Chapter 9: Death by Bear Counts as Homework

Lucas walked over to the control panel and pressed a few buttons. A transparent barrier descended from the ceiling, dividing the room into two sections so they could train without disturbing each other.

"There we go." Lucas gave Nero a thumbs up. "Now we’ve both got our own space. If you need anything, just wave me over."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"No problem!"

Lucas headed toward his side of the room, already producing small sparks of electricity around his fingertips.

Nero, meanwhile, raised his wrist and examined the slim black band wrapped around it.

It was a standard device owned by almost every citizen of Earth Star, functioning much like a smartphone but with considerably more advanced features.

Powered by a mana-based chip with a processing speed of 10 GHz, it could outperform most supercomputers from before the Great Cataclysm. Apart from communication and data storage, it could also connect to mana-powered facilities and control their functions.

Nero tapped the band, bringing up a holographic screen. After navigating through the available options, he selected Basic Combat Training and confirmed his choice.

The floor immediately began rumbling as several humanoid training dummies rose from hidden compartments, their padded bodies clicking into place.

’Alright, let’s get started.’

Nero opened his System inventory and selected the Special Combat Fundamentals Manual.

However, the moment he activated it, the training room disappeared.

"Huh?"

When Nero opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in the middle of a dense forest. Towering trees surrounded him, and even the smell of damp soil seemed real.

"What the hell? Where am I?"

He had only activated a combat manual, so why had he suddenly ended up in a forest?

Before he could figure anything out, a low growl came from somewhere ahead.

A massive brown bear stood roughly twenty meters away, watching him. It was at least three meters tall, with thick fur and claws large enough to tear him apart.

’You’ve got to be kidding me.’

He had only wanted to learn some basic fighting techniques!

Just then, a glowing path appeared in his vision, showing him a series of movements which begin translating into something he can understand in his mind.

’Dodge left. Lower your center of gravity. Prepare to counter.’

Nero somehow understood the instructions immediately, but understanding them and actually performing them were two different things.

Before he could move, the bear charged.

Its massive paw swung toward his head, and although Nero tried to duck, his body reacted far too slowly.

The next moment, everything went black.

[You have died.]

[Restarting Simulation.]

"Hah!"

Nero gasped as his eyes snapped open, only to discover that he was standing in the same forest again.

Even the bear had returned to its original position.

"A simulation?"

He quickly checked his body for injuries, but there wasn’t a single wound on him. However, he could still remember the bear’s paw striking his head.

"That felt way too real..."

Before he could think about it further, the bear charged again.

This time, Nero attempted to follow the glowing path, but his timing was off, and he ended up getting caught by the bear’s claws.

[You have died.]

[Restarting Simulation.]

The process repeated several more times.

Sometimes Nero managed to dodge the first attack, only to be caught by the second. Other times, he made a mistake before the fight had even properly begun.

After dying more times than he cared to count, Nero was beginning to get frustrated.

"...I’m really starting to hate you."

However, he was also beginning to understand something.

The bear wasn’t attacking randomly. It had certain habits, such as shifting its shoulders before lunging and favoring its right paw whenever it prepared a heavy strike.

The glowing path continued guiding him, and with every attempt, Nero became a little more familiar with the movements.

Eventually, after another restart, he clenched his fists and took a deep breath.

"Alright, enough messing around. It’s time to lock in."

The bear charged once again.

This time, Nero stepped to the left at the right moment, narrowly avoiding its first attack. He immediately ducked beneath the second swing before sidestepping the bear’s attempt to bite him.

’Good!’

Seeing an opening, Nero drove his fist into the beast’s exposed side.

Bang!

"Argh!"

Pain shot through his arm.

’What the hell is this thing made of?!’

Fortunately, the strike caused the bear to stumble.

Nero immediately followed the glowing path and struck its joints three times in quick succession.

The bear lost its balance and collapsed onto the ground.

[Simulation Complete.]

"Finally! That damn bear..."

Nero bent forward, trying to catch his breath. He had never imagined that defeating a single bear would make him this happy.

Unfortunately, his celebration didn’t last long.

[Restarting at Higher Difficulty.]

"Huh?"

The forest flickered, and two bears emerged from between the trees.

"...Seriously?"

’What kind of training manual is this?’

Nero could only sigh before raising his fists again.

"Fine. Bring it."

The simulations continued, and the difficulty increased with each successful attempt.

Sometimes Nero had to fight multiple enemies at once, while other simulations introduced faster opponents or terrain that made moving around difficult.

Naturally, he continued dying, but his understanding of combat improved with every attempt at a very superhuman and unnatural speed.

After repeating the same movements hundreds of times, he no longer needed to think about every instruction the glowing path showed him.

His body had gradually become familiar with the techniques, allowing him to dodge, defend, and counterattack without hesitation.

Even the glowing path was becoming less necessary.

Of course, his physical strength and speed hadn’t changed. He had simply learned how to use his body properly, and that alone made an enormous difference.

By the time the final simulation ended, Nero stood in the middle of the forest, surrounded by fallen beasts.

His arms were aching, and sweat covered his face, but he couldn’t help smiling.

’Hah... Is it finally over?’

He waited for another enemy to appear, but the forest remained quiet.

Then, a golden window appeared before him.

[You’ve grasped the Special Combat Fundamentals.]

[Beating you in hand-to-hand combat is going to be hard.]

[Ding! You’ve achieved Combat Fundamentals (Mastery)]