Chapter 44

"Argh"

I have a hard time getting up as I look at my opponent. Kisara is a beast. She has the same Stamina and Power as Goesch, but she does not have his slowness. She is fast. Not as fast as me, but fast enough to dodge some of my attacks.

Her whip is also something that is really annoying. It gives her range.

The only thing I can do is to get close to her and engage her in close combat. However, there is a problem. She is a master of hand-to-hand combat. While my swordsmanship can keep up and even overpower her hand-to-hand combat, she is not an easy opponent to beat.

"Your footwork, boy! You need to keep it fluid! This is not a ground! This is a ship!"

"I know! It is harder than it looks!"

"Bah! You youngsters and you're complaining! Kisara! Let him taste your dance!"

"Dance? What?"

After Raja says that, Kisara throws away her whip and starts jumping around me. She keeps moving around for a few seconds before suddenly she dashes forward. To the left!

"Buh!"

Instead of going to the left, Kisara appears to my right and kicks me from the right.

"Urgh. How?"

"I wonder~."

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|3rd POV|

In a matter of three minutes, Jacob already loses his sword to Kisara's weird fighting style.

Once again, Kisara dashes forward, and just like before, Jacob can read her movement to predict where the attack is coming from. However, just like before, his prediction is wrong. Just before the attack, Kisara changed direction and attacked him from the other direction.

Each time the attack connects, Kisara will release a flurry of attacks before jumping away once more. It is like Kisara is dancing instead of fighting. A certain rhythm lets her know when to attack and when to get away.

Sadly, Jacob did not know this rhythm and how to counter it. However, he already has an idea of where Kisara's timing is coming from. He just needs to test his theory first.

Jacob dashes forward and attacks Kisara with his fist and legs. Jacob thrust his right hand, and his left hand followed forward when his attack got dodged. However, he did not stop there. After attacking with his hand, he follows his attack by raising his right leg upwards, and when Kiara dodges it, he puts his right leg downward.

Both fighters continue to fight for control for two minutes before suddenly Kisara changes her direction. Her movement is fast and destructive at first before getting away after attacking for a few seconds. She keeps doing that for three minutes before Jacob finally gets away from the bind.

Jacob finally understands what kind of fighting style she is using. Kisara's fighting style is like…

"The wave. You use the wave to change the direction of your attack. You are using the boat's rocking to change the direction of your attack and get closer to me. Your attack also follows the wave of the water underneath us. You are dancing according to the water underneath us that always keeps moving and uses the rocking of the boat to keep your opponent unbalanced."

"Bravo!"

On the side, Raja shouted in excitement. This is the first time she encounters someone who manages to read Kisara's movement this fast. Even Kisara needs the entire day to notice her fighting style when Raja trains her.

"That is the footwork I want you to learn, boy! Keep them fluid! You don't know when you need to adjust your footing when in a fight. This kind of footwork is suitable for fighting on a boat but it can be useful when fighting on the ground. Learning and adapting is my core of teaching. Learn it and improve it so it works to your fight style."

"Yes, maam!"

"Good! That should be enough for our daily sparring. Kisara, you can go back to your job."

Kisara nods her head and walks away from the training room.

"Now. Throw away your boots."

"Pardon me?"

"Just throw it away!"

Jacob sighs a little and throws his boots away.

"Good. Now feel the movement underneath you. Don't use your magic to help you."

Jacob nods his head and takes a deep breath. He closes his eyes and feels the vibration underneath him.

"Good. Feel it and predict its next movement. Move like the water beneath you. Imagine it! Picture it inside your head and move!"

After a few minutes of silence, Jacob finally started to move. He moves to the left and to the right, just like the waves in the sea. However, his movement stopped every time a large wave hit the ship.

"Hahahahaha! Not so easy, aye? Each time a bigger wave hits the ship, you need to change the direction of your movement. Come. Follow my lead and learn."

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|Congratulations! You have learned Feitas River Dance|

|Feitas River Dance| |Passive| |Level: 1|

|This is the fighting style most of the soldiers in Raftfleet use. This fighting style relies on the footwork that follows the rhythm of the Feitas River. This fighting style can be used with weapons or not.|

It took me three hours of constant jumping and moving, and I finally learned this fighting style.

"Good job, boy! Now you know the basics. Until the Sacred Games start, you will use that fighting style when fighting against Kisara. For now, you have an hour of rest before your next training."

