Chapter 34: Training Skills (Part-2)

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"Boy… I think you should change the weapon."

He then walked towards the polearms section and picked a weapon which was not even visible because it was kept at the back.

"Use this instead!" Bennett handed the weapon to Zen and snatched the spear away.

"A halberd? Why?" Zen asked, scratching his head.

In Bennett's grip, the 8-foot-long halberd emerged—completely black with crimson engravings, casting an ominous aura that permeated the air.

"Why a halberd though? Halberds are usually at the bottom of the polearm pecking order, less favored due to their less maneuverability and have less destructive force compared to great swords or axes."

"It is not preferred because a halberd is a unique weapon. One needs enough strength to counter its heaviness and make it more destructive, along with more speed and agility to make it more maneuverable. 

One might ask then why not just use a greatsword or greataxe? Actually greataxe and greatswords have very high destructive power so anyone whose strong forte is strength can use it perfectly. Spear, on the other hand, is more defensive than offensive in its nature because it takes advantage of the user's speed rather than strength.

Halberd is a perfect weapon for the users who have high destructive power along with an equally high speed and agility. For such users, halberd becomes a perfect weapon that can counter almost any weapon.

"Since you are suggesting, I will try it once. But my weapon techniques are focused towards spears."

"Haha don't worry and give it a shot, boy. There are almost no halberd techniques. Most of the halberd users learn the spear and then transform that technique to halberd, as they find fit. Furthermore, don't you have me to teach you?"

Hearing this, Zen smiled. Up until now, he had never heard anything like this other than his family, Evelyn and Shreya. It felt truly good to hear that someone had his back.

"Alright. Thank you, grandpa. Let's try again mom." Zen turned around, assuming his position, halberd in hand.

Again they both started fighting. Zen started by getting acquainted with halberd. He was not used to the weight of the halberd so it was hard for him to manage the timings for the attack, given his unusually high speed. 

"I don't think they'll quit anytime soon. Let's head back and grab lunch. Lizzy's got everything ready," Mark declared, turning away. The others, bored of Zen's rage-fueled attacks on Elizabeth and the subsequent beatdowns every couple of minutes, followed Mark to the living room.

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|BOOMMM|

A thunderous roar disrupted their meal.

"Damn! Lizzy's really going all out now," Bennett exclaimed, prompting everyone to sprint back to the training area. Bennett unleashed a powerful kick, tearing the door asunder.

"Zen, you okay?" Bennett, Mark, Shreya, Anna, and Evelyn barged in, a chaotic entrance.

"HAHAHA!" Laughter echoed as Zen unleashed a jumping roundhouse kick on Elizabeth. Dodging her dagger assault, he swiftly changed his stance, employing the halberd's axe head to threaten Elizabeth's neck.

"Tch," Elizabeth ducked, avoiding the slash. Zen landed, and in a split second, he used the halberd's back spike to jab at Elizabeth on the ground. Like an acrobat, she leaped to the side.

Upon the halberd's contact with the ground, |BAMMM|, a blinding light accompanied by a small explosion shook the entire room.

"HAHAHA!" Zen's laughter echoed, a touch of madness in the air. "Take this, Mom!" he shouted, launching into another relentless assault. 

Meanwhile, witnessing this scene, the audience had their jaws dropped.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?" She screamed and turned towards Anna and Evelyn. 

"HOW IS HE DOING THIS? DID WE LEAVE FOR WEEKS?"

"Calm down, Vice-director," Evelyn attempted to soothe her.

"Don't try to calm me down. I will not calm down. It is impossible to calm down."

Shreya's face looked like it was about to stage a rebellion at any moment. The sudden vulnerability threw everyone off. Shreya, who usually wore a fearless demeanor and sported a demonic smile, had seemingly lost her cool. Even Zen and Elizabeth paused their spar to witness the drama.

"He learned how to use a halberd and even pulled some lightning energy from his ass, putting it in the halberd. What does my disciple want from me? Is he asking me to take over the Earth? Or perhaps, is he suggesting I unite the human race and become its leader? Or worse, does he want me to become his concubine? That's what he wants, doesn't he?"

