Horizon(2)

"All right, now get ready. What's on the agenda for today isn't going to take long. The initial task is to choose the main weapon."

With that, she took us to the training ground.

****

"There's a vast selection of weapons here," Jane stated as she stood in front of everyone, turning on the lights and saying, "Feel free to choose what you think to be the best fit for you."

"Place yourself in front of the weapon you desire. The training weapons will be provided by us. But don't dismiss them because they're practicing with a weapon. The going rate for them is 1 million U."

There were weapons galore, more than I could have anticipated.

Swords, spears, sabers, daggers, rapiers, halberds, greatswords, zweihanders, bows, guns, whips, gauntlets, and other weapons.

"Think about it before you make a decision. You won't be able to modify your main weapon for at least 6 months after you chose it."

"You are responsible for your weapon. So take care of it properly."

With that, all are busy choosing their weapon. Most of the people choose swords and spears. Few choose the bow and few choose gauntlets which are best suited for their fighting style.

As the profession for this fellow is a swordsman, so I choose a sword.

I chose a great sword. It's not like I know anything about this, but it looked fancier than the rest.

With that, we moved into the training ground.

As I approached the training place, I was greeted by a wide expanse of land.

The entire training facility was the equivalent of two football fields.

A shooting range was located in the top right corner of the training grounds, and it was divided into five distinct distances ranging from 100m to 500m.

There were more than a dozen practice dummies in the bottom right corner of the training ground that was ideal for close combat exercise.

The training dummies were fashioned of Oraculum, a robust metal capable of withstanding the impact of an A-rank demon.

Students could practice against the dummies without fear of shattering them because of the Oraculum body.

The training facility's central area was open to all, which meant it had nothing.

This was primarily used for practicing motions and footsteps.

It was essentially a space where anyone could practice whatever method they desired.

At the upper left, there was a spacious gym with top-of-the-line equipment, as well as, and perhaps most importantly, a gravity room that went up to 10g.

With the use of the gravity chamber, one might train and alter their body by increasing the gravitational force bearing down on them.

Finally, a big swimming pool with a fifty-meter length arose in the bottom left corner of the training site.

Because of the particular medical chemicals added to the water, the swimming pool was one of the most popular places because it was incredibly effective for condition training and helped muscles recover faster from exhaustion.

"Okay, like I previously stated, because this is your first day, you do not need to push yourself. I'll be here to keep an eye on you all." having said that Jane went to a corner to observe the students.

****

"Hello, Jane! How is your first day going on?"

"Oh hi Samantha, Well its looks great."

"What do you think of this batch?"

Staring a distance, looking around, and pointing towards a few individuals,

"There is a lot of promising youth joined this year, especially this batch. But the ones who stood out most are Thomas, John, Ivy, Andrea, Trina, and Albert.

Samantha thoughtfully nodded.

"Well, it isn't surprising considering their lineage."

"Maybe. I agree that their background is impressive, but that isn't what makes them great. They are this good because of the blood, sweat, and tears they put into their training. Just because they were born to successful parents does not guarantee that they will be successful themselves. You will never be strong until you put in the effort, no matter how talented you are."

"Well, that's indeed true"

"Are you looking at someone in particular?" Samantha was the one who inquired.

Jane replied right away,

"Thomas Gray"

"Oh, the person who was ranked first this year. However, I'm intrigued by him. Is he backed by anyone?"

"No, he doesn't come from a powerful family like others."

"Then he is this year's true prodigy. It's no easy feat to come this far without any help and to place first in Horizon's entrance exam. Isn't it possible that a new S rank member will join our ranks?"

"I believe he will rise above S rank."

"Oh, the Demon Witch herself is praising him; that must mean he's a talent to keep an eye on,"

Jane spoke out, her gaze fixed on her.

"Someone here, I believe, has forgotten about the thrashing they took the other day. Perhaps I should increase the dosage."

Cold sweat started to dip from Samantha's forehead.

"No way. I was joking, of course. You don't have to be too serious about it. Hehe..."

"Hmph."

Jane continued to observe the students while turning her head away.

"He's awesome, His sword style and standing are both exquisite, with very few wasted movements. It's no surprise you thought so highly of him." Samantha remarked.

'When he finishes his graduation, there will be a ruckus.' 'All of the main guilds, as well as the Union, will be on the lookout for him at all costs.' Jane pondered her own thoughts.

Samantha abruptly called Jane and pointed at someone.

"What is that fellow doing, Jane? Is this a new kind of swordsmanship? I've never seen anything so disgusting in my life. I think I'm going to throw up."

"Hey, Samantha, just shut up."

'What the hell is that guy doing there?'

She took out her tablet and swiftly scrolled down till she saw a picture that resembled the youth's characteristics.

"Rank 1983, David Foster. Age 16, son of Galaxy's guild master, a mid-level guild based in Neart City. D is for talent evaluation"

"That was a bit of a surprise. With this, I'm not sure how he got into Horizon in the first place."

Samantha went on to say,

"His stances are sloppy at best. His posture is deplorable, and his swordsmanship is riddled with flaws. Wait does anyone call this swordsmanship? I believe he is merely amusing himself."

Jane stood there passively watching it.

'Well, it's a disaster. I'm not sure how he was chosen. Even if I tried, I couldn't disprove Samantha's claims. Perhaps not everyone is gifted at Horizon.'

Jane then turned around and walked away.

****

I walked to the dummy part after choosing my weapon to learn more about swordsmanship.

I expected to get the handle of the sword when I swung it because the former owner of this body was a swordsman. However, things did not proceed as planned.

I was striking the dummy however I wanted in order to figure out something, but I quickly became the class's laughingstock.

I was expecting something like this, but...

Half of the class is making fun of me right now.

'See, I get it. It's not like I used swords or anything in my prior life,'

I couldn't help but notice that several of my students were openly ridiculing me while pointing their fingers in my direction.

Hello? I don't mind if you talk garbage about me behind my back, as long as you don't do it in front of me where I can't hear or see you.

I let out a sigh.

It's not like this is the first time I've been mocked. I don't give a damn.

After that, I practice swinging my sword at a different angle.

Jane was staring at me, disgusted, as she wondered how the hell this trash got into Horizon. Jane, don't worry, you're not alone; I'm in the same boat.

Shaking my head, I began practicing my swordsmanship, or whatever it was called.

After all, was said and done, I had spent two hours repeating the same exercise.

"Please pay attention! Today, I've been observing each and every one of you. I am delighted with the majority of you; nevertheless, not everyone pleased me, since some of you squandered your valuable time messing around or swinging aimlessly. I'm hoping for a better outcome next time."

Jane spoke with a quick glance at me.

As a result, the first training session came to a close.

****

"Hey, how about teaching us some moves?"

"Is that even referred to as swordsmanship? I've never seen trash who can't even swing his sword correctly."

'A gang of pampered brats. Listen, I don't have time to fool with you; I have a more pressing issue to address.'

I ignored them and continued on my way to my dorm.

'I need to learn more about the prior owner of this body and devise a plan of action.'

I dashed into my room as quickly as possible after that.