Ch.16: Basics of Sword
--<3rd PoV>--
Fresh from his bath, Ray strode back to the training ground, his mind buzzing with purpose.
He was ready to dive into sword training, eager to build on his morning's physical gains. But as he scanned the area, a sinking realization hit him—had he forgotten to purchase training swords?
He clicked his tongue at his own oversight, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. Shaking it off, he summoned his martial soul, the Lord of Domains.
With a thought, the black cube shimmered and morphed into an ordinary-looking sword. Despite its unremarkable shape, the jet-black surface, etched with silver-metallic blue lines, pulsed with an otherworldly aura, far from anything mundane.
"Bah, who cares about appearances?" Ray muttered, dismissing the minor details with a wave of his hand. He took his position, standing five to seven meters from Seraphina, who was engrossed in her own drills.
His plan was simple: observe and mimic her swordplay to learn the basics.
Initially, Ray had considered asking Seraphina for pointers to kickstart his sword training.
But now, standing here, the idea repulsed him. Asking for help felt beneath him, an affront to his pride.
Instead, he opted for stealth, spying on her movements to decipher the art of the blade on his own terms.
Ray began shadowing her, clumsily imitating her actions. He mirrored her steps—raising one foot, then the other, timing a stabbing motion with each stride.
The basics were manageable: stance, grip, simple thrusts.
But as Seraphina's movements grew more intricate, Ray's attempts faltered.
Step by step, he raised his foot and performed stabbing motions at the same time, mimicking her posture and stance. The basics were manageable—but as the techniques progressed, they quickly grew more complex.
Raise the left foot forward, hold the sword diagonally, slash upward on a diagonal angle while simultaneously returning the sword to its original position, shifting body weight from the toes to the heel, and stepping the right foot back for balance.
Then flick the wrist to widen the slashing angle, spin the blade forward, maintain space between the legs, and return to a neutral stance—only to leap and attempt multiple strikes in mid-air.
He nearly landed face-first into the ground attempting that last part.
"Finally touched some grass…" Ray groaned, pushing himself up from the ground, dusting off his clothes with a wry chuckle.
He glanced toward where Seraphina had been, only to find the training ground completely empty.
"What the—? It's only been twenty minutes. Did she already leave?" Ray said with suspicion as he stood and began walking forward.
Not seeing her around, he just thought she left and thought of started with his own set of training.
"Well, let's try to apply what I learned today into practi—"
Fuuuuu...
A sudden rush of wind roared past his ears, sharp and startling, making the hairs on his neck stand on end.
"Wah!"
Ray yelped, jumping in surprise.
He whipped his sword toward the source, other hand covering the ear.
He turned his head to see see the culprit only to find Seraphina doubled over, clutching her stomach in laughter.
"Hahahah! That was *hick* good! Haha…" she gasped, clearly caught off guard by her own amusement.
"I didn't know you could make a sound like that when surprised! Pfft!"
Ray's face flushed red, a mix of embarrassment and indignation.
He forced himself to stay calm, refusing to let her teasing unravel him.
"Looks like someone's having the time of their life laughing so hard, aren't they?" he said coolly, his voice laced with mock composure.
"You bet~! Hehe," Seraphina replied, her tone still dripping with mischief, her eyes sparkling with delight.
Ray stepped closer, but Seraphina was too busy laughing to notice. As he neared, an evil smile crept across his face.
"Let me help you laugh some more," he said, reaching for her waist with a playful glint in his eye.
But sadly for him things were not about to go his ways.
Just as his fingers brushed her side, she vanished in a blur of motion.
"Oh, what happened? Did you miss?" Seraphina taunted, reappearing a few steps away, her mischievous eyes darting around as if daring him to try again.
She was still within his reach, and Ray wasn't about to let her slip away this time. With a determined grin, he pounced, lunging toward her.
But Seraphina dodged with a hair's breadth of precision, her movements fluid and infuriatingly effortless.
"Haha, come on! You can do better than that!" she whispered, her voice teasing as she appeared behind him, slipping away each time he got close.
After a flurry of playful chasing, Ray and Seraphina finally paused, an awkward silence lingered.
The training ground fell quiet, save for the faint rustle of wind.
"Let's call it quits."
"Yeah, it's getting childish," Seraphina agreed, her tone light but with a hint of a smirk.
"Says the one who started it."
"Hmph! So what?" Seraphina shot back, tossing her hair defiantly. "Did you expect me to just stand there and let you win?"
"Tch." Ray clicked his tongue, his irritation more theatrical than genuine.
"What was that?" Seraphina asked, raising her brows with a challenging tilt of her head.
"Nothing."
"Just so you know, mister," Seraphina said, a proud smirk spreading across her face, "last time, you only caught me by surprise. In a fair fight, there's no way you'd win."
Her voice carried the confidence of someone who knew her strength.
Ray raised the jet-black sword in his hand, its silver-metallic blue lines glinting under the morning light.
"Done talking? Go on, then. You're wasting my precious training time," he said coolly, his jade-green eyes narrowing with a look that clearly demanded privacy.
"Hah! Swordsmanship and you?" Seraphina retorted, her voice dripping with mock ridicule.
"All I saw was someone flailing around, trying to jump while juggling a sword like a circus act."
Her words stung, and Ray's face heated as he realized she'd seen through his clumsy attempts to imitate her movements.
