"Today is training~ Training day~"
It's already been three months since I joined the Blade Lineage. Time really flies. When I first got here, it was pretty chilly, but now it's warm enough that summer feels just around the corner.
"And again, I'll get beaten until I'm sick of it..."
What have I been doing all this time? Well, wake up, climb the mountain, focus on maintaining my Breathing while getting the shit kicked out of me, or...
"One more lap. At this rate, you'll be face down in the dirt before you can even swing a sword."
"Huff... huff... gasp... Sin... clair... keep it together..."
"Urp... I think I'm gonna puke... huff..."
Under the guise of building basic stamina, we ran around the parade ground—no, the training ground—until we dropped. Thanks to that, I've woken up screaming from leg cramps more than seven times lately.
"From now on, clean up after yourselves."
"Indeed. You should be handling at least the dishwashing by now."
"If even Cap'n Sault says so, we gotta do it. Let's go, Sinclair."
"Turn the tap and... ah, it's cold."
"Let's see... Whoa, cold! It's freezing!"
"My hands are going to chap... Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Hiyah."
"Ah, cold!!! You!!!!"
"Hahaha!! How's that?"
"You're gonna get it!! Take this!!"
"You little fledglings! I told you to do the dishes, and you're playing around?"
"You look like drowned rats."
"In this situation, perhaps 'baby birds' would be more accurate."
Doing the dishes also served to cement our position at the absolute bottom of the organization's hierarchy.
"This is wrong. Ah, here too."
"Ugh... I thought I had memorized it..."
"To reach this level in three months is excellent. Do not be so discouraged."
"Then how long did it take you two to memorize the words in this book?"
"Does one not memorize it upon a single reading?"
"It... required effort to memorize this. Indeed."
"...Damn geniuses. So annoying."
"Words are a mirror reflecting the person. You should cultivate the habit of speaking prettily."
Before we knew it, even Yi Sang had joined the education team (surprisingly, he jumped in because he was bored), and our studies accelerated.
"Fledglings. Let's see how much you've improved today."
"Ha. I'm confident I won't get hit even once today!"
"M-me too!!! ...Maybe..."
Still, getting beaten up definitely made us improve. My breath didn't run short, and for some reason, my body felt lighter. But the most important thing was that my vision felt liberated. I could focus intensely on a single point whenever I wanted, or take in the entire wide landscape at a glance.
"Oho. Now you can be called swordsmen who have properly stepped into the Blade Lineage."
"Yi Sang, do you use Breathing too?"
"Naturally. In my case, I can see deeper and wider than you. You will come to understand if you continue to practice."
If Yi Sang says so, I must have gotten the basics down somewhat.
"...Ten minutes passed. Barely passable."
"Puh-ah! We did it. We did it! Hahaha!! I told you today was different!"
"Whew... honestly, I almost dropped it in the middle..."
Today, finally! For the first time in three months!! No Correction Punches flew our way during Breathing training!!!
"Then let us proceed to the next stage."
"Huh? Just like that? Immediately?"
"Yeah. Whatever comes, I'm ready! Unless it's fighting Cap'n Sault."
I still can't win against him.
"The next stage is right behind you."
"Behind? Behind is... just a wall. A rock wall."
"Correct. Exactly what you see."
"Don't tell me... we have to climb that rock wall?"
A rather steep cliff. Height, roughly 18 meters? Maybe more. The top part juts out, making it look even harder to climb. We have to climb that? Without safety gear?
"Ms. Outis... did we do something wrong? Or do you just wish for our deaths?"
"Don't die without paying back the cost of feeding you."
"Not for memories... but for the cost..."
"Anyway, our skilled instructor will demonstrate. Don Quixote?"
"I shall step forth!"
Climbing that cliff by gripping it? With a height of roughly 160cm? Not that Sinclair or I are in a position to talk about height.
"Hup! Hup! Ha!!"
"Uh... is that right?"
"Is she going up without even grabbing holds?"
As if it were second nature, Don Quixote stepped on tiny crevices in the rock and ascended the cliff. At the final overhang, she just breezed over it with a few swift hand movements.
