Weapon selection [1]

"The battlefield will mostly rely on your weapons," professor Riya stated, meeting the eyes of her class.

"And our Academy boasts experts who will train you to wield weapons with utmost efficiency," she declared.

After one final assessing glance, she turned and walked across the area.

Our class was currently in the A21 training facility, a vast, metallic chamber.

In its heart, a circular dais stood. Its surface composed of—what seemed like crystal tiles. I wasn't really sure if it was crystal or not...

The flooring around it displayed canvases of angel and demonic wars; historical lores unknown to me and of little concern.

Soon professor Riya stopped in front of a wall. She waited and the wall parted, revealing a hidden chamber.

It was a huge room—or more accurately, a cavity. It was decorated with eclectic mix of armaments.

-"Remarkable! It looks quite advanced," someone exclaimed.

-"Are these lethal-grade weapons?"

-"Elites? Ha! I bet you've only laid eyes on mock armaments thus far!"

-"Miss Riya is thick!"

The chatters of students soon filled the air.

Riya's hands clapped sharply, drawing everyone's attention and silencing the commotion.

"Pay attention," she began, "while warriors can handle almost any weapon, mastering them is a different challenge."

"And for mages, skilled as they are in spells, properly wielding weapons is not their forte. So, be wise keeping your preferences and affinities in mind when deciding what you pick. And..."

'Preferences and affinities, huh?' I thought, almost chuckling to myself. I had no affinity for any element. Whatever she said, applied not to me. Riya's words faded alongside my thoughts.

This world...with its magic and all.

Huh...

Still, I wondered if I needed to mind something when selecting a weapon?

"Erm, hey Nano, what do you think is the purpose of a weapon?"

[To kill. To induce fear. To hunt. To subdue.]

Clap!

Before I could even think on what Nano said, professor Riya's clap brought me back to reality.

"Select your weapons," she instructed.

***

The armory was stocked with a range of different weapons.

Swords, spears, axes, knives, katanas, halberds, clubs, maces, flails, glaives, greatswords, rapiers, battleaxes, pikes, javelins, longswords, quarterstaffs, sickles, daggers and machetes.

There were even guns on the display, which obviously were useless.

Yes, guns were useless in this world.

Technological constraints limited the availability of modern weaponry.

It is said that necessity is the mother of all inventions. This rings true in this world.

It's hard to penetrate monsters using bullets due to their mana barriers.

'Only mana can cut mana'—a well known fact.

So where guns failed, mana imbued weapons succeeded.

Concept of scientific weapons like missiles and lasers did exist, but no one pursued their creation; not the general public atleast. There were some secretive organizations runned by maniacs...but, that's a topic for another time.

Most students picked melee weapons and only a few opted for long ranged weapons.

I could also see a crowd of students swarming around the main characters, like how honeybees swarm around flowers.

Taking a curious glance around, I spotted Aeravat at the center of attention, wielding a double-edged bent sword—a talwar.

Naturally many followed his lead and picked swords.

Meanwhile, Takahashi selected a glaive.

Over yonder, a group of guys ogled Aurora and Emily.

Aurora—she opted for a rapier, whereas Emily confidently chose a bow, indifferent to the stares. But, a subtle smile graced her lips.

She did liked attention after all.

To my left stood Kai Lee, fair skinned, straight jet black hair, two metal gauntlets clutched.

Kai Lee was the only fighter class in the first year, and no one else in the class chose a gauntlet-like weapon.

This made Kai Lee an exception.

Lost in idle musings, my footsteps soon stopped in front of the armory.

"Now, what weapon should I—" My words trailed off as a sudden commotion took my attention, making me to turn my head.

-"Are you sure about nunchucks?"

-"Come on, who are you fooling? They're more for training than actual combat."

-"I said it'll be fine!"

"Nunchucks, huh?"

Two guys were stuck in a heated debate over choosing nunchucku, drawing curious glances due to the rarity of the selection.

Professor Riya soon arrived at the scene with a tablet in her hand.

"What's going on here?" She asked, peering at the two guys who were making the scene.

"A nunchacku? Can you use it?" She asked to the guy holding the iron sticks and chain.

"N-no, ma'am," he stammered in response. Beads of sweat slowly formed on his temple.

