After leaving Owen's office, Altair was escorted to the training room.
Anastasia Roland, Altair's instructor in combat and firearms.
Just from her appearance, she looked like a woman you didn't want to mess with.
From the introductions, Altair also learned the basics about her. She had served in the 16th Army Corps of the Loen Kingdom in the South Continent and had since retired.
Ever since retiring and returning to the North Continent, she had settled down in Bexland. She had been here for three years, and the club had never had any "gossip" about her.
After a brief introduction, Anastasia learned why Altair had come.
She took Altair straight to the underground armory and began teaching her about firearms.
"It's been more than 160 years since Emperor Roselle invented firearms. The common types today include revolvers, Military High-Pressure Steam Rifles, High-Pressure Steam Machine Guns, Six-Turn Machine Guns, and so on."
"Because revolver bullets come in different calibers, revolvers vary in size. The ones commonly used by women are small-caliber firearms, or sometimes medium-caliber ones. As for large-caliber revolvers, don't even consider them. That caliber requires professional training and doesn't offer much benefit."
"The High Pressure Steam Rifle is a powerful firearm. Its barrel is complex, thick, and long, usually consisting of three thin barrels, with a long pipe at the back that connects to a metal box. This rifle is powered by high-pressure steam and uses extracted 'phlogiston.' Its bullets travel at extremely high speeds and deal astonishing damage..."
"High Pressure Steam Rifles are military-grade weapons. Only a true iron-blooded warrior can manage the size and weight of the pack they require."
"There are also fully automatic High-Pressure Steam Machine Guns. They look similar to High Pressure Steam Rifles and can unleash a large number of bullets, giving them tremendous firepower."
To sum it up, revolvers came in different calibers, from standard revolvers to "revolver cannons."
High-pressure steam guns were similar to "air guns," using the combustion of "phlogiston" to propel "bullets."
Six-Turn Machine Guns were like Hand-Crank Gatlings.
After finishing her introduction to firearms, Anastasia formally began teaching Altair to shoot.
But as she demonstrated, she continued explaining, "First, check whether the firearm has any problems, then load the bullets. When holding the gun, press the web between your left thumb and index finger firmly against it, with the raised part at the back pressed tightly against the back of your hand... Wrap your left hand around your right. Push your arms forward, but don't straighten them..."
After Anastasia had shown her how to handle a firearm and explained the precautions, she handed Altair a "medium-sized" revolver and six bullets to practice shooting.
Altair took the revolver, thrilled that a childhood dream of hers had finally come true. She immediately used what she'd learned and fired a barrage at the target.
While Altair was still enjoying herself, the recoil making the web of her thumb throb with pain,
Anastasia looked at the target and said, "It seems your shooting talent could use some work. You didn't hit it even once..."
Hearing the result, Altair sighed. "Why? I was clearly aiming when I fired."
After two hours of nonstop shooting, Altair could at least hit the target with all six rounds when using the "medium-sized" revolver, though she had only just started hitting it and still had no accuracy. She consoled herself that she just needed to practice diligently from then on. Every excellent sniper had built their skill on a mountain of bullets.
As for large-caliber revolvers, she could forget about those. They clearly didn't even count as guns. Practicing with something like a "revolver cannon" would be pointless for her.
After finishing the morning's training, Altair had wanted to eat with Anastasia and get closer to her, but Anastasia declined.
Altair didn't go home either. She had lunch at the club. The food wasn't very tasty, but the portions were generous, and there was unlimited meat. After her morning workout, Altair ate a little more than usual, then had ice cream for dessert.
At the afternoon combat training, the first lesson Anastasia gave Altair was "jujutsu."
As Anastasia put it, "Men and women are different. No matter how much a woman trains, it's hard for her to beat a man."
"In every era, there's a huge disparity in size between men and women. The most common figures are that adult men generally weigh at least 60 kilograms, while adult women weigh around 50."
"They're already at a disadvantage in terms of body weight, not to mention their vastly different ability to take a hit. Even if a woman can throw ten punches in an instant after combat training, if they don't break through his defenses, they don't break through his defenses."
"Of course, there are exceptions. For instance, someone who has been 'malnourished' for a long time won't have much body weight or muscle. But even in the worst-case scenario, men still have the advantage of their sex."
"Of course, if you train like I do and give up on having an aesthetically pleasing body, you may have a chance to stand on equal footing with men."
"When fighting to the death, you also need to make use of the tools around you... If you're fighting a man, go straight for his most vulnerable spots."
Anastasia truly lived up to her military background. She taught all kinds of chokeholds and killing techniques. There were no flashy moves; if you could kill with one strike, you did.
As for weapons training, don't even think about it. With Altair's current abilities, using a weapon would be no better than handing it to her opponent.
First, she needed to practice the basics with her hands and feet, then move on to weapons. Anastasia recommended weapons like daggers and Knuckles. She didn't mention swords at all.
Altair spent the afternoon under Anastasia's instruction, mainly learning to recognize and use the various "holds" in jujutsu.
During their sparring practice, Altair was the one who got pinned the whole time. By the end of the training, she was drenched in sweat and her muscles ached.
When Anastasia was about to leave, Altair struggled to her feet and invited her to be her personal instructor during her free time.
At first, Anastasia refused. But when Altair offered her ten Gold Pounds per lesson, she couldn't resist the alluring Gold Pounds and agreed after all.
If Anastasia had held out for one more second, it might have been twenty Gold Pounds per lesson.
After she left, Altair collapsed to the floor and lay there for more than ten minutes before recovering. She thought, I've already become a Beyonder, and my Pathway even boosts my physical abilities early on. So why do I keep getting beaten down?
Every day, she muttered, "Roselle, you bastard. Instead of properly pushing forward the Industrial Revolution, you spent your time doing all sorts of things. You even copied yoga."
As for how she knew, Anastasia had recommended that she practice it, saying it was a good way to improve her bodily control and flexibility!
I'm certain yoga wasn't copied for that purpose!
Before you continue