Chapter 70: The Isolation Method

               

The foundation of the “Isolation Method” was endurance.

By lifting heavy objects and repeating the motions, it wasn’t just about building strength, but also enhancing overall physical ability.

“Shall we begin?” Encrid asked.

It had been a month, and the chill still lingered in the training yard’s corner.

Audin smiled and nodded in response. “Do you prefer I twist your arm or your leg, Brother?”

He was signaling that something was about to be twisted.

“Your tongue’s getting long, Audin.”

Both were unarmed.

Over the month, they hadn’t only focused on the Isolation Method.

They stood still, glaring at each other. To meet Audin’s gaze, Encrid had to slightly tilt his head upward, as their size difference was obvious.

Despite that, Audin moved first.

With a quick push off the ground, he lowered his stance and charged, his speed leaving an afterimage.

His nickname, “The Praying Bear,” didn’t do him justice.

In the past, Encrid’s best option would have been to raise his knee in defense.

But now, things were different.

Lowering his own stance, Encrid clenched his fist, thumb raised, aiming it as if to jab into Audin’s eyes. The blow could burst the man’s eyeball if he continued charging.

Audin stopped mid-charge and dodged to the side, shifting his enormous frame with the same agility as Esther, the panther.

For his size, his agility and quick reflexes were unmatched.

If Encrid allowed Audin to get behind him, the fight would be over. So, Encrid pivoted and turned multiple times to keep up.

Then, at some point, Audin launched a punch.

The distance between them had closed without Encrid realizing it.

He entered a state of One-Point Focus.

In the fraction of a second, Encrid made a decision. He moved to meet the punch head-on with his forehead before the blow could land.

It was a wrestling technique meant to lessen the impact.

But Audin didn’t complete the punch. Instead, he opened his hand and grabbed Encrid by the hair.

He yanked Encrid’s hair downward while driving his left elbow into Encrid’s back, using his weight to press him down.

For a brief moment, Encrid resisted Audin’s weight and strength.

He didn’t just endure it—he even tried to throw Audin off his back.

But Audin didn’t simply sit still. He shifted his weight while pulling Encrid’s hair forward with impeccable timing, causing Encrid to lose his balance.

With his center of gravity disrupted, Encrid could no longer move his body the way he wanted. He had lost his balance.

There was nothing more he could do.

*Thud.*

Encrid shielded his face with his hands as Audin pinned him to the ground.

“You chose to give me your body instead of your arms or legs, Brother Squad Leader,” Audin laughed heartily. His laugh was robust and booming.

“If we were on the battlefield, I’d be wearing a helmet,” Encrid muttered, referring to the hair-pulling. Even as he lay pinned, he wasn’t upset.

Audin chuckled as he answered, “Then I would’ve used a different method.”

He was right. Encrid wasn’t complaining—he was genuinely curious.

“What would you have done instead?”

“If you had a helmet, I’d have grabbed you by the nape of the neck or pushed down on the back of your head and pinned you instantly.”

“I see.”

Encrid lay under Audin’s weight. The Praying Bear’s mass pressed down on him, making him feel like his organs might burst, but what mattered more to Encrid was the lesson he had just learned.

As Encrid absorbed the lesson, Audin stood up.

For others, this past month might have been a mind-numbing routine, but for Encrid, it was just part of his daily life.

In the mornings, he practiced the Isolation Method. In the afternoons, he learned wrestling.

Before dinner, he honed his swordsmanship.

After dinner, he reviewed everything he had learned.

Heart of the Beast, Blade Sense, One-Point Focus—all of it still had room for improvement.

Why stop when there was room to grow?

Even so, his progress was slow. Despite using One-Point Focus, Blade Sense, and Heart of the Beast, his growth lagged.

So, Encrid kept crawling forward.

He was a slow-moving snail, or a tortoise on land.

“You’re improving so slowly,” Audin commented, straightening his clothes. The cold hadn’t gone away, and wisps of white breath escaped from his mouth as he spoke.

Encrid’s breath also turned to mist as it left his lips.

The Isolation Method and wrestling were both sweat-inducing activities.

Encrid often replayed Audin’s teachings in his mind. They were worth it.

‘Reading someone’s skill level.’

The body held all the information one needed.

For example, a right-handed swordsman’s muscles on the right arm would usually be more developed.

It was about observing someone’s physique and training to assess their level of experience.

This was something Encrid realized after starting the Isolation Method.

The lessons that followed were just as valuable. After building a solid foundation with the Isolation Method, he learned wrestling.

Audin divided wrestling into three categories: striking, joint locks, and throws.

He explained that if your opponent was smaller than you, simply throwing them down could end the fight.

“What if I’m the smaller one?”

