Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 8 (Part 1):

“If the sword is in your hand, focus all your attention on the sword. Never slack off or think of anything else. The sword is honest. It responds in kind to those who pour their hearts out to it.”

Listening to the words pouring down like a torrent, Helmut nodded silently. It was a straightforward explanation that he had no choice but to follow.

If the words were correct, he would follow. Thinking about ‘why’ was a habit of Helmut. If the explanation for ‘why’ was convincing, there was no objection.

Rather than succumbing to fear or pressure, he separated emotions and followed the given answers.

At the mere age of ten, Helmut could do what was challenging even for adults.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

Helmut, responding with enthusiasm, received the wooden sword. As he prepared to take his stance and immerse himself in training again, Darien spoke up.

“Don’t you want to get stronger a bit faster and leave this forest?”

The Forest of Roots was a familiar ground for Helmut. However, the expectations of the human world were indeed alluring.
Since receiving Darien’s teachings, unfamiliar emotions such as impatience, anxiety, and eagerness had welled up.

As Helmut nodded, Darien spoke solemnly.

“Your success depends on you. Don’t think that just doing what you’re told is enough! You must strive for more on your own.”

Helmut absorbed Darien’s words.

‘Elaga said Darien is an exceptional warrior even among humans.’

To become stronger, he had to learn from a strong one, just like he learned hunting from Elaga. Darien was the role model he had to follow. Helmut knew this instinctively.

The next day, and the day after, the training continued.

Helmut’s schedule strictly followed Darien’s will. It usually boiled down to eating, sleeping, training, and learning in a compressed manner.

He wakes up in the morning, fetches water, eats, and starts the day’s work.

The aspect of training often changed. Some days he repeated one posture over and over, some days he learned about the human body and vital points and practiced how to suppress the opponent with his body. Some days he held a wooden sword and faced Darien’s bare hands.

It was more of a one-sided contest than a sparring session. Because Helmut was beaten one-sidedly.

After the practice ended and Darien leaned back and took a deep breath, he asked the exhausted Helmut.

“Do you understand why you failed in your attack?”

“It seemed like I would fail no matter how I attacked.”

When Helmut spoke sullenly, Darien immediately grabbed his head. Thump!

“You foolish child. Didn’t you think at all?”

“I thought a lot.”

Although the tone was calm, Helmut was quite frustrated. What doesn’t work, simply doesn’t work.

A while ago, Darien confidently declared, “Stand in place and use only your right hand. Come at me as much as you want.”

Helmut was supposed to win if he moved him or touched the wooden sword to vital points. However, Helmut was defeated in a seemingly unfair manner. If he exposed a gap, it was a trap.

Whatever he tried, Helmut fell on the ground, defeated.

After a while, his whole body became covered in dirt. It felt like being ridiculed.

“You thought too much. Moreover, your body didn’t follow your thoughts. Your movements are rash and sloppy. You can compensate for immaturity with physical ability, but even that has limits.”
“Effective attacks often pass by a needle’s difference. Your body’s balance, the strength of you and your opponent, the movement of muscles, speed. You have to see through all of that and make the optimal judgment. The judgment should not be slow or wrong. If you can make a proper judgment, you will be able to fight and win against an enemy stronger than you. What you do with me is just a training, so it’s okay to make mistakes in judgment. But when you face an enemy, a wrong judgment could cost you your life.”

Helmut narrowed his eyes. What Darien was saying made sense. However, it was easier said than done. Darien was talking about a level that Helmut found obscure.

Just blindly rushing in wouldn’t get him there. Even if he listened, it wouldn’t make him slap his knee and exclaim, “Ah, I get it!” Helmut knew that to learn what he didn’t know, he had to ask.

“So, how do you make quick and accurate judgments?”

“The best thing is experience. During practice, try various approaches. After the practice, reflect on how you attacked and how I reacted, what mistakes you made, and what was more effective. Keep pondering in your mind. If you continue doing that, eventually, you’ll be able to make the best judgments instinctively.”

It seemed like that damn ‘think’ was the key. Helmut nodded heavily.

‘Do humans in the outside world all learn swordsmanship like this?’

It was more troublesome than he initially thought.

Darien’s movements were as precise as he described. Darien skillfully blocked Helmut’s attacks with minimal movements and used the force to counterattack. It was different from the instinctive combat styles of Elaga and other monsters.

‘Are humans clever in combat because of this style, even if they are physically weak?’

If that was indeed the human combat style, the human world might not be easy to deal with.

In this way, Helmut began to have misconceptions.

Darien had misunderstood, not knowing that he was a renowned swordsman in the human world.

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