A Knight who Eternally Regresses - Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Dream of Holding a Woman (2)

Enkrid had a dream.

A flower field and a woman appeared in it.

“I’ll be relying on you for a while, so just know that.”

She possessed a mysterious charm. Even though Enkrid rarely paid much attention to women, he felt he wouldn’t easily forget her.

The dream was chaotic. One moment there was a flower field, then a black river, then a boatman, then a woman, and suddenly, a panther appeared.

‘What are you doing here?’

He asked inwardly, but the panther shook its head and turned away sulkily. Finding it unbearably cute, Enkrid couldn’t resist scratching the top of its head with his fingers.

Grrr.

He had heard Lake Panthers were fierce beasts, but at moments like this, they seemed just like cats. The panther purred contentedly. The sound was endearing to Enkrid.

He briefly opened his eyes, finding it hard to tell if it was a dream or reality. In front of him, the woman he had seen in the flower field and the black river was in his arms. Moreover, she was naked.

He blinked, and the woman disappeared, leaving only the panther’s head in his view. It seemed it was just a dream.

‘Even so…’

He could still feel the weight in his arms. The scent and warmth, which couldn’t come from the small panther, left him with a strange feeling.

‘The dream felt too real.’

He fell asleep again, not bothering to fight the oncoming slumber. When he woke up in the morning, the panther, which never leaves his side before he wakes up, was nowhere to be seen.

“Pan… Esther.”

He remembered the name he had given in his half-asleep state. Then he saw the Lake Panther standing upright in one corner. It had hidden so well in the shadows of the barracks that it was hard to spot unless you looked closely.

Those lake-like blue eyes and ebony-black fur. The panther paced around and then elegantly sat on a piece of leather meant for resting. Naturally, it was a heated leather mat.

‘Overnight, it’s gone from comfortable to luxurious.’

Even the panther was now grooming its claws on a heated mat. There was jerky lying around, brought either by Big Eyes or Rem. The panther slashed at the jerky with its claws and began chewing it.

But something felt off.

Was it because the small creature that warmed his arms in the morning was gone?

Or was it because the dream felt too real?

He felt he could draw the naked woman from the dream perfectly. Of course, he had no talent for drawing, so it would be a mess, but she was vivid in his memory.

‘She was beautiful.’

Her beauty was exceptional, comparable to the elf company commander’s otherworldly beauty.

“What are you thinking about?”

“I had a dream that’s too clear in my memory.”

Esther looked at Enkrid. The panther’s gaze was peculiar. When she had spoken her name in the dream, perhaps her intent had left a stronger impression than expected. A person with weak willpower could suffer mental damage just from that.

So, what should she do?

Should she figure out a way to help even in her panther form?

The panther became serious.

“What kind of dream was it?”

Rem asked, lying wrapped in leather.

“Are you a caterpillar?”

“Yes, I’m a caterpillar. A loud-mouthed caterpillar. So feed me breakfast, or this weak caterpillar will starve to death.”

This guy was definitely half crazy. Enkrid ignored Rem’s words. He was someone you could afford to ignore.

“So, what kind of dream was it?”

Rem asked again. Enkrid scratched his chin and answered.

“It was a strange dream.”

“Strange?”

Rem tilted his head. With only his head sticking out, he expressed everything through his facial expressions and head movements. It was a talent if it could be called that.

“I saw a naked woman.”

“Cough! Cough!”

‘Hmm?’

Enkrid’s eyes turned to the panther. The panther was coughing repeatedly, as if a piece of jerky had gotten stuck in its throat.

“Esther?”

The panther buried its head in the ground, ignoring his call. From the first time they met, the panther had exuded an air of mystery. A predator among predators, the master of Green Pearl.

The Lake Panther with eyes like a lake.

Yet here was this majestic beast, coughing and sputtering on the ground.

“Keck!”

It seemed it might die from choking on jerky.

“I’ve never seen a panther die from choking on jerky. So, was she beautiful?”

She was very beautiful, but he didn’t answer. What was the point? It was just a dream.

“Are you being sluggish because it’s winter? Rem?”

Enkrid said as he got up. Once he stood, he realized there wasn’t a part of his body that didn’t hurt. Even moving was painful but staying still would only worsen his condition. He knew this from experience.

That didn’t mean he needed to train. In the past, he might have pushed himself harder out of impatience but he now knew that would only cause more harm. He had learned to set limits.

He wasn’t as impatient as before.

‘Rest is part of training.’

Many swordsmanship teachers had said that. If he stretched his body adequately today, he would feel better tomorrow. The Monk gymnastics he learned from Audin would suffice.

“So was she beautiful or what?”

“Why do you care? It was just a dream.”

He gave a rough answer and went outside. It was cold again. His whole body ached, but he started stretching. He didn’t have many thoughts. In fact, after the spar, things had become clearer. He had always wondered,

‘What should I do next?’

Talented people, often called geniuses, saw the path even if they didn’t want to. Finding what they need and what they lack is also a talent.

But what about those without talent?

They try this and that. That’s where time gets wasted. The starting line changes. That’s why having a good teacher is crucial. A teacher who can point out your deficiencies is always a treasure.

This time, the elf company commander played part of that role. Now, the rest had to be filled by someone else.

“Audin.”

In the morning, Audin was outside. Cold? He didn’t care about such things. People even called him a praying bear. It wasn’t just his size that earned him that nickname.

“Yes, brother, it’s a good day, isn’t it?”

A chilling wind whistled between them. The Border Guard was in the northern part of the Pen-Hanil continent. One of the coldest regions on the Pen-Hanil continent. The cloudy sky made everything look mottled, even in the morning.