Encrid listened carefully and asked plenty of questions. He didn’t let anything pass by without fully understanding it.

Audin always thought the same thing in response.

That was one of the squad leader’s strengths.

“If you’re the smaller one, then there are ways to fight in that situation too. Striking, joint locks, and grappling techniques can all help you use your opponent’s strength against them. Counters work in the same way.”

Encrid thought back to the Elven company commander’s technique, which had thrown him with just a wave of her hand.

. Audin demonstrated similar techniques during their practice sessions.

He was a kind teacher. While the Isolation Method training made him seem like a demon, when it came to teaching wrestling, Audin was patient and gentle.

“If you apply more force here, the arm will break, and if you damage the joint, it won’t heal unless divine magic is used. Without that, the arm will be crippled,” he explained calmly.

Even a small mistake in wrestling could result in Encrid’s body being disassembled like a rag doll. Naturally, their training sessions took on a more cautious and controlled tone.

“You must always have strength and speed, of course. But beyond that, you need to know how to target weak spots, how to knock your opponent down, how to break bones, and how to disable joints. None of these skills can be learned half-heartedly. They all require repetition and mastery,” Audin continued.

Occasionally, he scolded Encrid as well—and justifiably so.

Encrid wasn’t the type to perfect one technique before moving on to another. Instead, he wanted to learn as much as he could, as quickly as possible, and hammer it all into his body.

‘This is how it should be,’ Encrid thought.

For Encrid, it was about embracing the repetition of today.

He knew he couldn’t master every skill immediately.

To Audin, it seemed like Encrid was simply trying to take on too much at once, overloading himself. But Encrid felt this was the right path.

Encrid’s reflection was interrupted by Audin’s voice.

“Why do you think I managed to grab your hair back there?” Audin asked.

“Distance,” Encrid replied plainly. He hadn’t been caught off guard; he knew exactly where he had gone wrong.

“Exactly. Distance. I’ve told you countless times, yet you remain slow and dull, Brother.”

Encrid didn’t mind such words. He didn’t have time to dwell on feeling insulted.

He was too busy processing and reviewing everything he had learned.

There were dozens of different joint locks.

Even just trying to memorize them and roughly imprint them into his body was exhausting.

And on top of that, there was the throwing technique, the striking, and the basic principles of movement that he had to internalize.

“I’ve said this before—strength is essential. Understanding distance is the same whether you’re wielding a sword or grappling, and if you lack agility, none of this will work.”

Audin was a good teacher, not because of his teaching style, but because he refused to give up.

‘He doesn’t know how to quit,’ Encrid thought.

Though his progress was slow and his growth wasn’t immediately visible, Audin continued to teach him with unwavering dedication.

Encrid needed a teacher like that.

Such steadfast guidance left an imprint, even if it took time for the lessons to settle in his body and mind. Mastery and perfection could come later. For now, Encrid diligently absorbed everything.

“Strength, distance, agility,” Encrid repeated Audin’s words to himself.

Whether it was a sword, spear, blunt weapon, or wrestling, strength and speed were fundamental.

Encrid had grown more familiar with gauging distance over time, but Audin’s ability to read distances far exceeded his own, which was why he had lost the recent bout.

“Did you roll around in the dirt again today?” Rem asked when Encrid returned after finishing his wrestling session.

“Are you going to rest today?” Rem asked with his usual smirk.

It was a question he asked every day.

“No.”

This time, it was sword training. Though he sometimes practiced with a wooden sword, Encrid now preferred using a real blade.

The longsword, which felt most comfortable in his hands, slashed toward Rem’s body. He didn’t always spar with Rem.

Some days, it was Ragna who stepped up.

“Watching you makes me want to have a go at it, Squad Leader.”

Other times, it was Jaxson.

“I’ve got some free time. Grab your sword.”

None of them ever refused Encrid’s requests for a sparring match.

Still, they all had similar thoughts while watching him.

For example, Rem wondered, *What kind of talent is this? Does he just need more combat experience?*

On the battlefield, it seemed like Encrid had been improving every day, but since they returned to the city, his progress had plateaued.

He was better than before, of course.

But there was no dramatic growth. At least, that’s how it seemed to Rem.

The only thing keeping him ahead was his use of Heart of the Beast, One-Point Focus, Blade Sense, and the Isolation Method.

Thanks to the Isolation Method, his muscle quality was improving.

But it wasn’t something that would show a significant change in just a month.

He was moving forward slowly, inch by inch.

Just like a snail, crawling on land.

Ragna had similar thoughts.

“His basics are solid, but why is his progress with advanced techniques so slow?”

Had Encrid’s talents only awakened at the age of thirty? Why was he regressing back to being a novice?

Ragna couldn’t understand it.

Yet, he remained motivated.

