177th Episode
Hassan Learns Aura
It was when I was daydreaming about overpowering Elpride, the wicked Flame Witch, with sheer strength.
Swish—Clang.
Antiope, who had been watching my training from a distance, rose from her seat and unsheathed the spear she had slung over her back.
It was rather short for a spear, so much so that it would fittingly be called a javelin. I remember that such javelins were usually of this length, used more for throwing and hitting rather than thrusting.
Indeed, Antiope soon took a stance as if ready to throw her spear, lowering her profile as she glanced around cautiously.
“There’s a Cultist nearby.”
Her words caused Hippolyte and me to glance at each other, as if hearing something completely unexpected.
The brief silence was broken by Hippolyte’s voice.
“This is the area I patrol while taking my walks. There’s no way any Cultist would show up here. You must have misheard or misjudged something, Antiope.”
It was indeed unlikely to find any Cultist wandering along Hippolyte’s patrol routes. If there was one, it would be someone exceptionally reckless or arrogant.
But upon reflection, in this brutal world, isn’t it exactly those who aren’t recklessly arrogant who wouldn’t even consider joining a pseudo-religion? A prime example of this is Paranoi.
Paranoi is the strangest of all the people I know. Could it be Paranoi lurking nearby?
While I strained my eyes to search for any nymphs around in tense anticipation, Hippolyte added one more remark.
“Because you’re like this, even Samaritan gets overly excited about fighting. This boy believes he can’t let a Cultist go without defeating them.”
Hippolyte seems to mistake my tension as excitement for battle. In Hippolyte’s mind, I’m essentially a brute who knows nothing but combat, so it isn’t strange.
But Antiope’s insistence was firm.
“Sis, I spent three years rolling in the dirt hunting down Cultists. Do you think I’d be unable to detect the power of Pluto?”
As a part of the Shrine Knights who first clash with the Cultists of Pluto in fierce battles, she could be called an expert in eliminating them.
To draw a comparison, she’s like a SESCO employee.
“It’s around here. And it’s a significant figure, too. Maybe a High Priest or something. Could they be here spying on us?”
Given that it’s SESCO speaking, it was a trustworthy statement.
I contemplated the leader of the mysterious Cultist. It might even be a Demon Lord of the Underworld, as Paranoi often mentioned.
“There’s no way.”
However, Hippolyte remained convinced that there was no Cultist nearby. Before long, she even reached out to touch my neck.
“Look here, at this pendant. It’s the Star of Kalar. An artifact imbued with the power of Pluto. Antiope, you might be confusing the evil aura emanating from this artifact.”
“The Star of Kalar? And it’s hanging around his neck? Why is that?”
Suddenly, the spear-wielding Warrior’s gaze shifted to my neck.
Holding the spear, her look is genuinely terrifying. Isn’t it essentially the same as pointing a loaded g*n in my direction?
Mistakenly pulling the trigger could mean I’d end up with two holes in my body.
“That really is the Star of Kalar. I heard Necromancer Koma stole it. How did it end up with you?”
The gentle Antiope of moments ago has vanished, replaced by the terrifying interrogator Antiope, the only one left in this moment.
“Are you a Cultist? Could you be Necromancer Koma?”
“Antiope, that can’t be the case, can it? This warrior has a history of repeatedly hunting down Pluto’s Cultists. He defeated Koma and claimed the trophy.”
“It’s something that only Necromancers can use, though.”
Despite Hippolyte’s earnest defense of me, things seemed somewhat sorted out, but Antiope still looked at me with doubt.
“Maybe I’m being too sensitive.”
“Yes, you are. You said today was your off day, didn’t you? It’s better to rest well on such days.”
“It’s all because I couldn’t sleep in this morning. I’ll take a nap then.”
With that, Antiope headed into Hippolyte’s small house. Watching her go, Hippolyte muttered something quietly, a voice only I could hear in the nearby area.
“She’s too obsessed with the Cultists. That’s why she’s involved with the Shrine Knights.”
I’m not entirely sure, but Hippolyte seemed worried about her half-sister. Could there be some backstory involved? Out of curiosity, I decided to ask.
“Is there a reason she’s so fixated on Cultists?”
“She was almost made a sacrifice to the Cultists when she was young. She hasn’t moved past that trauma yet.”
Being made a sacrifice for the Cultists.
I envisioned a bizarre underground ruin where black-robed figures chanted spells, and among them, a young girl trembling and bound upon a pedestal.
Indeed, a trauma that could create such a lasting effect.