"So... you're telling us to do that?"
"If you cannot, then that is your limit."
"No matter how you look at it, it's impossible?! This makes no sense!"
"But I have accomplished it!!!!"
Geez, look at her go. My eardrums are going to burst.
"From now on, Don Quixote and I will be going out more frequently. If you can do it, do it. If not, train quietly by yourselves."
"Huh? No test or anything?"
"In the end, those who strive more desperately on the battlefield have a higher chance of survival. Do it if you want to live; don't if you don't."
In short, just do it.
"Fine! I'll take it on! Ooooooh!!!"
"W-wait! Really... wait for me!"
I'll manage somehow. I'll get stronger that way, and live an awesome life! In this shit-hole world on the brink of apocalypse, I'll carve out a spot for myself!
"Hup! Gah!"
There's nowhere to even put my hands. How did that Don Quixote woman step here?
"Unless you are dead or injured, continue training here. I will come to call you when it is time for dinner."
"Whaaat? Dinner is aaages away!"
"Then you can simply train a whole lot!"
"Is that as easy as it sounds?!!!"
"Huff.... Damn it, I haven't even made it halfway up..."
"Look at your hands. They're all scraped and bleeding."
"Don Quixote must be incredibly strong. To climb up without even catching her breath."
"I guess so. From what I heard, if we don't fight all together like yesterday, they usually go around individually."
"Individually? Doing what?"
"Who knows... I heard Don-hyung takes 'requests'?"
"Requests... I want to earn money with my own strength too..."
"Why... do you want to become strong so badly? Is it money, after all?"
"Mm... I can't deny that. If I have money, I won't have to risk my life fighting for a piece of bread in the back alleys every day."
"Then, is there another reason?"
Well... now that I know this is the world of Arknights, the choice I have to make is—
"There are things I want to see, and a life I want to live. But to live that life, mediocre combat power won't cut it."
I've come this far. I should at least leave a footprint at Rhodes Island, right?
"I see..."
"Hup. Speaking of which, pick up your sword. Let's spar."
"What? Right now? At this timing??"
"Of course. Isn't real combat the best training? If we match our Breathing like this, we'll be able to scale that cliff too!"
"Ughhh... aren't you a little too overflowing with energy..."
"Then! Here I come!!"
"Phew... alright, Sinclair... let's go, we can do this!!"
"It is about time the fledglings arrived..."
"If you are that worried, why not go find them yourself?"
"You Salsu! Who said I was worried?"
"Starting three hours ago, you have been glancing out the window toward the path down the mountain, and reacting sensitively to small noises. The first aid kits are placed 12cm further forward than their original position. Such a situation is usually called tension, or worry."
"Could it not be that they both fell while running like me and cannot return?"
"...I cannot rule out that possibility, but..."
"Well. Faust believes that if it were Baekhyun, he would crawl down if he had to."
"I concur. No further comment is necessary."
"Ms. Outis!! Yi Sang!! We're back!!"
"See. They have arrived exactly in time for dinner."
"Anyway, any injuries... My god, what are those cuts?"
"Haha! Well... we got a little heated during the spar..."
"I have no face to show you....."
"Sinclair is incredibly strong too! He kept countering doggedly even while getting hit!"
"I was screaming for you to stop a while ago?!!"
"Did you? I don't know. I'm hungry, let's think after we eat."
"Treatment comes first. Sit down, fledglings!"
'If I say she acts like a mother... I will be beaten...'
"Outis! You are exactly like a mot—!"
"Who are you calling a mother!!"
"Gaaah!! The bandage is too tight... choking me!!!"
"Hyun! Hyun collapsed!!"
"How noisy..."
"I like this atmosphere! It is full of party vibes, is it not enjoyable?"
"Par—ty. Come to think of it, it has been a long time since this building was this boisterous."
"Wait, is nobody interested? He's not breathing!!"
"I'm... fine..."
For the first time in a very long while, a generation filled with loud voices had come to the Blade Lineage's abode.