NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 653
**Chapter 653: Watch Me Fight (Part 2)**
“Kaaang!”
In a life-or-death moment, Ghislaine blocked the bandit leader’s sword with his staff.
Ghislaine smirked as he glanced at Yulien’s startled face.
“You mustn’t let your guard down until it’s all over. Don’t forget that.”
Yulien unintentionally nodded in agreement.
“Uh, umm.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll become really cool-headed later on. You’ll turn into a guy who wouldn’t flinch even for a grain of millet.”
“Me? Really?”
“Of course. Maybe?”
Though their faces were similar, they were different in every other way… Ghislaine thought that the hero standing before him resembled the Yulien from his reality.
Yulien just shrugged it off, assuming that maybe he would grow into that in the future. After all, Ghislaine had said he came from the future.
Little did he know that the future was a thousand years away.
“You scoundrel!”
The bandit leader swung his sword in fury at Ghislaine. Ghislaine easily dodged and continued speaking.
“Everyone, now’s your chance to see how I fight.”
*Whack!*
Ghislaine struck the bandit leader’s knee with his staff, causing him to stagger back.
Ghislaine quickly followed up, swinging his staff again. It landed blows all over the bandit leader’s body.
*Whack! Whack! Whack!*
“Every weapon has its own unique handling, but in the end, they’re all fundamentally the same.”
The bandit leader’s body was shaking violently. Ghislaine didn’t stop and continued teaching the three.
“A weapon is not just a simple tool. It’s an extension of my body, a part of my physical self.”
*Whack! Whack! Whack!*
“Kugh, argh, stop….”
The bandit leader had lost his weapon and was simply getting whacked now. He wanted nothing more than to fall, but for some strange reason, he couldn’t.
The three watched with a fierce determination not to miss a single moment of Ghislaine’s movements while he spoke.
“The true technique in handling a weapon isn’t just about how you move; it’s about feeling ‘unity.’ Understanding the weapon and breathing together as we move in harmony.”
*Whack! Whack! Whack!*
The staff was now moving like a whip. Despite not being one, it slithered up the bandit leader’s body before striking again.
It was a truly bizarre technique. The three were utterly captivated by the sight.
“Like one body. You must feel the weight, balance, and vibrations of the weapon.”
*Whack! Whack! Whack!*
The bandit leader had passed out but still managed to stay upright, continuing to receive hits.
Whenever he tried to fall, Ghislaine’s staff would come in to prop him up. To the three, it was a truly fascinating spectacle.
“When you understand the nature of the weapon and match your breathing with it, at some point, the boundary between my body and the weapon disappears. It becomes no longer a separate object but a part of my body.”
*Whack!*
With a loud sound, the bandit leader’s head cracked, and his body fell to the ground.
Ghislaine withdrew his staff, grinning.
“This is what it means to truly handle a weapon. You all understand, right?”
The three nodded furiously. While it wouldn’t be easy to master in one go, they grasped what he meant.
Having seen Ghislaine’s actual movements allowed them to gain their own understanding.
“Wow, that was amazing.”
“How can you move like that?”
“Teach me too!”
At their eager responses, Ghislaine closed his eyes and nodded.
“I like your enthusiasm. This is how you learn step by step. So, how about it? Do ambushes seem possible now?”
The three nodded slightly again. They weren’t sure if they could pull it off, but at least they had won this time, even if it was mostly Ghislaine’s doing.
Yulien glanced down at his still-trembling hands. It felt different than all the times he had fought before.
He had always moved cautiously. This was the first time he had poured all his strength into a single effort.
‘This is… an ambush…’
Not quite. Yulien was misunderstanding something badly.
As soon as it became clear that the battle was over, the three plopped down on the ground out of sheer exhaustion from the effort and tension.
Watching the three rest, Ghislaine fell into thought.
“That’s odd. Their talent is definitely impressive, but…”
Ghislaine had observed the techniques the three had learned and the Mana Circulation Method over the past few days.
The techniques they had learned were said to be thanks to Astion’s mysterious abilities.
The spirits that had possessed Astion could not stay for long. So, the spirits only shared what knowledge they had before leaving.
