“Was that really a normal punch without using Ki? Can I really do the same thing by the end of 6 months?”

 

“That is only one of your goals.”

 

I stared at him in disbelief. If that was only one goal, just how much was he expecting me to learn in 6 months? I wasn’t a genius, nor was I a prodigy.

 

‘...’

 

My gaze shifted back to the tranquil surface of the lake. If martial arts could produce such power, then wouldn’t more people learn them instead of Ki?

 

I sat down, pondering over this situation. That was when I belatedly recalled Zane’s words. He had clearly stated that each advancement strengthens the body; in other words, a practitioner’s base would increase in proportion to their Ki Stage.

 

‘It wasn’t martial arts, but the result of his Ki honed in his body for years.’

 

If I thought of it this way, it made a lot more sense. However, that left me with a more personal question: what exactly is the Pantheon family’s martial art? 

 

After all, being well known didn’t mean being understood, and as I pointed out before, outsiders would never truly understand all of the secrets the top 5 noble families in Efros held.

 

Zane’s deep brown eyes looked through me as he folded his arms.

 

“The Pantheon Style focuses on bursting attacks that are swift, explosive and precise in order to quickly overwhelm and incapacitate the opponent. 

 

It is a style that always advances forward. In order to learn it, you need to obtain the Mark of a Pantheon.”

 

He pointed to the head of a roaring panther that was marked perfectly on the side of his deltoid muscle. It was jet black and large; taking up most of the space within that area.

 

“There are three basic stances in the Pantheon Style. The first stance is the Offensive Stance.”

 

Zane angled his body to the side slightly, while his hands hovered out just below his chin with the other extending further in front of it. The distance between his legs widened, taking on a more neutral posture.

 

“The second stance is the Defensive Stance.”

 

His figure became more compact, emphasizing the defensive aspect, yet leaving enough room to counter the opponent quickly.

 

Zane’s feet lightly shifted out of the stance as he signalled for me to stand up. He took a few steps back, creating more distance between us.

 

“The third stance is known as Ghost.”

 

His voice echoed somehow while both his arms bent outwards. A perfect diagonal line connected his right hand to chin, then chin to left hand as I immediately jumped back.

 

“!”

 

My eyes bulged; cold sweat wetting the nape of my neck. The hairs on my arms stood to attention, further revealing the goosebumps running along underneath them. 

 

I couldn’t understand why I had reacted this way. Zane hadn’t moved a muscle, yet this stance felt incredibly dangerous.

 

“Well done.”

 

I stared at him in confusion while watching his lips form a content smile, pleased by my reaction to Ghost.

 

‘...What was that?’

 

I took a deep breath and pondered over that feeling of impending danger. That flight or fight response that made my body move before my mind could make sense of what had, or rather, what was going to happen.

 

“In order to build the required foundation for the Pantheon Style, you’ll be doing five main training drills: Sense, Balance, Muscle strengthening, Accuracy and Evasion, and finally Ghost.”

 

Zane quickly listed out the training drills, circling them while adding his signature diagram sketches on the ground. My anticipation grew along with the smile spreading across my face. Soon, the practical training would finally begin.

 

“Everything from this point on will be graded.”

 

“Graded?”

 

“That’s right. Punch my palm as hard as you can.”

 

I stared at his extended open palm inviting me to hit it with everything I had. Despite this direct invitation, I hesitated.

 

Even though I had seen a glimpse of Zane’s power firsthand, I wasn’t confident in my combat ability; I didn’t enjoy violence either. However, I knew I had to try.

 

‘I’ll give it my all and leave the rest up to fate.’

 

I balled my hands into fists, found a suitable range and planted my feet firmly into the ground. I twisted my hips while carrying the momentum all the way to my fist that exploded forward.

 

*Tap*

 

“....”

 

...It hit the center of Zane’s palm, right on target, but... Why did it make that sound? Why did the full force of my entire body weight equate to the sound of someone lightly tapping their arm??

 

My eyes shot to the ground as heat rushed to my cheeks. I quickly moved my fist away, utterly embarrassed by what had just happened.

 

“The way you distribute your power throughout your body is effective. You have talent.”

 

Zane folded his arms and smiled. My embarrassment faded while the corners of my mouth rose, revealing a wide grin. I bowed my head respectfully as the trees rustled calmly around me.

 

“It’s time. Let’s begin combat training. Don’t be shy, and don’t hold back.”

 

“Yes, Master!”

