50 A spar with Brian
They had spent hours watching fights, then left once they started feeling hungry. Tom suggested for them to go to a restaurant to eat, and everyone agreed
Once they made it to the restaurant brian started talking about the fights they just watched.
"Everyone there are pretty strong, i honestly don't think i will earn any mana stones fighting there. I do think i will win some fights but winning more than 3 in a row seems unlikely. Brian said in a serious tone.
"They are not that much stronger than you, they simply just have more fighting experience." Said Tom.
" I agree, I just hope I don't lose to much in the process of gaining experience. I will have to win nearly all my matches to earn 200 LG mana stones." Said Ryan.
"We all should go outside the city to practice tomorrow." Tom said, as he look at the kids.
Tom expression turned slightly sullen as he began to speak again. "I will be honest with you kids as of right now, your odds in making into the academy is almost zero. The academies in the inner city only want the best of the best."
Tom turned his head to look at Brian in his eyes, as he speak. "Brian, you are only average, there nothing that will grab there attention. You are good at fighting and using martial arts skills, but that is just being good. What the academy want are people beyond from just being good. You do have a mutated core, but I'm pretty sure there no lack of that in the academy.
Tom turn his head to look at Elizabeth next. "Elizabeth, you actually may have a decent chance, because of your unique lighting element characteristic. You will be useful at any academy, but the inner city might not want you if your battle power is to low.
Than he looked at ryan last. "Ryan, its hard to say how high your chances are since I don't know your element, or the extent of your strength."
Ryan chuckle awkwardly. "Well, I actually don't know my element either."
"Really?" Tom looked him with his eyebrow up in slight concern.
"Yes, really. All I know about my element is that I can make things wrapped in my aura heavier, or lighter.
"Im not sure what element is like that, and i never heard of anything similar." Tom said with a hint of sadness in his tone.
"Why, do I get the feeling this is a bad thing? I got a unique element, wouldn't academies like that." Ryan said with confusion in his eyes. Glancing at Brian and Elizabeth downcast expression, made Ryan realize this may actually be a bad thing.
"Yes and no. But the thing I'm actually worried about is not that, but your future. Do you know the criteria for ranking up?" Said Tom.
"Yes, you need to strengthen the core enough with mana and good comprehension over your element. Ohhh, i see."
"Yeah, if you don't understand your element well enough, you will start struggling to rank up pass rank 3. I'm actually like that too, I do not only have the earth element. I have another element that I can't seem to understand well enough to use." Tom sighed just thinking about it.
"Me making it to rank 4 was luck, I had actually failed at ranking up 3 times before succeeding. You should be able to make it to rank 4 or 5, since you have some knowledge of what your element can do. I on the other hand have zero knowledge on what my other element can do."
"I will worry about that when the time come, I believe after using my element enough I should understand more." Said Ryan.
"Your element could help you get in the academy for being unique but it may do the complete opposite too. They may think your element don't have potential."
Tom stop to look at everyone seriously.
"Yall only have 64 days to get ready and you going to need to train hard. Ryan, you should spend at least a week with us training before you enter the arena. I know you are worried about not having enough mana stones, but it better to be prepared. Losing even once will make earning enough mana stones even harder."
Everyone had agreed with Tom words. They spent most of the time eating and talking about what they will be doing tomorrow for training.
They all eventually left and went back to the inn. It wasn't to late so Ryan brought out a rank1 beast core and started cultivating.
He could of used a higher beast core but it will be harder to control and harder to separate out the impurities from the beast mana core.
Ryan fell asleep after awhile.
"Happy birthday." a deep caring tone could be heard.
"Thanks." A young boy responded.
"You are getting big, how old are you going to be now." Jason dad asked.
"11" said Jason.
(I had always wondered what his exact age was. Now that I think about it, do I even have these dreams in order from young to old.)
"Dad watch this, I can hold the balloon with grabbing it." said Jason while laughing.
"Oh, watch this."
Jason dad start rubbing his head on the balloon. His hair started sticking up.
"Cool, how you do that."
"Static electricity. Ask your teacher more about it if you want to know."
"Static electricity." Jason had a thoughtful expression on as he said that.
(He must not know either, hahaha.)
The rest of the dream was Ryan watching Jason spend his birthday with his family and friends.
Ryan woke up feeling slightly depressed missing his family, but he did his best to push those thoughts deep down. Than relax in a hot tub until it was time to meet up with Tom to train.
They ate breakfast together while having light conversation. Elizabeth still spoke the bare minimum and still had no real emotion on her face the entire time. Ryan had started to notice it more, and wanted to ask out of curiosity, but didn't.
When they left the city they had traveled an hour away from the city to a isolated place to train.
"Okay, yall will spar each other. I need to see where yall lacking, Ryan and Brian will go first." Tom said in a more authoritative tone.
He pulled out a wooden long sword and a short sword. Tom look at Ryan and asked. "You prefer short swords right?"
"Yeah."
Ryan and Brian pick up there weapons and walked to opposite sides.
"Fight." Tom yelled.
Ryan used his floating steps to run towards Brian. Brian stood there on guard waiting for Ryan.
Ryan did a simple swing at Brian to test the waters. The attack was blocked easily. Than Brian used some kind of martial art sword technique to counter. Ryan narrowly escaped the counter, and a shock expression was on his face.
As soon as Ryan sword hit Brian sword. Brian had moved his sword in the way that the attack power got absorbed into his sword and his sword sprung out twice as fast almost hitting Ryan.
Brian was standing there with a smirk. "Dont let that shock you, I got to have some kind of talent, if I am attempting to get into a top academy."
Ryan chuckle and ran towards Brian again. They had alot of exchanges but neither could get a decent advantage.
Even though it was obvious that Brian had the better technique and nearly hit Ryan almost every time but he was a tad bit to slow to connect.
Ryan swords strikes was sloppy but they was strong enough to force Brian to have to brace himself for impact. Which in turn had slowed him down enough to not to be able to make a quick enough counter. Ryan speed and strength made up for the lack of skills.
This was fighting when Brian wasn't using his Martial arts skills, he had knew Ryan didnt have none.
"It seem like i will have to go all out to beat a rank 1". Said Brian, as he used a movement skill.
Ryan prepared himself. Brian slash down with power but Ryan had side stepped it. Ryan was just about to counter but brian leverage himself on his sword and sent a powerful kick at Ryan.
It had caught Ryan off guard and he got kicked on the chest away. His mind was thinking to straight forward and forgot to keep a look out for his legs.
Brian let Ryan get up and they was fighting more intensely this time. Now it was clear Ryan was on the losing end. Brian using his movement skill in a way to strengthen his swings making it hard for Ryan to block. Plus Brian was just naturally better at fighting with weapons.
"That's enough." Tom had stopped the spar.
"Take a break and than you will spar with Elizabeth next." Tom looked at Ryan as he said that.