Chapter 17: Nishra, The Sharp Wind.

Adam POV

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"You want me… to become your student?" I asked skeptically. I mean, seriously, who just goes up to random strangers and asks them to be their mentor? What is this? Some kind of anime?

“Yeah, but of course, I need to see for myself just exactly how good you are first,” she immediately said, and I instantly felt threatened. My years of experience in the underworld told me to get behind cover ASAP. But since there was nothing of the like here, I activated my frame armor again before involuntarily asking, “Pardon?”

“And that armor as well… That’s a transformation-type armor,” she chuckled a bit. “You know, you’re getting more interesting by the minute. Honestly, I’d rather just drag you away to my academy, but even I have morals.”

Oh poop.

She unsheathed her sword and pointed it at me. “Show me, oh young ronin, just exactly what made you so special.”

Holy moly, this lady is certifiably bonkers.

“Hey, I’m not looking for troub-" I started, hands raised in the universal gesture of 'calm your crazy sword-wielding self.' But, in the blink of an eye, I felt an unstoppable urge to dodge, The experience of the armor flashed through my mind and my body went all interpretive dance and dodged a strike with the grace of a startled flamingo.

A gust of wind followed, and the once golden grass was now given a rad haircut. I stared at the sword-wielding lunatic with a mix of confusion and disbelief.

She admired me with an almost creepy glint in her eye that I could see through the eye holes, “I knew it. To anticipate and dodge with the minimum movement required. You… You’re worth taking under. I can’t even imagine your potential and how strong you’ll become.”

"Hey lady, at least introduce yourself!" I protested, shaking my fist at her.

“I am Nishra, The Sharp Wind. I am a teacher of the Ash Crystal Academy, and I have been scouring for potential kids such as yourself who I can take under my wing.”

And your first instinct was to go straight to the wilderness!?!

"Okay, Nishra. You don’t even know my name, my family, where I come from, or anything else. Shouldn’t you ask for those things before attacking me?"

“That’s the job of the administrator, not mine. I don’t care about any details. If they tell me to look for a strong student, I do that, no questions asked.”

Oh god, she’s a dumbass.

“Now, prepare yourself! And show me what you’re made of!” Nishra declared, firing up for round two. Instead of swinging her sword again, she sheathed it and charged toward me. I didn’t know why she did that, nor did I have the time to figure it out. So, I put up the same stance my armor was telling and got serious. I don't normally hit women, but I'll sucker punch the heck out of her if it's self-defense.

She started doing backflips as she charged towards me, delivering a downward leg strike. I was ready to block it, but these mysterious experiences and knowledge flowing through my brain told me otherwise. At the right moment, I turned to avoid the strike and used the palm of my hand to strike her descending foot.

As her foot slammed into the ground, I used base arts to lock her leg in the dirt before casually pulling out my dagger and pointing it at her.

"Is this good enough for your test?" I asked confidently.

"Hoh, this is just getting better and better," she said, and I suddenly got a really bad feeling.

I thought she was acting weird when she immediately grabbed her katana on her belt, and a blast of air came out of her that knocked me back. Sh*t!

She unsheathed her sword and ran towards me with her blade pointed at me.

Two can play at that game!

I wrote the rune of support on me.

Rune of Sul: Illusive imageries.

A what?

Suddenly, two copies of me spawned right beside me. Nishra hesitated for a moment, but I didn’t care. This time I charged forward when she jumped back into the air and swung her blade horizontally, delivering a long sharp wind that would cut me and my fake homies.

I jumped back to avoid her blade when she started swinging wildly, and I used my base arts to pull a chunk of dirt up before immediately going prone to dodge her attacks. The chunk of dirt I summoned was cut horizontally, and I just hoped she thought I performed magic and went invisible from her point of view.

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“You know, I can see your imageries also crouching down along with you.”

Darn.

Okay, that’s it. I’m pulling out the big guns.

“Nove, switch my dirt core node with my cobweb core or whatever it’s called.”

“Got it.”

I put a rune of disaster on a pebble I saw lying around and threw it at her. "Say hello to my little friend!"

