"Lawrence is really worried. How can someone who won't even draw a sword in the face of provocations threaten him?"
"I said earlier, there can't be more monsters than Lawrence in the third grade."
A group of good-looking young aristocrats sneered as they discussed Luciel.
"Susan, what do you think?"
Someone turned to ask a girl in their group.
The girl, named Susan, was strikingly beautiful. Her long blonde hair was tied into a ponytail with a silver rope behind her head, giving her a capable and elegant look.
Susan shook her head, not speaking, but her eyes occasionally darted toward Luciel. There was something different about the way she looked at him.
The criticisms of Luciel soon stopped as the instructor for the court swordsmanship class entered the room.
The instructor, Fielding, was tall, slender, fair-skinned, and exuded a strong aristocratic presence. It was rumored that he had served the royal family in the past.
Fielding's gaze briefly scanned the classroom and paused on Luciel before beginning the lesson.
"Alright, everyone. Practice on your own for now."
Fielding walked over to Luciel and said, "This is your first class, so I'll demonstrate the swordsmanship for you first."
Luciel nodded, silently thinking, Prepare to store data.
Fielding began demonstrating Foil Swordsmanship.
"Data is being stored…"
The demonstration finished.
"Storage complete. The Foil Swordsmanship is 96% complete."
Everyone has their own swordsmanship habits, so the chip removes this personal flair during the recording process, making the stored swordsmanship just slightly less than perfect. However, Luciel's swordsmanship—practiced under the chip's guidance—was as close to textbook perfection as one could get. This perfection allowed him to rapidly master any style.
"Do you remember everything?" Fielding asked.
Luciel nodded confidently. "I remember it completely."
Fielding paused, surprised for a moment, then quickly masked it with indifference.
"Very well, then. Now practice it on your own."
After saying that, Fielding turned and walked away, not even sparing Luciel another glance.
No one can memorize a sword style after seeing it just once, Fielding thought, labeling Luciel as arrogant and prideful.
Luciel, however, felt a strange expression on his face. Fielding seemed to have a very negative opinion of him.
But the truth was, Luciel had memorized the swordsmanship entirely with the chip. There was no need for Fielding to demonstrate it again—it would only be a waste of time for both of them.
No matter, Luciel thought. I'll just focus on learning the swordsmanship.
Luciel shook his head, dismissing the thoughts of Fielding's attitude, and focused his attention.
A blue light figure appeared in his mind, and he began practicing the sword movements, repeating them according to the chip's instructions.
"Motion correction. Movement perfection increased by 7%."
"Motion correction. Movement perfection increased by 5%."
"Motion correction. Action perfection increased by 3%."
As Luciel continued to improve his physical coordination, the perfection of his Foil Swordsmanship increased rapidly.
Before he knew it, two hours had passed, and the perfection of his swordsmanship had reached 94%.
"It's expected that the perfection will reach 100% after a bit more practice."
Luciel put down the long sword and wiped the sweat from his brow.
"That's enough for now. The remaining 6% of perfection can wait until I get back to complete it."
Luciel looked around, searching for Fielding...
"Okay, you can rest."
Fielding announced the end of class as he pointed to the last student who was still practicing.
The other students immediately stopped, stretching and rubbing their arms and shoulders from the strain of continuous practice.
"That kid has been slacking for so long. He should be more humble..."
Fielding glanced over at Luciel, who was still looking at him, a slight smile curling on his lips.
After seeing Luciel's gaze, Fielding, already assuming Luciel was feeling lost, slowly began walking toward him.
"After practicing on your own, I'm sure you've found many mistakes. You must be seeking guidance now, right?" Fielding said, deliberately slowing his pace.
"Mr. Fielding..." Luciel began.
But Fielding didn't give him a chance to speak, cutting him off with a dismissive gesture. "I know what you're going to say…"
"Uh..." Luciel was taken aback.
Fielding's expression became more serious. "I won't demonstrate it a second time in this class. You need to learn humility and pay the price for your arrogance. However, I can arrange for someone to guide you."
With that, Fielding turned his attention to the other students who were resting. He called out, "Who would like to give our new student a little advice?"
The moment Fielding spoke, all the students turned their eyes to Luciel, already anticipating what would unfold.
"I'll help," came a voice from the back.
It was Saudi, the boy who had previously provoked Luciel. He stood up with a mocking grin, looking at Luciel with playful derision.
"I'll give the new student a good lesson," Saudi said with a smirk.
Fielding gave a slight nod.
Saudi's strength was solid, and Fielding believed it would leave a strong impression on Luciel.
"Alright. You two try it. Just remember, you can only use Foil Swordsmanship," Fielding said, setting the terms for the match.
Luciel had only attended two hours of the fancy swordsmanship class, and he'd only seen a demonstration. He couldn't help but wonder how Saudi, who had already been praised by Fielding, would fare in a match under these conditions.
The students around them were already getting excited.
"Haha, Saudi, you'd better be merciful to the new student. Don't hurt the pretty boy!" one student mocked.
"Nonsense," another replied, "The new student is a well-known genius. It's Saudi who should be worried!"
The classroom erupted with laughter and teasing, all directed at Luciel, with many of the students watching in anticipation.
Saudi looked ready to pounce, full of pride. He seemed eager to prove himself.
Luciel stood quietly, expressionless, before turning to Saudi. He gave a calm nod. "Alright, let's start."
Thank you for reading this story