Yohan was asleep when he felt something wet on his face. Upon opening his eyes, he saw a small cat eagerly licking his face.
"Are you hungry, Bai?" he asked, holding the cat up in his hands. After much thought, he had decided on the name Bai.
Bai purred and leapt from his arms, heading towards the door and scratching it, indicating he wanted to go outside.
"Yes, yes, we'll go. Let me freshen up first," Yohan said as he went towards the bathroom.
It had been three days since he had contracted Bai and reached Iron rank. Brian and Kyle had gone to report to Captain Cruz and mentioned they would be back today to start his training.
The orphanage, which mainly housed children from military families, had extensive connections within the army due to the kids who had lived here in the past. These connections helped in securing many resources and training facilities, one of which they were headed to now.
"Let's go, Bai," Yohan said, opening the door.
They reached the training facility quickly as it was just in the back. Upon entering, they saw many advanced pieces of equipment and kids training. There was a central area where some kids were sparring with each other or with instructors hired by the orphanage. One side of the room displayed rows of different types of cold weapons. It was like a huge personal arena.
"Oh, Yohan, you're here. Ready to join the training?" James said.
"Ah, yes, but are orphanages supposed to have this type of facility?" Yohan asked.
"Normally, no, but we have quite a good number of supporters, and most of the kids here want to follow in their parents' footsteps, so it became a necessity," James replied.
"Before they come, I should tell you what you will be learning," James said.
"The first thing you will learn is basic combat, which may take you 2 to 3 months to reach adept level proficiency. After that, we'll start your weapons training, which may take at least 7 to 8 months. Be ready, because those two will be training you the same way they train, and believe me, it's not easy."
"What do you mean by adept level?" I asked.
"It means how proficient you are in using a technique," James explained. "There are basically five ranks: novice, adept, expert, master, and grandmaster."
I remembered merging some weapon proficiency last time. I wondered what level I'm at now.
"Okay, now you go and wait over there. Brian and Kyle will be here any minute," James said, and he went back to teaching the other kids.
I went to a corner and sat down.
"Status, show techniques," I thought.
STATS
Hand to Hand Combat - (Expert) [100/100]
Swordsmanship - (Expert) [100/100]
Marksmanship - (Expert) [100/100]
Wow, I already have expert mastery in every technique. This will save me a lot of time, I thought.
But I can't show them my real mastery; I already have a lot of anomalies in my body, I thought.
"They will be back soon; I should change first," Yohan thought and entered a changing room with Bai.
As he opened his jacket, a black tattoo of a tiger, starting from his chest and extending halfway down his arm, could be seen. This is a beast tattoo, which you get after contracting your beast. This is also where your beast resides, but Bai is too young now and hasn't learned to enter it yet.
As Yohan came out of the changing room, he saw Brian and Kyle already waiting for him.
"Are you ready to start", Brian asked.
"Yes", I replied.
"Let's move," Kyle said.
"We have another training room where we'll first show you some basic combat and then teach you what to do."
The three of them went into another room, which was locked. It was a big, empty, white room. As they entered, Kyle closed the door behind them.
"Watch us fight first," Brian said.
"We'll show you basic hand-to-hand combat."
Brian and Kyle squared off in the center of the room. Both took a fighting stance, eyes locked in focus. Brian made the first move, launching a quick jab aimed at Kyle's face. Kyle deflected it smoothly with his forearm and countered with a swift kick to Brian's midsection. Brian blocked the kick and spun around, attempting a roundhouse kick, which Kyle dodged by stepping back.
Brian rushed forward with a series of rapid punches, each one precisely aimed. Kyle blocked and parried, his movements fluid and economical. He waited for an opening, and when Brian overextended on a punch, Kyle seized the opportunity. He grabbed Brian's arm, pulled him off balance, and delivered a sharp elbow strike to his ribs. Brian grunted but quickly recovered, twisting out of Kyle's grip and delivering a low sweep aimed at Kyle's legs.
Kyle jumped, avoiding the sweep, and as he landed, he delivered a powerful knee strike to Brian's chest. Brian stumbled back but managed to stay on his feet. He came back with a fierce uppercut, which connected with Kyle's chin, causing Kyle to stagger back.
Kyle shook it off quickly and smirked.
"Not bad, Brian."
He then launched himself forward, this time with a series of rapid, calculated strikes. Brian managed to block a few but took a hit to his shoulder and another to his side. Brian retaliated with a strong hook, hitting Kyle squarely on the jaw.
They exchanged blows for several more minutes, the fight becoming more intense and evenly matched. Brian managed to land a solid kick to Kyle's leg, causing him to drop to one knee. Kyle, undeterred, rolled to the side and sprang back up, catching Brian with a sweeping kick to the side of his head. Brian staggered but quickly regained his footing.
Finally, Kyle saw his opening. He feinted a punch to Brian's face, and when Brian moved to block, Kyle swept his legs out from under him, sending Brian to the floor. Kyle immediately followed up, pinning Brian down with a hold.
"That's enough," Kyle said, releasing Brian and helping him up.
"Good fight."
Brian nodded, slightly out of breath but smiling.
"You're still as tough as ever."
Kyle turned to Yohan.
"Pay close attention to our techniques and movements."
Yohan nodded, absorbing everything he had just seen. The precision, the timing, the fluidity of their movements – it was clear he had a lot to learn.
After watching Brian and Kyle fight, Yohan clearly understood that even with expert-level proficiency, he lacked the combat sense to properly utilize his skills.
"I have a lot to learn," he thought.
"But before we start, I wanted to ask you something," Yohan said.
"Yes, tell us," Brian replied.
"How did you guys know that I have metal affinity even before my awakening? and I don't think you picked up Bai from some shop, considering his breed is too rare for that.
And do you know that I have an epic-level human bloodline? It means one of my direct ancestors is at least a rank 4.
Therefore, by utilizing this info, I can say that I have a very big family background, and you seem to have a pretty good idea about it," Yohan asked, his eyes serious.
Brian and Kyle exchanged glances, and then Brian nodded.
"You're right, Yohan. We didn't just randomly pick Bai for you. We had information about your potential affinities beforehand. As for your bloodline, yes, we are aware. When you were brought to the orphanage we already did a DNA test and found out about your original family."
"We can only tell you this much," Kyle said.
"If you want to learn more, you'll have to ask Captain Cruz."
Yohan nodded.
"I will. But for now, let's get started with my training."
"Ok then lets start," Brian said, moving to the center of the room.
"We'll build up your combat sense along with your proficiency."
Yohan took a deep breath, ready to begin. "I'm ready."