Chereads / STARBREAKER [PROGRESSION FANTASY/SCI-FI] / Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: Learning

Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: Learning

My whole body tensed as I swung down.This was my thirty second weapon, and it didn't seem to fair any better than the others.Each weapon had its pros and cons. The swords were good for versatility with decent range, but the skill required to use them properly was not at all expected.In fact I got beaten so hard while using the Rapier that I considered playing dead. That was until Goblin picked me and tossed me a new weapon.The shields and long range weapons were in the same boat. They were useful, not hard to get acquainted with and helped me hold on a lot longer. Minding the obvious fact of a lack in versatility, I simply didn't want to have my main weapon be a shield, nor a bow and arrow.I was knocked away once more, and the next second the thirty third weapon was already flying towards me. I caught it and grasped it firmly.Looking down, I was confused."Another sword?" I called out.Goblin paused his lunge."Look at it closer idiot!" He shouted.I gave the weapon in my hand another look. It really looked no different than a sword. Its hit was straight like that of a pole but that didn't seem too odd. And the blade itself was also cylindrical in shape but again, nothing crazy."What am I supposed to be seeing?" I yelled back.He slapped his forehead in frustration before walking over towards me."It's called a toothpick." He stated, now standing next to me."A toothpick? Really? What am I supposed to do? Clean my teeth?"He let out an unimpressed scoff."Very funny. It's called a toothpick because it's shaped like one. And also because the real name isn't nearly as easy to remember. The pick is a blend of a sword and spear, perfect for stabbing. It takes the skill issues of the sword and the handling issues of the spear and basically gets rid of them."He walked several meters away."Again!" He roared, lunging out once more. I spun back instinctively, dropping to the ground as my pick sliced outward in a wide arc. The blade whistled through the air, aiming to cleave through the space where my opponent stood. But in a blur of motion, he vaulted over my outstretched arm, flipping gracefully before slamming his staff down toward me.The impact cracked the earth just as I rolled away, narrowly avoiding the blow. Dirt kicked up in my wake as I surged back to my feet, muscles tensing with the effort.With a burst of speed, I lunged forward, driving the pick towards his chest, determined to land a solid strike. But Goblin was faster than I, much faster. His right arm shot out, catching the pick mid-thrust. In a single, brutal motion, he swung his staff into my chest.The force drove the breath from my lungs, a sharp pain blooming through my ribs as I staggered back. But I didn't let go. With a desperate twist, I caught the head of his staff between my arm and chest, leveraging my body to spin behind him.I tightened my grip, locking his arms as I threw him over my shoulder. We both crashed to the ground, the impact reverberating through my bones. For a brief moment, I thought I had him. But Goblin wasn't going to give me a win that easily With a grunt of effort, he freed his arms and kicked me off, sending me skidding across the ground. I scrambled back to my feet, breathing heavily, muscles aching from the relentless exchange. We stood facing each other, locked in a tense standoff, the air between us thick with anticipation. My hands tightened around the pick, both knuckles white as I readied for his next move. Without warning, he darted forward, his staff nowhere to be seen. A faint green aura pulsed around his body as he slammed into me, his speed blurring his form. I barely had time to react. I swung the pick between us, using it as a barrier, straining to push him back. His raw strength made my arms tremble under the pressure. With a desperate shove, I managed to sidestep, quickly pivoting to regain my stance. The moment he wavered, I seized my chance, jabbing the pick toward him as he struggled to regain his balance. But Goblin was relentless. He spun on his heels to face me, eyes gleaming with determination. To keep momentum, I dove forward, rolling low to the ground and maneuvering myself behind him. He turned to meet me. In one swift motion, I rose to one knee, the point of the pick resting lightly against his throat. Panting heavily, I grinned through the exhaustion. "W-who's the idiot now?" I taunted between ragged breaths. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I felt the rush of victory wash over me. Even if he wasn't using his full strength, I had managed to outmaneuver him. Slowly, I stood, the pick still pointed firmly at his throat. This weapon felt like an extension of my body—light, responsive, deadly. It was everything I needed. "Alright, fine," Goblin sighed, raising his arms in mock surrender. "The idiot… is still you!" Before I could even register the shift, his elbow crashed into my forearm with brutal precision, forcing the pick from my grip.I gasped as it clattered uselessly to the ground. In a heartbeat, Goblin retrieved his staff, twirling it expertly as he launched into a vicious counterattack. The first jab connected with my skull, sending stars exploding through my vision. His second strike hit my chest with such force that my ribs screamed in protest, and before I could even process the pain, his staff struck low—straight into my groin. The world blurred as the final blow crashed into my head, launching me through the air. My body hit the rubble hard, the debris biting into my skin as I lay there, utterly spent. My limbs were limp, each breath a struggle as the weight of exhaustion pressed down on me like a suffocating blanket. I wanted to get up. I wanted to fight, to win. But my body refused to obey, every muscle drained of the energy needed to continue. All I could do was lie there, letting the dust settle around me, my chest heaving as I slowly waited for my strength to return. Eventually, Goblin came over and took a piece of rubble next to me."Do I have to pay for this?" I asked weakly."Nah they'll just deduct it from your next paycheck." Not even an ounce of tiredness could be heard from him.'Well then, there goes my next ten paychecks.'"On the bright side." He turned to me and smiled, tossing the pick at me once more. "You found your weapon."I barely caught it, only a centimeter away from my left eye. Even holding the weapon felt right.I stared at it, a smile plastered on my face."So what's it really called?" I questioned."A Weaver."…"Say that again Goblin.""A Weaver." He repeated, his voice coated in confusion."So you mean to tell me." I struggled while pushing myself out of my pile of debris. "That complicated name no one could remember, has the same amount of syllables and also less letters, than the more commonly used name.""Yeah?" He stated, as if I was the one acting strange."Got it." I decided to drop the matter entirely. This conversation clearly wasn't going to lead me anywhere."Anyway." Goblin started, standing up and wiping the dust off of him. "Now that you have your weapon, let's awaken your typing."⥁We'd returned to our room after I was able to walk again, and I sat crisscross on the floor as Goblin rummaged under his bed to find something."Remind me one more time, why you couldn't help me with this before beating me up for an hour?" I asked."Well for starters. Even if you awaken your typing, you don't have the time, talent or skill to master any part of your abilities before your next fight, and that's of course only if you end up with something useful." He called out from under his bed. "And secondly, it's never a bad idea to have a backup.""Also I was still mad at you for losing my money." He added quickly.It was a tad bit frustrating being used for something that wasn't even entirely my fault, but Goblin wasn't the person or the thing to blame currently.'Infra did you know about this?''You know that's not what I was asking. Did you know about the method for awakening my typing?'I could've continued with my ranting had a certain part of it's explanation not cause me to break out into a nervous sweat.'Wait, so you mean what Goblins about to do is force my typing to awaken? Like what you did to awaken my Heartile?'At the same moment, Goblin exited from underneath his bed."I found it!" He exclaimed loudly.I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst.After several moments of nothing, I opened my eyes ever so slightly to see Goblin looking at me with a disgusted look on his face."What are you doing?" He questioned."You're going to force my typing to awaken, right?" I asked nervously.He nodded slowly."Then get it over with. I'm ready!" I yelled, closing my eyes once more.Goblin remained silent for a few more seconds before opening his mouth."Dude, did you awaken your Heartile with pain?""Y-yeah?" I said slowly."Open your eyes you stupid bastard!" He yelled, and my eyes shot open immediately.Only then did I notice a strange green ball in his hands."Can't believe you let your chip trick you into that." He sat down across from me. "This isn't going to hurt. The test doesn't actually awaken anything that you have to do yourself. This just helps you get an idea of what your type will be.""But you said-""Yes I know what I said. But no, the test will not actually awaken your typing. But after finding that weapon, and consistently training and fighting, with the