9 Mark’s Training

I seemed to had completely underestimated the complexity of ACTUAL swordsmanship due to my pride a reincarnated individual...

Although the wooden sword I'm holding was customised to my needs in both height and weight, that doesn't mean it's easy to wield. I don't understand the principles of wielding an actual sword despite knowing its theories. The only 'weapons' I've used in my past life were fighting techniques I created on the battlefield and a plethora of guns made on Earth.

The only blade I used was a combat knife which could be taken out and attached to the muzzle of my rifle as a bayonet at any given moment.

Right now, I don't have a physique strong enough to use those savage techniques... nor do I have any hot weapons like pistols or rifles.

I don't want to only rely on the knife skills I learned in my previous life alone when taking on Specialists of this world. The length of a knife is too short compared to a regular sword.

I don't want to die without ever having the chance to even get close to my enemies. There's no way I would rely on an extremely short weapon like a combat knife. The only way to improve my overall strength is by learning Sphera's strong Magic Arts.

"Why are your habits so weird?" Mark said with narrowed eyes. I couldn't look straight into his sharp eyes and turned my head away. Even though I knew that I should be learning martial arts in this life from scratch, my previous life's habits while fighting appear every so often and cause me to make simple but crucial mistakes.

Martial arts of Earth only consisted of controlling physical strength and body weight, while in contrast the martial arts of Sphera only needed extremely intricate control over Mana. Even though having Rank F Magical Talent limited my output on Mana, it in turn increased my innate Mana Recovery and Mana Control.

I theoretically shouldn't have any problems training 'Arts' and learning tactics of this world since I've already experienced many life or death situations from actual battlefields on Earth. However, the habits ingrained into my mind when using martial arts now actually held me back from reaching my true potential when it came to training certain techniques...

Harmonising the contrasting Magic Arts of Sphera and Martial Arts of Earth into one is going to be a lot harder than I initially predicted.

This is despite being a master of five different styles of martial arts...!

The foundation of martial arts was to completely control one's body in order to dish out their fullest physical potential. For example, a punch from a random thug on the street wouldn't be able to match the fist thrown out by a professional boxer since one knew how to properly release and apply physical force while the other only knew how to swing their arm in a way that would waste strength.

After controlling how to properly 'apply' physical force, a martial artist would then move on to making use of the forces that interact with them in a way that more beneficial to them.

Well, different styles had their own requirements to be accomplished as a master. It's not JUST about striking or grappling once a martial artist walks out of the ring and into the real world. Instead, it's all about 'Acting Appropriately', 'Planning Ahead', and most of all it's about 'Battle Instincts'.

But whether it be centrifugal force, velocity, gravity, etc. Even though I call it called 'controlling forces', the nature of Earth's martial arts is more realistic than Sphera's ACTUAL control of 'forces of nature'...

The foundation of Magic Arts was a person's Attribute. Unlike Earth's martial arts, this magical form of combat was a lot more complex than anything I have ever imagined.

Although I have constantly been told that the density of a person's Aura would be dependent on their concentration and willpower. I've never realised that the kind of transformations it could undergo would also be dependent on their visualisation and imagination.

The 'Specialists' of Sphera weren't that great at using their full potential of their strong physiques... This was undoubtedly true, but that didn't mean their power was inferior.

To Mark, my mistakes in Mana Control could be considered as normal for a child my age, but the stubborn habits of how I used to handle a blade couldn't be hidden as sometimes I'd unconsciously hold my sword in a reverse grip and try to stab him in the gut a few times like I would be able to with a military grade combat knife.

"Why is it I feel your using your sword like a knife? Did you train in Knife Arts like Anna? Did she ever teach you fighting techniques before?" Mark seriously questioned my actions. I feel embarrassed now...!

Knife Arts were very different from Sword Arts. Although they both were blades that were covered in Aura Manifestation, one would use a knife differently due to its shorter length.

