[Copycat (Ex) (Level 1)
You can copy any skill at A-grade at most you have seen.
Copied skill: 1/1
Persistence (A)
Your persistence is at a high level.]
[Calinga Sword Mastery (D)
In every swing of your sword, you will carry the art of the headhunters', Calinga's swordsmanship.]
[Calinga's Pledge (A)
By uttering the pledge of the Calinga, your attack power, attack speed, and precision will increase by 100%]
Dos had three skills at the moment, two of which were from the baptism while Copycat (Ex) was drawn from the skill coupon reward.
'The concept of level is still mysterious to me, needless to mention the Ex-grade that never appeared in the novel', Dos grew curious about the skill grade and its level.
Novel-wise, the highest ranked skill mentioned was SSS. For this reason, Dos was still working out with the skill.
He had tried for 3 years but its level remained unfazed. It was stuck at level 1.
Also, it was a skill unknown to other transmigrators unlike the skill of the novel characters, giving him the biggest advantage.
'Once it reaches level 2, maybe I can copy a higher rank skill and the capacity will increase', he presumed.
Dos felt that surviving the hellish training would be impossible without his copied Persistence (A) skill. It was the best skill at A-grade, of his trainer.
'Still, the effects of Calinga's pledge is noteworthy. The boost was comparable to S-grade', Dos amused.
The brothers received the same skill during the baptism. This was one of the key skills of the family.
With its good effects came the biggest drawback. It could only be used once and the hunter had to be precise in their killing - beheading enemies. Once they failed to completely behead their enemies, the skill would turn off and their strength would be depleted, rendering them helpless.
For this reason, this skill was only used when the hunter had a strong motivation to behead his enemy.
It was also one of the skills that could be evolved easily by constantly using it over time.
The morning light caught the group as they exited the shade inside the main house. Their steps were overbearing.
What sounded as a hound's light footsteps, exuded a terrifying aura akin to a rhinoceros' stamp. They were prudent in their steps but alert to pounce on prey any second.
The open area was unveiled, dawned by the shafts of morning light that peered through the gaps in the towering canopy trees in the other end. The breeze was gentle and warm, inviting an enticing tranquility.
Regardless, the group was not there for relaxation.
Their eyes loitered to the old man seated on the other end of the 20 sq.m. area. His one knee crossed over the other, as he sipped through his morning tea. White beards were now becoming apparent in his sharp jaw.
Adorned with a simple red long-sleeve collared shirt and black pants, he sat upright. His calloused hands prudently placed down his cup as he then closed his hands and gazed at the incoming group, their eyes full of reverence as they looked ahead toward him, the headmaster.
When the group halted on their steps, the butler standing beside the headmaster stepped forward.
Then, he spoke.
"First, I applaud the young masters for completing their basic training.", he commenced, skimming through the young masters.
He proceeded.
"To welcome your return, a one-on-one sparring will be conducted. The rule is simple - fight till one is subdued."
With minimal words, he explained the rules and proceeded with the roster. Wooden swords were handed out to the young masters.
'First fight right away', Dos pondered. Then he looked at his sparring partner.
"Let's have a good sparring session, Dos", it was Banuar, the main protagonist of the story. He extended his hand, aiming for a handshake.
The scenario was already starting and their actions were restricted.
Dos, being in character, ignored the raised arm, getting to his position right after.
'The headmaster caught sight of this scene and started to take eye on the kindness of Banuar and the cruelty of Dos - it is what was stated in the novel.', Dos pondered.
The butler got in the middle of the two whilst other brothers and trainers moved to the side. With the signal of the butler, the battle started.
Subsequently, a translucent sheet covered the open area, trapping the three of them.
Dos could just watch through his peripheral vision as other brothers regained their free movements. For this scenario, only the three of them were involved, their movements maneuvered as the plot intended.
'As I thought, I cannot move my body.', Dos lost control of his body, moving involuntarily, driven by the plot. His moves were predetermined.
His body dashed forward. With swift movement, he drew a horizontal arc the moment he inched to Banuar. His moves were swift and smooth, underlining his proficiency of the skill Calinga sword mastery (D).