Shreya went on a wild tangent, spewing incomprehensible words that left everyone bewildered. Zen, in a panic, grabbed Shreya's shoulders and started shaking her aggressively.

"Master, please, get a hold of yourself. I'm not plotting to conquer the universe or anything, and I certainly have no plans of making you my wife."

"Nononono, then what is it that you're hoping for by showing me something like this? Do you want to steal even the virginity of an old maiden like me? Is that your aim?"

"Wait wait! What kind of person do you think I am? No, more importantly, you are a virgin?"

As it turned out, Shreya had a remarkably fragile side when faced with things beyond her comprehension. While she always believed her standards were sky-high, Zen had a knack for shattering her worldview every single time.

It took a good 20 minutes of Shreya spewing rapid-fire nonsense before she finally regained her composure.

…

"Please forget everything." She glared at Zen with extremely cold eyes.

"I swear I will forget everything. But… this came as a surprise that you are still a vir…." 

|BAMMM| A fireball approached Zen out of nowhere

"Hey! Isn't it too much to attack me?" Zen shouted as he jumped sideways.

"FOR-GET EVE-RY-THING" Shreya repeated with a red face. To think she blabbered so much nonsense in front of the emperor of the Prominda Galaxy.

"Hehehe" Zen just grinned.

Shreya shook her head. "---It's just too much to comprehend. I've trained with weapons, but I've never seen anything like this. Anyway, Zen! What was that lightning imbued in the halberd?"

"It's one of my skills. I can infuse lightning into anything I hold, as long as I have the energy. It gets released in any quantity I want upon contact, giving it high explosive power."

"That's impressive. It not only provides an advantage in a direct attack but can also serve as a surprise," Bennett nodded.

"Exactly, my second skill is somewhat expected." Zen retreated back to the ring, activating the attack. Suddenly, a surge of lightning erupted from his body, dancing around the room.

"Woah! Brother, you turned into Pik*chu," Anna laughed, pointing out the bruises on his face that made him resemble the famous Pokémon.

"Please don't say anymore!" Zen cringed. He really wasn't a fan of this comparison, considering almost everyone on Earth would recognize the skill.

"Finally, this is my last technique. I haven't even used it during a spar. Mom, protect Evelyn and Anna." Zen closed his eyes, extending his hand. He took a deep breath, circulating energy around his body.

"Thunder Mirage," he whispered.

Suddenly, a white sphere emerged from his hand, spinning as it expanded.

|WHOOSHH|

Lightning engulfed the entire room, dancing around in a dazzling display. If it weren't for the room's high-resistance protection, nothing would have remained. The lightning crackled, gradually weakening until it finally ceased.

"That's it. An area-of-effect attack that can target a large number of people," Zen nodded, visibly satisfied with his display of skills.

"Hahaha... good, good! You've got some impressive skills there." Bennett approached Zen, giving him a hearty pat on the back. Truth be told, he was quite astonished. Generally, for the first five or so rings, you don't stumble upon a skill as overpowered as Zen's.

"I don't even want to say anything now." Shreya just shook her head. Zen's abilities were just too much for her to process. "Anyways, we will leave in an hour. You and Anna can stay here for a week, but then return soon."

"Okay, Master! By the way, Grandpa, when we come to Prominda next semester, will you introduce me to the family, or are we hiding?" Zen asked curiously.

"Hmm… I was thinking of keeping your identity under wraps for now. What do you want to do?" Bennett was inclined to conceal this matter until Zen became powerful enough to fend for himself.

"Well, I don't want to hide." Zen shrugged, his gaze unyielding. "I won't be cowering under rocks just because some insects can't tolerate me. If they've got issues with me, I'll make damn sure they won't have problems with anyone in the future."

Everyone smiled. Nobody here was unfamiliar with Zen's bold personality. He was audacious enough to make mountains cry.

"Alright, boy. I'll stay here for a week and train you with Lizzy. Let's see if you can truly impress me."

'Was my mom not enough that he is also joining the party?' Zen thought with a bitter smile.