediately shook his head. "Wrong."
He took Bell's hand, adjusting the position of his fingers. "Thumb on the outside, not inside! Do you want to break your own fingers?"
"S-sorry," Bell quickly corrected his thumb position.
"Look, like this," Kazuma showed his own fist. "Fingers bent, thumb outside protecting the fingers. Clench tightly, but not so much that you become rigid."
Bell adjusted his fist according to Kazuma's instructions. "How about this?"
"Better," Kazuma nodded. "Now, let's see your striking distance."
Kazuma walked to a nearby tree and hung up a large banana leaf he had taken from behind the church.
"Hit this," he pointed to the leaf that swayed gently in the breeze.
Bell stepped forward eagerly, clenched his fist, and hit the leaf hard. The leaf tore instantly.
"Too hard," Kazuma shook his head. "A good punch is precise, not just forceful. You should be able to hit without damaging the leaf."
"But how is it possible to hit without causing damage?" Bell asked, confused.
"Control," Kazuma answered simply. He hung another banana leaf and demonstrated a quick punch that only made the leaf sway without tearing. "Like this."
Bell tried again with a third leaf, this time more carefully. The leaf only cracked slightly.
"Still too hard," Kazuma assessed. "Try to imagine you're touching the surface of water without making a splash."
Bell tried repeatedly, and after ten attempts, he finally managed to hit the leaf without damaging it.
"Good!" Kazuma patted Bell's shoulder. "Now let's train the power of your punch."
Kazuma took a pillow from inside the church and held it in front of his chest. "Hit this as hard as you can."
Bell punched the pillow with all his strength. The pillow moved slightly, but Kazuma barely budged.
"That's it?" Kazuma raised an eyebrow.
"I hit as hard as I could..." Bell looked disappointed with his result.
"Because you're only using your arm!" Kazuma explained. "A powerful punch comes from your entire body. Rotate your body when you punch!"
Kazuma demonstrated, hitting the air with a smooth body rotation. "Power comes from your feet, through your hips, then to your shoulder, and finally to your fist. Your entire body works as one unit."
Bell tried to follow, rotating his body as he delivered a punch to the pillow. The result felt more powerful.
"Better!" Kazuma encouraged. "Again!"
Bell continued practicing for thirty minutes, his punches becoming stronger and more precise over time.
When the boxing training ended, Bell's knuckles were red despite the protection of the gloves. But a satisfied smile was etched on his face.
"My hands hurt, but I feel stronger," he said proudly.
"That's because you're starting to learn how to use your body correctly," Kazuma nodded. "Remember, true strength doesn't come from muscles, but from technique and coordination."
Basic Training 3: "Dodging Is Better"
After the boxing training, Kazuma gathered some small fruits from the trees around the church.
"Next exercise," Kazuma lifted a fruit. "I'm going to throw these at you, and you have to dodge."
Bell straightened his posture. "This seems easy."
"Oh really?" Kazuma quickly threw a fruit at Bell.
Bell tried to move backward, but the fruit still hit his shoulder.
"Don't move straight back!" Kazuma shook his head. "Move sideways! Monsters won't stop chasing you just because you back up."
Bell nodded and prepared for the next throw. This time he shifted sideways, but still too late.
"Faster!" Kazuma shouted. "Your reaction is too slow!"
Bell started sweating again, focusing on Kazuma's movements. The next throw came, and Bell managed to avoid it by stepping sideways.
"Good!" Kazuma smiled. "Now try this one!"
Kazuma threw two fruits at once. Bell avoided the first one by shifting, but the second hit his head.
"Ouch!" Bell rubbed his head.
"Duck!" Kazuma gave new instructions. "Monsters won't expect you to go this low!"
Bell practiced ducking, and Kazuma continued throwing fruits at him.
"You need to avoid 20 consecutive throws," Kazuma explained. "If you get hit more than 3 times, you have to do 5 push-ups!"
"Push-ups?!" Bell groaned.
"Yes, and not regular push-ups," Kazuma grinned. "One-handed push-ups!"
"B-but I can't do those!" Bell protested.
"Then don't get hit!" Kazuma laughed and started throwing fruits more enthusiastically.
On the first throw, Bell managed to dodge. The second throw as well. But on the third throw, the fruit hit his leg.
"One!" Kazuma counted.
Bell focused harder, successfully avoiding the fourth through sixth throws. However, the seventh throw hit his back.
"Two!"
Bell concentrated fully, but the tenth throw hit his arm.
"Three! One more and you're doing push-ups!"
Bell bit his lip, determined not to get hit again. But on the 12th throw, the fruit hit his stomach.
"Four! Push-up time!" Kazuma clapped happily.
Bell groaned and started trying one-handed push-ups, which ended with him face-planting on the ground.
