Chapter 169: The Individual Training
Lyra continued.
"I’ve seen many explorers with talent."
Her voice carried a faint weight now.
"They become strong quickly. People praise them. They start believing they’ve learned enough."
Her eyes sharpened.
"And then they stop improving."
"I’ve watched many of them die because of that."
This made the room stay quiet for a while before Arthur broke the silence.
"I’ll keep learning."
Lyra studied him for another moment before finally turning her gaze away.
"Good."
Then she looked at the group again.
"There’s one more thing."
Her eyes shifted briefly between Arthur and Ryn.
"The two of you."
Ryn blinked.
"Us?"
Lyra nodded.
"The moment that won the drill was built on trust."
Arthur and Ryn exchanged a glance.
Lyra continued.
"Ryn threw the core without hesitation. Arthur moved without questioning the decision. That kind of coordination doesn’t happen by accident."
Arthur could see the message she tried to pass to the squad.
The commander’s small wink before the drill began.
She had done that on purpose.
She had pushed them to act.
And to win.
By doing that she forced the others to acknowledge the power of trust.
Arthur smiled slightly.
So that was your plan.
Lyra continued speaking.
"That is the level of understanding I want from all of you."
She gestured toward the group.
"You will train together until that coordination becomes natural."
No one objected.
Instead the team looked more focused.
Lyra nodded once.
"Good."
Then she clapped her hands lightly.
"That concludes the evaluation."
Arthur stretched his shoulders.
"Finally."
But Lyra wasn’t finished.
"For the rest of the day," she said calmly, "you’ll focus on individual training."
Then she added,
"Though you will still rely on each other."
Lyra ignored their confusions and turned toward Nox.
"We’ll start with you."
Nox straightened immediately.
"Yes!"
Lyra gestured toward the far end of the hall.
"Your agility is excellent."
Nox grinned at the praise.
"But," Lyra continued, "you almost got cornered earlier."
Nox’s smile faded slightly.
"...Yeah."
Lyra walked toward a large training area.
In the middle of the floor sat a heavy sack filled with sand.
It looked thick and dense.
Lyra kicked it lightly.
"You’ll carry this."
Nox stared at it.
"...That thing?"
"Yes."
Nox slowly walked over and tried lifting it.
Her face twisted.
"Oh wow... that’s heavy."
Lyra nodded.
"That’s the point."
Nox eventually managed to drag it over her shoulder.
Her movement slowed immediately.
"I feel like a turtle."
Lyra pointed toward the obstacle course across the hall.
Wooden crates. pillars. narrow paths.
"You’ll run the same route you used earlier."
Nox blinked.
"While carrying this?"
"Yes."
Nox groaned.
Then Lyra turned to Selene.
"And you."
Selene stepped forward.
"You will attack her."
Nox froze.
"Wait what?"
Lyra continued calmly.
"But you will not remain stationary."
Selene blinked.
Lyra pointed across the hall.
"You’ll move as you shoot. Change positions. Adjust angles. I want you to break the habit of relying on a fixed position."
Selene nodded slowly.
"That makes sense."
Lyra looked back at Nox.
"And you will learn how to move under pressure."
Nox sighed dramatically.
"I had a feeling this was coming."
Lyra crossed her arms.
"In real battles you won’t always move freely. Your body will be tired. Your equipment heavy. Your enemies relentless."
Nox adjusted the sack on her shoulder.
"...Alright."
Lyra gave a short nod.
"Begin."
Nox immediately started running.
Or at least trying to.
Her steps were slower now.
The sack dragged her down and her usual quick movements felt clumsy.
Selene moved at the same time.
But she didn’t climb the platform this time.
Instead she ran along the ground, sliding behind obstacles while drawing her bow.
TWANG
The first arrow flew.
Nox squeaked and dodged behind a crate.
"Hey! That was fast!"
Selene smirked while already moving again.
Lyra watched quietly from the side.
Her voice was calm.
"Good."
Arthur leaned against a pillar nearby and watched the scene with interest.
"Crude training," he muttered.
Then he smiled.
"But effective."
Ryn nodded beside him.
"Yeah... I’m starting to feel nervous about what she’ll make us do."
Lyra glanced toward them briefly and said under her breath,
"Oh don’t worry."
Her voice was quiet.
"But they still heard it.
"I plan to raise the difficulty soon."
Arthur chuckled.
"Of course you do."
The training drill went on.
Nox had been running for a while now.
At the beginning it looked like a disaster.
The heavy sack on her shoulder kept dragging her down and every step felt slower than usual. The obstacle route that had once felt easy now looked like a maze built to humiliate her.
Selene’s arrows didn’t help either.
The first few minutes were rough.
"Ah—!"
TWANG
An arrow struck the crate beside Nox and she almost stumbled while turning around it.
"Hey! Warn me first!"
Selene’s voice came from somewhere behind a pillar.
"I am warning you. That was the warning."
Another arrow flew.
TWANG
This one tapped Nox lightly on the shoulder.
It wasn’t meant to hurt but the sting was enough to make her hiss.
"Okay that one was personal!"
She tried to speed up but the sack shifted on her shoulder and forced her to slow down again.
Her movements felt clumsy.
Commander Lyra watched quietly from the side with her arms folded.
She didn’t interrupt to give advice.
Right now they needed to feel the problem themselves.
Nox ducked under a hanging beam and rushed toward the next crate.
Her breathing had become heavier.
"Why is this thing so heavy..."
She jumped over a low barrier but the landing wasn’t smooth. The sack pulled her sideways and she had to catch herself with one hand.
Selene moved while watching the scene carefully.
This time she wasn’t standing on a platform. She ran along the edges of the obstacle route, sliding between pillars and crates while keeping Nox in sight.
That alone already felt strange.
She was used to still positions.
Still positions gave more control.
Now she had to adjust her balance everytime to draw her bow better.