Chapter 59 - Sword (2)

However, Wesley's backward jump propelled him a few feet, putting him past the two students who were circling behind him and already mid-swing themselves. Now, the swings coming towards Wesley from both the back and the front were heading straight for each other.

The moment the two groups collided, the swings coming from the front were tossed back a few feet. They had adjusted their swings to follow Wesley's backward jump, causing their stances to become shaky.

As soon as the two were sent backward, Wesley was already rushing toward the two from behind, who currently had their backs to him. Wesley immediately reached the tiny space between them that he had broken through earlier.

By this point, the two students knew what had just happened, so they both instinctively swung their swords sideways. They knew Wesley was behind them and was most likely heading toward them, so each of them let out a random swing toward the tiny space between them.

Surprisingly, their swords did meet something, but it wasn’t Wesley—it was their companion’s sword, causing a ringing sound as the swords collided. Each of them had swung their sword toward Wesley’s position, but they both swung at the same time and in the same direction, causing them to block each other’s swords.

Suddenly, another ringing sound came as Wesley’s sword collided against the crossed swords of the two students. The initial collision between the two swords was already enough to cause the students’ hands to tingle with numbness, but when Wesley's strike came, they simply couldn’t hold on to their swords.

-*Clang*-

The sound of swords hitting the floor resounded throughout the classroom. However, it was not only two swords that fell, but three. If Wesley had disarmed those two students, where did the third sound come from?

Everyone soon received their answer as Wesley released his own sword and let it drop with the other two. Before anyone could wonder why Wesley did such a thing, they received their answer.

Wesley immediately swung both his hands backward, aiming for the heads of the two students. His hands were not in fists, so his swing was more like a slap. But the moment it connected with the cheeks of the two students, they couldn’t help but fall sideways.

Their awkward swings had already ruined their stances, and the fact that they were surprised by Wesley disarming them only added to their disarray. They simply couldn’t help but tumble. Wesley’s face twitched slightly because of his shoulder, but it quickly returned to its usual passiveness.

At this point, a laughing voice came from within the crowd:

"That is enough."

Wesley looked at the second elder, who was smiling at him.

"Yes, Elder."

Wesley immediately picked up his sword and walked toward his scabbard. The second elder, once again, let out a laugh and spoke:

"Haha. See, young ones? Being flexible is indispensable. If you were flexible, you would be able to cope with a scabbard flying at you, your companions attacking you, or your enemy appearing behind you."

The entire classroom was dead silent. The students simply couldn’t fathom what they had just witnessed. Not only had Wesley beaten five people so quickly, but he had also done it so thoroughly. Could this really be due to nothing more than flexibility?

As if knowing what the students were thinking, the second elder spoke again:

"However, I’m afraid that if you want to be like Wesley, you’ll need more than flexibility. Haha."

At this point, Wesley was already walking to where Kellan was standing while smiling at him, but no one seemed to pay any attention to him because of the elder's words. Each of the students wanted to know what they need to become like Wesley.

One student who was in the crowd shouted towards the elder:

"Elder, What else do we need besides flexibility?"

"Haha. Do you really want to know?"

The second elder like to tease people for his enjoyment causing him to entice the little students with a mystery, than asking them if they want to know what it is. He looked at the students who were nodding their heads with bright eyes, and then he spoke:

"You need talent, hard work, understanding and a certain level of ruthlessness."

The students clearly were not satisfied with the elder's vague words so they looked at him expectantly forcing him to continue his speech:

"Talent to grasp techniques, hard work to perfect those techniques, understanding to see your opponents intentions and ruthlessness for...Haha."

The second elder's words caused many of the students to wince as what he implied by ruthlessness. Some of the more acute of the first years turned to Wesley with looks of fear. They all heard Wesley say that he was sharpening his sword now..

At the time, none of them thought much about it, but as soon as they heard the elder's words, they seemed to have understood something. However, Wesley didn’t even notice the looks these students were giving him as he simply just stood there like a statue.

- - - - - - -

After the regular class was over, Wesley and Kellan both went to put on their respective training armors. However, before they could proceed, the second elder spoke:

"Wesley, Kellan. There is no need for that today."

Wesley and Kellan looked at the second elder with confused expressions. The second elder simply walked toward them and continued speaking:

"The two of you have been using these armors for almost a year now. I am afraid their effects are practically negligible."