 

He beckoned me forward with his outstretched hand. I kicked off the ground, fuelled by his previous praise as I quickly closed the distance. My eyes narrowed at the sight of Zane’s smile widening a little further than usual. 

 

“!”

 

Darkness covered my vision in an instant. The sensation of my body hitting the ground was the only thing I could recall before my consciousness vanished.

 

“Heok!”

 

My eyes flashed open, and I coughed everywhere. My body was sore; it ached all over adding to the heavy feeling weighing down on my head. 

 

I shifted my gaze to the ground, belatedly noticing dozens, no, hundreds of small sticks scattered around me. I looked straight ahead when another stick struck the middle of my forehead.

 

“Keuk...”

 

A pained moan escaped my lips as I rubbed the sore area gently. The moonlight illuminated the forest clearing and revealed Zane crouching down, spinning a stick between his fingers.

 

“Minus 1,000 points.”

 

His eyes narrowed slightly before his hand flickered. The stick shot forward like a bullet, accurately smashing into the same spot on my forehead and instantly severing my consciousness once more.

 

That was the start of my hellish training with Zane Pantheon.

 

 

***

 

 

The first training drill: Sense training. It focused on not only expanding the range of my senses but also keeping a part of my consciousness awake while sleeping.

 

The scattered sticks all around me represented how many times Zane had ‘killed’ me in my sleep. The goal was simple; sleep and don’t get hit. If I successfully dodged one of the incoming projectiles, Zane would remove it from the ground. 

 

One week had passed, and the number of dodged projectiles was zero.

 

Balance training was self-explanatory. Zane made me walk 100 metres back and forth three times, on the tips of my toes while squatting. He explained that it helped work on my core strength as well as my calf muscles.

 

He also pointed out that since the surface of my body touching the ground was even smaller than normal, it’d improve my proprioceptive ability; the feeling of self-movement and body position.

 

If my back wasn’t straight, and my form incorrect; the distance wouldn’t count. Zane would then make me do it again and again until the time for that training drill ran out.

 

My highest number of metres travelled was 50.

 

Muscle training was a drill I actually looked forward to... For the first couple of days. It consisted of a 15 minute circuit that involved push-ups, sit-ups and other exercises with a 5 minute break. Like the other drills, I had to do it for two hours.

 

It was only on the third day when I figured out why it had been so much easier compared to the others; it was because Zane had yet to adjust the difficulty.

 

And so...

 

From the third day onwards, that changed. He would mix in random variables, throwing things while I was skipping, suddenly sitting on top of my back while I did push-ups, shifting the earth beneath my feet; the list goes on.

 

The number of times I completed the circuit since then was zero.

 

Accuracy and Evasion made the other drills look trivial in comparison. The earth responded to Zane’s call, moulding itself into several large, detailed, humanoid golems in the blink of an eye. 

 

Each golem had a noticeable ‘X’ marked in different locations on their bodies. Once I hit the target, I had five seconds to hit the next one; otherwise, the timer would reset, and I would need to start over with different targets.

 

The golems’ movements were extremely limited despite their appearances, so it wasn’t too difficult to hit all of the targets quickly.

 

The problem was what happened next.

 

They would shrink down in size, reaching a height just above the average human. They splayed their hands forward while fire began to coalesce in front of their open palms. It elongated, spreading into the rough shape of a sword.

 

Popping sounds would then occur along the joints of their limbs as their limiters were removed. Now I had to somehow avoid all of their attacks, while simultaneously striking the targets that had begun to shift around their bodies at random intervals.

 

“...”

 

I never found out what happened after hitting the target, because I spent the rest of the time running away.

 

Finally, there was Ghost training. Zane would enter the Ghost Stance, and all I had to do was dodge his attacks.

 

Needless to say, I was a punching bag for the next 2 hours. While he did explain that the basic level of Ghost was to be able to see the optimal lines of attack in real-time, I couldn’t see anything.

 

There was also Combat training where I reviewed the stances and did some light sparring with Zane. When I wasn’t training, I was learning and reviewing Ki theory. I also didn’t forget to work on my Ki Center every day.

 

On the other side of the vast lake, there was an old, abandoned shack that Zane had easily renovated. That was where I lived; I hadn’t been back to Efros since. My mind and body were completely focused on training, or rather on recovering from the aftereffects of training.

 

I sat down on the bed and pondered for a while. I took a deep breath, slapped my cheeks and got up.

 

‘I can do this.’

 

I closed the door behind me, determined that tonight’s Sense training would go differently.