"Nice to meet you, my name is Jinzo Sawyer, you can call me Jin for short - is what I would like to say, except I've already met you before. How are you holding up Sebastian?" The youth in front of Sebastian was smiling from ear to ear while holding out his hand. He definitely had a naive air about him. He was almost the epitome of innocence. His demeanor made it easy to believe he was a fledgling adventurer.
"Weren't you the guardsman that helped me back then? Looks like we meet again." Sebastian was delighted to know that a familiar face would be adventuring forth with him as his party member. He didn't have the time back then to talk much with him, but he seemed like a really laid back person.
"Yes! You do remember me. I was following protocols back then so I didn't engage much with you. You were also lost in your own thoughts so I just left you to your own devices while we brought you to the Adventurer's Guild. Speaking of which, I'm an adventurer rank E."
"I see, that means that you have been an active adventurer for less than a year and you've handled some simple quests, is that right?" Sebastian thought that it was a bit personal to share which adventurer rank a person was, but then again, they would be party members so it was important for them to learn much about each other.
"Oh-ho, so you have learned quite a bit since then. I'm impressed, well done! Yes, I've been active for less than 4 seasons but I'm getting ready to head out as a fully-trained adventurer quite soon. I'm getting pumped just thinking about it! Let's spar now so we can learn about each other's combat abilities." Jin was already heading towards the weapon rack as he pulled out a shield and a spear. Under the watchful eyes of Elias and a young beastkin woman, they started to spar just a few sentences after introduction!
'A shield and a spear? That seems very unconventional. Let's be on the defensive for now. [Augment] Reinforce eyes, open nerve synapses, partially block pain receptors.'
"Begin!" Elias didn't waste time starting the spar. It seemed that the first lesson of the day was immediately the sparring lesson between Jin and Sebastian.
As soon as Elias gave the signal, Alex dashed forward while holding his shield in front of him. From Sebastian's point of view, all he could see was the wooden shield and nothing else.
'Shit! I can't see his body so I can't tell what he's going to do! This is bad. [Augment] Reinforce leg muscles' Sebastian turned slightly as he made space between him and Jin. It seemed that Jin was waiting for it as he swung his spear!
'He's attacking from the right! [Augment] Reinforce right arm muscles' Sebastian lifted his sword to block but Jin was also anticipating it. Before the spear even made contact with the sword, Jin bashed the shield to knock Sebastian off his legs. As Sebastian fell on his back he saw the clear blue sky as Elias called out "Stop! Finished." Jin was already pointing his spear towards Sebastian. No matter how you look at it, it was a one-sided victory. Even with his quick thinking and augmented nerves, Sebastian couldn't react at all.
"Did I overdo it? I'm sorry, people say that I have too much energy so I tend to be physical and talk a lot as well." Jin helped Sebastian up as he dusted himself while standing.
"Well it was my first time sparring with you or with your style in fact so I really lacked a lot. Please practice with me more in the future. If this is a rank E adventurer then I am definitely lacking."
"Now this is a bloody waste of time. You can [Augment] yourself all you want but if you are not innately talented then it's just like pouring mana in a broken cup. I was expecting a lot since you were a Forgotten One but it seems I was mistaken." The young beastkin woman beside Elias finally said something as she stepped towards Sebastian.
"You also have to consider that Sebastian merely trained for over a month by now. He was only sparring with me so in terms of variety and time, he was extremely limited. He can't compare to the both of you that's why he's not an adventurer yet." Elias took a step forward as he motioned for Jin to put away the weapons.
"I need to adventure again so I need capable party members. Spear and shield here just has the basics down, it was very easy to read his moves from the get go."
"My name is Jin. Being a rank E definitely shows doesn't it? Ahaha. I'll be in your care then." Jin was awkwardly scratching his head as he smiled while talking to the beastkin woman.
"Wait, you said that you need to adventure again. Are you an experienced adventurer?" Sebastian couldn't help but wonder at her words and how she seemed to be in a rush.
*sigh* "My name is Rebecca Khul, that's Becky to you. I'm an adventurer rank D. Due to some pressing matters we need to stabilise our party as soon as possible." Becky was crossing her arms as she maintained her condescending tone.
"That is exactly why we need to train you as a party. Today is the first day you will be in a party so you need to function as a cohesive unit. Might I remind you that adventuring is not for the unprepared and can easily result in death." Elias seemed very firm as he tried to put Becky in her place.
"Fine then. How about this? If sir Forgotten One here can spar with me on even terms then I will shut up and will even follow him as his underling for the rest of my life. How about it?" Becky was still crossing her arms as she looked at Sebastian.
"That's fine by me, but don't make excuses or go back on your word." Sebastian was getting ready with his wooden sword while Becky took out two wooden daggers from the weapon rack.
"I'll show you how real adventurers fight. If I win then you have to spar with me and Jin, aside from Elias everyday."
"Just treat this as another lesson Sebastian. Use your [Augment] to the best of your abilities and learn from the outcome - no matter what it is." Elias pulled Jin beside him as he prepared to begin the fight.
"Don't treat this like it's a bloody training session. Take this seriously." Becky was almost hissing as she said the last part while she lowered her body, preparing to dash.
'Even without my [Augment], I can see her muscles tensing. She is definitely serious - I should too. [Augment] Reinforce eyes, open nerve synapses, partially block pain receptors, reinforce arm muscles, reinforce leg muscles.'
"Begin!"
'Her right leg is still tense, she's going for a frontal assault?!'
As soon as Elias started the match, Becky maintained her low posture as she disappeared with a blur!
'Shit! I couldn't see that! Use my senses! [Augment] Reinforce hear-'
Before Sebastian realised what was happening, Becky appeared behind him. She spun and roundhouse kicked the back of his head! Sebastian couldn't defend himself in any way. He was hurled forward due to the force as he lost consciousness.
"Look at that. I didn't even need to use my daggers. Damage dealer my ass. Forgotten One my ass." Becky didn't hold back on her insults as she tossed her daggers towards Sebastian's limp body.