Breathing hard, Jonan felt like he was about to vomit.
This was the first time he had ever fought an opponent like this, someone smart, experienced, and utterly ruthless. He couldn't understand how this goblin was so different.
Why was it so intelligent when all goblins were supposed to be dumb, and greedy creatures?
"Hmm, it's good that you managed to finish your opponent," Elias said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "And one of a higher grade, no less. So, how do you feel about fighting the goblin? Although, I wouldn't call this a battle. It was more like a clumsy brawl between children."
Jonan winced at the words but remained silent.
"Why are we even wasting time here?" Marla interjected irritably. "We could have reached our destination much faster if we hadn't stopped for this."
"Impatient as always, dear Marla," Elias replied with an amused smile while moving like a jester, annoying Marla.
"You're right that we could charge straight into our enemies' base, but that would create bigger problems down the line. Whether you like it or not, this young man is our teammate. We should help him adapt to the dangers of the wild. And let's not forget, you weren't doing much better than him when you first started. So, let him learn at his own pace. There's no hurry, we will reach our destination in due time."
Jonan heaved a sigh of relief. While his teammates might not like him much, at least they were willing to help him improve.
Elias then turned to Jonan with an ambiguous smile and said, "Young one, you are terrible at fighting. While it might seem like your opponent was stronger simply because you haven't advanced to the Weapon Seeker realm yet, that's no excuse. From what I saw, you have one of the best battle arts a warrior could possess, and your physique is undeniably powerful. Either one of those should have been enough to finish your opponent instantly. Yet you struggled. Your stance was full of openings, and you barely managed a victory, it was a pity victory at best."
Jonan flinched. He had thought he fought well, but it seemed his performance had been far from impressive.
"But this goblin was different!" he protested. "It was smart, far smarter than a goblin should be. If it had been a normal goblin, I would have won much more easily."
Shaking his head, Elias sighed shaking his head. "Excuses again. Boy, excuses have no end. If you're only looking for reasons to justify your failures, then maybe you should just stay in your comfy castle."
Jonan felt a surge of frustration but had no words to refute Elias.
He clenched his fists and, after a moment of hesitation, looked up at Elias. "Sir Elias… please help me with my shortcomings?"
Elias nodded in confirmation. "You have too many wasted movements, and while I can see that you have a good mind, you lack proper combat instincts. You hesitate when you should strike, you overthink when you should act. But that's something we can work on, it's not an insurmountable problem."
Edric, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. "Boy, don't be fooled by appearances. And never trust the knowledge you have with complete certainty. Nothing in this world is absolute. While goblins are generally a stupid bunch, that doesn't mean they can't occasionally give birth to a smart one. And while you seem like a bright lad, don't underestimate others just because of what you think you know."
Jonan was taken aback. He had never expected Edric to offer him guidance, yet here he was.
Edric's expression turned grim. "The worst thing about goblins isn't whether they are smart or not. The worst thing is their sheer ferocity. They don't care about anything, not their own lives, not their survival, not even their kin. That's why anyone who faces them kills them immediately. They're not worth taming. And don't forget, one of the so-called 'heroes' is also from the beast race… and rumor has it, he's a goblin."
Jonan and the rest of the group stared at Edric in shock.
What madness was this?
"Edric, no one has ever seen the Beast Hero clearly," Elias countered. "You can't say something like that as if it were fact. He could be from any number of bestial races."
Edric shook his head. "Think about it, Elias. If the Beast Hero belonged to any of the other Beast races, wouldn't that race have replaced the current Royals of the Beast race by now? And if not, they would have at least risen in status, separating themselves from the beast race altogether. Just like how some of the major races have hidden themselves away over the centuries. But none of that has happened, has it?"
Elias' expression darkened. He hated to admit it, but Edric had a point. Goblins were the only race deemed completely untamable. Could it be possible that one of them had ascended to the level of a hero, but how?
"If you are so sure about this, then how come you know such a thing, I mean I haven't heard you speaking about this before," asked Elias with a puzzled expression.
Edric looked as if he wanted to say more but hesitated, and then, he fell silent, and closed his eyes, showing that he didn't want to say more.
Elias understood the unspoken message. Some things were too dangerous to talk about, sometimes, even mere words could cost a person their life.
"Let's leave it at that," Elias said finally with a scowling expression. Then he turned back to Jonan. "Come, boy. Let me help you with the basics."
Meanwhile, Marla crossed her arms and scowled. "You damn old man! And you, barbarian! Why won't you finish what you were saying?! This is infuriating! Leaving the main part of the conversation, ughh this is frustrating."
She simply stormed off in anger, while kicking her feet on the ground.
"I say, these teenage girls are the worst, just how many mood swings can a person have"
Marla instantly glared daggers at Elias, Elias just chuckled and raised his hands in apology.
After ignoring her outburst, he gestured for Jonan to follow him. "First things first, your footwork is atrocious. Your body movement is too much when you should be conserving energy, and you stay still when you should be repositioning yourself. Combat is all about efficiency. Every unnecessary movement is an opening for your opponent."
He stepped forward and after twisting his legs to left, then to right, he demonstrated a swift but controlled shift in stance. "This is what you should aim for. A stance that allows for both offense and defense with minimal effort, and full mobility."
Jonan nodded, trying to mimic the movement.
"Second, you rely way too much on brute force," Elias continued. "You have a strong physique, which is good, but raw strength means nothing if your attacks are predictable, and cannot touch your opponent. You swing your weapon in wide arcs, and you don't use feint to cover your attacks, which makes it easy to read your actions. A skilled opponent, like that goblin, can see your attacks coming far easily. Learn to feint. Learn to control your strength. Precision is more important than power."
Jonan hummed in response. He had never thought about fighting this way before, he had thought that after learning a battle art, he could simply fight with anyone his grade, but reality wasn't so easy, anyone just a bit stronger or more better than him in any way, be it experience, ferocity, or intelligence could have easily beaten him.
"Finally, let me add," Elias said, his tone growing serious, "you hesitate. You doubt yourself, and that makes you slow. The moment you think, 'Should I attack or should I defend?' you've already lost. Combat is all about instinct, about seizing opportunities. Train yourself to react more without second-guessing. That's what separates a good fighter from a dead one."
Jonan gulped, he really had a lot to learn, but it didn't matter, he would improve himself more, he promised himself silently.
With a casual smile, Elias clapped him on the back. "Don't look so down, boy. No one is born a warrior. Strength, skill, instinct, these things can only be honed. You just need the right training. And I intend to make sure you get it."
Elias's eyes burned with a strange gleam.
Jonan met his gaze and nodded, determination burning in his eyes.
Jonan also felt as if he was forgetting something, something he meant to ask, but couldn't recall, just what was it, what did he forget, scrunching his forehead in contemplation.
He finally remembered, and asked, "Why were you guys just standing there and not helping me?"
In reply, all he got was his cohort simply ignoring him, and walking away from him.
Jonan thought, "Here, I thought I was part of the cohort, well it might take time for them to accept me."
He then followed behind them.