Sword Arts were just another way to refer to Aura Clad sword attacks while Knife Arts were the way of handling Aura Clad knives through both throwing or wielding in battle.

The differences in how one handles them were so great that it would be hard for amateurs to NOT recognise them. So, how should I reply...?

"I only copied Anna's movements after I saw her train here." I decided that lying through my teeth was the only option. It was an acceptable explanation and Mark wasn't the type to dig too deeply into small matters.

"... You should've already realised your own talents regarding Knife Arts... Why do you insist on using a sword instead?" Mark asked in confusion. His thoughts were correct.

If I wanted to get stronger at a faster pace, then putting my previous life's training into learning Anna's Knife Arts was a more logical route.

But...

"I don't want to rely on a weapon that can't allow me control the distance between me and my opponents. It will be hard to fight certain opponents if I'm unable to stop them from getting too close to me." Mark seemed surprised at my answer.

He probably thought of praising me for my forethought but couldn't because it was still the time to be undergoing spartan training. It looks like he didn't want to boost my ego...

Oh how I miss the beloved rifle of my past life~! A weapon that could easily crowd control multiple foes through its superior aim. If only there was a way to bring my rifle to this magical world...! I will have to start working on that... Preparations are a must!

"It's a rational decision to make when you think of your talent from Warrior's perspective. However, to bury your knife skills now won't make a difference. I know about your magical talent so I can guess why you'd think having Knife Arts are useless. You won't be able use Throwing Arts successively due to your low amount of Mana.

However, think logically, do you think your future opponents won't benefit from your lack of ranged skills? Even having an extra option when in close combat can spell the difference between victory and defeat." Mark asked, heavily advising me to not give up on trying to improve my knife skills and learning ranged Arts.

Running from my opponents isn't a good strategy. My disadvantage in both long-range and close-combat is obvious considering my magical talent. That's why I've decided to walk on the path of extremity instead of an all-rounder. Close-combat is my forté!

Instead of focusing on both long-ranged combat and close-combat I've decided to pour my all efforts into one until I can fill the gap in the other.

"You've misunderstood. It's not like I'm giving up on improving my skills using Knife Arts. It's just that Anna's Arts don't suit me." I explained my thoughts of the matter truthfully.

"What do you mean?" Mark asked again with confusion in his eyes.

"Anna's Knife Arts focus on precision attacks. It's a extremely strong Art if you have both Mana and accuracy, yet I feel it just isn't suitable for me. I'm no good when it comes to doing accurate long-ranged attacks and I don't intend to master throwing knives because I know my talents lay in close-combat. It would take too long to master Throwing Arts and I don't want to waste too much time to train it when my current efficiency in close-combat itself is so low...

I know about my weaknesses. I know that even one hit from a Rank D Magical Talent using the Aura Manifestation could break my bones if I'm not careful. Therefore my plan to overcome this weakness is to never allow any opponent to have the time to showcase their strengths. For this, I need to be able to swiftly attack without running out of Mana. Anna's knife throwing skills don't really suit those requirements." I further explained my thoughts patiently.

Mark analysed the pros and cons of my plan after hearing my words. Even if he wasn't proficient in knife skills, he could roughly guess what a person with my strengths and weaknesses would be able to do in an actual fight due to his vast experiences in the field of battle.

"That plan is too reckless! Even if you WERE to become a great swordsman in the future, you wouldn't be able to keep up with a Rank D Magical Talent's continuous use of flexible Aura Manifestation. It's like pitting a Rank A Fire Dragon against a renowned swordsman. The swordsman may have 'skill' but a Dragon has more body mass and physical strength. Even a handful of Magic Arts can't defend against overwheming power." Mark argued against it as he looked at me deeply.

I could understand that he wanted me to learn long ranged magical attacks because they were more safer than fighting up close. However... I know what I'm doing! I returned his gaze with one filled with boundless confidence that this plan will work!

Anyone else in this world would be able to learn skills like knife throwing as well. It's not something special nor is it a good way to get rid of my greatest weakness. The only way to do so is focus on my advantages and be diligent in strengthening them.

