Present day inside of the golden academy…
Luckily after wandering around blindly for almost ten minutes, I ran into two familiar faces. Patricia and Steward.
"Partica it's Marcel, he's actually alive," Steward almost screamed and jumped around like a little, almost forgetting his fifteen years of age.
"You're right, I thought for sure he would miss at least two weeks of school," Patrica acknowledged Steward and the two began examining me.
"You speak as if I'm not standing right in front of you. Actually, I'm glad I ran into you guys. With me missing a week of school I really need some help getting around, could you show me the way to 'Offensive planning and Attack Creation'?" I asked reading the class name directly off my schedule because I'd never gotten to reading the classes
Oddly enough both Patrica and Steward happened to have that class as their first period. While walking in the direction of the class I took the time to read over my classes.
For first period it's Offensive planning and Attack Creation, then for second period it was Creature Research, then lunch, Ki Manipulation, and Basic Survival. 'Considering that the only class that I personally added to the list was Ki manipulation, I guess the rest are classes for us copper fist to take or are we called freshmen like inside of a normal high school?' I thought before we arrived at a metal door with 'Room 195' going across its surface.
"Anything I should know before we enter," I asked directly.
"Not really the instructor's a bit on the strict side but you two should get along well." Partica said before we entered the room.
The classroom, if it could even be called that, was around fifty-two meters overall. In the front were multiple squares which could easily fit two people drawn on the ground and one boxing ring in the middle of the room. The other side of the room was empty, and there stood a man who's height definitely reached six feet. He's dark skin with gray eyes and brown hair, and at the top of his head were silky smooth waves.
"Disperse! Those who are late report to me immediately!" The instructor's voice boomed across the room which unlike the two beside me I winced at. After all, my sense of hearing was greater than theirs.
Once we stood in front of the man the two beside me stood up straight and gave him a salute before shouting,"Good Morning sir!" In their words I couldn't help but think,'Did I willingly sign up to be in a military boot camp?'
I soon met the eyes of the man, somewhat refusing to follow the two beside me. It's not like I had a problem letting someone else be in charge, but couldn't I kill him right here right now and probably still make it out safe and sound? Before the man spoke I quickly stood at attention like the two and my sides and greeted the man good morning.
'Maybe those self proclaimed superior beasts are rubbing off on me.' I thought to myself as the man smiled.
"Patricia, Steward, head off to your duties. I'll take care of the new student." The two each grabbed their respective wooden weapons and went off looking for a free square before beginning what looks like a duel.
"Your name is Marcel correct," with my given nod he carried on."The one who took down Grade Three Sorrow Bird, that's quite a feat for someone who I can tell lacks a style of combat." My instructor said while sitting down on the ground staring up at me.
"How can you tell that my attacks lack style, is what you were going to ask." He said to which he was right after all I thought after seeing Stewards flowing movements that I had almost profected my style.
"You see what many refer to as a Style is merely the conviction behind your attacks, not the strength, speed, connection, or pressure that you insured on your opponents but the reason in which you've picked up your blade." As he spoke I couldn't help but sit down and listen,there was something drawing me, a hunger for more of the information he possessed.
"When facing strong opponents, some may try to weaken your will for battle, making you outright give up and accept your defeat due to the unbearable pressure felt from them. That is what we call Killing Intent or if you're a Master in manipulating Ki then Aura. You'll learn more about these topics in the Ki manipulation class, but right now you're in my class." He said before standing up and walking over to the rack of weapons on the wall.
"Like many of the others I'll test you and you'll pick up the weapon I've chosen. I couldn't care if you've been using a sword for all your life. If I feel like you'll succeed better with a dagger then that's what you'll do, do you understand?"
"Yes instructor!" I replied before grabbing my pair of weapons off the rack.
With my nunchucks and a blunt wooden sword in hand the man spoke once more. "Ah, you defeated a Grade beast with these weapons? Whoever your teacher was must have planned to switch you out for a different one once the time came."
"Why?" I asked, knowing that I had picked up the nunchucks only because of my brother and the sword because I needed a way to penetrate the thick hide of beasts.
"Because those weapons are complete opposites. Ah, it's no wonder why you haven't developed your Style yet." My instructor said as he covered his face with his hand.
"Opposites?" I repeated his words blindly trying to make a connection.
"You see, normally nunchucks are made to protect and defend something or someone, whereas the sword is made to slay something or someone. If you truly have managed to fit within this duality for a while then your best chance at developing a Style would be to switch to another weapon that can be used for both for protecting and killing, then place your conviction behind your attacks and then I guess keep training until you feel like you've mastered your new weapon." My instructor spoke calmly and at times took breaks to reorganize his thoughts.
"So which weapon would be the best fit for me?" I waited for an answer until a weapon I'd just been rewarded with appeared in my head.
We both spoke at the same time and our eyes drifted to the same weapon. "The spear."
"How about you give the spear a try, after all it was created to protect and as a tool for survival."
"In other words you mean it's a weapon that excels in both killing and protecting right?"
"Could have said it better myself."
"I'll take it." I said before grasping the spear and beginning to sort out my morals before my practice fight between my instructor that he had been hinting about.
'I've used the nunchucks only because I had some experience with them but also because they were the only tool that I had to defend myself. Then along the way I picked up swordsmanship, that too was out of survival then just like in both scenarios it's always been about one thing…Survival. In this joinery I've learned one important thing, it's only thoughts with determination and who are willing to put their importance in life over another's who will survive and keep moving forward.'
I felt something click inside of me once I verbalized my way of thinking almost like I was making a natural connection with the spear held in my right hand. "So instructor, you know my name, what is yours?" I said turning around and staring the men in the eye.
"A talent like you can call me Darren, be honored, as I am known for being this entire academy's strongest instructor." He said with a simple smile on his face that the subtle pressure radiating waves off my body brought out his smile which wouldn't go away even as we stepped into the ring in the middle of the room.
With wooden gauntlets on his hands he beckoned for me to approach him and I did, any arrogance I felt when I first met the man had disappeared. The pressure I was giving off wasn't even a small portion pouring out of his body, the pressure from his killing intent made me want to go all out right then and there but I chose against it.
Alright enough chatting it was there that we fought…