The second elder's words were indeed true. Wesley had already learned how to control his muscles and manipulate them so that the restraint on him was minimal, and sometimes even helpful. Kellan, on the other hand, had simply gotten used to the weight of his armor.

"I believe it is about time I prepare you two for a new training regimen."

Wesley and Kellan's eyes lit up at the same time. They both knew how beneficial the second elder's training was, and now they would be learning something new. The second elder ignored their eager expressions and continued speaking:

"There will no longer be any after-class training for the two of you until next year, and you don't need to attend the regular classes. Think of this as time off. However, I want you both to return with some good quality metal next year."

"Why?" Kellan couldn't help but blurt out.

The second elder's eyes narrowed slightly in amusement. He stretched out his hand, and his green longsword appeared. As the sword hovered in the air, the second elder spoke:

"Because, for the next year, the two of you will be bonding with a sword. You need a good quality sword, so good quality metal will be essential."

Both Wesley and Kellan’s eyes widened. Both were curious about the second elder’s methods and eager to learn more, but neither of them had expected this to come up so early. Kellan wanted to speak again but was stopped by a raised hand from the second elder, who continued:

"The better the quality of the metal, the better your sword will be. As my students, I will not allow you to bond with inferior swords."

The second elder looked away for a moment, as if thinking about something, then he turned to look at Wesley and Kellan, who were still staring at his sword. He continued:

"Kellan, I'll take care of the metal for you, but as for you, Wesley... Haha, I'll let you take care of it yourself. I’m sure you can manage."

Wesley smiled at the second elder's words. He wasn’t sure if the second elder was referring to his identity as a prince, or if he was implying that since Wesley was someone else’s disciple, he should ask his own master.

Either way, Wesley didn’t mind, but he still spoke:

"Getting the metal will not be a problem, Elder. I just don’t know what kind of metal I should get."

"Hmm, that is a good question. It depends on your sword style as well as your affinity..."

Before the second elder could finish speaking, Kellan interjected, confusion evident in his words:

"But, Elder, we are swordsmen. Why do we need to care about affinity?"

The second elder just looked at Kellan without even flinching and he replied:

"As swordsmen, we don't rely on our affinities like mages do, but we can still use it to our advantage. For example, I have an average affinity for wind, and my sword is made from Green Jade Steel, which allows me to use my mana in conjunction with my sword and make my technique better and faster."

Wesley recalled wondering if swordsmen could use affinities to improve their techniques. Only, he was thinking of it from a mage's point of view which required a high affinity, and didn’t expect that the sword itself could be used as a medium even with a average affinity.

While Wesley was thinking about the possible applications of different affinities with swordsmanship, the second elder's voice reached him again:

"Now, leave you two. I have things to do. And remember to choose your metal well."

- - - - - -

fter leaving the classroom, Wesley immediately bid Kellan farewell.

Because he was released from training a little earlier than usual, Wesley didn’t immediately leave the Academy. Rather, he headed towards the library.

He wanted to search for books about the different channels of the body. He was certain that something has changed about his core since it no longer responded to the regular channels associated with Dark Magic.

He wanted a book that outlined all the channels in one's body, and if that couldn’t be found, different books for different affinities would be best. And while he was at it, he would need to get a book regarding different metals and their characteristics.

Wesley was not too alarmed by the oddity of his core since he was able to refine mana. In the worst case scenario, he would go back to Holt City and ask his master for advice.

And as far as his swordsmanship was concerned, Wesley was curious about the different techniques that swordsmen use. Although Wesley identified as a mage, he was still willing to learn as much as possible regarding swordsmanship, as long as it made him stronger.

- - - -

After leaving the classroom, Wesley immediately bid Kellan farewell.

Since he was released from training a little earlier than usual, Wesley didn’t leave the Academy right away. Instead, he headed toward the library.

He wanted to search for books about the different channels of the body. He was certain that something had changed with his core since it no longer responded to the regular channels associated with Dark Magic.

He was looking for a book that outlined all the channels in the body, and if that couldn’t be found, different books for different affinities would work as well. While he was at it, he also needed to find a book on different metals and their characteristics.

Wesley was not overly alarmed by the oddity of his core, as he was still able to refine mana. In the worst-case scenario, he could always return to Holt City and seek advice from his master.

As for his swordsmanship, Wesley was curious about the different techniques swordsmen used. Although he identified as a mage, he was still willing to learn as much as possible about swordsmanship, as long as it made him stronger.