Mystery: But the Witch's Path

Chapter 16 Practical Course Instructor

After leaving Irving's office, someone led Altair to the training room.

Anastasia Roland, Altair's martial arts and firearms instructor.

Judging from her appearance alone, she looks like a woman who is not to be trifled with.

Through introductions from others, I also learned her basic information: she originally served in the 16th Army Legion in the Southern Continent of the Kingdom of Rune, and has now retired.

Since retiring and returning to the Northland, she has settled down in Backlund and has been here for three years. The club has not had any gossip about her.

.........

After a brief introduction, Anastasia learned of Altair's purpose in coming.

So he took Altair directly to the underground armory and began teaching him about firearms.

"It has been more than 160 years since Emperor Russell invented firearms. The most common firearms now are revolvers, as well as military high-pressure steam rifles, high-pressure steam machine guns, six-revolution machine guns, and so on."

"Due to the caliber of revolver bullets, revolvers come in various sizes. Women generally use small-caliber firearms, or some medium-caliber ones. As for large-caliber revolvers, they are not worth considering, as that caliber requires professional training and is not very effective."

"The high-pressure steam rifle is a powerful thermal weapon. Its barrel is complex and long, typically consisting of three thin barrels connected to a long tube leading to a metal box. This rifle is powered by high-pressure steam and uses extracted phlogiston; the bullets possess extremely high velocity and destructive power..."

"High-pressure steam rifles are military controlled items, and only true warriors can afford the size and weight of their backpacks."

"In addition, there are high-pressure steam machine guns that fire repeatedly. They are similar in appearance to high-pressure steam rifles and can fire a large number of bullets, giving them powerful firepower."

.......

In summary, revolvers come in various calibers, including standard caliber revolvers and "revolver cannons".

A high-pressure steam gun, similar to an air gun, propels a bullet by burning phlogiston.

The six-revolution machine gun is like a hand-cranked Gatling gun.

After Anastasia finished introducing the firearms, she officially began teaching Altair how to shoot.

But while demonstrating, he said, "First, you need to check if there's anything wrong with the gun. Then, load the bullets. When gripping the gun, your left hand should grip it tightly with the web of your thumb and forefinger, and the buttstock should be pressed firmly against the back of your hand... Hold your right hand with the four fingers of your left hand. Your arm should be pushed out, not fully extended..."

After Anastasia personally instructed Altair on the precautions for using firearms, she gave him a "medium-sized" revolver and six bullets, allowing him to practice shooting.

Altair took the revolver, so excited that he never thought his dream would come true. He immediately used the techniques he had learned to fire at the target.

While Altair was still enjoying the recoil of the gun causing a sharp pain in his hand,

Anastasia, looking directly at the target, said, "It seems your shooting talent still needs improvement; you haven't hit it once..."

Upon hearing the result, Altair exclaimed, "Why? I was aiming and firing!"

......

After two hours of continuous shooting, Altair now used a "medium-sized" revolver and could hit the target with at least six bullets, though he hadn't yet achieved accuracy. He consoled himself by saying that with more practice, he could improve; after all, every excellent sniper is forged through countless bullets.

As for large-caliber revolvers, there's no need to consider them; they clearly don't fall into the category of guns, and practicing with "hand cannons" would be meaningless for you.

After finishing his morning training, Altair wanted to have dinner with Anastasia to try and get closer to her, but she didn't agree.

Altair didn't go home and had lunch directly at the club. Although it wasn't very tasty, the portions were generous, with unlimited amounts of various meats. After his morning training, Altair ate quite a bit, and there was also ice cream for dessert.

During the afternoon combat training, Anastasia's first lesson for Altair was teaching her "Jiu-Jitsu".

According to Anastasia, "Men and women are different, and no matter how much a girl trains, it's very difficult for her to beat a boy."

"Regardless of the era, the 'body size' of men and women is completely unequal. The most common data is that adult men generally weigh at least 60 kilograms, while adult women weigh around 50 kilograms."

"The difference in body weight alone is not enough, not to mention the completely different resistance to blows between men and women. Even if you can throw 10 punches in an instant after combat training, if you can't break through their defenses, you can't break through their defenses."

"Of course there are exceptions. For example, if a person is malnourished for a long time, their weight and muscle mass will not be very high. But even in the worst case, men can still have a gender advantage."

"Of course, if you train like me and abandon the need for physical aesthetics, you still have a chance to stand on the same starting line as men."

"When fighting each other, you also need to make use of various tools around you... If you are fighting against a man, you should directly attack his most vulnerable point."

........

Anastasia, true to her military background, taught various strangulation techniques. There were no fancy moves; the goal was to kill with a single, decisive blow.

As for weapon practice, don't overthink it. With your current abilities, if you were to use weapons, you might as well just be handing them to the enemy.

Practice the basics of hand and foot first, then practice with weapons. Anastasia recommends weapons such as daggers and brass knuckles, but doesn't mention swords or knives at all.

This afternoon was spent under Anastasia's tutelage. The main focus was on training Altair in the understanding and application of various 'locking techniques' in Jiu-Jitsu.

In the practical training session, Altair was simply the one being locked down. By the end of the training, Altair was drenched in sweat and his muscles were sore.

As Anastasia prepared to leave, Altair reluctantly got up and invited her to be his personal trainer in his spare time.

Anastasia initially disagreed, but when Altair quoted 10 pounds per lesson, she couldn't resist the tempting aroma of the gold and agreed.

If Anastasia had held on for just one more second, she might have been earning £20 per lesson.

After she left, Altair collapsed to the ground, lying there for more than ten minutes before recovering. He thought to himself, "I've become an Extraordinary, and through an early-stage method that focused on increasing physical abilities, how come I'm still being constantly beaten down!"

Every day, I read "Rossel of Construction, instead of properly advancing the Industrial Revolution, he's been playing around with things, even copying yoga."

As for why she knew, Anastasia recommended practicing it, saying it's a good training technique to improve body control and flexibility!

I'm sure yoga would never be used like this if it were copied!