Breakthrough with the Forbidden Master Chapter 14 – Hopscotch of the Demon King

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『Alright, let us set aside the warm-up and proceed directly to ladder training. With this, I shall provide a demonstration.』

Saying that, Treinar lays the ladder on the ground.
The Great Demon King’s training is about to begin at last.
And so……

『Now, first align your feet and stand in front of the ladder…』
"Ah…"
『While keeping both feet together, quickly jump straight forward without hitting the rungs of the ladder, only land on the square spaces.』

……The Great Demon King proceeded by jumping swiftly with both feet together, making a rapid "totototo" sound as he advanced……

『There you go, now 'tis your turn to continue.』

"O-Osu…"

『After you finish, return to the starting point, and this time, jump side to side whilst keeping both feet aligned. The key is to jump with both feet properly and land on both feet. Avoid landing on just one foot.』

The legendary Great Demon King, who had once shaken the world, hopped along with small jumps.

『Next, advance with one foot, then repeat with the other foot, and then, jump with both feet apart. Next, do the same on the opposite side, like this, alternating between opening and closing your feet. Do it quickly just like 'Kenkenpa'*.』
(*TL: kenkenpa is the Japanese version of hopscotch)

"O-Osu…"

The cruel and ruthless Great Demon King, who had plunged humanity into the depths of terror and reveled in the bloodshed and horrors of the infernal abyss (?), now performs the 'kenkenpa' with surprising agility.

『And now, swiftly perform 'kenkenpa'…』
"……ou…pfft…"

Ah, no, it's no good. If I laugh now, I'll be cursed to death-pffft!

『Outside, center, outside, center, and zigzag with both feet…』
"O-Osu."
『Next, zigzag with one foot.』

H-However, this is the Great Demon King shaking his ass and going zigzag, zigzag ♪

『While skipping, one, two, three, four! One, two, three, four!』
"Bu-guh, gu-ru, uhh… buku-kukuku…"

The Great Demon King's skip, skip, run, run, run ~ ♪

『Do you not have any motivation at all, you rascaaaaaaaaal!!!』

"No, it's not like that…"

『Do you still not understand that I can see right through your thoughts!!!??? You were giggling!!』

And finally, Treinar snapped.

『I told you to take this seriously, did I not?』
"I-I know! I mean, I intend to……"

No, I understand. It's frustrating to see a laidback attitude when you’re teaching earnestly.
But seeing that Great Demon King skipping and doing the "kenkenpa" right in front of me is bound to make me laugh. It's just inevitable.
Actually, I'm probably the first man in history to witness the Great Demon King skipping.

『Seriously… Listen carefully, alright? This ladder training is not just for warming up, but 'tis effective for improving vital aptitudes!』
"I-Is that so?"
『'Tis so! It seems I need to explain the benefits to you first.』

Having said that, while blushing and still visibly angry, Treinar proceeded to explain the effects of this peculiar training method.

『With this ladder training, you can train your footwork and improve your athletic ability like directional changes, deceleration, pivoting, and acceleration. Do you understand what that means?』

This won’t do, let’s forget about his skipping earlier. I won't laugh anymore. I'll be fine. I won't laugh.
Now, I need to seriously think about this.
According to Treinar’s words just now, enhanced capabilities can be obtained… In other words…

"It means becoming better at utilizing my body, right?"
『To be more precise, it is to increase the reaction speed of nerves and muscles.』

Nerve and muscle reaction speed? It's somewhat understandable and somewhat not.

『Both humans and demons transmit instructions from the brain to the muscles through the nerves… Having good reflexes means that the transmission speed of these signals between the brain, nerves, and muscles is fast. In this ladder training, with such a narrow and limited space, even if the brain understands the actions, it can't be executed properly unless the instructions are effectively transmitted to the muscles.』

"Ho… Hoh"

『By coordinating the brain, nerves, and muscles, it becomes possible to move the body as desired, quickly and accurately. As a result, your physical abilities improve. Furthermore… an increase in reaction speed means… that the casting of magic also becomes faster.』

"!?"

It was quite intriguing and eye-opening.
Although it seemed like a silly training method, upon hearing the explanation, I started to feel like it would be effective.
And on top of that, it improves magic casting too?

『In combat, 'tis common for your body to be unable to keep up with your mind. That gap or delay between the image conceived in the mind and the body's ability to catch up can determine life or death on the battlefield. Bridging that gap and moving yourself exactly as you envisioned… that is an 'acquirable skill'. With that in mind, approach this ladder training with utmost seriousness.』

Moving my body exactly as I envision in my mind. However, I understand that it’s surprisingly difficult.
For someone like me who has only been vaguely imagining my father's sword, and mindlessly swinging it out of habit, without a clear image of what I actually want to accomplish, this kind of training is unprecedented.

