Individual Lesson [2]

"What do you mean your legs will break?! You are still full of mana, just do it again!"

"Sir, I truly, genuinely, can't do it unless I want to risk my legs getting crippled."

The Gorilla was standing over me, who was lying down on the ground in agony, trying to get me to continue using my martial technique.

We had stumbled upon a big obstruction in my practice. Not only did I only have a single martial technique to practice, but I also couldn't even use it until my mana depleted without destroying my legs.

Mike was a bit baffled at my current condition, almost seemingly impressed that a martial technique could have this effect. In most cases, one would either run out of mana or stamina, not destroying their own body parts. Unless they forcibly focused more strength and mana than necessary, which would only be a scenario in a life or death situation.

"So it really was true then? Your legs do sustain damage from using that movement technique. I did suspect you told the truth after I saw you use it the first time, as it was a bit too amazing, but I still wanted some confirmation."

"…."

Yes, even with my detailed explanation of [Lightning Step], Mike still wanted to see if it was true, which ended up with me using it until I was genuinely scared that my legs wouldn't recover anymore.

Rubbing his hand on his cheek he mumbled, "Then how should we do this then... You don't even have any other techniques to practice... I guess you will either have to practice a new movement to create one, or we will fully focus on imbuing your weapons."

After taking a couple of seconds to think, he had made a decision, "We will leave your movement technique for you to practice in the time capsule in your free time, and instead we will focus on trying to make you gain an offensive technique, based on your daggers. This will make it so you will have to learn how to efficiently imbue your element into the weapons anyway, as it will be a pre-requisite to creating the technique."

There was a difference between just slashing with electrically imbued daggers, and executing a dagger-based lightning technique. Just like with my [Lightning Step], I could imbue my purple energy into my leg and then take a fast step forward. That didn't mean it would produce the same effect. Nevertheless, I had to be able to accumulate the energy in my legs to execute the technique.

My expression brightened a bit hearing the new plan as I was going to get myself a new technique! I had had so many fantasies about shooting electric energy slashes, buffing myself with static, hell, even focusing all my lightning energy into my hand and yelling "CH*DORI!"

Full of excitement I asked, "So what kind of technique should I try to learn?!"

Mike chuckled a bit at my innocence and brought out a smile.

"It will be something based on bladed combat at least. As you know, even if most weapon Battle Arts holds a lot of the same techniques if they utilize the same weapon, no one can truly know what techniques will awaken in an individual. Even if two assassins with the same Battle Art try to master the technique [Eviscerate] they might have different results. It could even be the case that one isn't suited to a skill like that at all, and instead, awaken nothing. Moreover, as your body is incredibly unique, I can't even begin to predict what kind of technique you will learn."

I could feel my eagerness cooling a bit, and instead of childlike excitement, I started to approach the upcoming training with logic. Not that I wasn't still incredibly elated.

"So if I train by using elementally imbued daggers, there should be a higher chance of me awakening a technique, as they are what defines my style?"

"Correct. Even with the small chance of you not being suited to wielding your blades, you should at least be able to awaken an offensive technique complementing your element."

He clapped his hands, as a signal of ending our conversation and starting our training. Doing something on his DAD, he made a generic dummy come out from the floor.

Walking up to the dummy, he clapped its artificial shoulder, "This is just an ordinary dummy, without any analyzing capabilities. You just need to wield your training daggers and attack it with lightning."

Without even having tried to enchant Khanda or Nandaka, I started to try and make my energy flow into the training daggers in my hands.

Making the purple energy flow to my hands was easy, as they were part of my own body, but trying to imbue the daggers was considerably more difficult, almost if there were a roadblock I had to burst through to get to the other side.

Pushing harder, I forced my elemental mana into them, making the, by now, lightning streaks covering my hands jump over to the daggers.

Unfortunately, it ended up with the daggers projecting the energy like an electric pulse, dissipating it completely.

My teacher started to guide me, "No, you can't force your element into the weapons. It's not about conquering, it's about harmonization."

Taking a dagger of his own from his inner pocket...

'Is he always carrying that?'

...he proceeded to show me the ropes. His fire element gently started to make the small dagger shine, without the need for his flames to externally make their way from his hand.

"Your weapon is a part of you, an extension of your limbs. Don't think about it as your lightning going from your fingers to the steel, think about it as if the steel is part of you from the beginning."

Once again I attempted the imbuement of the daggers, this time with a new mindset.

'If the dagger is part of me, I just need to have a channel already made for my energy to flow to it.'

Instead of forcing the flow of my lightning, I tried to find a road for it to travel before moving it.

With my fast mind, I quickly sensed a way around the metaphorical barrier. Starting the process once again, my energy gently started to accumulate in the dagger directly.

With a purple shine, the lumps of steel in my hair now beautifully sparked with power.

Mike spoke, further directing my process of training, "Now continue to pour your mana into the weapons and we will see how long you can uphold it."

After two minutes, I could feel my body start to shake, telling me my mana was about to run out.

I forced myself to hold on, but after another minute, the daggers returned to their gray form.

With his eyes on the DAD, my instructor spoke, "Three minutes, not bad at all! And, more importantly, how were you able to do it on your second try?! Are you a genius?"

Sitting down to catch my breath and let my body replenish some energy, a conclusion to his statement had already been produced in my head. Breathing hard, I gave him my explanation,

"It's most likely because I don't have to convert my mana, as it is already converted into my element."

Slamming his right fist down into a platform made by his left hand, he appeared to recognize the logic behind my words.

"I see! Yes, that would make it a lot easier, wouldn't it? Where others need to convert their mana before enhancing their weapon, you only need to focus on the latter part of the process. But even with that, make no mistake, you are most likely talented, with an inclination towards controlling mana."

Happy with his praise, I silently focused on recuperating so we could move on to the next stage of creating a technique...

"Now, we have to move on to the second part of our training!"

...or so I thought. Instead, I would now try to learn how to kill a dummy.

Thinking it was a bit silly to spend three hours hitting just a dummy, not with the focus on raising my stamina, there was still some logic to practicing my accuracy in striking weak points, albeit limited.

As if to, once again, prove my ignorance, my teacher started to fiddle with his DAD a bit.

Seconds later, the original dummy got replaced by a much more human-looking robot, equipped with a sword and shield.

Proud of his possession, he spoke, "This is what you are gonna train with. It's not going to attack you at all, it's just going to defend against your attacks. Your job is to, without the use of your mana, strike any openings you can find or create."

Once again making use of the device on his arm, a screen lit up on the wall, not unlike the analyzing screen accompanying the dummies on the practice fields.

"We will only record the accuracy of your strikes, meaning any strike you make that isn't lethal, or creates a chain of attacks that will end with a killing blow, will be recognized as a dud."

Taking a few steps back, he made a que for me to begin.

"Remember, have fun!"

'Isn't this about learning how to kill someone?!'