A person with good magical talent could easily create defensive measures against magic imbued throwing knives. That's why my plan of action is to get close and beat them half dead before they can show their skills. It's a dirty tactic to others but I'm not bothered with my means.

I shook my head at him and indicated for him to say no more, to which he just gave a helpless sigh in return. His eyes darkened for a moment before he woke himself up and stared at me intently. A smile curved on his face...

"You have to at least learn how to use the basics of Knife Arts then." Mark decided to compromise instead of continuing to try and persuade me.

"Okay." I agreed without hesitation.

"Here's one of the wooden training knives Anna uses to practice. Try to get a feel for swinging a wooden knife first." Mark got back into his serious mode and instructed. I wonder what expression this guy would make if I asked him how he came into possession of Anna's personal wooden knives. Meh... learning is more important right now. I'll just inform Anna about the stolen knife later~

"The difference between using a Knife Art and a Sword Art lay in where you focus your Mana when using the Aura Manifestation. A normal Sword Art puts more Mana into the edge of the blade whilst a normal Knife Art focuses on the hilt and user's flexible wrist. For now you can try to execute what I've described." Mark instructed while pointing at my hands.

I follow his instructions and move my Mana towards my hand. The manifested ethereal Aura that usually moved freely around my body stopped before becoming more focused towards my wrist. I didn't stop the Mana there and tried to push the energy into the hilt of the knife.

A faint white crystalline glow surrounded the hilt of my knife as I felt it gaining more power and versatility. Just like Mark had said.

"What's next?" I asked curiously with eager eyes. Using the Aura Manifestation on my entire arm would thin the Aura but focusing it on my wrist made it a lot more dense.

"A normal Aura Manifestation technique focuses on densifying your Mana rather than spreading Aura out. The higher level of the Aura Manifestation, the stronger the Mana's density. Thus allowing one to gain a lot more momentum when attacking your opponents. Like this!" Mark explained before demonstrating what he meant by showing his mastery over Aura Manifestation up close. The faint diamond-like glow of his Mana turned into an emerald green. His wrist flickered and moved swiftly as he cut the air in front of him at a flash.

"Amazing, right? This kind of high levelled Aura Manifestation can only be done by very few. This Wind Aura Manifestation Art is the only basic one I can do. Please don't be dejected if you aren't able to-" Just as he was about to give a long-winded speech filled with narcissism after showing off his Aura Manifestation, he was interrupted the incredible sight happening straight before his eyes.

If the other servants training around us were to pay attention to this scene, their jaws would drop. The glow of the Aura Manifestation on my knife was constantly changing between a deep amethyst purple, opal brown, sapphire blue, emerald green and ruby red in quick succession.

I wonder what he meant by saying this was difficult to use? From what I've been taught beforehand, the Light Attribute of a Human has the innate power to transform to the user's willpower, allowing it to mimic elements of different attributes.

A faint suspicion arose in my heart as the ease I felt when transforming my Mana caused me to think of the words Enigma said before I reincarnated.

My Mana wasn't merely of the Light Attribute like the others. Instead it was of the ancient 'Sun' Attribute he gifted me... The difference between the two had never showed itself previously, but it's as of this moment that I've finally found the benefits of having such a special Mana Attribute: Having high purity Mana despite its really low capacity!

A higher Magical Talent didn't necessarily mean higher Mana Control because it only meant that there was a lot more Mana within the body to master. Which means there is a chance I'll be able to outdo those of higher Magical Talents using my strong hidden potential in Spells.

Though having the advantages of my Sun Attribute is nice. I am still unable to figure out why Enigma didn't just give me higher Magical Talent...

Enigma, I once thought of you as a friend, but now I'm not quite sure anymore... What are you plotting behind my back? Why is it your words sound more suspicious by the day? I want to trust you... I truly do...

I sincerely hope you don't one day betray me. My dear, unpredictable friend...