Riya raised an eyebrow. After consulting her tablet, she sternly addressed, "You're student rank 280, Buster Cherry, correct?"

"Yes, moma-I, I mean yes ma'am!" the guy hastily replied, correcting himself.

Riya squinted her eyes.

It seemed like she wasn't very pleased with his antics.

While mostly indifferent, Riya wasn't a deaf ear to her class.

She did catch up negative comments about herself from time to time and that's why she disliked the notorious bunch. Often she used instances like this to instill discipline and decorum on the class .

Taking a measured breath, she asked to Buster, "You were previously a sword user. Why the sudden switch to nunchucks?"

"Because nunchucks are cool," Buster blurted impulsively without knowing what was coming his way.

Riya's skepticism was visible.

"Nunchucks are cool?" She asked, a hidden disgust was boiling behind her gaze.

"I, uh, saw them in a...martial arts movie!" Buster admitted sheepishly.

"Alright. A hundred laps, now."

Buster's face turned pale.

"Th-that's absurd! How can I do a hundred—" Riya's cold glare silenced any protests building on Buster's tongue. Gulping nervously, the poor student nodded his head.

Turning her attention to the other guy, she asked, "And you...are?"

"Harry Butt." The reply was swift.

Riya nodded, her answer also swift, "Two-hundred laps. Immediately."

Then she looked at me.

Me?

'What di I doooooo? Why the fuck di I dooooon't?'

Before I could even figure out the situation, Riya was walking towards me. Her eyes consulting her tablet.

"I am student rank, 1872. Noah Grey, Ma'am!" I informed her before she could even ask.

With a slight raise of her brow, she replied, "I know that. You're that student from mana affinity test, aren't you?"

"Yea, is something wrong?" Why did she bring up the mana affinity test?

"The director has called you for..."

***

'Mystery...'

The avalonia forest was relatively safe.

But I was not a moron to follow the footsteps of fictional protagonists and go on dangerous quests in search of some legendary art in dense foliage.

I had different plans in mind—plans grounded in practicality. For instance, buying normal skills and arts.

In this world, you can buy low level skills online. Odd yes, but convenient nonetheless

Prior to my enrollment in the academy, I ordered an F ranked skill.

I paid three thousand dens for it.

Originally, I had around five thousand dens in my account, but after the purchase, I was only left with two thousand.

Yep, broke I was.

Anyway, the skill arrived this morning.

Its name was 'Momentum Transfer'.

Basically allowed me to infuse each strike with the force of my momentum and inertia. A good purchase for the time being.

Exhaling a sigh, I cast my gaze ahead.

"Now, which weapon should I pick..." I mused aloud, my voice trailing off as I thought about my situation.

I was broke. For now.

Unlike other guys in here, my proficiency with swords, spears, and traditional armaments was lacking. Actually, I never even touched any conventional war type weapon in my life.

Not only was I broke, I was also fucked.

Using a high-grade sword or similar weapon would drain my coffers significantly. And the upkeep? A headache...

I needed a pragmatic solution, something both cost-effective and proficient in survival scenario.

I needed a tool, not just a weapon. I was not a killer, my aim was to survive.

I eyed the armory... "Hey nano, categorize these weapons based on their cost and maintenance..."

[Affirmative. Simulating real-time usage of the weapons on war based scenarios.]

Nano's disembodied voice echoed in my mind, and a holographic list materialized in my retina.

[Katanas, Greatswords, Pikes, Halberds, Glaives, Longswords...]

The list went on adding weapons based on cost and maintainence. Rest assured, seeing their maintenance was inducing a throbbing in my temples.

'I need something for now...a tool of survival...effective...something even a novice like me can wield'... I thought about my situation, but soon my gaze fell upon the far corner of the armory.

There, suspended, two machetes, one lethal grade and one made for practice.

Machete.

A machete...more powerful than your average knife, can deal compact blows...

Definitely a practical choice.

But it pales in comparison to the elegance of a sword.

While capable, a machete lacked the finesse for clean cuts or the ability to slice through bones, so...damage done by a machete will always be gory. It will induce fear into my enemies.

My gaze lingered upon the chunk of tempered steel before resolve set in.

The frigid wooden grip met my hand as I hefted the tool.

Machete was more of a tool then a weapon often used in militaries. In future I will main a different weapon.

But for now...

Swish! Swish!

"This will do."

***