Downtown was a vibrant community with many restaurants, shops, and schools. The southern part of downtown, situated immediately adjacent to the imposing stone facade of the Merchant's Guild, was lined with upscale boutiques that catered to the city's affluent elite. In contrast, the northern part of downtown primarily served people with more humble backgrounds, with numerous small businesses clustered near the Adventurer's Guild. All buildings in the northern downtown area were three to four stories high, with their walls joined together. The ground level, or first floor, consisted of shops that faced the street. Occasionally, the second floor was part of the store, but typically, the floors above the first consisted of residential apartments. Often, store owners resided in the apartments above their own shops. Despite the absence of a governing body, the local community collaborated to offer customers a more enjoyable shopping experience. Butcheries, fisheries, fruit stores, convenience stores, combat schools, office supply stores, restaurants, and fast-food establishments were organized by category along the streets, ensuring that, for example, office supplies wouldn't be sandwiched between butcheries.
Today wasn't Nathan's first time in downtown searching for a combat school. Over the past few weekends, Patrick had taught him how to scout the area, advising him to blend in like a local. Nathan had navigated the area, observing its people and how they interacted with one another. By purchasing clothing from local stores, Nathan was able to blend in. In the countryside, Nathan typically wore cotton shirts and wide cotton pants tied at the waist with a linen rope, which maximized comfort and movement for farming and picking weeds. His boots were also dirty with mud. Now, his long, robe-like dark-gray overcoat was in style this season. Underneath, he wore a fitted polo shirt, a pair of blue jeans, a black leather belt, and a pair of clean, light-brown leather boots. With his new haircut, Nathan impressed onlookers as a sharp and smart city boy. The act of changing clothes had a huge impact on Nathan; previously, many would approach him as if he were a countryside bumpkin. Now, although many still approached him with sales pitches, the salespeople appeared more legitimate, and none were overly aggressive.
Now that Nathan's left arm had recovered, Patrick finally allowed him to attend combat school. Nathan had been keeping an eye out for the schools he had in mind. His grandfather had taught him how to observe the students attending these schools and eavesdrop on their reputations in the guild's cafeteria. Today, he entered “Master Howard’s Shield Blade School”. The school was housed in a three-story building. The entrance and reception area were immaculately clean and pleasantly air-conditioned, offering a warm refuge from the cold outside. Nathan felt relaxed and comfortable as he walked inside.
“Welcome, young child. How can I assist you?” the receptionist lady said gently with a warm smile.
“I would like to ask about the entry-level class.” Nathan answered.
Then, the lady took out a catalog. “Here's our catalog for entry-level classes. For $1000 a month, you get four classes. Alternatively, for $2000 a month, you can get ten classes. Tuition is due at the first class of each month. Each class lasts 3 hours. You'll need to bring your own practice sword. We also offer practice swords for sale, if you need one.”
Sword was the most popular entry level weapon due to its affordable cost and versatility in battle. The high cost of mining and forging metal made most weapons prohibitively expensive, but a simple sword remained within reach due to its slender blade and wooden handle, which required minimal iron. In contrast, long and heavy weapons like spear, great sword, poleaxe and etc. were either priced extravagantly or cumbersome to carry around. Many heavy weapon users would also keep a short sword around as a side arm for their effectiveness and utility. Therefore, the Adventurer's Guild recommended a sword as the entry-level weapon for many aspiring combatants.
“Thanks, I'll take a look at it,” Nathan said, taking the catalog and tucking it into his backpack, before bidding the receptionist farewell with a nod and heading out.
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Adjacent to Master Howard’s School, there was another school called “Master Opal’s Thousand Blades School.” It had many posters on its display window, one of them colorful posters was advertising, “30% off tuition when paid in full for the entire year.”
“Enroll on the spot, and I'll throw in an extra 15% discount!” the salesman exclaimed as he walked toward Nathan the moment Nathan read the poster.
“Let me think about it.” Nathan said, quickly walking away. He had seen many people using this line to escape, but this was his first time using it.
“Nice, he didn't follow,” Nathan thought, feeling a sense of accomplishment as he escaped the salesman.
Nathan walked down the street while reading the catalog from Master Howard’s School. After walking for two more blocks, he arrived at another school: Master Ben’s Elite Shield Blade School. Strangely, Nathan had not been able to get much info about this school. Not only do people never mentioning it, there were also very few students attending it. Out of curiosity, and just in case an elite school could offer superior teaching quality, he decided to pay a visit.
Similar to Master Howard's school, the entrance was nicely air-conditioned. Its luxurious brown granite-decorated walls and floor, commonly seen in a noble's abode, were sparkling clean. However, as a commoner, Nathan felt uncomfortably out of place. He nervously walked up to the sleek reception table and said, “Excuse me,” Seated behind the desk was a man in his mid-twenties, his eyes fixed intently on the newspaper in front of him, his fair skin and well-groomed hair exuding an air of refinement. Beside the man, a girl roughly Nathan's age sat engrossed in a book. Her tidy, straight blonde hair cascading down her back, while her bright, Sapphire-hued eyes sparkled with intellectual curiosity, and her smooth, fair complexion glowed with a soft, radiant light. The girl's elegant, silky white gown and the man's impeccably tailored suit both exuded an aura of luxury, hinting at their high-end, possibly noble, origins. The two at the reception table quickly glanced at Nathan as he walked in, but they continued to read the newspaper and book, ignoring him.
“Kid, what do you want?” the man said, sounding impatient, and flipped a page without looking up from his newspaper.
"Is this a school?" Nathan asked, beginning to wonder if he had entered the wrong place. "I'd like to ask about the pricing for your entry-level classes."
“We are an elite school. We don’t offer entry-level classes,” the man asked, still not looking at Nathan, with an air of superiority. “Do you know how to use a sword?”
“I received some basic training in school,” Nathan said, trying to meet the man's gaze.
The man let out a derisive snort and rolled his eyes. Then, he rose from his seat with a fluid motion, grasped the wooden sword lying on the table, and strode toward Nathan, pausing briefly to stretch his back. “I'm super bored. You've got a training sword there. Let's have some fun. Show me how to properly receive the Phantom School's renowned Dashing Thrust.” As soon as he finished speaking, he launched a swift, unexpected thrust at Nathan.
For many nights over the past few months, Nathan had been unable to sleep. The traumatizing scenes where his family was killed continued to replay in his head. “What should I do? I really wish I could change what happened,” Nathan asked Patrick after dinner, his eyes begging for an answer.
“You cannot change the past, but you can change the future. Think about what you can do next time if you were in a similar situation. How would you prepare for it?” Patrick said pragmatically.
“I want to know how to use a sword and defeat the Inquisition Knights. I want to be able to block arrows with my bare hands,” Nathan said, his voice filled with regret.
“Then, prepare yourself. Train and learn how to do it.” Patrick said, trying his best to offer a solution that could help his grandson.
From that day on, whenever the traumatic scenes replayed vividly, Nathan would indulge in mental simulations, imagining himself battling the Inquisition Knights. “What could I do if he tried to stab me again? What would he do if I side step him?” Nathan replayed each scenario multiple times, so that next time, if anyone ever tried to harm his family again, he would be prepared.
The receptionist's thrust was exactly how Rudy, the green-haired Inquisition Knight, had tried to stab Nathan that night, right after his Grandma Emily died. It was a very sudden attack, and Nathan didn’t have time to think. Just like that night, he sidestepped the thrust, pulled out his sword inside his overcoat and stabbed the man in the neck.