It was up to the four of them to study and learn based on what they had heard.
‘It’s impressive that they learned it on their own, but…’
Those born with innate talent managed to grasp the techniques despite being without a teacher. They worried over it, exchanged opinions, and tested their bodies.
In a way, it could be called good fortune. Such opportunities to learn those techniques were extremely rare for rural kids.
However, Ghislaine felt it was far from enough. With their current state, they wouldn’t realistically grow to the realm he had seen in his dreams.
‘The techniques and Mana Circulation Method used by the hero party are different.’
Ghislaine knew the techniques and Mana Circulation Method they were supposed to use. He also knew how to develop those further.
So when he ended up joining the hero party, he thought it was great. He figured he could help them develop quickly based on the information he had.
But they were using completely off-the-mark sword techniques and Mana Circulation Method, at levels significantly below what they were supposed to be using.
That’s why Ghislaine felt something was a little off.
‘Was there some other stroke of luck? With the techniques and Mana Circulation Method they currently possess, they’ll barely reach superhuman levels…’
If they went through countless real battles and gained enlightenment, they could surpass superhuman levels. But techniques couldn’t just suddenly appear from nowhere.
They needed some trigger, whether it was to learn to create new techniques through enlightenment or for a remarkable spirit to possess Astion’s body and share knowledge.
‘Right now, I can’t figure out which it is.’
Until now, he’d only been focusing on whether they misunderstood anything or had any bad habits. But this actual battle had confirmed it for him.
Using the techniques currently known to them, rapid growth wasn’t possible.
After a brief contemplation, Ghislaine made his decision.
‘If they’re going to learn anyway, why not do it a bit faster?’
At first, he intended to point out the incorrect parts and let them gain practical experience. After all, he believed they would grow strong eventually, even without his intervention.
But they were learning techniques that were different from what Ghislaine knew. Feeling frustrated, he decided to change and teach them proper swordsmanship and the Mana Circulation Method immediately.
“Alright, from now on, I’m going to teach you new Mana Circulation Methods and techniques. Let’s rest a bit and then get some practical experience.”
Now that he had made a decision, he wasn’t going to hold back.
If they learned comfortably, their progress would slow down. They needed to be pushed harder than before.
‘I should let them fail the ambush next time too.’
Ghislaine deliberately eased up in their upcoming battles, planning to push the three to their limits. He intended to continue with that approach.
At Ghislaine’s words, the three nodded with a mix of hope and reluctance.
They had marveled multiple times at Ghislaine’s vast knowledge and exceptional skills. But if it continued this way, they felt they wouldn’t live long enough to enjoy it.
Even now, it was quite dangerous and precarious.
‘But I can’t oppose him.’
‘If I do, it feels like that staff will come flying toward me.’
‘He’s different from other spirits. He’s way too proactive and ambitious.’
That was all they grumbled inwardly.
After a short break, they looked around for a place to rest and found a warehouse building.
Upon checking the inside, the three gasped in shock.
“Whoa…”
“There’s so much stuff!”
“Is all this really ours?”
It was a small territory, but it was owned by a bandit group strong enough to force the lord of the land to compromise. The warehouse was packed with an immense amount of treasure.
Not only was there gold and jewels, but they also found supplies, leather, and herbs—valuable items necessary for everyday life.
If they managed to take all this, they could live comfortably for a lifetime wherever they went.
“C-Can we really take all this?”
Kyle asked with a trembling voice. It felt like such wealth ought to belong only to powerful lords or nobles.
Yulien and Deneb swallowed hard as well. The three, coming from a rural village, had never seen so much wealth before.
But someone shattered the mood.
“Huh? Is this all there is? This is pathetic! The rumors were all flashy, but there’s barely any food here.”
“……”
What a different standard. To be disappointed after seeing all this treasure!
The three glanced at Ghislaine, wondering.
‘Just how wealthy has Ghislaine been?’
‘He must have held many titles and lived in a big mansion. There probably was a garden too.’
‘Maybe he had so much money he could afford to live for ten years without a care.’
Given their rural background, that was about the limit of what they could imagine.