Encrid was the kind of person who made others want to keep going.

Every day, no matter if he had guard duty or other responsibilities, he repeated the same intense training routine.

If he had guard duty in the morning, he would lift stones and contort himself into bizarre postures late at night.

The same went for his wrestling and swordsmanship.

If he had to stand watch, he would return afterward and immediately start training again.

He split his time between sleep and meals.

During group training with the rest of the platoon—Rem, Ragna, Jaxson, Audin, and Krys—they might slack off or take things lightly. But Encrid always gave his all.

After training, he would go back to the training yard and repeat his personal drills.

It was borderline obsessive.

And because of that, Ragna found himself inspired by his squad leader’s determination.

Jaxson felt the same way.

‘His instincts are…’

Jaxson’s hearing was as sharp as if he had eyes in the back of his head.

But beyond that, his progress in sharpening his senses had slowed.

‘Why?’

Was it because he was a poor teacher?

Or was Encrid a poor student?

‘It’s the student, definitely.’

Having taught many people before, Jaxson knew the problem wasn’t him. Yet, he was still amazed.

Encrid’s progress was agonizingly slow.

‘But he never gives up. He’s unique.’

Jaxson almost smiled to himself, but quickly reverted to his usual neutral expression.

‘Why should I care about the squad leader?’

Even though he thought that way, he still gave it his all when teaching Encrid.

They had fallen into a natural rotation when it came to teaching him, and out of all of them, Jaxson was the most thorough.

Esther, the black panther, watched the man she had chosen.

Through her deep blue eyes, she observed him.

*How does he keep going like this?*

She remembered a time when she had been similarly obsessed with the world of magic.

Back then, she didn’t need anything. She didn’t eat, sleep, or want for anything.

*And yet, look where I ended up,* she thought bitterly.

Esther reflected on her past for a moment before turning her gaze back to Encrid.

*He’s different from me.*

His routine was simple and repetitive. Even eating, sleeping, and resting were parts of his regimen, just as important as training.

“He’s someone who knows how to rest well,” she thought.

Watching him made her feel like she wanted to help.

Encrid, however, had no time to focus on those around him.

He was too busy engraving all the techniques and skills into his own body.

He had always been obsessed with training, but lately, he had taken it to the extreme.

The Isolation Method played a significant role in that.

*My muscles are changing.*

He almost wanted to strip down and look at himself in a mirror.

Who would notice the changes the most?

Encrid himself, of course.

Movements that had once been difficult now flowed with ease. The feeling was so exhilarating it bordered on madness.

Whether it was thrusting or practicing the basics of the heavy sword style, everything felt smoother and more refined with his newly developed body.

Even the fluidity of the flowing sword technique, the “U-Sword Style,” had become second nature.

*Clang.*

His sword collided with Rem’s axe, redirecting it to the side.

“That’s better,” Rem acknowledged. While not perfect, Encrid’s skill at deflecting attacks had improved.

*It’s definitely better than before,* Encrid thought.

He could feel it himself—the techniques he had been honing were reaching a new level of mastery.

At the core of all this progress was the body-shaping method.

In other words, the Isolation Method.

“Do you regret not learning it sooner?” Audin had asked him once. “Do you think it’s too late to reshape your body?”

“No,” Encrid had shaken his head.

He didn’t regret the past.

If he had held on to any regrets about his former self, he would have been trapped in the endless cycle of “today.”

What he had learned in the past was important for that time.

So, focusing on the present—on now—was what mattered most.

During that month, he had only dreamt of the ferryman once.

“You’re living as if trapped in today,” the ferryman had said, his whole posture exuding boredom, his chin resting on his hand.

The sneering ferryman had disappeared without another word.

But the ferryman had been right.

Encrid had spent the past month repeating the same day over and over.

The only things that changed were the guard duty schedules and the weather.

“If you’d learned this sooner, your body wouldn’t have been ready for it,” Audin had remarked.

But Encrid hadn’t paid much attention to those words.

What mattered was today. The present.

Before long, the harsh midwinter—said to be the most brutal of the four seasons—began to fade away.

One day, in the midst of this routine, the Elven company commander came looking for Encrid.

When Encrid stepped out of the barracks, the company commander, standing against the cold wind, looked at him with her piercing green eyes.

“There’s a mission,” she said.

In the Border Guard, soldiers were often called upon for various tasks. It wasn’t just about fighting on the frontlines.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“The job is to escort the heir of a trading company. Only one person from your squad will be selected. Bring them with you.”

The company commander issued her orders. It was a command from higher up, and Encrid had to comply.

A mission and an assignment.

He wasn’t particularly fond of such things, but now he had begun to care about building merit.

Acquiring skills and building a track record.

It was the path to knighthood.