NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3
Chapter
Time for Martial Arts.
Rionne sat down in front of the charred and broken tree.
“My, my tree….”
Enok casually turned his gaze away.
As his fingers twitched for no reason, a fly buzzed by and mocked him.
[Idiot! Do you have any idea how much Rionne cherished that tree!?]
Crackling sounds sparked from Enok’s eyes.
But in the despairing gaze of Rionne, he felt something pull at his heart.
Enok quietly lowered his gaze.
“It’s, it’s okay, Enok. It’s just a tree…! We can plant it again!”
[What!? Hey! Didn’t you just say…!]
Ignoring the squawking Undine, Rionne wiped her tears.
Farewell, my cute little tree…
Even in her distress, she analyzed Enok’s achievements.
He certainly learns quickly.
Hadn’t he shown such potential from the moment they met?
Even though it was in the state of Heavenly Death rampaging, it was definitely not the ordinary display of a child his age.
“In my opinion, the power’s influence plays a large role.”
Rionne extended two of her long, pale fingers.
Soon, one of them folded.
“First off, Enok, you have received the blessing of Heavenly Death.”
“…Earth Dwarf?”
“That’s right. You remember well?”
Rionne gently patted Enok’s head.
“The blessing of Heavenly Death, looking solely at the talent it grants, is incredible indeed. Though I hear there are personal variations, Enok, your talent seems to be among the top tier.”
“Yeah.”
“And there’s another.”
One more of Rionne’s fingers folded.
“The power of lightning. As far as I know, no human born with powers among the past Heavenly Deaths has ever existed. The very concept of being born with powers is exceedingly rare.”
So that meant Enok had the exceptional talent of Heavenly Death alongside the power of lightning.
“Perhaps….”
If Enok grows up, he might even flatten the noses of those unfortunate humans.
Rionne swallowed the useless comment and gazed once more at the dead tree.
It hurt her heart.
“Ah, anyway, from what I’ve seen, Enok, you should first learn how to handle your power delicately.”
“Delicately?”
“Yep. If you can handle your power carefully, then no one will get hurt unnecessarily, right?”
Hmm… Rionne thought for a moment, pondering what words might resonate with Enok.
“Ah, right. Let’s say you’re eating and suddenly swing your arm around?”
“Yeah.”
“But somehow, your power’s too strong.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And I, who was next to you, ended up getting hit.”
Ouch! Rionne pretended to be hurt and fell dramatically.
“……!”
Enok, confused, circled around her.
His innocence despite having done nothing wrong was cute, and Rionne let out a small chuckle.
“To prevent that from happening, you need to learn to control your strength, got it?”
“Yeah…!”
[Oh wow.]
Undine clicked her tongue as she observed her friend’s antics.
[She’s already acting like a mom, huh? With hundreds of years under her belt, and she wants to play that role?]
“Hey!”
Elves were quite sensitive about their age.
*
Rionne was skilled with dozens of types of weapons.
Her favorite was the three swords, but the other weapons were more than sufficient to teach Enok.
“Hmm….”
Rionne pondered deeply as she laid out wooden weapons one by one.
They were the very weapons she had carved herself after meeting Enok.
“Enok, are you perhaps drawn to any of these?”
Typically, someone with talent like his would be naturally drawn to a weapon that suited him.
“…….”
But Enok’s response was indifferent.
He didn’t seem particularly interested in the weapons.
First, Rionne handed him a plain wooden training sword.
“In that case….”
[Me! I want to try!]
Undine leapt up excitedly.
She stared at her friend with a face full of anticipation.
“Undine, you?”
[Yep! That little squirt can flatten noses too…, no, I can handle it!]
Rionne narrowed her eyes at Undine.
Undine met her gaze with the most innocent expression.
“Well, okay. But still, you wouldn’t do anything mean to a kid, would you?”
[Of course not!]
“Do I look like I can trust that?”
Rionne’s expression held not a shred of faith, but Undine didn’t care.
After all, Rionne believed Undine wouldn’t genuinely do anything harmful to Enok.
[Hoo, ha ha ha! Alright, squirt! Bring it on!]
Swish-! Undine’s water-based form expanded rapidly.
Ignoring her, Enok focused on Rionne.
“This will be a simple duel, Enok. We need to assess which weapon suits you and gauge your strength.”
“Okay.”
Without hesitation, Enok faced Undine.
Now looking like an adult woman, Undine wore a sinister smile.
“Then….”
Before Rionne could say “start,”
Swoosh-!
Enok hurled the training sword with all his might.
[What!?]
The startled Undine turned her head just in time to dodge the weapon.
He suddenly threw a weapon at her!?
