Sunday. It was a relaxing day for Kyle. He lazily laid on his bed while reading a book. He wasn't alone in this. Joshua was lying on his bed lazily as well. But he had a reason: Saturday and Sunday were the only days he had more time to rest before resuming training with Ninia.
"I can do this all day," Joshua muttered with his eyes closed.
"I have a better idea. Why don't you close your eyes for eternity?" Kyle stated as he flipped the page.
"Are you asking me to die?"
"No, I'm asking you to sleep forever. There's a big difference."
"How cruel."
"How was your training with Ninia?" Kyle asked and changed the subject.
"She is ruthless ...." Joshua groaned.
"That she is," Kyle nodded wisely.
"But I think I have made significant progress," Joshua wasn't lying on this one. Slowly but steadily, he felt his senses were strengthened. He was certain that normal movement would look slower to him. Aside from that, his technique had become polished, and his mana breathing and mana control had grown more consistent.
"Good, good, I'd be disappointed if you didn't," Kyle said as he flipped another page."Compared to Leonhart or Ferlando, how good are you?"
"Hm…. I think I can handle them, but it will be a different matter if magic is involved."
"In what way?"
"Well, that Leonhart bastard is really good at buff magic. While he mainly focuses on close combat, his slash could destroy a tree at a long distance due to his concentrated mana in each swing," Joshua explained with his eyes still shut. By his description, Leonhart looked certainly strong, but to Kyle, he wasn't that impressive.
"What about Ferlando?"
"He is an all-rounder, I think? He is good at anything but just that. He isn't either a master or an expert in his field. However, he is smart enough to incorporate what he has learned to his advantage. So far, he only uses fire and ice magic."
"So, they are unique," Kyle concluded. Joshua was a dual swordsman. His specialty was run-and-hit tactics. His overall magic was good too. But when compared with Leonhart and Ferlando, Joshua was inferior.
{'He needs his own identity,'} Kyle thought to himself. Joshua lacked a unique signature that distinguished him from the rest. As the leader of a faction, he needed it to make people remember and recognize him. Something that made him stand out from the rest. Kyle wondered what might possibly suit Joshua.
"What do you want to be, Josh?"
"Huh?" Joshua opened his eyes and looked at Kyle curiously.
"I mean, with all your skills, what do you want to be in the future? A general or something or what?"
Joshua didn't answer immediately. He looked at the ceiling while thinking about it. "To be honest, after I graduate from here, I expect to become my father's successor and take the position as the lord of the house. But that's what every heir eventually does ...." he went silent again. "What I want ... I want to be the fastest dual sword wielder ... no, I want to be more than just having two swords in my hands. I want it to be infinite."
{'That's a grand goal,'} Kyle thought.
"Although infinite swords seem to be too much," Joshua chuckled. "So I think I want to wield a lot of weapons?"
"Hm ... your weapon mania can be done later. Let's focus on your wanting to be the fastest dual sword wielder. Have you made any progress with it?"
"Well, I routinely practiced my reinforcement. I also learned wind and lightning magic, which are known to be associated with speed."
Joshua had done his homework, but it didn't seem to be enough. Either Joshua only had that much talent, or he didn't use it to its full potential.
Kyle was able to assist, although he was already overburdened here. People would be wary of him if he displayed too many skills. He couldn't immediately assist Joshua at the moment. The plight of acting weaker.
"Do you have any spells that come from both elements that can boost your speed?" Kyle asked as he closed his book and put it on the table beside his bed.
"Yes, I have Air Burst, Wind Dash, and Light Feet for wind. I have Blitz Dash and Lightning Tunnel for lightning."
"Hmm .... Air Bust means collecting wind in a certain location and allowing it to explode out. You walked around with that on your feet?"
'Air Burst' was an offensive spell that could be used to knock back an opponent, but it could also be used to increase someone's speed. Creativity made it possible for a specific spell to be utilized for various reasons.
Joshua said, "My feet and back." He reasoned that if he propelled his feet and back, he might enhance his speed.
"It is a one-use spell unless you have a way to make it active continuously. The same goes for Wind Dash; it momentarily boosts your speed. As for Light Feet, it is a continuous spell that reduces your weight. You occasionally use Light Feet first, then Wind Dash, and have Air Burst ready."
Joshua blinked several times before nodding in response to Kyle's estimate. "Yeah, you are right. It is intended to be used in a straight line. If I miss my assault, I'll be at the mercy of my opponent, unless they're too slow."
"The same can be said for Lightning Tunnel and Blitz Dash, both of which are one-use spells that may be employed in a straight line. Even worse is the Lightning Tunnel, which, according to what I've heard, increases your speed at the expense of giving you tunnel vision."
Joshua nodded. "Yes, it did bother me when I was using the Lightning Tunnel. I only use it when I am certain of winning."
Kyle sighed softly. Joshua didn't have any good spells that could make him fast all the time. His spells were too simple and easy to counter.
"Are you familiar with the Speed Buff spell?" Kyle asked. Speed Buff was a straightforward spell that boosted the caster's or someone else's speed. It could be utilized indefinitely as long as the caster carefully controlled it. However, like all other buff spells, it depended on the target's physical capability and the caster's amount of mana being poured in. If the target was already slow, to begin with, it would take a lot of mana to make that person faster.
"I do," Joshua replied. Kyle sighed in relief. At the very least, he had a spell that could increase his physical speed.
"Create a new spell or alter your spells," told Kyle out of nowhere which caused Joshua to get up.
"Huh?"
"What you need is a spell that can be cast continually to buff your speed. While Speed Buff is good, it still lacks the speed required to flip the table," Kyle explained. "Air Burst .... If you can continuously gather the wind and propel yourself, then it will be a great advantage for you. Wind Dash: If you look closely, Wind Dash is actually an Air Burst that surrounds your body and pushes your body forward, hence propels it ahead. The Wind Dash, on the other hand, protects you from friction when you go too quickly. So I propose combining the portion of protection with the Air Burst," Kyle went on.
Joshua scratched his head. "It sounds good, but can it be done before the challenge?"
"Of course not," Kyle said, shaking his head. He wasn't that foolish to believe Joshua could make a new spell right away. "It will be your future spell. Keep on with your lightning. The Lightning Tunnel will be a decisive movement only, but you have to practice to become accustomed to the tunnel vision effect or have significantly superior senses to overcome the tunnel vision effect. It would also be nice if you could move around in any direction with this. Then from Blitz Dash, what you need is the speed from it, because this spell is much faster than Wind Dash. Also, you need to electrocute your nerves to make you faster."
"Are you insane?" Joshua shouted once he heard the last words. "I could die!"
"To gain power, you have to walk with death," Kyle smirked. For a moment, Joshua wondered whether Kyle had gone insane. "If you are not up to it, then I believe you will not be the fastest dual swords wielder."
"Urgh…." Joshua grunted. "Fine, I'll see what I can do."
"Great!" Kyle clapped his hands and took his book again to continue his reading. He hoped Joshua wouldn't be lazy and find a way to make his goal a reality.
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Author: Aida Hanabi
Proofreader: Lola
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