"Ahahaha!" Kazuma laughed loudly. "Alright, alright, you can use both hands for now."
With a reddened face, Bell began doing normal push-ups.
"One, two, three..." Kazuma counted. "Lower! Your chest must almost touch the ground!"
"This... is... hard...!" Bell struggled.
"Five! Good, now let's continue the dodging practice!" Kazuma picked up more fruits.
Bell almost cried.
Basic Training 4: "Falling Correctly"
Seeing Bell struggling, Kazuma sighed.
"Now," Kazuma helped Bell stand up, "let's learn something most important for adventurers: how to fall properly."
"How to... fall?" Bell frowned in confusion.
"Yes," Kazuma nodded firmly. "In the Dungeon, you will fall many times. Whether from monster attacks, tripping, or being pushed by other adventurers. If you don't know how to fall safely, you could break bones or worse."
Bell had never thought about this before, but Kazuma's words made sense.
"First, forward roll," Kazuma showed the starting position. "When you fall forward, don't try to catch yourself with your hands. That's the fastest way to break your wrists."
Bell nodded, trying to remember.
"Use your shoulder," Kazuma demonstrated a smooth rolling motion, landing on his shoulder and rolling through to his back, then rising in one fluid motion. "Like this."
"That looks difficult..." Bell observed with doubt.
"Try it," Kazuma urged.
Bell tried to roll as demonstrated, but his movement was stiff and he landed awkwardly.
"Don't be afraid of the ground," Kazuma instructed. "Trust the technique."
Bell tried again, doing better this time.
"Now, backward roll," Kazuma demonstrated. "Tuck your chin! You don't want your head to hit the ground!"
Bell tried to follow, and after several attempts, he began to master the technique.
"Good," Kazuma nodded. "Now for extra practice..."
Without warning, as they walked toward another part of the yard, Kazuma tripped Bell's foot, causing him to fall forward.
"Waaaa!" Bell shouted in surprise, but instinctively used the falling technique he had just learned.
"Good!" Kazuma praised. "See? Your body is starting to remember."
"You didn't have to trip me so suddenly..." Bell grumbled.
"The Dungeon won't say 'watch out, you're falling'!" Kazuma laughed.
For the rest of that training, Kazuma randomly tripped Bell to test his reflexes. Though initially annoyed, Bell admitted that the training was effective—he was becoming increasingly comfortable falling safely.
Basic Training 5: "Breathing in Combat"
"Last exercise for today," Kazuma announced as noon turned to afternoon. "Something often neglected by novice adventurers: breathing."
"Breathing?" Bell repeated, somewhat skeptical. "Don't all people know how to breathe?"
"You'd be surprised how many adventurers forget to breathe during combat," Kazuma shook his head. "Including you."
"Me?"
"Yes. Yesterday in the Dungeon, every time a monster approached, you unconsciously held your breath. That made your movements and reactions slower."
Bell was surprised by this observation, unaware of his own habit.
"Your problem is that you often run out of breath because you panic," Kazuma explained. "Let's train your breathing."
Kazuma instructed Bell to inhale for four seconds, then exhale for four seconds, repeatedly.
"Now, maintain this breathing pattern while I hit you."
"While you... what?!" Bell was shocked.
Without warning, Kazuma gently punched Bell's stomach, making Bell reflexively hold his breath.
"Breathe, idiot!" Kazuma tapped Bell's stomach. "You're not a corpse!"
Bell tried again, focusing on his breathing as Kazuma continued light punches to various parts of his body.
Initially, Bell kept forgetting to breathe properly, but after a few minutes, he began to master it.
"Good," Kazuma nodded. "Now let's try light sparring while maintaining proper breathing."
They sparred for ten minutes, with Kazuma constantly reminding Bell to breathe. By the end of the session, Bell managed to maintain his breathing without gasping as usual.
"I... I can breathe!" Bell smiled broadly, realizing the significant difference his body felt.
"Of course you can," Kazuma smiled slightly. "And with proper breathing, your stamina and focus will be much better."
The sun was already high when they finally finished training. Both of them sat on the church porch, drinking water greedily. Bell looked like a poor dog that had just experienced a storm—his hair was disheveled, his clothes dirty, and his body covered with small bruises.
"Finally... finished..." Bell panted.
"Finished?" Kazuma raised his eyebrow. "We've just begun, Bell."
Bell looked at Kazuma with horror. "W-what do you mean?"
"This training will continue until you can master everything," Kazuma grinned. "Every morning, before we go to the Dungeon."
"E-every morning?!" Bell almost cried.
"Yes, every morning," Kazuma nodded firmly. "You want to become stronger, right? There are no shortcuts for that."
Bell gulped, then slowly nodded. "A-alright... if that can make me stronger..."
"Good," Kazuma smiled with satisfaction. "We'll start again tomorrow. And tomorrow will be more intense than today."