"Okay."

Raja nodded her head and left me alone in the training room. Then, I take out some food from my inventory and eat them. Then, I open up my stats.

|Name: Jacob Shiff|

|Race: Human|

|Level: 52|

|HP: 3100/3520|

|MP: 4000/4000|

|STR: 312|

|VIT: 352|

|DEX: 321|

|INT: 339|

|WIS: 400|

|SP: 250|

My level only increased by one, but my stats increased steadily. My magical stats did not increase, but my physical stats are growing. After looking at my stats, I open my skill tab.

|Water Rune| |Level: 100 (MAX)| |Need Flowing Rune to be upgraded|

{Passive: Control water around you. The higher the level, the more water you can control.}

{Active: Every spell does not use mana and is more powerful the higher the level.}

[spell]

{Kindness Drops: Fully heal yourself or one ally (and cure status abnormalities) (Cannot generate lost limbs.} {Can be used seven times per day cycle}

{Ice Spike: Generate five ice spikes and throw them at the enemy. {Can be used five times per day cycle}

{Kindness Rain: Make a rain that heals you and your ally in a three-hundred radius. (Can be used three times per day cycle)}

{Silent Lake: Block all magic attacks for one hour} {Can be used once per day cycle}

|Lightning Rune| |Level: 100 (MAX)| |Need Thunder rune to be upgraded|

{Passive: Generate lightning at will. The higher the level, the more powerful the lightning you generate}

{Active: Every spell does not use mana and is more powerful the higher the level.}

[spell]

{Thunder Runner: Summon a beam made of lightning from the tip of your finger} {Can be used seven times per day cycle}

{Berserk Blow: A powerful lightning bolt appeared from above and struck your enemy} {Can be used five times per day cycle}

{Soaring Blow: Fire a ball of lightning that attacks all of your enemies within fifty meters radius.} {Can be used three times per day cycle}

{Furious Blow: Call a bolt of natural lightning and strike your enemy with the power of heaven.} {Can be used once per day cycle}

|Cyclone Rune| |Level: 42|

|The child to the True Wind Rune and the stronger version of Wind Rune|

{Passive: Generate wind at will and control the wind around you. The higher the level, the more powerful the wind you generate and the more wind you can control.}

{Active: Every spell does not use mana and is more powerful the higher the level}

[spell]

{Healing Wind: Fully restore HP and cure status of self or one ally} {Can be used five times per day cycle}

{The Shredding: Create two five-meters tall cyclones that can cut anything inside them.} {Can be used two times per day cycle}

|Swordsmanship (Intermediate)| |Passive| |Level: 67| (AN* Beginner -> Novice -> Intermediate -> Advanced -> Master -> Grandmaster -> Legendary)

|Poison Resistance| |Passive| |Level: 15|

|Trap Dismantler| |Passive| |Level: 41|

|Pain Resistance| |Passive| |Level: 31|

|Star Rune| |Level: 21|

{Passive: You can use the star's light to heal or enchant your body. You can even use it to create a destructive attack}

{Active: Every spell does not use mana and is more powerful the higher the level.}

[spell]

{Twinkling Star: Call the power of the stars and shower your enemy with its destruction power}{Can be used twice per day cycle}

My swordsmanship increased after constant training and hunting with Goesch and his men. I want to increase it to the Advanced level before the Sacred Games. I wonder if there is a dungeon around here.

I open up my map and see there is indeed a dungeon in this location. There is one dungeon northeast from here. I will check it out later.

I continue to read the skill list.

|Charm| |Active| |Level: 80|

|Transfiguration| |Active| |Level: 87|

|Curse| |Active| |Level: 41|

|Counter-Spell| |Active| |Level: 25|

|Healing| |Active| |Level: 61|

Some of my wizarding skills grow really fast. The transfiguration and healing are the ones increasing really fast. Transfiguration is something really useful in fighting. While charm is good, transfiguration shines when I fight against many enemies.

Creating distraction is a key in battle. While they are distracted, I kill the enemy with ease.

As for healing… Well, I get injured a lot when I'm in the dungeon.

|Cleansing Ritual| |Active| |Level: MAX|

| The Shrine Maiden and Onmyouji use a cleansing ritual in the land of the rising sun. The ritual can be used to cleanse curses, purify demons, and even bless the land with good fortune.|

And lastly, the skill I got from the reward after reaching level fifty. So, all in all, it was a good day for me.