Embarrassed, he tried to deflect. "So what? It's my first time. I'll get better—good enough to leave you in the dust." His tone was defiant, aiming to lighten the tense atmosphere.
Afterall he has chosen this path, and he had realized that to progress here more, just a high grade technique is not enough.
Sure it will make his progression and strengths he earned far stronger than those at same stage.
But there will come bottlenecks which only talent, skill and handwork could break.
Afterall, even the original protagonist trained day and night even when he had the strongest talent.
So what is important is a need of real training, practice and skills.
Even if there is not enough talent, handwork can compensate for it.
And Ray was determined to make it happen.
No—he had to make it happen.
Casting aside his embarrassment, Ray gripped his sword with both hands, its weight steadying him.
His jade-green eyes burned with focus, a fire of determination lending strength to his stance.
Positioning the blade diagonally from left to right, he attempted to execute the moves he'd imitated earlier, this time with greater care.
He tried once, then twice. On his third attempt, a voice cut through the air.
"That's enough."
A hand suddenly halted his sword mid-motion, firm yet controlled. It was Seraphina.
Ray frowned, ready to question her interference, but then he caught the look in her eyes—unusually serious, devoid of her usual teasing spark. Her gaze held a weight that silenced him.
"Those are advanced moves from a swordsmanship technique," she explained, her voice steady.
"You need aura to perform them effectively. At this stage, you don't even have the basics. Master those first."
"How do I do that?" Ray asked, the words slipping out before he could stop them.
In response, Seraphina unsheathed her sword with a swift, graceful motion, the blade catching the light. "Follow my movements," she said, her tone firm yet encouraging.
"That's the least I'll do for you. But only if you show some improvement." The last sentence was barely a whisper, almost lost in the breeze, but Ray caught it.
And then started their daily training together, a new chapter which was filled with grinding.
--
Ever since that day, my grind has been relentless.
Each morning, I snap awake at 4:00 AM, kicking off the day with a grueling 30-minute run, lapping the mansion's sprawling grounds. With every dawn, I push to outdo myself, shaving seconds off my previous records, my breath steaming in the crisp air.
Next comes an hour of weight and balance training, where I've been making steady progress—progress that sometimes catches even me off guard. The burn in my muscles, the satisfying clank of weights, it's all proof of how far I've come.
Then it's time for sword training, where I drill basic forms—stabs, slashes, downward chops, moulinets—10,000 times each. At first, I started with just 1,000 reps, but they felt too easy, almost effortless. So, I doubled the intensity, my arms now moving with a rhythm that feels almost second nature.
Footwork training follows, focusing on sudden sprints, safe landings, efficient climbing, and weight distribution at high speeds.
The methods are unorthodox, to say the least—running and leaping across tree branches in the courtyard like some kind of woodland ninja. Sure, it's wreaked havoc on the garden's pristine beauty, but progress demands sacrifice, and I've grudgingly accepted the trade-off.
The final stretch is a relentless cycle of those four basic sword moves, repeated nonstop until exhaustion sets in—or rather, until 10:00 AM, when my training window closes. As with the help of Super Recovery it is hard to even get exhausted, so sticking to the schedule it as easy as it could get. It's the most time I can carve out, and I make every second count.
After a few days of this routine, I started diving deeper into martial arts and swordsmanship. And honestly? It's been a blast.
Those basic sword forms I initially thought were pointless turned out to be the real deal.
Practicing them opened my eyes to the vastness of this world's combat arts. Movements I could only observe before, I now understand—their flow, their purpose, their power.
Coupled with my enhanced strength, I'm confident I could take on C-rank adventurers or even beginner-level aura users in a fight. That's no small feat for someone who started from scratch.
But the real breakthrough is just within reach. I'm teetering on the edge of refining aura, and I know I'll crack it in a day or two. The hum of potential in my veins is undeniable.
I'm not the only one making strides, though.
In this time, Lilia formed her third mana circle, vaulting her beyond the rank of apprentice mages.
Honestly, she's the true prodigy among us. Most geniuses take an average of two years to reach that level; she did it in just under four months.
If that's not monstrous talent, what is?
And just yesterday, Seraphina's A-rank adventurer card arrived in the mail.
She's now officially cleared to lead others into high-level dungeons on her own authority—a privilege that sparked a wild idea in her head.
As our morning training wrapped up today, she dropped the bombshell. "Get ready, it's time to experience some real battle!" she declared, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Wait, what do you mean by 'real battle'?" I asked, my voice tinged with suspicion.
"Of course, to fight monsters in a gate!" she replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"You mean to take Master along with you?" Lilia interjected, standing abruptly and pausing her breakfast preparations. Her hands froze mid-motion, her expression fierce, like a protective cat baring its teeth.
"No way! I won't allow you to put Master in danger," she said, her voice sharp with defiance.
"What do you mean 'only Ray'? You're coming too!" Seraphina shot back, roping Lilia into the plan with a mischievous grin.
"Whaa—" Lilia yelped, caught off guard, her silver eyes widening in surprise.
"No questions! We're in this together. Let's go!" Seraphina said, her enthusiasm infectious, eventually wearing down Lilia's resistance.
"Fine," Lilia muttered, relenting. "I'll allow Master to go, but only if I'm there to protect him." Her voice was barely audible, spoken more to herself than anyone else.
"Wait, is no one going to ask my opinion?" I said, exasperated, watching the two of them get lost in their own world, planning my fate without so much as a glance in my direction.
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To Be Continued:
[Word Count: 2105]