Novels2Search

Chapter 58: Memory

A young Zane stood in a grass field, with a bow and an empty quiver, panting for breath and covered in sweat. He wore a familiar grey training gear, but its current grade was common. His hair was the same, but his eyes were not. They were much more youthful and shined with pure joy despite his exhausted state.

Zane was surrounded by several weapons and golems. Some of the weapons were stabbed into the ground while others were scattered around him. The golems were human shaped creatures made of different elements. They were made of wood, stone, mud, ice, fire, air, and more. Each golem had no facial features or any unique characteristics.

Every time Zane destroyed a golem another would take its place. He was fighting an endless battle that required him to use all of his mind and body. He was tired, but he was prepared to continue fighting until he collapsed. Fortunately, Teacher Isabelle finally said the words he longed to hear.

“Okay, you can rest now.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Zane sat on the ground in a meditative position, so he could allow his body to recover. A few seconds later he sensed an object speeding toward his head. Zane ducked down and allowed the object to soar over his head. After that he immediately jumped up and took up a defensive stance with his bow.

“Good,” Teacher Isabelle said. “Now you can really rest.”

Once again, Zane sat down to recover, but he didn’t let himself relax. Teacher Isabelle could throw another rock at him at any time. Therefore, he kept his guard up while he slowly regained his energy. After a few minutes Teacher approached Zane and he opened his eyes. He saw that she was hovering over the grass in front of him in a seated position. She wore a pink shirt, red pants, her multicolored robe and her trademark silver mask.

“You fought very well,” Teacher Isabelle said. Her comment made Zane smile. “So far, you’ve proven that you have what’s needed to become a combat master.” Zane’s smile immediately turned into a frown.

“Combat master is a great class to pursue. Combat master have a great grasp of the battlefield. They can use the terrain to their advantage to defeat their enemies. They are familiar with the usage of all weapons and can rely only on their own bodies to defeat their enemies. They are familiar with different types of mana and can cast multiple spells while using the least amount of mana. All of these characteristics describe you. You really should consider becoming a combat master.”

This wasn’t the first time Teacher Isabelle had suggested he become a combat master. She often suggested that it would be better for him to become a combat master than a weapon master. He would be able to display far more skills and he would be much more powerful. However, Zane never changed his mind and always gave her the same response.

“I want to be a weapon master,” Zane said.

Using weapons was what he enjoyed doing the most. Therefore, it made sense to him to choose a class that focused on that. It might not look as great as the combat master class, but it was the class that Zane thought was best for him.

“I can’t understand why you would choose to be weapon master over a combat master.” Teacher Isabelle shook her head and spoke with a voice filled with confusion.

“I enjoy combat, but I enjoy weapons more. If I’m going to be a master in anything I prefer it to be in weapons.”

“Even if that means you will be stuck with a weaker class?”

A shrug of his shoulders was the only response Zane had for Teacher Isabelle’s question. She told him that the combat class was weaker than the weapon master class. This wasn’t based on popular opinion. It was based on multiple test and studies done on the two classes. In the end it was proven that the combat master class gave powerful skills that had multiple effects. The weapon master class only had powerful skills that would affect weapons.

“Most weapon masters end up becoming teachers. Although they can show some skill in battle they fail when they try to compete with the reputation and abilities of combat masters. Combat masters are capable of controlling the same weapons weapon masters do and using them with the same level of effectiveness. On top of using weapons, they can use spells and different combat skills to augment their strength. This is something that weapon masters struggle to do with their class related skills.”

“If you’re not worried about being weaker then you should worry about advancing to higher tiers. Most weapon masters struggle to reach the fourth tier. The few that do rarely make further progress. That’s why I think you should choose the combat master class.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“If the combat master class is so great then why did you tell me about the weapon master class?”

“It was a mistake on my part,” Teacher Isabelle spoke while shaking her head. “I chose that class for you because you liked to use weapons. Now that I see you have the talent needed to be a combat master, I think it’s time for you to choose a different class. It’s time for you to give up on becoming a weapon master.”

Zane hung his head and whispered a short sentence. “I don’t want to.”

“Why not? What reason do you have to continue training to obtain a weak class?”

Zane looked up at her and spoke in an unconfident and pleading tone. “I like using weapon and I’m really good at it.”

Teacher Isabelle was already shaking her head before he could finish his sentence. “Not good enough. I need a proper answer. A logical one that is based on reason and facts. Why do you want to pursue the weapon master class? I need an answer right now.”