Shocked, but Undine was a seasoned spirit.
She quickly regained her stance, but Enok was already gone.
Crackle-!
Enok, enveloped in sparks, stood behind Undine.
With hands bent like the claws of a bird of prey, chilling purple lightning crackled into existence.
[How dare you!]
Undine spun around, clenching her fists tightly.
As Enok’s hand swung towards her, their fists collided.
Boom-!
A loud sound echoed.
Undine, keeping a firm grip on Enok’s hand, grinned maliciously.
[Pure water doesn’t conduct electricity…, kyaah…!?]
Sparks erupted from Undine’s blue body.
[Ouch, that stings!]
Undine panicked and shook her hand violently.
Unable to bear the pain, Enok staggered back, and Undine conjured dozens of water-made projectiles in the air.
[You little brat!]
This child was barely ten years old.
Of course, her skill would be limited.
At that level, most phenomena would adhere to the laws of nature.
Water extinguishes fire, fire burns wood, electricity doesn’t flow through pure water, and so on.
But how that kid managed to land a hit on Undine’s body was a mystery.
[What are you gonna do about this? Dodge it!]
Swish swish-!
The water projectiles were launched at high speed.
Of course, she had controlled the power.
Though, being hit would feel like a sharp slap…
Crackle-!
Without hesitation, Enok leapt into the rain of projectiles.
Just a tiny opening.
Enok’s eyes moved quickly.
He sidestepped and deflected one projectile with a slashing motion.
The projectile ricocheted, and Enok squeezed his way through the gap.
Splat-!
The projectiles that passed Enok embedded themselves in the ground.
In that split second, Enok reached Undine.
[What kind of kid is this!?]
Undine recoiled, swinging her hands wildly.
A gigantic droplet of water materialized from thin air, speeding towards Enok.
Rumbling-!
Enok compressed lightning within his tightly clenched fist.
Sparks leaped from his dark eyes.
Just as the droplet was about to collide with Enok,
“Enough.”
Enok hung in mid-air.
He stopped growling and blinked innocently.
“Undine, that’s too much. Enok is still just a child.”
[No, wait…!]
Undine, jumping up and down, realized she was the one who had taken the hit.
She thought the kid could handle at least that level of attack on his own…!
[Kyaah…!]
A furious Undine shot water streams upwards into the sky.
It punched a hole right through an unsuspecting cloud floating above.
Enok, sensing danger, snuggled up to Rionne.
It seemed like whatever that was, it wouldn’t end well if he got hit.
“By the way, Enok, isn’t the sword not really fitting for you?”
“Yeah.”
“Is that so…? That’s too bad. A sword’s the best weapon to teach with.”
While Rionne felt regret, she also understood.
Watching Enok fight, it seemed he didn’t need a weapon as much as a fist technique.
He clearly showed talent in unarmed martial arts.
“Then, for now, I’ll teach you as much as I know.”
*
Rionne taught Enok the basics of Fist Technique and Leg Technique.
“The Fist Technique is literally how to use your fists, while the Leg Technique is about using your legs.”
She didn’t teach him complex martial arts.
Since Enok was just starting, the teachings were simple and basic.
Boom-!
But that didn’t mean it would be finished in just a day.
As Rionne beamed at the sight of Enok punching the air, she exclaimed, “Undine! It seems like our Enok is a genius!”
[…It hasn’t even been long since we met and you’re calling him ‘our Enok’ now.]
Rionne taught him how to extend his fists properly and lift his legs correctly.
To strike with stability and prepare for the next move; fundamentals of fundamentals.
But as stated, those foundations wouldn’t be established in a single day.
‘Annoying, but there’s undeniable talent overflowing in him.’
While Undine grumbled, she took in Enok’s movements.
If that little squirt could grasp Rionne’s teachings in a heartbeat, it wouldn’t be surprising.
That was something achievable by anyone with decent talent.
However, Enok was a model student, grasping even the parts that hadn’t been taught.
Boom-!
The punches Enok threw were crisp without wasting power.
Instead of resisting the wind’s flow, his punches rode that flow and were both straight and powerful.
Anyone watching would think he had been training for years.
“Alright, Enok. Since today’s lesson ended early, how about we play with your sister?”
“Okay!”
Undine restrained herself from the urge to stick a big spirit spell on that tiny head.
Instead, she zoomed off and tugged wildly at Rionne’s hair.
[I…! I want some attention too…!]
Undine craved affection from her friend.
*
“Today, I’ll teach you about the Forest.”
The next day, Rionne led Enok to the nearby forest.
She imagined they would play a bit, feed him, bathe him, let him have a short nap, and then teach him martial arts.