base knowledge of what your type will be, you'll awaken it a lot faster."My nerves calmed down greatly. I nodded and he threw the ball to me."The test is pretty simple. All you need to do is funnel your aura into that ball, based on the reaction of the ball, we'll know what your typing is.""What are the possible outcomes?" I asked.He sighed, as if I was stupid for not already knowing."If the ball pops, you're an Eris. If it starts to roll around on its own, you're a Mech. If it compresses you're an Oriv. If it begins to bounce, you're a Dica."That sounds a bit weird but alright.'Wait a minute.'"Isn't there five types? You only mentioned four reactions.""Empo types are a dime in a dozen. I highly doubt that's what your typing is." He answered curtly."Well what if I am?" I snapped back."I guarantee you aren't. Empo types are usually people with tremendous amounts of skill and talent. And you, well, you have neither of those, as I've said many times."'Awesome.'"Whatever, let's get this over with."I grasped the ball firmly in my hands, watching as a dark blue aura began to spread from my hands into the ball. Watching my aura swirl around the ball, I placed it down and watched it closely.As my aura seeped through it, the ball began to shake violently. Finally it began to bounce around in the air."Well, guess you got lucky. You got the pussiest of all typings.""Hey!" I snapped, watching the ball bounce on its own. If I recall correctly, Dica types were elementalists. Meaning pretty soon my dream of shooting fire from hands while riding a dragon would come true."So how accurate is this test?" I asked, catching the ball in my hands and retracting my aura."I don't know. It's a test created by GLA, so probably pretty accurate. Don't ask me about how it works or the science behind it.""GLA?" I asked."Global League of Azenci." He snatched the ball from my hands, throwing it back under his bed."Oh." I sat down on my bed. "I have more questions.""Ask your chip." He said rolling over in his own bed."Come on!" I pleaded."Fine. You get two more, then I'm going to sleep. I have a fight in two hours." He rolled back to face me."If this place is illegally operated, how do they evade law enforcement? Because if my chip could find out about it like it's common knowledge, then there's no way it's that secretive."Goblin gave his usual asshole sneer."Enzo has every big player in the city in his good fortune. As long as they're well paid, they don't tell their higher ups about this place, and sometimes they even offer this place as an alternative to some of the more gifted criminals.""Good to know the legal system is working so swell." I joked. It wasn't unexpected that Enzo was so rich, but being that rich seemed absurd to me. It had been a question that had been bugging me for awhile, but the answer was in no way satisfying."Alright. Last question." Goblin yawned.I let out a long sigh. Now time for the real question."I want you to tell me more about Nemis."…"HAHAHA!"Goblin exploded into laughter, the drowsiness escaping with every laugh. He pounded on his bed with his fist, and clutched his chest with his hands. He rolled over so many times I thought he was going to fall off more than just once. Actually, I didn't think so.I prayed that he fell."Alright, it's not that funny!" I yelled."You're right, you're right." He calmed down, wiping his eyes. "Cause it's hilarious!" He roared and continued laughing.He calmed down after several more minutes, but never fully regained his composure."You done?" I snapped again."My bad. It's just so funny." He smiled."How?""You. Who just awakened his Heartile, at the first minor stage of the first evolutionary stage. Haven't even fully awakened your typing, want to form a bond with a Nemis. Are you alright mentally?""What's wrong with that?! If anything, wouldn't it be a boost to my strength!" I cried."No it definitely would. It's just so funny that with your feeble strength you think that any Nemis would want to bond with you. Much less a Nemis that can actually be of use to you.""Are they really that rare?" I calmed down a bit."Rare? No. Powerful and picky? Yes. Most people don't even think about trying to form a bond till they've reached the sixth stage. So for right now, you shouldn't waste any time thinking about it. Just focus on awakening your typing."He rolled over once more, not allowing me to ask any further questions.I turned around to face the door. Disappointed that my dragon fantasy wasn't a possibility in the foreseeable future. But I did take Goblins' other words to heart.All I needed to do was get stronger.I threw off my shirt and began to meditate. I wasn't even sure what a minor stage was, but no matter what I was going to break through it today and prove Goblin wrong.