After fumbling through that bout of target practice, I found myself scraping together a mere 500XP towards my handgun skill. To gain each 100XP, I had to hit the bullseye with Assisted Aiming. Nova pulled me away after I hit 5 bullseye. In her words, guns aren't the most important thing. She wanted me to also know how to use various blades. I was still salty. If she didn't pull me away, I could have gained even more XP. Hmmph.
This time, Lil' Betty led us to the first floor. Apparently, the whole floor was a dojo. The dojo was in a traditional Japanese style. There were several types of swords on the podium. I opened my optics and scanned. There were katanas, wakizashi, tachi, odachi, tanto, rapiers, claymores, butterfly swords, you name it, everything was here. The only things I knew were rapiers and katanas.
I didn't know why we were even practicing close combat. Oh, a person is approaching me with a katana? Shoot 'em. "Why are we even practicing close combat? Can't we just shoot them?" I asked as I made two finger guns.
Nova was stoic as always, "Stop asking questions. You'll understand sooner or later."
Lil' Betty looked at me with pity in her eyes, "Good luck."
I widened my eyes. They were both conspiring against me! Traitors! I groaned as I picked a wooden katana. I was the most familiar with it because I watched a lot of anime.
Nova watched me as she also drew her katana. But she had a scabbard with her. Unfair. She asked me, "Are you ready?"
I narrowed my eyes as I focused and nodded, "Yes."
As soon as the word left my mouth, I felt a sharp pain in my shin. As if I was just hit. I yelped as I dropped the weapon and looked behind me. It was Nova. How? I didn't even see her move. I stumbled back, rubbing my shin in pain. Nova stood before me, her katana drawn and a faint smirk on her lips.
She flipped her katana and sheathed it. "Do you understand why now?"
I nodded, still holding my shin. It hurt, alright?
"Again."
I got up slowly, still not used to the pain. I held the katana in my hand, determined to get a new skill.
She drew her katana again as she seemed to disappear from my eyes. But this time I was more focused. I could see her movement, even if it was just a little bit.
Mind - 100XP
But I still couldn't do anything because as soon as I saw a flicker of her movement, my wrists were in pain.
"Your hands are cut off." She said as she flicked her katana again.
I didn't reply as I was in deep thought. What does Mind represent exactly? Perception? I thought it would be related to intelligence...
I felt pain in my legs again. I growled at Nova, "What was that for?"
"Don't lose focus." I groaned in agreement.
"Again."
This continued for 14 more times. Every time I noticed her fast movement, I gained 100 Mind XP.
Mind Level up.
Mind - 2
I didn't feel any different. Unlike with Body, Mind didn't seem to change too much. It did become a lot more noticeable when I sparred against her again. She, as usual, seemed to disappear. But that time, as I saw her flicker of movement, I knew where she was going to attack. She was striking my shin again! Evil woman!
My katana finally moved, blocking her strike. Still, it was not fast but it was fast enough. Then, as I was celebrating my block, I got hit in the head by the wooden katana.
Blade Skill XP gained.
Blade Skill not unlocked.
Blade Skill unlocked.
Yes! Even more skills to grind!
I was encouraged by the message. Why am I excited to grind?
Still, I didn't give it any more mind. Every time I barely blocked her strike, I gained 100XP in Blade. Every time I noticed or observed her movement, I gained 100XP in Mind. Every time I fell, I got back up just to get knocked back down again with a sword. Most of the time, I didn't even notice her strike but relied on my bad intuition to block one strike of hers. And just like that, I leveled up Blade Skill.
Blade Level up.
Blade - 2
Knowledge rushed into my head like water from a broken dam. I gained knowledge of all kinds of bladed weapons such as knives, swords, sabers, rapiers, longswords, axes, some of the polearms like glaives and such, and even bayonets. But that knowledge paled in comparison to the knowledge of katanas. I knew how to handle the weapon effectively, what weapons were effective with it, what weapons counters it, and what it counters. And it felt that the wooden katana was more comfortable in my hand as if I had been fighting with the katana for months if not years. I grinned in anticipation, eager to see what I could do now.
----------------------------------------
I still could do nothing. Nova went even harder on me and almost even broke my arm without any effort. I walked downstairs. My arms hurt. Damn Nova. No mercy for the dear old me, huh? Lil' Betty chuckled after seeing my sour face. Even though I leveled up both Blade Skill and Mind Stat, I didn't like the feeling of being hurt. I liked fighting though. The same reason I liked fast-paced games in the past. I lived off of adrenaline. And of course, seeing numbers go up.
