Welcome to Hell!

Chapter 227: Temporary Open-air Classroom

“Hmm…”

I sat down on the ground and tried letting Chirik use spiritual arts. He showed the same aptitude for spiritual arts as Yaro, which meant he was also skilled in manipulating sand, just like me. That’s why Chirik decided to seek my teachings.

“Um, teacher? Did I do something wrong?”

Chirik, who had started calling me “teacher”, asked me with an anxious tone. Although blind, Chirik kept his eyelids closed and tried to gauge my expression with an upward gaze, much like Lappy. Chirik was wiser than his age suggested, but this gesture seemed common among children.

The process of Chirik activating his spiritual arts involved placing his beloved staff on the ground, transferring his spiritual power through the staff to the ground, transforming the ground into sand, and then manipulating this sand. The sand under Chirik’s control quickly changed shape to form a figurine resembling Magna.

“No, it’s not bad. I was just surprised. You might already surpass me in terms of fine control.”

“Really?! Then…”

It seemed that Chirik couldn’t move it as freely as I had in intercepting Magna. However, the craftsmanship of the figurine was nothing short of amazing. Although it retained the color of sand, it looked exactly like a one-tenth scale model of Magna.

Pleased with my praise, Chirik then broke down the figurine of Magna and created one of Nana. The quality of this creation was also impeccable. It would be difficult for me to replicate the same. I inadvertently admitted that Chirik might already surpass me in terms of detailed control.

“How is it?”

“It’s truly impressive craftsmanship. But… Chirik, I want to confirm something. What do you want to do with your spiritual arts?”

“Yes. I can barely see, and my body is small and weak. So, I want to use spiritual arts to protect everyone.”

Chirik immediately responded to my question. Both Chirik and Magna, as well as Nana, were seeking strength to protect their friends. Mia was also contributing, crafting crossbows and designing walls with her expertise in craftsmanship, and the other children had tried to drive us away by throwing stones from the walls. Their sense of camaraderie was exceptionally strong, clearly showing their intense desire to protect one another.

However, if Chirik’s wish was to use spiritual arts as a martial force to protect his friends and not just to become adept at using them in a versatile manner, then his current approach was insufficient. I pointed out the problems with his use of spiritual arts.

“I understand. First off, Chirik, you have already surpassed me in terms of fine control. There is nothing for me to say in that regard. However, if you intend to use spiritual arts in combat, your current skill set is not enough. Let me teach you, step by step.”

“Yes, teacher!”

“Alright. First, let’s try not to rely on the staff as an aid for your spiritual arts.”

Chirik was channeling his spiritual power into the ground through his staff. But in actual battle, no one uses such a leisurely and refined method. It’s natural to emit spiritual power directly from palms or fingertips, and those of us who are trained can even release it from behind the knees or the sides of the abdomen.

Moreover, Chirik was not creating sand from scratch but transforming the ground into sand. As long as one is not jumping or flying, human species are in contact with the ground through the soles of their feet. It’s better to channel spiritual power directly from there.

“Actually, you should ideally be able to transmit spiritual power through the soles of your feet, but it might be difficult to suddenly do that. Let’s take this step by step…”

“From the soles of my feet… Like this?”

Just when I was about to suggest he start with his palms, Chirik already sat down in a cross-legged position and was channeling his spiritual power from the soles of his feet, turning the ground into sand. Perhaps due to the different approach, he seemed unable to create sand figures, unlike usual. However, the fact that he could do it immediately upon being told… he truly might be a genius.

“You’re doing well. Now, the next step is to practice repeatedly until you can do the same thing as you did with the staff.”

“Yes!”

“Also, transforming the ground into sand is efficient in terms of spiritual power. But since there’s an extra step in turning it into sand, it makes the start of the movement one tempo slower. This delay could be a disadvantage in battle. Can you create sand from nothing?”

“Yes, I can. But if I do that, my spiritual power runs out quickly.”

…I see. It’s easy to forget, given his unusual wisdom and his prodigious talent in spiritual arts, but Chirik in front of me is still a young child. His total amount of spiritual power is far less than an adult’s, and creating sand from nothing with just spiritual power is probably difficult for him.

However, both fighting spirit and spiritual power can be endlessly honed through repeated training. If his spiritual power is low, then it should be increased through steady training. That’s how I became strong. Unfortunately, I know of no shortcuts to becoming strong.

“If you increase the amount of your spiritual power, that problem can be solved. And the only way to increase spiritual power is to use spiritual arts over and over. It’s all about training. Let’s increase it little by little.”

“Yes, teacher!”

After that, Chirik and I practiced spiritual arts together. Even though it was tedious training, Chirik, it seemed, would do it without a single complaint. But I thought of a way to make the training fun. It was thumb wrestling using hands made of sand.

