I Can Devour Monsters' SSS Talents

Lian corrected his hand on the spear.

”The wrist, elbow, and shoulder must be in one line.” He tapped his elbow gently.

”This is too far out.” Then he turned his wrist.

”This is also weak.” He pointed at the shoulder.

”If one of these three points deviates, part of your power is wasted.”

The third principle was Hidden Reach. He pulled the spear back slightly.

Its apparent range seemed shorter.

But at the moment of the attack, the shoulder rotated, the front foot slid half a step, and the spear’s tip suddenly went forward several centimeters more than expected...

The weapon’s tip stopped right in front of Ravian’s throat, he unconsciously stepped back.

”A good spearman doesn’t show his attack’s true range from the start.” Lian said.

The fourth principle was Returning Point. Lian made a strike and immediately returned the spear’s tip to the center of defense.

His movement was so fast and natural that no gap was visible between attack and defense.

”More important than striking is returning. Most spearmen are left open for a moment after an attack.” Then he gave the spear back to Ravian.

”Do a thousand strikes for practice.”

”A thousand?” Ravian looked at him in disbelief.

”Each strike must return to the center.”

Ravian wanted to say something, but Lian’s look stopped him.

He started.

First strike.

Return.

Second strike.

Return.

At the twentieth strike, his shoulder started to feel heavy.

At the hundredth, his breathing increased.

At the two hundredth, the spear’s tip no longer returned to the center exactly every time.

”Again.” Lian said every time he made a mistake.

Ravian continued with anger.

The fifth principle seemed simpler, but was the hardest of all.

”The spear is not just wood.” Lian said.

The boy looked at him breathlessly, and he took the weapon.

”The tip is for piercing.” He pierced the training dummy with the tip.

”The edge is for cutting.” He made a diagonal move and split the target’s side.

”The shaft is for deflecting.” He pushed aside a warrior’s hypothetical strike with the spear’s body.

”The butt of the spear is for close range.” He struck a hypothetical point under the enemy’s chin with the back of the weapon.

”And the whole body is for locking the enemy’s weapon.”

He trapped another warrior’s spear between the body and his arm, and with a small twist, pulled it out of his hand.

Then he gave the weapon to Ravian.

”If you only use the tip, you have thrown away most of your weapon.”

Real training began from that moment. Lian asked Ravian to stand in a basic stance.

Without moving, the spear at a specific height, for one hour.

In the first ten minutes, Ravian was sure it was an easy exercise. Then the muscles in his shoulder and arm started burning.

At twenty minutes, his legs trembled. At thirty minutes, the spear’s tip lowered a few centimeters, and a light hit from Lian’s spear shaft struck his forearm.

”Higher.”

Ravian raised the weapon again. By the end of the hour, his clothes were soaked with sweat.

But Lian did not allow him to rest. He took him to a narrow root, the surface of the root was less than the width of two feet and located a few meters above the ground.

”The same stance.”

”On this?” Ravian asked in disbelief.

”Yes.”

He took the first step, his balance broke, a strike from Lian’s spear shaft hit his shin, not hard enough to cause serious damage, but enough to remember the pain.

”This is not spear training.” Ravian said angrily, this seemed more like punishment than training.

”If you can’t stand on your feet, your weapon is worthless.” Lian answered without changing his expression.

These were basic exercises that the children of the Vorhelm clan had to do from childhood, and now a member of a different species that must have a body more powerful than a normal human says this training is hard?

Truly pathetic.

Ravian continued.

Every mistake, a hit to his shin or thigh, every time his weight went too far forward, Lian would break his balance with a push.

After a while, his steps became shorter and more controlled. The next stage was reaction.

Lian picked up a few pebbles from the ground.

”Just deflect them with the spear’s body.”

The first stone hit Ravian’s forehead directly, the second hit his shoulder, the third hit his stomach.

He shook the spear in anger, but it was too late. The fourth stone hit the side of his head.

The warriors watching from a distance hid their smiles.

But after a few hours, Ravian managed to deflect the first stone.

The spear’s body hit the stone with a short sound and pushed it aside. He missed the second one, deflected the third one again, and finally, when he managed to deflect three stones in a row, Lian said.

”Better.”

Only two words, but Ravian forgot his exhaustion for a moment.

At the end of the first day, Lian picked up a wooden spear.

”Hit me.”

Ravian gave a tired smile, finally something like a fight. He attacked with all his might.

The spear’s tip went straight toward Lian’s chest. He deflected it with minimal movement, and the shaft of his wooden spear hit the side of Ravian’s neck.

The second strike, and the boy changed his path.

Lian did not step back, he locked the tip with the shaft of his weapon and struck the end of the spear into his ribs.

Third strike.

Ravian tried to keep his feet better. Lian pushed the spear tip aside with one move and struck behind his knee.

Ravian fell on one knee, he got up again.

He attacked and lost... again, a hit to the wrist, a hit to the stomach, a hit to the shoulder, and after dozens of attempts, Ravian fell to the ground and breathed heavily.

Lian stood over him.

”Do you know why you lost?”

”Because you are faster.” Ravian said with heavy breaths.

”No.” Lian shook his head and aimed the wooden spear’s tip at Ravian’s shoulder.

”Because before every attack, you tell me what you’re going to do. Your eyes reveal the target.” He pointed at the front foot.

”This shows the direction.” Then he pointed at his shoulder.

”This tightens before the strike.” Lian lowered the spear.

”Tomorrow you will learn to hide your intention. For today, you can go rest.” Then he threw the spear on the ground.

”Oh, also, how long is the lifespan of your kind?” Then he asked the question that had been on his mind.

”Huh? Maximum eight years...” Ravian answered while enduring the muscle pain.

”Eight years? How old are you?”

”I just turned two... my father is six.”

Lian fell silent, he now understood why these people talked about 25 years as if it were hundreds of years and several generations ago.

For them, it really is like that. 25 years ago for them is at least three to four generations ago.

’So my guess was correct.’ And he turned to leave.

Ravian was still lying on the ground like a dead man, staring at the endless sky. All the decisions of his life passed before his eyes.

And he thought to himself, was it a mistake to want to become stronger? Was it a wrong decision to want to protect his tribe?

He was slowly becoming sure that asking for help from Lian was a mistake. That man was a creature that monsters were afraid of...

He slaughtered giant ants and their Queen with his bare hands, and even an army of them couldn’t stop him...

At first, he thought training under such a person would make him the strongest Lizardman among all his species...

But now he realized that asking for training might have been a very wrong decision...!

His muscles had never hurt this much before. He was so soaked in sweat that it was as if a flood of rain had soaked him.

His bones were burning with such pain that he couldn’t even move...

”Can I survive three days and stay alive?”

In the end, he sighed... if the price of becoming stronger is this pain... he has no choice but to endure it. Only this way could he protect his family and his tribe.

And then he struggled to get up from his spot... but suddenly, as if an electric shock had hit him, his entire body felt a terrible pain, and he fell on the ground like a dead man.

”Damn it, ughhhhh”

The other warriors, upon seeing this scene, could barely hold back their laughter for a moment.

”Come help, right now!” Ravian looked at them and shouted.