--
Tzzt! Tzzt!
Ftoom!
The skies above Galehollow hissed with sounds of thunder. Dark clouds blotted the sun, accompanied by a terrible sandstorm. From time to time, debris could be seen flying around; some were large, some were sharp, but everything was stopped by a barrier that's been activated to protect the district from it.
TJ stared at the skies from the balcony of his house. He's watching the Magnetic Storm pass through his home district, and despite the storm being horrible, TJ couldn't help but see a profound and grim beauty within it.
'You're stupid if you think that this is beautiful.'
'Where exactly do you see beauty in this? '
'You've gone mad.'
'If you think it's pretty, why don't you go out of the district to personally experience it? '
'Yeah, go out of the district and kill yourself in the storm! '
TJ can't really explain it; he just finds the sight of the storm attractive for some reason.
Maybe it's the way how the sands danced furiously with the wind. Maybe it's because of how the thunder and lightning scattered like a web as it hit the protective barrier of the district. Maybe it's a mixture of both.
Or maybe, the voices in his head were correct, and he's gotten really mad to find this storm beautiful.
Shaking his head, TJ decided to return inside the house. He figured that he's wasting time by staring longingly at the skies like some kind of an idiot.
Classes were suspended because of the storm. Even though the district was protected from it, accidents can still happen, so the suspension makes sense.
According to the news, this magnetic sandstorm will last for about three days. They said that this was a mild sandstorm, so the barriers alone should be enough to endure it.
That said, there had been instances where the intensity of magnetic storms changed while on course. It's still best to keep paying attention just in case it happens again.
Obviously, TJ doesn't plan on wasting these three days. When the camp resumes, he'll be training with a weapon, so his schedule will have to be changed. These three days should be enough to make some decent progress on the techniques he knew so far because that would be more beneficial to him.
**
• Basic Breathing Technique (Minor 175/250)
• Basic Fighting Technique (Minor 150/250)
• Basic Footwork Technique (Minor 150/250)
**
TJ's progress has been quick, much to his surprise too. It hasn't even been that long since he had a breakthrough with these techniques, yet they're already on the verge of being upgraded again.
From his observations so far, the reason behind his quick progress was the fact that he's becoming increasingly more familiar with the techniques and their uses. Because of this, he could perform them faster and more efficiently compared to others, and since his boon relies on proper and efficient repetition, it all feeds into an accelerated motion, resulting in his quick progress.
That, and maybe because they're the basics of the basics, which is why his progress was quick too.
In these three days, TJ's goal was to upgrade these techniques to major masteries. It'd be best if he could do so before the camp resumes. However, he didn't put too much pressure onto himself, either.
These techniques won't disappear just because he wasn't practicing them. He's not on a time limit, and there would be no punishment if he delays their progress a little bit. There's no point in stressing over them since he'd eventually get there.
TJ just wanted to remain active.
With this in mind, TJ put on some workoutmusic and began his practice.
**
Thud! Thud! Pow!
"Urk!"
In the training field, TJ and Sieg sparred again, but this time, it went faster compared to three days ago.
"Yield?"
"Uh, huh! I yield!"
The scene was quite comical; TJ's small and lean body towered over the huge and muscular frame of Sieg, a stark contrast to what anybody would expect to be the result of their spar.
TJ offered a hand to Sieg, which he accepted. And despite being smaller than him, TJ easily lifted Sieg up and helped him stand.
"Damn! What did you eat during the storm? How did you become so strong and fast all of a sudden?" Sieg complained while nursing his sides, certain that he'd sport bruises in them again.
TJ shrugged casually and said, "I just practiced a lot. Your progress isn't half bad, either. Keep it up."
"That's only because my dad and my older brother were beating the lessons into me. Compared to you, my progress isn't really that much."
Sieg's father was a retired combat professional. From what TJ could remember, Sieg's father was of the 'Barbarian' class. He retired because of an injury, but that doesn't mean that he's gotten weak and senile.
As for Sieg's older brother, he's also a combat professional; he was a 'Hoplite' if TJ recalled it correctly.
The 'giant' genes stemmed from Sieg's father's side, and their lineage follows the Warrior Path. If Sieg were to go on as is, he'd be on his way to follow the same path.
TJ should be envious. After all, Sieg had a support system prepared just for him. His father doesn't go out much, so he could always be there to teach him some tips and tricks. His older brother can lend him some of his old equipment and make things easier for him in the future. With these, Sieg's career had a solid start, something that many novices can't relate to.
Plus, Sieg had an A-rank Boon, at least, and it seems that it's quite fitted for him. TJ never asked him what it is since that's just rude and offensive, but from his observations so far, this should be the case.
But TJ was different. He's blessed with really powerful boons. He doesn't feel the need to be envious because he also had his own reliance.
**
• Basic Breathing Technique (Major 25/500)
• Basic Fighting Technique (Major 20/500)
• Basic Footwork Technique (Major 20/500)
**
With his skills reaching major mastery, TJ was faster, lighter, and stronger.
The sensation of becoming stronger felt good to him; it's a kind of rush that's worth the chase, and it's somewhat addicting too.
TJ's talents were his greatest reliance for his future. Right now, only one was being used actively, but that's for a good reason. However, once TJ finally starts taking advantage of this second boon, his growth should become faster.
"Oi, brats! Come up here and get your training equipment."
Mr. Eden's announcement echoed through the training grounds, causing the eyes of the young warriors to light up in excitement. In their haste, they pushed and tugged at each other, fighting to be the first ones to receive their training equipment.
TJ didn't join in the excitement. He saw no reason to since he'd get it eventually. A few seconds or minutes of delay doesn't matter to him.
Mr. Eden had to growl and glare at the students for them to behave. Once they did, though, he began handing them their packages.
As he stated, the starter equipment of the young warriors was a set of training armor and some weights; of course, this also includes their training weapon of choice.
Like children who just got a toy for their birthday, the young warriors took out their training weapons and began admiring them.
Swords, spears, shields, etc. All sorts of cold weapons could be seen held by the young warriors. Some, in their excitement, immediately began waving their weapons around, imitating the moves of the pros they see online.
"Nice!" Sieg praised as his burly arms grasped a war axe firmly.
He felt its weight and texture with his calloused hands and felt satisfied. He gave it a test swing and found that it's the perfect weight for his current size and strength.
Sieg then looked at his friend and saw him inspecting a long but very thin blade with a sharp tip.
"A rapier?" he asked, making TJ look at him. "Gee, I can already see you becoming troublesome with that thing."
Yes. TJ chose the rapier for his weapon choice.
Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be the rapier. His general choice was a light but fast weapon with a decent reach. For that, rapiers and/or estocs work just fine.
Ordinary swords are cool. In fact, TJ once imagined himself using them. However, once he really thought about it, he discovered that it doesn't really suit him.
And daggers are simply too short.
Spears have the reach he's been looking for, and if used correctly, they could become devastating weapons. There are many pros who use spears and built their reputation with them. Alas, they're too heavy and take a surprising amount of time to learn and master.
Long and thin-bladed swords like rapiers and estocs suit him just fine. It qualifies for his goals.
Actually, TJ didn't just ask for a rapier. He picked the bow too, to deal with the enemies he couldn't reach normally.
A rapier and a ranged weapon—these are what TJ decided to learn and master for the early stages of his professional career.
Years later, an older version of him would thank his younger self for making this wise decision. But that's far into the future...
Right now, it's time to add more skills to his repertoire.