[Azraels POV]
Three months have passed since my initiation into the world of mana. Nothing particularly note worthy has happened in that time, just a normal daily routine.
But, that's with the learning of combat arts being added into it. Two types of physical training have been added as a daily routine, one being just normal strength and endurance training to get my young body accustomed to physical strain and activity, the second obviously combat arts.
Initially I thought it wouldn't be very useful to properly dive into the this worlds 'combat arts', thinking it only a activity to convert my past life experience into this body, as well as make previous skills into a skill set that has mana incorporated into it.
That's why I decided to learn this worlds equivalent to the weapons I used frequently in my past life to both renew my experience and finally get formal training.
In my past life, and as a secondary wepond, every chance I got while snatching a gun from an enemy or one of their corpses I found that I was quite good as a long range type. Though I was always a close range fighter hence why it stayed secondary, merely incorporating it into close range as well due to liking the mechanics.
So I decided to learn of the bow and how it use it. Both due to hearing how complicated the art can be, thinking being self taught again would be pointless and unwise and to not let this talent and experience of training long range go to waste.
Guns and ranged weapons though were just that, a secondary weapon. Just something on the side that is useful in situations I can't be up front or being easier in the back. My main fighting style being a mix of martial arts that focous on quick strikes that keep me on my feet, swift kicks aimed at joints and disarming techniques that can catch an opponent of guard. I learnt a lot of these techniques either from school, activly travelling to join and take part in various martial arts dojos and alot just being self taught from the list of forbidden MMA moves on the internet. Ah good old internet, that is definitely something so convenient I am missing. Also using bladed weapons like Bowie knives, daggers, machetes and even using a sword I picked up though could not keep using due to how expensive it was to by and maintain. Not having a real job didn't help either.
So I thought this as a mere conversation practice, an exuse of training to pack this near perfect physical body for fighting with the muscle memeory to push it to any extent, turn it into a machine only stopped by my will not exhaustion. That as well as bringing up to a level were I'm comfortable, not like now with a lacking dexterity and senses. Though I did carry my talents over, they are just that talents, not like the skills and abilities I honed over and over, bordering the super human level that I held before.
I believe this body can be taken a lot further than previously though. Unlike being physically deformed due to a variety of reasons, this time I have good genetics as well as a proper environment to nurture and hone it to the extreme.
That's the reason I decided after much contemplation to relearn all of these arts.
Colour me completely surprised when these arts aren't just mere mana manipulation and usage guides, but complex fighting systems rivalling or maybe even surpassing the complexity due to all the steps compared to my previous world martial arts.
Though indeed mana has a large presence in these combat arts they are so much more, using the body to stimulate the mana in certain mysterious ways as well as the opposite as well. And so much more, that it can't even be explained in one chapter.
"Heh"
After a quick mocking snort at the last part of my thought I continue on.
Even though I can analyse their techniques and moves with my skill, I still need to learn it and engrave it into my body through training and incorporate it into a useable fighting style. Although I will have an advantage learning quickly at low levels and even to copy to use stolen arts to use as a base, at higher levels it will be harder to use properly as a large amount of training is still needed though being able to download a foreign fighting style or even the enemy's fighting style mid fight can be an extremely good trunk card. Mainly a high grade fondation skill though, and that is only the part with the warrior class.
And that bring us to now, in the houses training ground. Having just finished the 'sword instructors/suspicious ass lickers who if he wasn't so competent I would of made sure of his death due to how suspicious his status and behaviour is' lesson I look over his status with {appraising eye}.
_____
Name: Ravanous Asalin
Age:36
Occupation: nobles secret assassin, sword instructor.
Job: warrior
Description: an all around ass licker that will do anything for his masters goal, even enduring humiliation and the risk of death.
Alignment- neautral evil
______
His status and description is suspicious, but I don't want to out him because he could freak out and cause trouble when unattended, due to me not being strong enough to either confront him or stop him for Mary. As well as the fact he is a fairly good teacher, I will just wait for now use him to squeeze out all his techniques and teaching and let Mary know.
As he finally leaves, I can do my daily self training. This helps me to 'digest' all the infomation I have learnt to properly put them to use as well as to make sure my body remembers them.
So taking a few moments in silent meditation and emerging myself back into the days of constant combat, life or death situations and all the fighting styles and experiences, I get up and take a stance with a one handed blade.
Closing my eyes, I manifest various shadows in my mind. Using them as mentally conjured opponents.
_____