Chapter 21: Training the Sword!
As the first ray of sunlight fell on Aakesh's eyes through the window, he squinted his eyes and woke up. Aakesh stretched his hands and rubbed his eyes after sitting up.
Aakesh then looked at the time on the wall clock. It was a few minutes before seven.
Time flew by, and Aakesh left his room at 07:30. He hadn't eaten anything since yesterday morning. His body didn't feel any hunger due to being immersed in the blue liquid, but he still couldn't give up on food.
As Aakesh came down the stairs, he saw his mother and father already seated at the table, having their breakfast. Aakesh also joined them, and soon after, his mother helped him with his plates.
"Did you enter the game?" Aakesh asked after finishing his breakfast.
"Yes, your father forced me to." The mother replied, but soon she began to exclaim about how great the world was inside the game.
"Don't only travel, but also level up," Aakesh said, standing up from his chair. Aakesh then turned around and proceeded toward his room on the upper floor.
***
[Welcome, player Ikshvaku!]
The gentle female voice welcomed Aakesh as the hatch opened. Aakesh felt refreshed whenever he heard the voice, so he smiled and then took off all his clothes, placing them in the corner.
***
Aakesh appeared in the training hall after he logged in. Aakesh stretched his hands and legs and then proceeded toward the footwork practice.
Aakesh didn't continue for this long as his body had already gotten accustomed to the stance and footwork. Aakesh attempted it for half an hour and then proceeded toward the training dummy.
Since the Wolf Town was in the Radison Kingdom and only Indian players spawned here, there were already many people in the training hall.
Since Aakesh had mastered the beginner's level of proper grip, stance, and footwork, it was time for him to move on to practicing the various cuts, thrusts, and parries shown in the "Master of all Sword Arts."
Aakesh began with the basic cuts, swinging his sword in a variety of different arcs and angles to get a feel for the blade. He repeated the same for two hours.
[You have gained one strength point!]
As Aakesh was practicing, he heard the gentle voice ringing in his head. The sudden gain motivated him further, and he continued for another hour with the same process.
Once Aakesh felt that he had gotten the feel for the sword, he began practicing the horizontal cut, the vertical cut, and the diagonal cut, focusing on the proper technique and form for each one. He gave 100 turns to each, so after he had attempted all three hundred times, he repeated the same.
In his practice, hours seem to pass in a flash.
Aakesh was gasping for breath as he returned to the seating area for some rest after continued practice for seven hours. It was only due to his endurance that he even persisted this long.
After a rest of ten minutes, Aakesh returned to the training dummy. Aakesh then repeated the three cuts a hundred times each.
Aakesh then moved on to the thrusts, using his sword to deliver precise, powerful strikes at the training dummy. At first, Aakesh's movements seemed unnatural, but as time passed, his strikes began looking like those of someone who had practiced the sword for months.
After getting a feel of the basic thrust, Aakesh began practicing more advanced techniques such as double thrust and counter-thrust.
Aakesh had been in the game for more than twelve hours now. As Aakesh was improving with the sword, the mental exhaustion he had been feeling disappeared.
After thrust practice, Aakesh moved on to parries. To practice it, Aakesh had to pay one copper coin every five minutes as the dummy needed the energy to help him train deflecting blows.
Time flew by, and hours passed in the blink of an eye.
Aakesh's eyes were shining with excitement, as the Sword of all Arts appeared on his status panel.
Aakesh had finally gained enough proficiency to use the sword in a battle. It wasn't easy, as a whole day had passed in Panagea.
Aakesh had also gained some free attributes during the training, so he called his status panel.
Character: Ikshvaku
Species: Human,
Affiliated Kingdom: Radison Kingdom
Title: None
Class: None
Level: Level 4
EXP: 756/1600
Attributes:
Strength: 31(15+5)↑3
Agility: 33(15+5)↑4
Intelligence: 29(15+5)
Endurance: 32(15+10)↑3
HP: 320/320
MP: 290/290
Physical Attack power: 47(31+16)
Magical Attack power: 29
Defense: 49(32+15+2)
Attack Speed: 48(33+15)
Movement Speed: 49(33+16)
Free Attribute points: 1
Weapon Mastery: Sword
[Art Style: Master of all Sword Arts
Proficiency: Beginner
XP: 0/100]
Class Talent: None,
Skill: Thundering Strike,
Aakesh nodded after seeing the change in his attributes. His strength was growing at a rate faster than he expected, and he felt better about it.
After looking at his status panel, Aakesh activated the basic appraisal skill, looking at his sword.
Apprentice's Sword(Trash)
Description: A lightweight, well-balanced sword with a straight, single-edged blade.
Equipment Level: 0
Requirement: [Master of all Sword Arts]
Damage: 4-6
Speed: 3
Durability: 22/25
System Remarks: A Trashy Sword
Aakesh felt a pang in his heart as he saw the decrease in durability. The training dummy was made of resilient material, so practicing with it was bound to damage the sword.
Aakesh then logged out, as he wanted a breath of fresh air. Now that the instruction had been completed, it was time to put what had been learned to use in combat. Aakesh needed to make his mindset calm before attempting the dungeon.
It was around eight in the evening when Aakesh logged out. He went down and didn't see his parents, so he went to their room.
A smile spread across his face after he saw them sleeping on the bed with the virtual helmet connected to their heads.
After informing the maid, Aakesh left the house and wandered aimlessly through the neighborhood.
As Aakesh saw different people busy with different things, his heart calmed down.
He returned around forty-five minutes later and then logged in. Aakesh then placed the sword inside the scabbard he had gotten with the sword and then tied it to his waist.
Aakesh then left the training arena with a destination already in his mind.