"Ey."
Rin let out a small cry as she threw her fist forward.
Then, she pulled her hand back and returned to a straight stance.
Immediately, she stepped forward again, rotating her shoulders and hips, her small fist once more striking out just like before.
"Ey."
Repeating this single motion over and over—that was the training Master had assigned her.
This morning was different from all the ones before.
Right after waking up, Rin quickly realized that Master was not there and had already gone somewhere.
Panicking for a brief moment, she found a note Master had left behind.
It said he had something to do, reminded her not to forget her training, and warned her not to wander away from the inn.
Master had even carefully left money for her meals, stored inside her spatial ring.
Looking at the amount, Rin calculated that if she exchanged it for the cheap bread she used to eat, it would last her for a very long time.
If possible, Rin wanted to buy only cheap bread to save money. But clearly, she couldn't do that, since she had been told not to wander outside.
The only option left for lunch and dinner was the inn's restaurant—and the prices there were far from cheap.
Although the money Master left was more than enough, Rin, who was used to saving, still felt uneasy about spending so much on food.
Luckily, she could prepare breakfast in her room without going down to the restaurant.
After finishing her daily physical training, Rin took out some leftovers from last night's dinner.
Seeing the food still steaming hot after being taken out of the spatial ring, Rin once again marveled at the wonders of magic.
With this, she would never have to worry about bread growing moldy in damp weather.
Rin still remembered an unpleasant memory from the past, when she had once forced herself to eat moldy bread just to avoid wasting it.
It had left her with stomach pain and diarrhea for half a day. Fortunately, nothing worse happened, and she recovered afterward.
That lesson taught her to be cautious with spoiled food.
Now, with a spatial ring, Rin no longer had to fear such things repeating.
'No wonder this is so expensive,' she thought, gazing at the precious item in her hand.
Even with wealth, the fact that Master entrusted it to her so casually showed how much he trusted her. Moved by that trust, Rin quickly finished her breakfast and threw herself back into training.
On the surface, the exercise looked like nothing more than a simple forward punch. But in reality, the difficulty of Master's training never matched its outward appearance.
At this moment, Rin not only had to channel spiritual energy to instantly empower her punch quickly and precisely, but also control that energy in a complex way—paying attention even to small details like muscle movement and breathing.
Even with Master's prior guidance and demonstration, Rin couldn't perfectly replicate it. So she had to keep repeating the punch, adjusting herself little by little.
After long trial and error, Rin gradually found a feeling similar to when Master had demonstrated it.
"Ey."
"Bang."
A small explosion suddenly burst out in front of Rin's fist. It was a sound that should never have come from the tiny fist of a young girl.
Exhausted, she sat down on the floor, clutching her numb arm, yet smiling brightly. It was the first time Rin had successfully reproduced the punch she had been taught the night before.
Master had said this was a basic technique required before learning the "Fist of Destruction," one of the four great techniques he had once shown her.
Now, having learned it, Rin had taken a step closer to one of those four wonders.
She was overjoyed to see her progress, knowing her efforts were not in vain. It gave her confidence to keep striving even harder.
After a short rest, Rin returned to her training.
Even after one success, not every punch worked. The success rate was only about one in three or four.
So Rin had to keep practicing to increase her mastery until every motion and sensation of the punch was engraved into her body.
Only then could she unleash it instantly whenever needed.
...
After training all morning diligently, Rin carried her empty stomach down to the restaurant for lunch.
Ordering a simple meal of vegetable stew and bread, she happily devoured it.
"Just you today? Where's that boy?"
A waitress, not yet twenty, approached Rin with curious eyes.
Her name was Sue, the innkeeper's daughter. On normal days, Sue helped her family with many chores around the inn.
Hearing the question, Rin lifted her head from her stew and replied:
"Master is busy today."
Her voice was tinged with sadness, unable to hide the loneliness within.
Sue: "Why do you call that boy Master? Is he some noble from somewhere?"
Rin: "Master saved Rin's life. After that, Rin became his servant, following him."
Sue: "Can you tell me that story?"
Her eyes sparkled, unable to hide her curiosity.
Rin: "Rin was told not to share Master's story without permission."
Hearing that, Sue sighed in disappointment:
"That's a shame."
Sue: "So you're only eating this? Don't you want to order a drink or dessert?"
Rin: "This is enough, thank you."
She pressed her thigh with her hand, resisting the temptation to order a sweet cake.
She reminded herself to restrain her desires, not to waste the money Master had given her.
After all, Rin knew she hadn't truly helped Master yet. So this money wasn't wages she had earned herself. That was why she hesitated to spend it.
From outside the door, a group of new customers entered.
Sue: "Welcome."
The waitress quickly went out to continue her work. After taking their orders, she hurried back into the kitchen.
From where Rin sat, she overheard the nearby group talking.
"I heard there was a big Magical Beast hunt this morning, did you know?"
"Yeah, some guards and adventurers just came back reporting it. Now everyone's buzzing about what kind of beast needed so many people."
"Hope the trade routes aren't affected. I've got goods to deliver to the next town."
"Lucky for me, I don't have to travel soon. I'll stay put and watch how things unfold."
...
'Could this be related to Master's sudden departure this morning?'
Hearing their discussion, Rin wondered.
She silently prayed that Master's task would go smoothly and that he would return safely without mishap.