However,
'Idiot'
Dos could only scratch his head to the impatient and reckless move by himself. It was a direct attack, motivated by conceitedness and desire to impress the headmaster.
At this timeline, Dos had already reached the Sword Apprentice level, making his attack optimized for clean beheading strikes. Normally it was a great progress to reach such a rank at age of 3 but that didn't apply to this batch.
Dos failed to size up his opponent, blind by his own milestone.
The Calinga brothers all had reached the Sword Apprentice level with one surpassing the rank.
The moment the sword was about to slash Banuar, a sword channeling shadow energy appeared, briefly meeting the attack.
The sword drawn by Banuar cut through the sword of Dos, eventually the shadows receded after. Its blade was deprived of its sharper cutting angle and returned to its fragile wooden state.
"Cutting Arc, the power to channel shadow energy to one's blade. It seems that young master Banuar has reached the Sword Warrior level.", the butler assessed
With Dos unarmed, the butler raised his right hand and declared the winner.
"Young master Banuar wins"
'At least I can move now', his control sluggishly returned to his body with his character exiting the translucent sheet. With his figure out of the scenario, Dos had regained his mobility.
Their characters were now off-scenario and were outside the translucent sheet.
"Sparring between Homobono and Sadiri, starts", the butler announced
Dos attempted extending his hand beyond the sheet.
'Maybe i can figure out another rule or what this sheet is', he assumed
Just right when the tip of his finger met the sheet, system announcements intercepted him.
[The character is not involved in the main scenario. Permission for entry has been blocked]
[You have unlocked a new rule]
[Rule no.4: No one outside the scenario may interfere with the main plot.]
'So there is really no way to mess with the plot huh', he inferred.
Before he knew it, the sparring ended swiftly with an overwhelming victory for Homobono. His physique was almost double that of Sadiri who, with full of shame, lowered his head after the fight, off-scenario even.
The scenario then continued on with the other brothers.
Finally, the sparring concluded with the battle between winners. For the last battle, Banuar and Homobono stood opposite each other. The translucent screen encapsulated their sparring area.
With the signal from the butler, Homobono dashed forward, his large physique overbearing with his wild stamps.
With heavy strike channeling his body weight and momentum, he brandished his wooden sword downward.
It was not an art of beheading but rather a barbaric way of fighting.
Banuar felt his limbs turning limply from the weight of the attack. He parried it to the side, struggle evident in his face.
Making distance from Homobono, Banuar heaved for breaths.
'That is not his way of fighting earlier. What happened?', Dos found the sudden change in Homobono's fighting style to be different.
In his fight with Sadiri, his moves were heavy yet optimized to beheading.
But in this fight, his fighting was rather barbaric. It was cruel and unpleasant.
The fight ensued with Banuar being on the defensive side. Homobono dashed and restless in his attack, drawing his sword one right after the other.
Time passed with Banuar no longer gaining foothold
'Why is he not using his skill? Is this really how this scenario ends?' Dos was dubious of the events transpiring before him.
Banuar was never portrayed to be this weak. Not against a minor villain.
In just a few moments, Dos witnessed the tip of Homobono's blade, smashing into a worn-out Banuar.
His body fell limp to the ground, his senses seeping out of his body with the blood dying the grass red.
Restless, Homobono continued on with his attack.
"Die, Die, Die", he shrieked, smashing the latter's head.
Sadiri fell to his knees watching this cruel scene. His body trembled as cold grew in his feet.
Moments passed until finally, with a smash on the mashed head, a system notification resounded.
[Character "Banuar Calinga" has died]
[A rule has been breached]
[Enacting punishment to the offender]
[Offender: Homobono Calinga]
Non-characters became frozen with the darkness overcast the area, converging at the sky overhead of Homobono.
His bloodshot eyes filled with pleasure, gazed at the ominous cloud ahead of him. Blood dripped down his head along with the terrifying rumbling of thunder.
Homobono could only release a gulp before thunder descended on him, burning his body to scorch.
His momentary wailing of pain echoed through the others' heads before his voice vanished entirely.
[The punishment has been enacted]
[Now reviving characters "Banuar Calinga and "Homobono Calinga"]
[The characters are now complete]
[Replaying the scenario 3: Sparring]