There seemed to be a wide variety of weapons to choose from. I made my way to the sword section. Reflecting on the former Snow's memories, I recalled that he used a sword resembling a Japanese straight sword. His swordsmanship primarily focused on speed and precision.
After selecting my weapon of choice, I glanced at the main cast. Amara, being a mage, went directly to the wand section. Aurora chose a magic staff, while Selene, who was more close-combat oriented, picked a double-edged sword. Maxwell grabbed what appeared to be a pair of twin daggers, which made sense considering his assassin class. The main character, of course, went straight for a katana. It seemed like all the main cast members had finished selecting their weapons.
"Alright, everyone, you should get a feel for your weapons. For your first day, there will be no sparring among students. Instead, move to one of the dummies and practice getting comfortable with your weapon," Bernard proclaimed.
I silently thanked my luck. If we had been asked to spar today, I would have been in trouble. I made my way to one of the training dummies. It was time to test this new body of mine.
As I stood in front of the dummy, I noticed it had a difficulty level setting. I reached out and turned the dial to **Beginner**. Even though it was the lowest level, I wasn't about to underestimate it. This was my first time testing this body, and I needed to get a feel for how it moved.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting the memories of the body's former owner surface. His swordsmanship was all about speed and precision—quick, clean strikes aimed to disable or kill in the shortest amount of time. I needed to replicate that style as best as I could.
The dummy activated, its wooden limbs moving into a combat stance. Its head tilted slightly toward me, as if analyzing my every movement. Without warning, it lunged forward with surprising speed, swinging an arm toward my torso. I barely managed to sidestep the strike, the wooden limb grazing my side.
"Focus," I muttered under my breath, gripping my sword tighter.
I dashed forward, aiming a quick strike at its neck. My blade moved fast, but the dummy's reflexes were faster—it raised its arm to block, the clang of wood against steel ringing out as my attack was parried. Before I could retreat, the dummy countered with a sharp jab toward my chest. I twisted my body to avoid a direct hit, but the edge of its strike clipped my shoulder, sending a jolt of pain through me.
I stumbled back a few steps, wincing. My movements felt sluggish compared to the memories of this body's former owner. He would have dodged that with ease.
The dummy pressed its advantage, stepping forward with an overhead strike that came down fast. I barely brought my sword up in time to block, the force of the blow rattling my arms. My grip faltered for a moment, but I gritted my teeth and held firm, shoving the dummy back to create some space.
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. This wasn't going to be easy.
The dummy reset its stance, its movements eerily calculated. I needed to stop reacting and start controlling the fight. Drawing on the former Snow's memories, I adjusted my footing, lowering my stance for better balance. My sword was an extension of myself—I needed to trust in its speed and precision.
The dummy moved again, this time feinting a strike to my left. I didn't fall for it. Instead, I sidestepped to the right and countered with a quick horizontal slash aimed at its torso. The blade connected, leaving a shallow cut across its wooden frame.
But the dummy wasn't done. It retaliated with a sweeping kick toward my legs. I jumped back, narrowly avoiding the strike, but lost my balance slightly in the process. The dummy capitalized on my mistake, lunging forward with a rapid series of strikes. I was forced onto the defensive, parrying and dodging as best as I could. Each block sent vibrations through my arms, and sweat began to bead on my forehead.
I couldn't keep this up much longer.
I had to end this.
Summoning every ounce of focus, I steadied my breathing and tightened my grip on the hilt. When the dummy swung its arm in a wide arc, I saw my chance. I ducked low, avoiding the attack entirely, and dashed forward with explosive speed. My blade flashed upward in a precise arc, slicing clean through the dummy's wooden neck.
The head toppled to the ground with a dull thud, and the rest of the dummy froze in place.
I staggered back, panting heavily. My shoulder throbbed where I'd been hit earlier, and my arms trembled from exertion. Even on Beginner difficulty, the dummy had pushed me to my limits.
Looking back on the fight, it was clear I still had a long way to go. The former owner of this body would've dispatched the dummy in seconds, with a precision and efficiency I couldn't yet match. I needed more practice—more control over this body—if I wanted to live up to his skill.
For now, though, I had survived. That was enough.
After attacking the dummy a few more times, trying to familiarize myself with my movements, class was dismissed for the day.
I made my way to the dorm room, threw myself onto the bed, and stared at the ceiling. Now that I had some time to think, questions began to flood my mind.
What was my purpose in this world? Why was I reincarnated here? For what reason?
I had so many questions and no answers. The most pressing one was: what should I do now? Should I continue living a normal life, or should I aim for something greater? Knowing the future gave me an incredible advantage. I could build a respectable reputation in this world using my knowledge of the novel.
But at this moment, I wasn't sure what path to take. I supposed I'd have to wait and see how my life unfolded.
I felt exhausted, likely from using so much stamina during class. My body was tired, and my mind was heavy with uncertainty.
For now, I decided to let sleep take over.