Inside the shade of the white tent, Nico studied the row of weapons in front of him with somber intensity. Spears. Swords. Daggers. Axes. Maces, polearms and much more. A plethora of equipment stood on display.
Nico rubbed his chin. After discovering his innermost desire of freedom, he wanted to use a weapon that would aid him on his journey to achieving that. The brown-haired boy didn't disillusion himself. He knew a weapon was just a means to an end.
It helped you defend yourself and attack, but an over-reliance on a weapon was just as crippling as not having one at all.
Looking to the side of his peripheral vision, Nico found that most of his peers had already chosen their weapon. Turning his head to get a better look, the boy noticed that Leon and Henry were among the group of students who had made their choice.
The burly redhead had chosen a large silver War Hammer - one that resembled more of a giant sledgehammer, rather than its more petite cousin. Nico felt that was strangely fitting for the half-dwarf. He certainly possessed the strength to wield it effectively.
Henry had opted for a slim longsword. The sleek blade definitely suited the raven-haired boy's leaner frame. A sound choice that would allow him to make use of his agility as opposed to attempting to fight through brute strength. An aspect that was clearly lacking.
Unlike his well-built dwarven counterpart.
Beside them, a few meters away, Lucas swung a double-headed axe experimentally in the air. It generated a gust of wind as it cleaved through the air menacingly. The noble showed a satisfied smirk.
He stroked his new weapon affectionately.
Turning his attention back to the row of weapons, Nico continued to ponder. By now, only a few trainees remained inflicted with indecision. The brown-haired boy sighed.
He wanted something that was more complex to use, but not so difficult that he would struggle to wield it.
He also wanted a weapon which could help him deal with multiple enemies at once. Nico's gaze slowly converged onto a particular weapon. Sleek, with a wooden shaft and sharp tip. The brown-haired boy closed his eyes to reaffirm his choice.
Finding no opposition from his gut, Nico smiled in relief.
He walked up to the weapon rack and lifted the spear. The moment his hands came into contact with the weapon, Nico felt a shock permeate his being. He gasped.
The spear in his hands vibrated every so slightly.
As if humming in…
…approval?
***
Throwing the strange occurrence with the spear to the back of his mind, Nico made his way over to where the rest of his peers were standing. William had made them split up into groups with people who wielded the same weapon as each other.
The brown-haired boy's gaze swept through the groups until he discovered the one he was searching for. When his eyes landed on the spear section, his brows furrowed. There was only one other individual who had chosen the spear apart from Nico.
'How odd.' he mused. He expected more than one person to have chosen the spear.
It seemed like he was sorely mistaken.
Looking around, the boy noticed that most trainees had opted to train in the sword instead.
The white-haired instructor clapped his hands. "Okay, now that you've chosen your weapons, I want you to sit down on the floor," William paused, giving the trainees a chance to sit down and get comfortable. "For those of you who have chosen the sword, I will be your instructor. However, for those of you who have chosen a different weapon, separate tutors will arrive tomorrow. They will oversee your progress regarding mastery of your choice of weapon."
Nico frowned. He didn't expect that someone other than William would teach him weapon mastery. But upon further thought, he soon understood.
It would be near impossible for his instructor to specialise in every weapon that was out there.
So rather than receiving generic advice, a master who could impart the insights they had gained would guide them. The white-haired man was looking out for his students.
It took a lot of mettle to admit that you weren't the best person to teach someone, especially in the presence of some stuck-up nobles, Nico mused.
"Now, with that out of the way. I have one more piece of information to give you before you are all dismissed. That is… in two weeks' time there will be an assessment comprising duels against your fellows trainees…" William failed to suppress a derisive smirk from forming on his face. "This will show me the progress that you have made. It also ties into my next point. The Wilderness behind the camp is off-limits! Only after you've shown me, you could protect yourself - through the duels - or in the presence of an instructor will this restriction become lifted. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, Sir!" the trainees echoed in unison.
"Very well. Your task until we meet again tomorrow will be to meditate for at least thirty minutes before you go to sleep. Dismissed." William uttered with mock enthusiasm. Frankly, looking at these pathetic fools caused him no shortage of annoyance.
Alas, he had to honour the agreement he had made with the Academy.
Plus, it wasn't as if it was all bad. At least he got paid. Otherwise there was no way in hell - Transcendents be damned - that he would willingly spend his time with a bunch of weak eyesores.
The trainees shouted in joy, glad to have escaped their instructor's evil clutches. Several of them, in their haste to get back and put their weapons away, collapsed on the ground after forgetting the fact that they had overexerted themselves earlier.
The sun's heat had decreased in intensity. It was now past midday. The training session had taken up most of the morning.
Part of the reason it took so long was because William demanded that before every session, they practice entering the meditative state.
Coupled with them meditating before they sleep, Nico expected that the speed at which he could enter such a state would only get faster as time went on.
Nico groaned as he tried standing up. His legs wobbled, threatening his balance. The idea of staying to wait until he could properly walk tempted him greatly. Unfortunately, he had a burning question he wanted to ask his white-haired instructor.
"Sir, wait up!" Nico called out. His legs struggling to carry him forward. He staggered and had a few close calls almost face-planting.
William, who was looking forward to some rest in his own cabin, scowled. 'What now?' the instructor inwardly groaned. Turning around, his gaze paused on the trainee he found to be an anomaly.
Not only did the kid take longer entering the meditative state than his peers, but the white-haired man swore the aura of gloom around him had become stronger. William shook away his thoughts. "What do you want?" he asked with a scowl which stressed the scar on his face.
"Can you tell me about those three cabins near the middle of the Camp?" Nico asked whilst panting.
"That's what you wanted to ask?!" the instructor clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. Truly, his students were a bunch of annoying eyesores.
With a resigned sigh, William answered impatiently. "You must well know the three statues are the effigies of the three Ancient Heroes who helped bring about the demise of a Duke-ranked Demon, right?" Seeing Nico nod, he continued, "Well, those cabins behind them house a small fragment of these three Heroes spirits. Courage. Determination and Hope. You'll learn more about this nearer the end of the Camp, but for now all you need to know is that inside each of these cabins is a trial overseen by the respective spirit. To graduate from the Camp, you need to pass the trial given… or earn the acknowledgement of one Ancient Spirit. Before that, though, will be a mission which will help you get ready for said trial."
'Woah…' Nico blinked in surprise. His brows furrowed as he became deep in thought. The way his instructor talked about the trial or acknowledgement by one of the three Ancient Spirits made it seem as if it was quite a hard thing to accomplish.
If that were the case, what hope did he, a lanky teen with no combat experience, have of graduating?
Nico shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself. The reason he had come to the Training Camp in the first place was to strengthen his body and gain some combat experience to prepare for the Awakening Ceremony.
Besides, he still had plenty of time to improve between now and then.
Thanking his instructor, Nico bid William farewell as he slowly made his way back to the rows of weapons to return his spear, before walking back to his hut one agonising step at a time.