Zane hung his head while Teacher Isabelle demanded an answer. She floated at a height above the grass that made her a head taller than Zane. She looked down on Zane and pressured him for an answer with her gaze.

At first, Zane was squirming as he tried to withstand the pressure of Teacher Isabelle’s gaze. This was the first time that he went against her orders. She would tell him what kind of training he would need to do and force him to do it even if he complained. The complaints Zane gave were only a token resistance. Before he began the training, he could see the benefits it would bring him in the future.

Pursuing the combat master class over the weapon master class would provide him with a lot of benefits as well. However, when Zane thought about giving up becoming weapon master, he felt like it was something he absolutely couldn’t do. He wasn’t giving a token resistance or speaking a few meaningless complaints. His mind and body completely rejected the idea of becoming anything other than a weapon master. So, avoided the discussion and changed topics whenever possible, but he couldn’t avoid the conversation forever.

Teacher Isabelle now demanded an answer and Zane didn’t have one. The only thing he knew was that he had to become a weapon master. As he sat before Teacher and squirmed under her gaze two sentences constantly repeated in his mind. Why can’t I be a weapon master? I want to be a weapon master, Zane thought to himself.

Slowly, Zane stopped squirming as the two sentences repeated through his mind. The more they repeated the calmer he felt. Eventually this feeling of calm was replaced by a feeling of anger. Why can’t I be a weapon master? I want to be a weapon master, Zane thought to himself. He slowly stood up and was now looking down at Teacher Isabelle. His hands were balled into a fist and there was now a fierce look in his eyes.

“Why can’t I be a weapon master?” Zane fiercely shouted at Teacher Isabelle. “I want to be a weapon master! I don’t have a logical reason why I want to be a weapon master. All I know is I plan on becoming a weapon master and I won’t let anything stop me. It might be a weaker class, but so why should I care.”

Zane pointed a finger directly at Teacher Isabelle’s face. “Aren’t you the one who told me that class can become more powerful? Can’t I improve the weapon master class an make it stronger? Actually, that’s exactly what I’ll do. I’ll improve the weapon master class and become the strongest weapon master to ever exist. I’ll become stronger than all the combat masters and I’ll become stronger than you.”

Once Zane finished speaking, he started panting for breath. He felt sweaty and drained. The same feelings he felt after a tough training session. As Zane’s breathing became steadier, he finally internalized the words he recently spoke. His eyes widen in alarm when he remembered how powerful Teacher Isabelle is and how idiotic his last few words were. Before he could think to say anything, else Teacher raised her hand and took of her silver mask.

Zane’s mind went blank. He was completely taken over by the beauty of Teacher Isabelle’s face. Her golden eyes, her light brown skin, her gentle smile and everything else radiated perfection. Zane went into a drunken stupor and only awakened at the sound of Teacher’s gentle voice.

“Every word you said was correct. If you want to become a weapon master, then become one. Don’t let anyone change your path or put doubts in your head. You don’t need to listen to me, the world, the Divine Spirits, or the system itself. Pursue the path you’ve chosen without fear and absolute faith. If doubts stat to appear in your mind and you feel like you might have been wrong. You only need to remember these four words. I believe in you. I believe you can become the strongest weapon master, stronger than all combat master and become stronger than me.”

The four words Teacher Isabelle told Zane to remember caused him to physically and mentally shake. He was dazed and barely heard the words she said next. He definitely didn’t notice when Teacher left. He was immersed in the effects of Teacher’s beauty, the warmth caused by her four words and his budding confidence.

Since Teacher believes in me then maybe I can actually do it, Zane thought to himself. I only said those word in frustration, but perhaps I really can become the greatest weapon master to ever exist. Zane clenched his fist in excitement. I can be like the legendary experts in the stories. People will talk about how I defeated dragons and was able to cut down stars. Before Zane could have any more fantastical thoughts, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head that made him stumble forward.

“You expect to become stronger than me, but you aren’t able to dodge a simple rock.” Teacher Isabelle spoke in a stern tone. “Since you have time to daydream and stare at nothing then you have time to train.”

Zane turned around and saw Teacher Isabelle with her silver mask hovering in the air. He wanted to complain, but he saw that she had already begun creating golems for him to fight. Zane grumbled to himself as he collected his weapons and prepared for the upcoming battle. While collecting weapons Zane continued to think about how powerful he would be in the future. I’ll definitely become a legend, Zane thought to himself. I only need to take it one step at a time.