"Now then!" Master clasped his hands together, "you two, get to training. Thankfully, we still have a long way to go until we reach our destination. Öthe, I believe that should be enough time for you to begin training on your next 2nd Division technique, and help Morrissey here reach well within the Apprentice Martial Artist range."

By now, I knew some of Master's intentions with Morrissey. One of many seems to be getting me acclimated with teaching others. Maybe this will help with my social skills? I don't know.

Either way, I'll go along with it for now.

"Okay… so, first, sit down in a comfortable position, Morrissey."

Doing as he was told, Morrissey sat with his legs crossed and his hands on his knees. From what I've learned, the specifics of one's sitting position do not matter, so long as it allows them to focus comfortably on the refinement.

"...good. Now… uh…"

How do I explain it…

"Ah! I think if I do this, it should help you grasp the feeling quickly."

I sat down directly in front of Morrissey and placed my hand directly on top of his sternum, which was quite pronounced due to his lack of both muscle and fat. He flinched pretty bad, but didn't move out of the way.

"I am going to circulate a very small amount of äura through you. Make sure you memorize the feeling, because it won't stay long. Otherwise, you could die."

Through my body, I willed a minuscule amount of äura to begin circulating. It was about as much as I was circulating when I arrived in the world, and was about the same as when this body first learned how to circulate äura. This idea to pass it through Morrissey came from the hellish training I went through with Master over the last five years. Through that time I spent pushing through it, I have been able to determine how it works.

Due to this knowledge, I feel comfortable pushing such small amounts of äura through another person, as it would be like spraying someone with a cold hose. Not life threatening, but easily noticeable.

Another conclusion I have reached is that I only made it through that due to HSM, meaning that it could not be utilized more than this on any other individual.

Within a second, I let the flow of äura pass through Morrissey, and back out through my hand. Even with the small amount of äura that passed through him, I could feel his body tense up and hear his breath stop. All returned to normal a few moments later.

"...So, did you feel it?"

"Y-yes."

"Good. Do you think you can replicate that feeling?" I asked. "There is a slower way, but this is the most convenient way to learn… I think."

"I'll t-try…" he stuttered while closing his eyes.

I turned to Master and shot him a questioning glare, which he reciprocated with a thumbs up. I shrugged my shoulders and got out the grimoire.

Now, I have to finish mastering this bloody technique.

I summoned the wisp and retrieved my claymore, which is currently the weapon I am most confident with. The wisp, on the other hand, manifested the most common weapon out there, a simple European longsword with no defining features.

An explanation was provided within the notes, but the main takeaway was that the longsword was chosen to train on in part for its commonality, and also on a whim. Additionally, the notes state that the weapon changes as you get into the higher proficiency levels.

Through reading this explanation, I developed a hypothesis: In order to master this technique, one must also change weapons when the wisp does. Otherwise, learning the in's and out's of the technique would take an exuberant amount of time (in comparison), and wouldn't lead to true mastery, as one may have developed bad habits along the way that may impede the function of the technique when utilizing other weapons.

Well, that is if you use the technique with a weapon in the first place. In the guidance video, one of the many scenarios shown was an unarmed wisp breaking a small branch off a tree, and subsequently disarming an opponent wielding a massive war hammer.

The moment I saw that, I ignorantly thought "Hah, how could that be possible? Can't you just hold on tighter?" Right now, I'm most thankful I hadn't said that thought aloud, or Master would be mocking me to no end.

Once ready, I dashed towards the dummy holding my sword at the back left position, inviting a strike. This wisp has two jobs in training. Teaching one to disarm an opponent, and teaching one to resist being disarmed.

At first, I found that I was being far too passive, and had to spend a long time picking my sword up despite making no wrong decisions. Finally, I realized that the wisp was intentionally inviting my strikes, which I began to imitate.

It was then when I realized the strategy such a technique opens up. Within a battle, provided you know the technique, you can leave a clear opening, or even a small one, making your opponent believe they have access to a free strike, or free pressure. In that moment, you take the attack head on, and disarm them.

It is a clever way to teach it, so I had to give the creator of this technique's wisp's teaching style credit.

As expected, the wisp took the opportunity presented to itself and went straight for my throat. Its physique matched mine, so my parry took all my effort to pull off. The moment our blades touched, I began the technique.