Lil' Betty elbowed me, "Ey, don't worry so much. You can't expect her to get serious with you on the first day of training, capisce?"
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Wait... she wasn't even fighting me seriously? What the actual fuck? I slumped down even harder. Lil' Betty laughed even more.
"Hey, you improve real fast, you know? Like, I never see anyone improve in swordsmanship as fast as you."
That made me feel better. "Thanks."
"No problem, Bella Raven. You keep it up and you'll reach the top in no time. And by no time, I mean in 5 to 6 years."
I appreciated it. 5 to 6 years was a short time. And besides, I was young... or I think I was young. I didn't really know my age. After saying goodbye to Lil' Betty, me and Nova went back to her home. Well, it's my home too I guess, now that I stay there.
We didn't really say anything. I was still thinking about the fight while Nova was doing whatever she was doing. I went into my room and plopped down on the bed. I was exhausted. We didn't use any public transportation or any type of hoverboard. Yes, this world has hoverboards. They also have flying cars and fucking nuclear fusion reactor. Yes, fusion reactors! But that wasn't the craziest thing. Apparently, they've had quantum computers since the 80s. Yes, in the 1980s. And what else? Oh right. The Roman Empire was still around.
I shook my head, shaking my thoughts away. I clicked on the System. Suddenly, notifications rang out.
As you've reached level 2 in Blade, you've gained 1 perk point.
As you've reached level 2 in Handgun, you've gained 1 perk point.
Mind Level up.
Mind - 3
Blade Level up.
Blade - 3
I took a deep breath. Perk points? I grinned. Now this is getting interesting. I noticed a new option in the System. Perks.
I clicked it with my eyes. The HUD changed, showing a bunch of options at the top. And below each of the options, there was a skill tree. There were blue number 1s blinking on top of the red options, Handgun and Blade. I clicked on Blade first. There were a lot of options in the skill tree, or rather, the perk tree.
Perk Names Perk Descriptions Ambidextrous Allows you to use your non-dominant hand as if it were the dominant hand. Neon Glider Enhances your footwork significantly, making your movements swift and fluid. Knife Thrower Improves your knife-throwing skills, increasing accuracy and distance. Blade Dancer Your movements look like a deadly dance, confusing and mesmerizing opponents. Razor Reflexes Sharpens your reflexes, allowing you to react faster in combat situations.
I had difficulty choosing which perk to take. While I wanted Ambidextrous so bad, I also wanted to look cool. And Blade Dancer and Neon Glider sounded really cool. Fuck it. The Rule of Cool was king. I was gonna be cool as heck. I chose Blade Dancer. I know it's a stupid choice. I know I shouldn't have done that. But I couldn't help it. I looked at Ambidextrous. I'll get you next time! I promise.
You have gained the perk, Blade Dancer.
Pain! I felt it. The knowledge rushing inside of me was too much for me. I wasn't prepared at all. But the knowledge was intoxicating. I felt as if everything I knew about fighting, the knowledge I just got this afternoon, was a lie. Blade Dancer taught me how to fight effectively while looking as elegant as possible. I loved it. I rested for an hour on the bed, panting as I recovered from the headache that came along with the huge knowledge. I grinned.
Then I clicked the Handgun perk tree.
Perk Names Perk Descriptions Quick Draw You draw your guns faster Fast Reload You reload like a demon Gun Runner When shooting something while running, you aim as if you were standing still Resist Recoil You learn how to control recoil better, making it almost nonexistent Trick Shot You see shots where it shouldn't be possible. You hit those shots
Damn. Another good one. All of them were useful. I was torn on what to get. Oh. I blinked. I accidentally clicked something. Welp, fuck.
You have gained the perk, Gun Runner.
I cursed at myself. Such a stupid person I am. Although Gun Runner was good, I wanted Quick Draw. I wasn't planning to get it but I just had to go and accidently click something. This time, thankfully, the knowledge wasn't as large as I thought it would be. It gave me knowledge on how to keep my hands stable while running. Yep, that was it. But it wasn't just my mind that was changing. Instead, my body was too. My arms got stronger to make my hand stable while I aimed. My shoulders gained flexibility. And my legs became a lot more stable. Oh, this was a huge upgrade for me. I thought to myself. But I'm not confident in myself yet. Not until I level up more. And I want more skills goddamnit.