novelraw Chapter 156: Weapon Training (2)
Chapter 156: Weapon Training (2)
Kaiser tilted his head, then walked forward. He calmly collected the bow from Astron, then an arrow from the assistant instructor.
’She’s finally paying attention to me? Sigh.’
He wasn’t actually interested in her. Instead, he was interested in her connection with Vulpina. After all, he could perceive the catkin’s scent on her.
’Although I doubt it would be anything entertaining, it should be worth observing.’
Exhaling softly, he nocked the arrow and raised the bow. Without waiting, he fired the shot. His action appeared hasty and rushed to his classmates, but Master Aira’s eyes widened.
The arrow shattered the target, then moved forward to shatter three more moving targets before falling to the ground.
"Oops. I lost focus for a second."
Kaiser groaned internally, realizing his shot might have been a little overboard.
’Perhaps this will create an opportunity for me to meet her later?’
The thought comforted him, and he casually returned the bow back to her. Without a word, he stepped back to rejoin his shell-shocked classmates.
After a long pause, Master Aira said in a subdued voice. "You’re good—very good."
In her heart though, she was skeptical. ’This student is so skilled in archery. How did he train to such perfection?’
She couldn’t believe a person who had just awakened four months ago was already this good with Archery.
’I might have to report him to Senior Instructor Rina.’
Keeping her thoughts hidden, she called the next student to try shooting down a moving target.
Over the next few minutes of trying, two students nudged the edge of the targets like Astron while the others completely missed.
Master Aira didn’t display any disappointment. Instead, she nodded, understanding their respective problems.
"Both of you. Twenty push-ups in the morning, and another twenty in the evening. I want to see results in our next class."
She said to the only two girls present in the group. After seeing them shoot, she confirmed that they were weak and didn’t have enough strength to fire long-distance shots.
"What! Twenty?! I-sn’t that too much?" One of the girls gasped, a frown on her face.
Master Aira glared at her. "Don’t do it, and you’re failing the subject this semester."
Immediately, the girl shut up and no longer complained. The other girl nodded subtly, appearing timid by nature.
Master Aira then turned to Astron and the remaining boys. "You all should work on your flexibility. I will be sending a set of fitness exercises to your devices. Practice them daily until our next class."
Although she felt like Kaiser didn’t need the exercise, she decided to give him that task too.
’Even if he’s a good archer, that doesn’t mean he should be idle and complacent.’
......
Still in the enclosed space of the Training Facility, the Blade Group were engaged in a military-like training.
Master Grey stood among them with a smile, speaking and making them change forms.
"Block!"
The students shifted, raising their weapons diagonally in a defensive stance. The man walked around while they remained in that position, correcting each students mistakes.
"Your shoulders are too stiff. Learn to brace, not stiffen."
He said to Hazel, gently patting her stiff shoulder muscles. The girl’s brows twitched, and she relaxed slightly. Her shoulders dropped a bit, but still retained their tensed form.
"Good." Master Grey smiled and moved onto the next student. He carefully corrected each student, repeating himself over and over until they adapted.
Among his students, Jose and Eric gave him the most problems by repeating mistakes, but he wasn’t annoyed. Instead, he would smile and correct them again.
’They’re just young students with barely any foundation. I can’t treat them how I treat the recruits at our Guild.’
However, there was one student that surprised and disturbed him.
’This boy... or is it a girl?’
His eyes displayed confusion as he stared at the boy with long silver hair. His form was always perfect regardless of what stance Grey asked them to take.
It was... disturbing.
’Is he that good at adapting?’
Grey wasn’t sure, but he decided to observe the anomaly in this student.
"Break."
As soon as he spoke, the students turned around and flipped in the air. Their weapons sliced through the air, making sharp sounds.
Master Grey observed them and shook his head. "Be at ease."
The students loosened immediately, some sitting on the ground while others leaned on each other for support.
"You all have mastered the three forms—Strike, Block, and Break. However, your transition from each form to another is flawed. You need more flexibility in that case."
He summoned a sword for himself, moving some distance from them.
"Watch me do it."
He held the sword before him, then made a straight slash. It was fast—almost too fast for the students to see. Before they could register that movement, he stepped back, the sword held diagonally as if to block.
Several eyes narrowed, trying to track his movements. The next moment, he jumped and rolled in the air. His blade slashed at the empty air, his legs spread apart to steady his landing.
Seeing their faces covered in amazement, he waved his hand. "This is nothing serious. It’s just the basics. Don’t worry, you will all get it soon."
Hazel raised a hand, her brows creased. "Excuse me, Instructor. But these aren’t moves that seem to be used against a Nirad Creature. Shouldn’t you be teaching us that?"
Once she made her point, the others also noticed this. They turned to each other, whispering in confusion and speculations.
Master Grey wasn’t offended and answered calmly. "Indeed, these moves are not meant for Nirad Creatures. Instead, they’re tailored to battle a human being."
"What? Why?" Jose asked with a frown. He folded his arms, giving the man a judging glare.
"Why?" Master Grey repeated his question, then disappeared. He reappeared before Jose, picking him up by the neck. His grip was loose, but the boy was already frozen in fear.
"Because a human is the scariest threat to another human." Still smiling, the man turned to Ariel. "Don’t you think so?"