But Audin was always like this. Whether the sun was out or it was raining. He would say it was a good morning, except when it snowed.

“Yeah.”

Enkrid replied. What did the weather matter?

No, it was a good day. Any day when you learn something new is a good day.

“Teach me wrestling.”

Enkrid was always straightforward. He did what he set out to do. His purpose and will were clear. He always treated his squad members like this, which was why they had the relationships they did.

Audin tilted his head. To him, this guy was truly unique. Seeing his skills improve in just a few days made him wonder what kind of luck he had.

To Audin, Enkrid was a burning flame. A flame that didn’t realize it was burning itself but brightened and warmed those around it. When he had first joined the squad, ready to turn away from the world, half giving up.

“What’s he doing?”

It was their first meeting. Enkrid was swinging a club in front of the barracks. Not just any club, but one made by tying three water-soaked logs together with a rope.

“Strength training.”

Would swinging something heavy increase strength easily?

It might, but it wasn’t efficient. He would be lucky if he didn’t ruin his body in a few days. But Enkrid didn’t stop. Every day was the same. Whether on the battlefield, on duty, in rain, or snow.

He would even cut his sleep short to swing his sword. Audin recalled how he was back then.

Devastated. That one word could describe him at that time. With a gloomy air, he had asked,

“Why do you do that every day when your skills are so poor?”

“I’ll get better if I keep at it.”

He didn’t even look upset. He gave a calm answer to a calm question and continued his training. Watching him, Audin felt as if lightning had struck his head.

‘How can he do that?’

What drives him?

What belief does he have?

There was no hint of faith. Effort is a talent too, but if you have nothing from the start, you can’t keep making an effort.

Enkrid was that kind of person. A person betrayed by daily effort. Yet, despite being betrayed every day, he kept moving forward.

‘What are you?’

Audin continued to observe his squad leader. Watching him made Audin’s own reasons for being discouraged seem trivial.

‘Belief isn’t about seeking a reward.’

That day, Audin resumed his prayers.

“Brother, you’ll ruin your joints.”

After that, he started helping with the squad leader’s training little by little. Audin could see people’s bodies. He had a talent for assessing physical potential, almost on par with Frog’s ability to gauge talent.

If Frog was called a talent appraiser, Audin could be considered a body appraiser, understanding the degree of training a body had undergone. To him, Enkrid had to work twice as hard as others to build his body. His natural build was that way. Even his muscle quality wasn’t great.

But would he give up?

No. The squad leader he knew wasn’t like that.

“You need to start by building your body. Are you okay with that?”

Audin asked. Despite the chilling wind, he had always considered it a good morning since the day he resumed praying. Except when it snowed.

“Absolutely.”

“It will be painful.”

“That’s fine.”

It was better than dying. Enkrid thought so.

“It will hurt.”

“No problem.”

It would hurt less than being stabbed to death countless times.

“What I’ll teach you now isn’t Monk’s gymnastics. It’s a technique I developed. It’s called ‘Isolation Technique.'”

The name sounded ominous, but he also thought it was hopeful. If he was going to learn, he should learn properly.

At this point, Audin was the best hand-to-hand combat expert Enkrid knew.

“Isolation Technique.”

The Heart of the Beast, the Blade Sensory, Focus Point, and now, the fourth technique.

“You’ll understand with your head and perform with your body. Brother.”

“Okay.”

“Then, let’s begin.”

He spoke in a flat tone. Enkrid nodded as if it were natural. And then,

“Ughhhhh.”

A groan, rather than a scream, began to emerge from one corner of the training ground.

“This is just the beginning, brother.”

Enkrid wondered if Audin prayed to a demon every day. The gymnastics he had done before were just light stretching. He kept calling it basic.

“We’ll build strength by lifting weights based on flexibility. Let’s begin.”

Audin massaged various parts of Enkrid’s body, then put him in strange positions. They were positions that seemed to tear his muscles apart.

Why was he lying face down with his heels pressing on his buttocks, making the muscles in the front of his thighs feel like they were ripping?

Audin held Enkrid’s legs and pressed them down. Enkrid felt Audin’s hands like iron shackles. Such firm strength. Lacking body awareness, Enkrid had to learn muscle movements through his body.

“Think of it as dying a couple of times. It will help.”

He was already thinking that way. It was a continuous series of excruciating pain. He even wondered if dying like this would be better.

“Ughhhhh.”

A strange groan began to come from Enkrid’s mouth.

“It’s okay. I know your limits, brother.”

‘Why do you know my limits?’

Was Audin actually a crazy bastard?

Enkrid couldn’t help but think that.

But he was secretly enjoying it. He looked forward to what he would gain through this suffering, so even while groaning and suffering, Enkrid smiled.

“Judging by your expression, you seem to be handling it well.”

No, he wasn’t. The devil’s acolyte, Audin, spent that day repeatedly breaking and tearing apart Enkrid’s body.

At the end of winter. After three days of building flexibility.

“Lift it.”

He followed with lifting heavy stones in restricted movements.

“Inhale, exhale. Control your breathing. Fill your belly with air. Use intra-abdominal pressure. Brother.”

The Isolation Technique wasn’t for combat. It was a method to remodel his body. For fifteen days straight, Enkrid endured, feeling like he was shitting blood. Then it became a little bearable.

After another fifteen days,

“You seem to be managing well?”

It wasn’t as difficult as before. There was no more unbearable pain. It had been tough at the start, but it was worth it.

After a month in total, his body began to change.