With my eyes closed and I had all my senses concentrated on the feeling of me swinging a sword that was coated with mana in a dark place. As I was highly focused on the sword, without even knowing it I had already closed off all my senses for the distraction from the outside world.
And the more I continued to repeat and tried to imagine the image of a sword's swing, the path, its trajectory, its impact, and more in-depth details, the visualization become more and more vivid and It started giving me the feeling that I was swinging a real sword.
Unfortunate for me just as I was about to achieve some significant enlightenment about the skill, the last few latecomers had entered the class.
And upon seeing the arrival of the last few of his missing students the instructor, who was still leisurely leaning on a pillar started slowly walking to the center of the arena.
Seeing the instructor who had been unmoved until now start moving the students who were sitting in front of him started whispering and as soon the instructor reached the center he cleared his throat.
*Ahem*
The sound was so loud the entire arena went silent within a second and that damn loud disturbance broke my concentration when I was about to make significant progress and the Enlightenment that I was going to achieve was gone like a bursting bubble.
Which made me feel terrible, and just as I was about voice my discomfort about the losses, I saw a dangerous glint in the eyes of the instructor which made me immediately swallow all the curses and bad words.
The instructor seems to be mad at the latecomers, even though he did not look like one but the instructor seems to be a member of the punctual types.
" Morning Outlanders, My name is Clark Geralt, a retired A-class adventurer, and your instructor for the combat class. "
[Author: OMG! This guy is made for 'Henry Cavill' ]
[Issac:😒...]
As soon as Clark made his introduction the students once again started murmuring among themselves, which irritated Clark who was already mad at the latecomers. Which made him immediately snap at the students,
" Silent you fools, you guys have not only wasted my time by arriving last and now you even have the guts to interrupt me with your chit-chats while I am speaking. And what's with all these fancy outfits? Are guys working in a band or something?"
The moment he said he immediately felt like those words were meant for me but the furious eyes of the instructor were not focused on me and the moment I tried to check at the source of his irritation, I was really taken back by what waited for at the sides.
As I entered the class late and a group of people was already sitting in the class, I didn't pay any attention to them, and since my mind was fully occupied by the thought of mastering the 'Star slicer'.
And until now, I actually didn't notice the custom of other people, and I already had felt that my custom was cringe, but the moment saw what the other people in my group were wearing.
I have no words to express the site before even the word 'cringe' lost its meaning. Almost all of these idiots were either wearing a cape or a long coat. With two swords on their backs, skin-fit pants, and high heel boots, the girls were all wearing either skin tights costumes and flashy robes, long pointy hats, high heels, and stuff.
[ Author: Lol all Kiritos, Nazgûl, witches, and flashy power ranger stuff, Man I can already feel the sourness of the cringe affecting my eyes]
This made me suddenly feel like my outfits were amazing and now my previous thoughts about them being 'cringed' had already lost its meaning.
"Seems like you worms are not taking this seriously, and you lots seem to have no respect for elders as well.
None of you pipsqueaks even tried to take the indicative to greet an elderly person.
So it seems like I need to teach you guys the proper manner on how to behave in a front of a 'Teacher'.
20 rounds of duck walk around the arena, no questions, and if I find any of you maggots trying to cheat, you better hope I didn't find you.
Are else I will make you regret being alive."
The moment he said those words the entire arena was pin-drop silent no one spoke a word. All of us felt our hearts bleeding looking at the size of the arena.
The entire arena was about the size of a football field, and the guy just asked us to go around it 20 times, and that too in a duck walk.
Not having the courage to speak up or withstand the wrath of the angered veterans the rest of us could swallow our resentment and follow the latecomer and join the punishment.
**********
It has already been more than an hour but still, not even one person among us was able to complete his punishment, and half of the students had already dead, lost their will, and are now lying in the arena like the dead frogs flattened on the highways by the wheels of a container truck, seems like they need someone to actually peel them off from the tracks.
Seeing that none of us were able to fulfill the punishment, he waited for a few minutes, and with an evil smirk on his face he said
"If at the very least ten of you can finish the 20 laps of duck walk, I will personally teach them any one of my special skills.
And I will even let them decide the fate of the others, they will have the total right to decide whether the rest of you lots should be spared from your charges or not.
When I say total right I mean 'total right' that is, these ten people can make you do whatever they want, they can even add more punishment to anyone in the rest of you lots."
At hearing his first sentence, only all of those people who still had not given up started trying to push themselves.
But as soon as the people heard his last words, everyone including the dead frogs sprung back to life immediately joined the action and started dragging themselves.
No one wants to be at the mercy of others and looking at the evil smirk of the instructor, everyone was sure that Clark Geralt is the kind of guy who would love to torment his prey.
But even with our lives on the line none of us were able to complete the twenty laps and only six of us including me were able to get past the mark of eighteen laps.
Seeing that even with our freedom and life on the line we were unable to overcome the hurdle Clark was disgruntled.
With a soured expression,
After the duck walk with just a half an hour break, he made us stand before the training scarecrow-like dummies and swing our swords all day.
Not even half of the allotted time for our combat class was over but already one-third of the class was out of commission.
The one and only great Me was able to withstand all those intense harassments and provisions if it was the Me from the past before the summoning ritual, I would have already died by the mark of half-court in duck walk, this just shows how much I have improved in the past months.
By the end of the class, only twelve of us among the group of 100 people were able to withstand the intense workout and furious requirements.
The requirements of Clark were so high and most of the people were knocked out by Clark's punishment because they could not fulfill his requirements and were sent to duck walk.
The man thought us a few sword swings and he made us swing the sword all day long and if finds a mistake.
For the first, you are sparred, and for the second time you've warned but the third time no questions you are directly kicked out to do the duck walk.
If anyone was found cheating or slacking, they were immediately made to go around the arena on another two-lap of duck walk.
At one point in time, I got bored and tried to swing my sword a few times as per the instructions of the 'Star slicer' only to receive a glare from Clark to immediately change back to his routine.
Well, it wasn't just me many people tried something like me and a few even got kicked out to do duck walk as a warning to the rest of us.
And by the end most of them lost their will after the duck walk, and thus by being unable to fulfill Clark's requirements, with his annoyed look and a furious voice, Clark made us go through the living hell that day.