"I got it…somehow, it's starting to make sense to me."

『Hmm. Now, continue! One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four!』

"O-One, two, three, four!"

『Use your voice! Shout it out and acquaint yourself with the rhythm first! Engrave it in your body! Do not be reserved and raise your voice! Kenkenpa! Kenkenpa!』

"O-Osu! Ke- Ke- Kenkenpa! Kenkenpa!"

『Swing your arms properly, lift your knees high, maintain a fast pace, BE! SHARP! AND! PRECISE!』

I mean, when taken seriously, this turns out to be unexpectedly tough, isn’t it?
And depending on the steps, if you try to do them quickly, you can end up in awkward positions, lose your balance, or even step on the ladder.
Indeed, with this kind of training, it might be possible to achieve the improvements that Treinar mentioned.

『Alright, once you get used to it, we shall gradually increase the difficulty. From now on, I will instruct you on the steps to perform.』

"Osu. So, I need to do them exactly as instructed?"

『Indeed, and that is just a part of it. I shall indicate the steps and… the magic attribute to employ.』

"Ha? Magic……?"

『Precisely. Simply release a small amount of basic magic at your fingertips. When I say ‘fire’, a match-sized flame is sufficient. However, from now on, while performing the instructed steps, you must simultaneously activate the indicated magic attribute.』

This time, not only the steps but also magic? Well, if it's just basic magic, maybe I can manage somehow?

『Alright, here we go. Cross step with lightning magic!』
"Okay, cross… uh, huh? Whoa!"
『Too slow! Next, Kenkenpa with wind magic.』
"Guh, Kenkenpa… Oh no!"
『Is something wrong? No magic came out. Next, Carioca dance with wind magic!』
"Wind, alright, come out… Whoa…"
『That shall not suffice! Do not falter!』

……No, wait, this is……

"What the heck is this? It's ridiculously difficult!"

As I struggled to perform the steps, I couldn't produce magic, and when I tried to activate magic, I couldn't perform the steps…
And as expected, Treinar is smirking at my struggling state.

『It is only natural. Performing steps while doing something else, casting magic while doing something else. In other words, simultaneously doing different things requires a considerable amount of focus and can confuse your reactions. Untrained individuals will inevitably be biased towards one action or the other.』

“Biased… huh…”

『For example, can you study Magic Mathematics while staring at a woman's brea... *cough* chest? Your focus would be on the chest rather than the calculations, would it not?』

"T-That's a very straightforward example... but it makes sense."

『'Tis the same principle. In addition, the Magic Sword style is inherently about properly integrating both sword and magic.』

He gave me a perfect, easy-to-understand example that suits me, and it totally made sense.
And this principle also applies to the Magic Sword that I have been imitating.

『Whilst it may be possible to imbue magic into your sword before a battle begins and brandish it freely… 'tis quite challenging to swiftly activate magic in response to the situation whilst wielding a sword. However, should you master this, the fluidity of your movements in battle shall improve exponentially, and even the accuracy of your magic will increase. Improved accuracy means that the quality and power of your magic is also boosted.』

The more I listen, the more I realize how shallow and thoughtless my previous approach has been. At the same time, I understand the significance of this seemingly ridiculous training.

"Oh man, ladder training… is no joke!"

『Indeed, this is the Magical Ladder Training that I devised!』

The name may be lame, but I couldn't help but be genuinely impressed.
If I can truly master this…

『Do you understand? We will perform this warm-up routine every day from now on. Once you get used to it, you will start to have a slightly different perspective in your battles.』
"Osu!"
『Well then, do the Wind Skip!』

And so, for the first time in my life, I earnestly performed the Great Demon King's Skip-Skip-Run-Run-Run~ to become stronger.

---

Author’s Note

Everyone, thank you as always for your support. Today, I'm feeling energized, so I'm posting earlier than usual.

Thank you to those who always provide corrections for my clumsy writing and point out any spelling mistakes. I appreciate your help.
Even though I proofread before posting, there are things I inevitably overlook, so your help is greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your continued support.

Also, today the overall rating has exceeded 10,000. I'm grateful for surpassing this milestone and for the many encounters I've had through my work.

Furthermore, I welcome feedback and comments from anyone. Feel free to drop by whenever you feel like it, either here or on Twitter.

Thank you once again, and I look forward to your continued support.

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