When someone gains strength from their childhood trauma or experiences, it’s natural to seek revenge.
Childhood trauma and experiences often affect an entire lifetime more than one might expect.
As I was internally digesting that, Hippolyte gently scraped the remnants of a scattered leather punching bag on the ground and added a few more comments.
“Still, she seems more peaceful than before. Even the tattoo on her back seems brighter now.”
“…The tattoo on her back?”
“Yes, it’s a picture of flowers and clouds. It’s a sign that my sister still holds a girl’s sensibilities.”
I didn’t say anything.
Hippolyte’s training was quite harsh.
Before teaching the Aura, she began supposedly honing my basic swordsmanship and combat skills, starting to pummel me with all her might with no prior explanation.
“Gah!”
Her punches landed with ghostly precision on my solar plexus and abdomen, making me feel as though I was dying. I’ve already eaten sand from the ground several times today.
Tumbling around under the blazing summer sunlight, I wondered what I was even doing.
All I wanted was to return to Luna’s cottage and rest.
How delightful would it be to rest my head on Luna’s soft and cool knee and take a nap?
“Samaritan, don’t you know how to dodge? Watch the punch and evade it properly!”
“This… the theory I understand, but my body won’t react fast enough…”
“You Bronze Tier adventurers are too talkative. That’s just too much thought. Move before you think.”
“But it’s not as easy as it sounds…”
“Hmph, then try again. I’m going to punch your solar plexus this time, so dodge well.”
After this type of process stretched for more than half a day, I truly felt utterly wretched in every sense.
It’s clear after this that although Hippolyte may be an extraordinarily skilled adventurer, she doesn’t seem to be a good teacher. She can’t understand why others can’t do what she can.
So, I had to endure a relentless solar plexus pummeling until I could avoid one or two of her ten punches.
I managed to dodge just one or two because I put all my effort into the thought that if I got hit any more, I might actually d*e.
“Good, you dodged well.”
“Really, can’t we take a short break?”
“Take a break? Do you want to waste the tuition you paid?”
Such a statement revealed another commendable aspect of her demeanor as an educator, making the pain in my abdomen feel more piercing. Reflecting on it, I was actually paying money to get beaten up.
I began to seriously wonder if people who learn martial arts, paying money to enjoy getting beaten, are a form of sadist.
In any case, I sprawled on the ground like a sick chicken, groveling. I truly can’t move a single finger now.
No matter how much one controls their strength, getting hit in the unprotected vital spots repeatedly will surely diminish any motivation and everything else.
“Well, let’s do a lesson on attacking now. If you can even touch my body once, today’s training will end accordingly.”
“Are you saying I should attack and you’ll evade?”
“Yes.”
How convenient that a chance for revenge has arrived. My motivation surged dramatically. I could almost imagine Luna cheering for me from somewhere.
It was the first time since my younger sister and Elpride that I felt such an earnest desire to hit a woman.
“I don’t go easy just because you’re a woman.”
“…I see, you do consider me a woman. But that’s unnecessary.”
Silk.
I removed the club, gauntlets, iron plate covering my chest, armlets around my wrists, and the greaves on my legs, placing them all on the ground.
This action increased my speed by about twice. While this was my personal assessment, shedding the heavy load genuinely made my body feel lighter, as if it could fly.
My confidence surged significantly.
But Hippolyte simply smiled leisurely at my appearance and began stretching her body.
Stretching Hippolyte’s shoulders and arms above her head, the open armpits caught my eye naturally.
That must’ve definitely been a provocation aimed at me.
“Is it okay not to use any weapons?”
To which I firmly clenched both fists and extended them before Hippolyte’s face. If this were a bald-headed monk, they would probably say something like this right now:
“The weapons are already here.”
“Yes, the two fists of a warrior are no different from weapons. But, that’s only true if you can hit them.”
Eventually, Hippolyte confidently placed her hands on her hips and stood forthrightly in front of me, her chest exposed, exuding confidence.
Her casual wear consists of a crop top barely covering her bust about to burst forth and dolphin pants snugly fitting her legs, which revealed her body so perfectly it could be used as an anatomical model.
Therefore, I couldn’t help but see the vital points located in her body.
The meridians on the human body number approximately 750. Among these, about 50 serve as critical vital points.
Out of those, I’ve become thoroughly familiar with around twenty of them.
Even if you miss them by just one point, the pain is truly astonishing, so you might even call this some sort of dark pressure therapy.
