It was barely afternoon when Neo arrived at his humble abode.
At least, judging by the intensity of the blue crystals above, it seemed to be.
On his way back, Neo had concluded that he still wasn't strong enough to hunt Common-grade beasts yet. It was no longer just about strength; it was about skill.
Neo was too unskilled!
A good spearman should be able to defeat an enemy slightly stronger than himself based on excellent spearmanship alone. However, Neo was so unskilled with the spear that all he could do was try to overpower his opponents.
And he was failing—quite badly.
He had never picked up a spear in his life due to his weakness and the intense pain in his chest, so he wasn't proficient in the weapon in any way.
He had also hoped to take the time during his Butler mission to slowly master the basics of using the spear in a safe environment, but that obviously didn't happen.
So, he decided to avoid hunting or fighting any beasts for the time being while he honed his skills and sharpened his blade.
Neo understood the true learning curve of a warrior.
Unlike what relics suggested, an unrefined, purely instinctual fighter was actually harder to face than someone just beginning to learn weapon techniques. An unrefined fighter's moves were unpredictable and unconventional, making them difficult to anticipate and defend against—provided no obvious mistakes were made.
A beginner, on the other hand, would be forced into a rigid fighting style, with predictable moves that rendered their fighting robotic and easy to counter. Thus, it was easier to face a beginner than an unrefined fighter.
This didn't mean that a novice fighter was stronger than one mastering the basics, only that the former's unpredictability made the fight less straightforward.
And in most cases, the fight could actually go either way.
This was the truth that movies or relics didnt tell you.
This was why Neo planned to master the basics as quickly as possible, starting with the Overlord Spear Manual.
The truth was...
Neo's dream was to become a Spear Overlord!
Wouldn't impressing women be easy once he'd dominated an opponent with nothing but unparalleled elegance and superiority with the spear?
It would be too easy!
Heck, the chicks would be queuing to fall into his lap!
Neo was motivated. The thought of such a glorious future was enough motivation for him to train like crazy!
He wouldn't rest until he perfected his spearmanship!
No stopping!
Neo clutched the tome containing the Spear Manual and tapped on the white glowing spot thrice.
If his memory served him right, that was how to activate the 'tutor mode' on any tome containing techniques.
The tutor mode was a model that evaluated and compared one's performance in the technique against the recorded examples within the tome. Through spatial awareness, it registered the user's movements—down to the energy flow—and delivered a precise judgement.
This was the real reason why technique tomes were so expensive!
It was almost like having a true expert to guide you.
Neo placed the tome within five metres of his position, then calmly gripped his spear.
The previous night, he had carefully studied and digested the information in the manual, committing it to memory.
The information even included videos and images. It had taken him the whole night to master it all, but he had done it.
This was partly due to his wonderful memory and dreamer training.
Now, all that remained was to perfect the practical side of it.
Neo started from the basics...
'The first basic thrust.'
Neo grasped the spear in the basic grip described in the tome and gently stepped his right foot forward.
Then he thrust!
His movement was quick and sharp, like a deadly strike from a snake.
He tried to apply every tip from the manual and felt that this was his best thrust yet.
In fact, he thought it was perfect!
Eagerly, he glanced at the glowing spot on the tome's surface, where a holographic loading icon spun briefly before displaying:
[50% Mastery]
Neo was stunned.
Only 50%?
That was just 50%?
Neo couldn't help but frown. He had done everything he could—what more did this tome want?
Or was it faulty?
As if in answer, the holographic projection shifted from his mastery score to a comparison video.
Neo watched, feeling embarrassed, as his spear thrust was displayed next to the perfect one recorded within the tome.
Seeing the glaring difference with his own eyes, Neo cringed.
And as if that wasn't enough, the tome began listing all the mistakes he'd made, from incorrect foot placement to the unnecessary clenching of his buttocks!
It listed all of them!
He had made a total of 89 errors!
It was too detailed!
Neo sighed.
He had a long way to go. It almost made him want to quit.
But he took a deep breath and motivated himself.
'Every great spearman started from this point. You can do it!'
Neo steeled his gaze and resumed the stance for his basic thrust. He would keep practising until he got it right!
For the next hour, Neo began thrusting his spear in the same movement and with the same stance.
It was diligence and discipline that was quite hard to muster.
Let's be real, most people don't willingly do hard work, do they? It was the natural behavior of humans...
Neo kept thrusting, seeing his mastery, and then thrusting some more.
Slowly, his mastery rate began to climb. He took the errors one by one and focused on correcting one before moving on to the next, all while still making sure not to make any previously corrected mistakes.
In short, it was tough work.
[56% Mastery]
After one hour, the most basic thrust in the tome had not even been mastered to 60 percent!
He had only increased by six percent!
Neo sighed.
He sat down to eat some fruits before continuing once again.
Over the next couple of hours, the mastery rate slowly began to climb...
[57% Mastery]
[59% Mastery]
[61% Mastery]
'Training is hard.'