"Really!? I am!?"
Bell quickly recovered from his dazed state and immediately became excited.
Being praised by his master meant a lot to him as he knew he was closer to being a 'hero'.
There was just one problem…
"What does…Apprentice-class mean…?" He asked, scratching his head.
"Huh…? Sooo you got excited but don't even know what it means?"
Kaelis stared deadpan at the young boy in front of him.
"But master. You were the one who said it, so it must be something good right…?"
He continued staring at the boy in front of him, before he realized that he hadn't explained anything as he was too in a hurry to begin the kid's training.
Sighing to himself, he decided that this time was as good as any to relay the necessary information.
"Listen to what I'm about you and listen well. Where I'm from, swordsmanship is divided into six classes."
Bell began listening intently hoping to not miss anything that's about to be said.
"The Apprentice, the adept, Advanced, Master, Grandmaster and then Divine…"
Kaelis then waited until Bell slowly ingested that piece of information before continuing.
"…Keep in mind, these classes aren't determined by strength, but by skill. Higher ranks represents deeper understanding, mastery and technique refinement."
He went on to further explain what each class means for a swordsman.
The first class: The Apprentice.
This is the stage a beginner reaches once they start learning the art of swordsmanship under the guidance of someone from a higher rank.
People in this class generally know what they're supposed to do, but they haven't yet learned how to push beyond those basics.
They usually have a simple, foundational understanding—enough to follow instructions, but not enough to create or adapt on their own.
Then we have the second class, The adept. This class is a more competent apprentice.
The requirements for this stage is to have higher control over the sword and be able to adapt to mini changes mid combat.
Though they are still susceptible to masked intentions and are overwhelmed by unorthodox styles.
Though, they can be seen as reliable.
In comes the Advanced. These swordsmen stand at the threshold of mastery.
They are able to use the environment to their advantage and are proficient in rhythm shifting mid fight.
Here is where most swordsmen peaked for the rest of their lives. Plus they are mostly respected.
But as before, their weaknesses are tied to skills and techniques.
Said to be "one with their blade," this stage is reserved for only a select few—those with one-in-a-million talent.
At this level, a swordsman's techniques begin to evolve beyond conventional forms, often no longer resembling traditional moves at all.
They also develop their sword intent—the manifestation of a swordsman's will, understanding, and philosophy, expressed through their techniques.
Simply being in their presence can inspire weaker swordsmen, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of their own blades…
Grandmaster Swordsmen, otherwise known as rule-breakers, are a rare sight—few ever witness one.
The most notable trait of a swordsman at this level is that their understanding of the blade borders on the surreal.
Every movement they make serves multiple purposes at once, as if the sword itself obeys their will.
They can anticipate and neutralize an opponent's moves before they're even executed, and while some gain the ability to read a person's history through the flow of combat.
Though still bound by the limits of reality, their skills and techniques are refined to near perfection.
These individuals are considered one-in-a-hundred-million phenomena.
Then comes the final stage—The Divine-class.
"Not much is known about it as this class has never been attained before."
Bell, who had been listening with sparkles in his eyes, tilted his head in confusion.
"But master, you said you were a Divine class. How come you don't know?"
Kaelis shook his head
"What I just told you is from what other people said and from what I observed. Nobody has seen a divine class of swordsmanship before."
"But you are one, so you must know what it is then. Tell me" Bell became excited.
Kaelis scratched his head looking around. He quickly found what he was looking for: a small tree branch.
"…Master? What's that for?"
"Although the grandmaster stage's techniques are near supernatural in refinement, they still require a sword to perform most of their moves and…"
Bell watched as Kaelis used the branch he had, slashed diagonally at a nearby tree.
"Hmm…? What did you do, master?"
All he saw was the slash, but the tree was still standing so he didn't know whether his master wanted to cut the tree or not.
Crack
"Eh?"
CRAAAAAACK
BOOM!
Trees behind the one Kaelis slashed at began falling one after the other.
"Wh-what's going oooon!?"
Bell shouted as he jumped back in alarm dropping the twin swords in the process.
T-the trees…they're fallllling!
"That my boy…is selective cutting."
Without looking at him, kaelis calmly said, watching as more trees began falling.
"S-selective…cutting?" Bell turned to his master, questioning.
"Mhm. I would say this is what makes a swordsman divine class. Using anything as a sword and being able to cut whatever I intend to, I guess…"
Silence descended upon the forest once more as Bell gazed up at his teacher in amazement.
Cut whatever I want… So cooooool!!!!
"Master! you're amazing!!"
Bell eyes glowed like stadium lights in the night.
"Can you teach me!? Pleeeasse! I wanna be able to do that tooo!"
Kaelis sighed. Didn't this kid hear what I said before? You need to be a divine class to be able to pull this off…
Well, since I'm his teacher, it's my responsibility to teach him.
"You'll learn it eventually.. but first. Since you are now an apprentice class swordsman…"
Kaelis then pointed at the dual swords bell dropped early.
"Those swords are your rites token. You are no longer gonna be using a wooden sword."
Bell picked the back up and inspected them.
The swords have curved, silver blades with decorative patterns and black leather handles with gold-colored accents.
"So coool!"
Playing with a sword in each hand, Bell began shifting between poses.
"…But I wanted a hero sword—"
Kaelis hand came down swiftly, karate chopped him on his cranium.
Thud!
"Ouch!!" He cried out. "What's that for!?"
"You ungrateful welp! I gave you a gift and you don't even say thank you." Kaelis sighed.
"…Your build is more suited to be a speed type of fighter, so these swords suit you best. If you wanna go hero maxing in the future, that's your choice."
Bell simply nodded while rubbing his head, not wanting to back-talk his master.
"In any case. Since you're now an officially ranked swordsman, you no longer need babying with instructions."
Summoning a dual sword that was connected by chains of his own, Kaelis pointed one at Bell.
"Take a position."
"Why?" Bell asks.
He could feel the tension slowly rising in the air as the usual warmth on Kaelis's face vanished.
"Unlike other swordsmen, my method is a bit more direct so from now on we'll be sparring everyday. I want you to use everything I've drilled into you to fight back as I'll be putting pressure on your mind. Got it?"
"Hey wai—"
Not giving Bell time to think, Kaelis lunged forward at incredible speeds and slashed vertically.
CLANG!
"NGH!!!"
Crossing the swords above him, Bell caught the incoming sword swing.
But the strength of if proved too much for him as it blasted him backwards.
"Cough! W-wait…Ma-master, I—"
"No boy. Playtimes over."
Chapter 45 end.