Pillars

Izgael took 34 steps forward and Avan never left the air and felt the ground. It was so close yet so far for him.

For a total of 2 minutes and 23 seconds, Avan was in the air, his body was completely covered in cuts.

The only thing that snapped Izgael back to reality was the sudden appearance of the headmaster that appeared in front of him. "Headmaster Schaffer!"

"I thought you were just going to measure his fighting capabilities." Schaffer looked at the ground and saw Avan's body completely covered in cuts.

"..!" Izgael looked behind Schaffer and saw what he just did. He kneeled down, "I will take any punishment. I didn't mean for this to happen."

Schaffer let out a sigh before placing his hand on his shoulder. "Its fine. Its running rampant again?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so. I still can't control it." Izgael grasped his chest and began circulating the mana inside of it to cleanse the dark murky aura that was in it.

"Seems like your familiar needs to be removed so that you can choose ano-" Schaffer suddenly felt a change of mana in the air, "Barrier."

Izgael stood up and looked around and the sword that Avan threw upwards earlier just came coming down. It crashed down on Schaffer's barrier but it was far too weak to even make a scratch on the headmaster's barrier.

They both looked back and saw the green aura emanating from Avan's hands. "Telekinesis." They both said out loud before seeing Avan pass out.

"You would've lost Izgael." Schaffer proclaimed.

"...Yes, I'm afraid so. That wouldn't kill me, but it would've knocked me out. It was a special sword that was incredibly heavy, coated with Iron and Stone." Izgael replied.

"Hoho, I can't believe you'd lose against a Third Tier magician."

"Third Tier? I haven't seen him release any Third Tier spells."

"I know. He's hiding it. Or maybe he has not that much mana, just enough to reach Third Tier. But either way, he outsmarted you."

"I see."

"Well, move back Izgael." Schaffer cancelled his barrier spell and kneeled down on one knee in front of Avan. "Grand Healing." After a few seconds, Izgael and Avan's body was gone of wounds. "There we go."

"Still amazing seeing your magic headmaster. A Seventh Tier healing spell."

"You flatter me. Let's leave him be here. You still have to write an apology for him and you'll be imprisoned for about seven days. Do you deny any of these punishments?"

"No sir. I shall accept it."

"Good."

...

Avan woke up at the clinic of the Viribius Academy and it was already late in the afternoon as he woke up. He stood up and looked at himself and there were no wounds everywhere.

He got up and went straight back home.

"Unseen Cuts..." He replayed the scene over and over in his mind. "That's an 8th Pillar sword skill. It allows the user to contain an enemy in a small box and then open spatial portals and then sword waves will suddenly come out of those that are faster than the eye could see. But it leaves the user immobile and can't move, but in exchange for infinite speed just for a second. I tried doing it myself, but suddenly, the second Pillar appeared in my head and I couldn't cut it."

Pillars, the system that swordsman are using that's different from the magicians. For magicians, its Tier magic. First Tier up to the Tenth Tier, or maybe, the Chaos Tier.

But for swordsmen, its different. The moment that they're about to make a breakthrough, a pillar comes forth, in front of them that they could only see.

They won't be able to use the sword skills beyond that if they couldn't cut the Pillars that were before it.

First Pillar, its strength. You need to cut through the First Pillar with an absolute strength. Second Pillar, its speed. It continually regenerates over and over until you slashed it over ten times within a single second. Third Pillar its accuracy. You need to strike through the marked areas in the pillar with absolute precision. And those points are as thin as a single piece of paper. A single error and the pillar will reset.

The trials go on and on until they reach the peak of swordsmanship.

Its befitting as each trial is one of the basic steps to achieve what is needed in those Pillar stages.

For the First Pillar, its strength based skills. Second Pillar, speed based and Third, accuracy.

"I have only broken through the Second Pillar with luck. I need to become far more stronger. Or else, I wouldn't know my existence, my father's and this system that he gifted me." Avan clenched his fists as he ran towards his home.