Chirik and I transformed the ground into sand and then shaped the sand into the form of arms. We would use these arms to thumb-wrestle. To those around us, it might have looked like we were just playing, but for me, it was also good training.

The rules of thumb wrestling involved using only the thumbs and not crushing the opponent’s thumb. Due to the difference in spiritual power output, my thumb was stronger. Therefore, if I caught him, I was certain to win. However, Chirik was superior in his skill with spiritual arts.

“Hmm, did I use too much force? It’s my loss.”

“Yes! I won for the first time!”

Because of these rules, if I even slightly misjudged my strength control, I would end up crushing his thumb. After a few rounds, Chirik seemed to understand this and started to lead me into making mistakes in controlling my strength. He was indeed a clever child.

“Let’s take a break. By the way, I haven’t asked yet, but Chirik, how do you measure distances with others?”

“Um, I sense the spiritual power of other people or listen to footsteps and other sounds. I’m not completely blind, but I can’t rely much on my vision…”

“So you’ve chosen not to depend on it from the start.”

Chirik, due to his visual impairment, appeared to have naturally acquired skills similar to mine or Mika’s. These skills were not trained but rather developed out of necessity.

However, there were flaws in his method. He would be powerless against opponents who could hide their spiritual power well or control the air to move silently. I realized I needed to teach him how to deal with such opponents.

“Some of my comrades can approach enemies without making a sound and hide their spiritual power. What would you do if you encountered such an opponent, Chirik?”

“Uh… I don’t know.”

“I see. Then, consider this.”

It seemed Chirik couldn’t think of a method immediately. I then floated sand particles around him like mist. No matter how much an opponent tried to hide their presence, avoiding all the sand particles to approach was nearly impossible. This way, he wouldn’t be caught off guard by someone getting close.

However, this method wasn’t perfect either. If there were those like the deceased Orvo or Karelvo, who could manipulate space with their spiritual arts, they could approach without touching the sand mist. But I had heard that spiritualists capable of interfering with space were exceedingly rare. There probably wasn’t a need to be overly cautious.

“Simply floating the sand is effective, but creating a sandstorm centered around you is also a good strategy. It acts as a barrier against enemies, and if they get caught in it, they will inevitably be worn down. It obstructs your own field of vision as well, but… for better or worse, that wouldn’t matter to Chirik. I apologize if this offends you.”

“No, not at all. I see… this is very enlightening. The way you use spiritual arts is important, right? You’re amazing, teacher!”

I had thought Chirik might feel uncomfortable being reminded of his vision by others, but he didn’t seem bothered at all. On the contrary, he appeared genuinely impressed by the tactics he hadn’t thought of himself.

Chirik called me amazing, but all I could do was give a wry smile. The strategy I had come up with was the result of being forced to continue fighting on the front lines while trying every possible method to survive.

“The key is also to strengthen the immediate output of your spiritual power. For that, you’ll need…”

“Nothing but training, right!”

Chirik said this with a smile as if he had foretold what I was about to say. His genuine desire to protect his comrades with spiritual arts was clear to see, but he might love the art of spiritual arts just as much.

Taking a break, I used the compound eyes on the back of my head to observe the situation behind me. There I could see Chris instructing not only Nana but also many other children. It might be rude to say it was unexpected, but Chris seemed to have a knack for caregiving. She had told me I would make a good father, but perhaps she herself would make a good mother?

“Oryaaaah!”

“Your movement is getting better, but it’s still not quite there.”

Among those being instructed was Magna, who let out a battle cry as he swung down his club. Just as Chris had said, his movements had improved. He wasn’t just using the strength of his arms anymore; he was learning to make use of his whole body.

It appeared that Magna had a natural talent as a warrior. Nana, practicing her swings next to him, also seemed to have good potential. The lessons learned from Chris today would surely be a great asset to them.

“Hmm…? What’s this smell?”

While I was watching over the children, a pungent, unpleasant odor assaulted my nose. The smell was fleeting, but Chirik, who also had a keen sense of smell, seemed to have noticed it as well. He knitted his well-shaped eyebrows and pinched his nose.

“Did you notice it too, teacher? The others haven’t, but sometimes there’s this awful smell.”

“Do you know the cause?”

“According to rumors outside, there’s a ringleader nearby selling dangerous drugs. It might be the smell of those drugs, I guess.”

The dangerous drugs in question were likely narcotics. It meant that the individuals the vigilante group was desperately searching for were close by. The vigilantes seemed determined to eradicate any organization connected to narcotics, and if they discovered their presence in this vicinity, we too might get caught up in the conflict.

I hoped that such a situation would not arise. With that thought in mind, I resumed Chirik’s training.

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TN: Chirik calls Antares “sensei” which can actually be translated as master, but teacher is more appropriate here, especially since Chirik is still a child.