Though Ghislaine was disappointed, objectively speaking, the treasure was enough to overwhelm the four of them. There was so much that filling an old backpack wouldn’t even close to be enough.
The remaining amount far exceeded what they could carry, which was genuinely a dilemma.
Ghislaine looked around and said, “Let’s bury what’s here and hide it for later.”
Once they had a base or more resources, they could come back for it then. He had handled leftover items in that way during his time as a mercenary.
Kyle nodded, but Yulien had a different idea.
“Let’s share it.”
“What?”
“After all, these goods were taken from the people in the nearby villages. We’ve taken enough for ourselves, so let’s share the rest with the nearby towns.”
Deneb agreed with Yulien’s idea.
“Yeah, with what we’ve taken, we could live comfortably for months. And since we can’t take everything, that sounds like the best option.”
At those words, Kyle erupted.
“Hey! How long are you going to keep this up? Are we rich? We’re in debt! Even taking all this would clear our debts and we could live comfortably!”
Kyle looked like he was about to lose his mind. Yulien and Deneb always acted this way. They never wanted to take what was rightfully theirs but were anxious about sharing with others.
Well, Deneb was a priest, so that was understandable. But why would Yulien—who was already at the bottom and in the deepest debt—act like this?
“Get a grip! You’re in debt! Don’t you realize the merchant group is tracking our whereabouts?”
When they entered cities with large merchant guilds or mercenary guilds, they had to report their position. That was a promise they had made with the merchant group.
If they went long without contact, the group would assume they had run away and would take action.
Yet in the face of that situation, Yulien shook his head.
“But it’s not ours.”
“But we took it rightfully, so it’s ours!”
“They originally belonged to someone. Our efforts were compensated enough with this much.”
While giving his argument, Yulien cast a glance at Ghislaine. After all, Ghislaine had taken down most of the bandits.
So, he needed Ghislaine’s agreement.
“……What do you think?”
Ghislaine, who had been watching the amusing exchange, paused in thought.
If it were someone else, he would have gathered everything and told them not to speak nonsense. A slap on the wrist would be an added bonus.
Just handing out some money wouldn’t change anyone’s life. If he wanted to help them, he’d have to overhaul their situation from the ground up. He always did things that way.
‘This time, it’s a bit tricky.’
Teaching the three how to become strong was one thing; changing their values and thought processes was another.
Changing it wasn’t difficult. While Ghislaine could forcibly drag people along, they wouldn’t change easily. But, repetitively doing this would eventually make them accustomed.
However, he couldn’t judge whether that would be the right thing to do.
‘Hmmm, what’s the best move here?’
He didn’t want Yulien and Deneb’s values to change. The fact they had become a hero and saint meant they possessed virtue and qualifications.
As he had only recently come to this era, Ghislaine decided to observe a while longer.
‘That should be the better option for now.’
It was different from when he had a clear goal of reviving a territory after returning to the past. Now, his main purpose was to gain information to fight against the real enemies.
Thus, even if he intervened in this era, he needed to act almost as a bystander.
“Okay, let’s do it Yulien’s way this time.”
At those words, Yulien and Deneb beamed with bright smiles. Kyle kicked the ground in frustration.
“Ugh, seriously! With that money, we could just pay off our debts and live quietly somewhere!”
If Astion were here, he surely would have supported Kyle. Ghislaine had mentioned money, so he expected that, but now he was backing off.
Watching Kyle grumble like a sparrow was Dark, who said, “I agree with you. Those guys seem a bit slow. They probably took a massive hit to the head when they were young. That’s the only explanation.”
“I think so too.”
“But you need those kinds of fools for those who earn money.”
“True, true. We surprisingly get along well.”
“Don’t get too close too quickly. If you were in my environment, you wouldn’t dare talk to me. You wouldn’t even be able to meet my eyes.”
“……”
Kyle thought Dark looked like a high-born sparrow. Yet having such a noble bird on his side eased his tension a little.
The group quickly packed their belongings and headed to the nearby village, eager to distribute their newfound wealth.
However, rather than joy, the villagers looked at them with suspicion upon hearing they had dealt with the bandits.