Don't lose focus," Caine said.
Then he moved.
A punch shot toward me—
fast.
Too fast.
I reacted instinctively, stepping to the side.
Barely.
His fist didn't stop.
It opened—
turning into a grab.
He adjusted mid-motion.
…He's not just attacking—he's adapting.
I moved without thinking.
My hand snapped upward—
striking his wrist from below.
Redirecting it.
My strike wasn't enough to fully redirect it.
I forced my body to move—barely slipping past his hand.
A rush of air followed.
Caine stepped in—
Fast.
Too fast.
His shoulder drove forward in a powerful check.
I crossed my arms in front of my chest to block.
THUD!!!.
A sharp pain shot through my arms as the force pushed me back several steps.
My breath was knocked out of me.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
Before I could recover—
He moved again.
Lowering his body, he rushed forward, aiming for my center.
This time—
I couldn't react.
His arms wrapped around my waist.
Firm.
Controlled.
He tightened his grip slightly—
Not enough to hurt—
But enough to make it clear.
If this were real—
I wouldn't escape.
"Well… you're basically dead if this were a real fight," he said calmly, releasing me and setting me back on my feet.
"I can see how bad your fundamentals are," Caine said.
I frowned slightly.
"You're following my rhythm completely," he continued.
"And once I take control of the flow, you don't fight to take it back."
He paused, then added,
"With your size, you should be slipping out of my range—not staying in it."
"And if you get caught—use anything. Even dirty moves. Eyes, throat… whatever works."
I let out a quiet breath.
…So I really was that bad.
"First, we fix the basics," Caine said.
"We'll use the training dummy here."
"Training dummy?" I asked. "What's the point? I don't even know how to move my body properly."
"It's exactly for that," he replied.
He explained that an Array Master had recorded the basic movements of martial arts experts, allowing new students to learn through direct guidance.
"Some advanced ones even contain fragments of weapon paths—sword, spear… things like that."
He glanced at me.
"But for you, start simple."
"There's also a teaching mode," he added.
"The dummy will guide your movements directly."
I nodded slowly.
"…So I learn from the dummy, then spar with you?"
"Exactly."
He grinned slightly.
"And while you do that, I'll work on releasing my energy outward."
I gave him a nod of thanks and opened my device, connecting to the control panel of the training field.
A panel appeared instantly.
[Weapon type.]
[Technique category.]
[Difficulty.]
…Too many options.
I hesitated.
Then made a decision.
Unarmed.
If I couldn't even control my own body, weapons would only make things worse.
As I scrolled through the list, one entry caught my attention.
…Li Shen.
A recorded technique.
It was described as a fusion of multiple martial arts from Earth—refined through his own experience.
Focused on efficiency.
Joint targeting.
Minimal movement.
Maximum effect.
…This one.
I selected it.
A magic array lit up in front of me.
From it, a wooden humanoid puppet emerged.
Featureless—
Except for a small crystal embedded in its forehead.
It stepped toward me.
Before I could react—
It grabbed my arms.
And moved them.
Forcefully.
A punch.
A kick.
A sweep.
Basic movements.
…Testing me.
After a short sequence, it stopped.
The crystal flickered.
A soft light scanned my body from head to toe.
Then—
A notification appeared on my device.
A movement diagram.
Before I could process it—
The puppet grabbed me again.
Positioning my body to match the diagram.
Then forcing me to move.
The technique focused on joints.
Angles.
Deflection.
Not meeting force—
But redirecting it.
At first, the movements were simple.
Slow.
Repetitive.
But gradually—
They changed.
The dummy stopped following the diagram exactly.
Instead—
It reacted.
An incoming strike.
Fast.
Precise.
It stopped just before hitting my face.
Then reset my body.
Forcing me back into position.
Showing the correct response.
Again.
And again.
Each mistake—
Corrected.
Each failure—
Repeated.
After a while, I began to notice a pattern.
…There's a structure to this.
A rhythm.
Slowly, I tried to break away from it.
To move on my own.
To take control.
The moment I did—
The dummy reacted instantly.
A counter.
Clean.
Precise.
I froze.
…So even this isn't enough.
It corrected my movement again—
Resetting everything from the beginning.
I tried a different approach.
Then another.
And another.
Each time—
I was stopped.
Corrected.
Forced back into the same sequence.
Every mistake was exposed.
Every attempt to deviate—
countered using the same basic techniques it had shown me before.
There was no gap.
No opening.
Only repetition.
Again.
And again.
And again.
After thirty minutes—
My breathing turned ragged.
Uneven.
My arms felt heavy.
My movements slower.
The moment it sensed it—
The dummy stopped.
It stepped back.
Silence returned.
Seeing that, I dropped to the ground, lying flat on my back.
Exhausted.
Caine noticed and walked over.
"Let's take a break," he said.
"I'll tell you what I observed."
"…Yeah… just let me… stay like this for a bit," I replied, struggling to catch my breath.
He gave a small nod.
"I saw what you were trying to do," he said.
"You were trying to break out of its rhythm."
A brief pause.
"But you skipped the basics."
His tone was calm—but direct.
"You weren't using what it taught you."
"You were trying to create something new… before understanding what was already there."
I stared at the ceiling.
…He's right.
I was too focused on escaping—
That I ignored the foundation.
"…I understand," I said quietly.
Then I turned my head slightly.
"What about you? Any progress?"
Caine let out a breath.
"…No."
"I tried forcing the idea—telling myself I could release it…"
He clenched his hand slightly.
"But it still doesn't work."
His expression darkened slightly.
I thought for a moment.
"…I think part of you still believes it's impossible," I said.
"Even if you say otherwise."
"You might need something to force that belief to break."
Caine fell silent, thinking.
While he did, I closed my eyes—
Replaying the movements the dummy had shown me.
The angles.
The timing.
The rhythm.
…There's something there.
"Hmm…"
Caine suddenly spoke.
"Let's spar again."
I opened my eyes.
"This time—with energy."
He looked at me seriously.
"If you can push me into a situation where I have to release it…"
"…then maybe I can break through that block."
A bead of sweat rolled down my temple.
…That's dangerous.
I exhaled slowly.
"…Before that, I should explain something."
I sat up slightly.
"…I spoke with an instructor about my condition…"
I paused briefly.
"…and I'm not exactly in control of my energy yet."
Leaving out certain details, I explained what I had learned.
Then I looked at him.
"…How did you train your energy control?"
Caine frowned slightly, thinking.
"…I don't quite get what you mean."
He looked at me.
"Tell me first—what do you think energy is?"
I paused for a moment, then answered.
"…It's something that flows within the body."
"…And it can be used to influence… or even change the reality around us."
Caine stared at me.
For a second—
he said nothing.
Then he shook his head.
"…That's too complicated."
His tone was simple.
Direct.
"You're making it harder than it needs to be."
I froze slightly.
…Too complicated?
The words lingered in my mind.
Quiet.
Unsettling.
…Did I—
fall into a misunderstanding?