Judging by the force and trajectory of the attack, more force was required from my left foot, so I adjusted the pressure from it. Additionally, I slid my hands farther apart and twisted them inwards, preparing for the next part.

"*Schhhht-*"

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

With all the force I could muster, my hands snapped back into their natural position and I pulled back my blade, sending the wisp's longsword flying over my head. It was a clean disarm, but my rigid form and immense focus wasn't able to save my jaw from the incoming left hook.

"Ghhk-"

I rolled with the punch, but the power behind it still made my ears ring.

Fuck me, cheeky bastard. As the techniques got progressively more complex and power-hungry, the wisps have begun to feel more and more like a real human, resulting in more and more injuries on my part. And now, the one time I successfully disarm it, it keeps fighting…

Gah, who am I kidding, the fight doesn't end until someone dies.

…

Well… maybe if they get knocked out too. Damn, that colosseum really fucked up my morality, didn't it? I'm becoming more bloodthirsty every day.

.

.

.

| 4 Days Later |

"Yes!"

Finally, the fabled 100% has been reached, and I can rest my blistered hands.

I recalled the spear I was currently using into my item compressor and sat down in the lotus position to begin refining. Disarm's wisp practice is by far the most draining I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Over the past few days, a fair few cuts, bruises, bloody noses, and cracked ribs have popped up on my person. Worst of all is my palms, which both look like I slid down a small sandpaper hill using them as a sled.

Thankfully, being an Advanced martial artist isn't just for show. By the end of today, most if not all of my wounds should be relatively stable without any outside interference.

I'm not the only one who has been making great progress. Morrissey, thankfully, only needed a few pointers from me before he was well on his way to making his äura "base". The only help I needed from Master was how Morrissey should focus his refinement in particular.

I have also observed that our discipline seems to favor workaholics. Morrissey, despite his previous life as a malnourished and sleep deprived slave, has forced us to shake him out of refinement to eat and sleep every single day, without fail.

I can't imagine how long he'll spend when he actually gets to refining for real, not just building his base.

For the next few hours, all the way till dinner time, I refined quietly alongside Morrissey. Finally, I smelled meat being roughly cooked by Master on a specialized grill-like-contraption he pulled from his seemingly bottomless array of trinkets.

Sadly, neither Master nor I were anywhere close to competent cooks, but we trusted the crew and passengers with our food about as much as one could trust a fishing line as a climbing rope… that is to say, not at all, so we didn't complain. Not that I cared, really. I would eat a bowl of nails if it was nutritious enough.

A/N: Without any milk…

The steak-looking meat obviously wasn't fully cooked yet, so I refrained from waking Morrissey from his trance and instead spoke to Master.

"Master, for how long should Morrissey continue to build his base?"

"Well… with his dedication, or rather, fervor, he should be ready in about four to five days."

"Four to five!?" I exclaimed. "That would mean he only built up his base for a week, or just over at the most!

"Master, is there any benefit in building a base for a longer period of time?"

He shook his head with a slight smirk on his lips. "Hah, Öthe, I know what you are asking about. I'm sorry to say, but I'll reiterate that the period of time you spent building a base had far exceeded any potential benefits you could have reaped. After all, once one spends enough time building a base, all other refinement at that pace simply becomes inefficient refining."

I cursed internally. If I ever see this body's blasted father, I'll break his knees.

Master didn't seem to be paying attention to the meat, so I flipped it for him before he burnt the side he was working on without him noticing. Seeing as it was almost finished, I walked over to rouse Morrissey.

I crouched down in front of him and waved my hand in front of his face. This much would have easily alerted me, but it seems he still needs to learn how to stay aware at all times, even if he is in a relatively safe environment. Giving up on this strategy, I simply flick his forehead and his eyes snap open.

"A-ah!" he squeaks.

"Dinner should be ready soon. You can continue refining after that."

He nodded his head meekly, so I stood up and walked to Master to get my portion of the food.

"Öthe," Master said while I was picking up my portion, "I assume you have mastered Disarm now?"

"Naturally," I responded. "I believe that currently, the most optimal technique for me to master would be 'Over here, Over there' in order to best take advantage of Disarm."