My talent of pressing the right meridian spots to ease others now has the potential to inflict incredible damage if I press these vital areas with my fingers, right?
Although I’ve vaguely considered experimenting with this before, I’ve never had a suitable target until now.
Hippolyte is much stronger than anyone I’ve ever known. She would make a great subject for this trial.
“This will be different today, Miss Hippolyte.”
“I can sense your preparation. Very well, show me what you can do. All your tricks are visible to me.”
“Hmph. Then you’d better dodge well.”
And so, I extended both my forefingers.
“I will strike with these.”
“Strike…? Where do you intend to strike?”
“On parts of the body that are sensitive and crucial.”
From what I’ve observed, this world lacks an advanced understanding of concepts like anatomy or pressure points of the body.
It’s only widely known that getting hit in the solar plexus hurts or a stab to the heart is fatal. Basic things like that.
Clearly, however talented an adventurer might be, Hippolyte must not fully understand which areas of her body are vital points.
Then naturally, her guard must be loose.
I’ll exploit these openings by tapping those vital points and claim victory.
That’s my perfect plan.
And somehow, I feel it might work.
Thus, I confidently extended my forefinger with a self-assured smile.
“I’ve issued a warning that I will strike.”
“Strike…?!”
At this, Hippolyte frowned with a look of indignation. She covered her abdomen with her arms as if shielding herself.
Does she think I’m going to strike her stomach?
“Covering won’t help. I can see everything as if you’re n*ked. Every vital part of Hippolyte’s body is clear to me.”
“I, I won’t fall for such deceit!”
Silk.
I casually extended my forefinger into the air and twirled it, gently massaging the empty space as if casting a hypnotic spell.
“Hmph…”
Then Hippolyte flinched, moving the hand shielding her belly to clasp her chest, covering it.
“Have you realized what I intend to do?”
“…You, you pervert! I won’t let you touch me!”
In a voice of real surprise and irritation, Hippolyte shouted. Uncharacteristically for her usually composed self, she seemed cornered like a rat.
A serene and focused Hippolyte would be impossible to defeat. But this current, flustered Hippolyte seemed like a fight I could actually handle.
I guess my bluffing and psychological tactics are working.
I continued moving my forefinger in a circular motion as if grabbing balloons in the air. With each movement, Hippolyte’s face flushed, seemingly affected by the summer heat.
“…You, you despicable person! You’re worse than any Cultist. I’ll fix your attitude!”
Unable to endure my provocation any longer, Hippolyte suddenly accelerated quickly toward me. Wasn’t it supposed to be a training session where I attack and she dodges?
It seems my baiting worked too effectively, provoking her to charge out of anger. She closed the distance faster than I anticipated, standing right before my nose.
“You b*stard-!”
She covered her chest with one hand while raising the other as high as possible. It seemed she was readying a punch aimed at my head, intending to land a solid blow.
Augh!
The muscles in her well-defined arms were tense, sending shivers down my neck.
“I’ll correct that unruly hair of yours…!”
It may sound like a slap, but if I get hit by Hippolyte’s real punch, my head might roll off right on the spot.
Thus, I moved my fingers faster than her punch could reach me. Firing my finger like a b*llet, every muscle in my body tautened.
My target was her chest.
Or rather, the armpit next to her chest.
The right armpit of Hippolyte, which was exposed as she raised her arms high, contained the vital point known as Jiquian. While this meridian point generally helps alleviate chest pain, when struck forcefully, it becomes one of the deadliest pressure points.
Poke.
“Aaah!”
Finally, my fingers accurately struck Antiope’s armpit while her guard was completely down due to fury and indignation.
Squish.
The instant, a soft and tender sensation traveled from my fingertips up the back of my head.
“Kyaah!”
At the same moment, Hippolyte gave a loud shiver and collapsed onto the ground. Her usually composed and serious voice emitted a high-pitched scream characteristic of women.
“Hmph, haa, uh… uh… uh… I, I fell to just a finger… What exactly have you done!?”
Hunched over and writhing on the ground, Hippolyte’s form clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of my point pressing.
I had no idea I possessed such skill.
With a fearful glance, I looked down at Hippolyte glaring up at me.
“Down.”
After a single practice session, my energy and vitality are completely drained as if my cooldown has run out. Is it because of the hot weather and all the mosquitoes? It’s really frustrating.
But recently, we’ve achieved a joyful milestone as the total comments have surpassed 10,000!
To everyone, I will cast a buff to ward off the heat and mosquitoes.
The duration is 24 hours!
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