'Over here, Over there', or OHOT, is another essential technique any Advanced martial artist must learn, provided they have access to it. A shortened description of the technique is as follows: "Over here, Over there allows the user to reposition their weapon instantly within a 45 degree angle. It is impossible to perform this in rapid succession (although "rapid" is extremely fast, it is possible to perform in quick succession), and the weapon's position cannot be altered once it comes into heavy contact with a significantly large/heavy object (i.e. a body part or weapon)".

The last part in particular removes the obvious idea that, if you stab someone, you can spam this technique and dissect them in milliseconds. Sadly… or maybe thankfully… this technique isn't a strictly offensive one, similar to Disarm (which happens to be entirely non-offensive). Instead, its main purpose is to aid in feints and defend against quick attacks. When used in tandem with a large shield, it becomes incredibly annoying to deal any meaningful damage to the shield user with the ROD (range of defense) they are able to maintain at high speeds.

"Good choice, although I implore you to learn it before we exit the ship so as to open up your options. We also won't have as perfect of a time to practice as now when we begin our journey, so now is as good a time as ever.

"Remember that Disarm is one of, if not the most difficult 2nd Division techniques to learn. Full stop. So, don't base the time it takes to master all 2nd Division techniques off it."

"Mnn."

It seems that Master, again, is correct in his assessment. Judging off the time we've already spent at sea and the technology we're using to traverse the ocean (sails), I should have at least one week, if not more, to master the technique.

"*Shuffle*"

Hmm? Morrissey just sat next to me.

Such behavior is atypical. Usually, Morrissey sat quite far away from both Master and me. For him to willingly choose to sit close to me… well, I don't know. Maybe he wants something?

"Is there something…?" I questioned.

His ears glowed a slight pinkish color at the question. "A-ah! N-no," he said while looking down at his food.

Strange. Maybe this is just an isolated incident.

Thus, I waived it off. Understanding unclear intentions is my kryptonite.

The rest of dinner was spent in slightly awkward silence. I was the first to leave, as I needed to refine for the rest of the night in order to keep up with my schedule, which I have renewed motivation to accomplish.

Specifically, fighting against Nellyn truly put into perspective the difference between a Master martial artist and an Advanced martial artist. Even if I did have some 2nd Division techniques mastered at that point, I still feel that at most, I would be able to take an arm or a leg.

However, that's nothing to be ashamed of. Any individual who can become a Master martial artist is a skilled fighter in their own right, and the majority of them are far, far more experienced than I am even though I have lived multiple lives. In fact, being able to seriously wound a Master martial artist as a fresh Advanced martial artist would be an impressive feat.

Still, even if I'm progressing fast, even if I've memorized the entire Junanbi grimoire, I've started to feel… anxious. I've never felt this way before. It's like my stomach has dropped right out of my chest, and my lungs have 400 pounds of pressure weighing down on them. What scares me most is that none of it is physical.

It feels like fear, but in the situations I should feel it in, I don't. Even when I was fighting against Nellyn, I honestly wasn't scared of him, but instead I was scared of something else.

By now, I've come to a few conclusions.

First, I'm simply going crazy. It's obvious someone isn't supposed to reincarnate, let alone do it multiple times. This is probably the most simple answer, meaning my "soul", if there is such a thing, is just breaking down and only now am I feeling the repercussions.

Another reason could be that I am having some sort of premonition, and I'm not really afraid of anything, but instead my body is just trying to tell me something. This seems unlikely, as I know I've never felt something like this before.

Last is the most illogical, but no matter what I do, I can't rule it out.

I could be… afraid of death.

Why should I be? I'll probably just reincarnate anyways. It's not like I don't know what will happen. But still, it might be the case. Maybe it's some built in human response, but I didn't feel it in any of my past reincarnations, so what could the cause be?

I-I… don't know. Fuck, and I can't explain my dillemma to anyone without leaving out key details. Aghhh!

My fists clenched in frustration. So many things are happening that I have no control over. First the incident back on the port city, and now this! Even my death as an alien was unavoidable!

…

"*Ghhk-*"

-Shit, I shouldn't think about that. I've already pierced the skin on my hands by clenching too hard.

…

I will leave this for later… gah! I feel like I've left everything for "later"! When the fuck is "later!" Ughhh…

I must clear my head. All this thinking and stressing is impeding on my progress. Time to focus up.