Rune of Del: Fiery Aura.

Nishra struck the pebble away, but it became red hot, igniting the grass it landed on. Even the part of Nishra’s blade that touched the pebble became red hot. She looked at the pebble confused but then held her hand at her sword, immediately cooling down her blade before swinging it at the fire and extinguishing it. However, that was a mistake since I was charging towards her.

She pointed her blade at me to attack, but my purpose was not to attack her but rather. “Hey, you ain’t afraid of spiders now, are ya?” I pointed my fingers at her, and webs shot out of my fingers.

She looked confused before getting tangled up with the web. The web wasn’t strong enough; she could immediately get out of it, but that brief moment of confusion was all I needed.

The moment I appeared in front of her, I could practically see her slicing through me, so, like a dirt-happy magician, I pulled up another chunk of earth. She slashed through it effortlessly, ready to move on to slicing me into a side dish, but here's where she goofed. You see, I'm not pulling dirt out to build a wall I’m using base arts, which instead of pulling up chunks of materials, instead magically, moves chunks of materials, leaving behind sneaky pockets of air.

The second she stepped on the sliced mound of dirt, it pulled a falling act, and Nishra's graceful footwork suddenly transformed into a clumsy dance of stumbling. Seizing the opportunity, I whipped out my trusty dagger, ready to stab her neck but of course, there’s a twist.

Out of nowhere, a spectral wolf's head manifested from Nishra's back, head-butted my dagger away like it was some kitchen utensil, and things went full-on paranormal. The ghostly wolf morphed into its full form, leapfrogged onto me, pinning my hands and legs to the ground.

Now, it's growling at me like I just stole its supernatural snacks, and I'm sitting there like, "Wait, what's happening?"

"To make me unconsciously use my Nexus core, huh? You’re truly remarkable," Nishra remarked with a hint of both surprise and approval.

"I don't know what you're scheming, but could you please get this ghostly furball thing off me?" I interjected, my voice tinged with genuine concern. In response, the wolf barked at me, seemingly offended at being labeled a mere "thing."

"Bane, back off," Nishra commanded, and like a phantom canine with wounded dignity, the wolf released its grip and floated obediently back to her.

I let out an exasperated groan, lying on the ground, thoroughly exhausted. "Is this ridiculous test finally over?" I panted, hoping for some mercy.

Nishra casually sheathed her katana and strolled over to me as I sprawled on the ground. "Well, technically, you passed with flying colors," she began, but her tone betrayed a subtle disappointment. "Although, attacking me directly was a bit unexpected. Bane usually only goes berserk if he senses bloodlust, and you went straight for my neck," she added, nonchalantly rubbing her neck as if reminiscing about a close shave.

Still catching my breath, I retorted, "Look, I aimed for your throat because you were decked out in armor. My dagger is more like a rustic piece of iron; not the sharpest tool in the shed." I wasn't bluffing – the dagger had a pointy end, but it lacked the lethal edge. Besides, Nishra was armored head to toe. "And don't act like you're innocent here. One wrong move, and you could've sliced me in half."

She gave me a quizzical look. "What on earth are you going on about? I held back a ton to make sure I didn't accidentally cut you in half."

"Huh?" I responded, utterly baffled.

She regarded me as if I'd lost my marbles. "Unless your endurance is lower than a stat value of 10, those wind blades wouldn't have caused any serious harm."

"Are you serious?" I exclaimed.

"Dead serious," she affirmed before her tone sharpened. "But what does concern me is your eagerness to go for my jugular without a second thought. What kind of wild life have you lived to make you this strong and merciless?"

I shrugged nonchalantly, "Hey, didn't you say you don't give a hoot about my background?"

Nishra extended her hand, helping me up. "True, but that was before considering you as my potential student."

"Fine, fine. Whatever," I replied, dismissing my armor since it was slowly sapping my NEP. Nishra softly whispered "Fascinating" in the direction of my unique armor, but her metallic helmet concealed any expression.

Grabbing my dagger, I put it in my inventory. "Now that the test is done, care to spill the beans on what's in it for me if I become your student?"

Nishra looked pensive, hand on chin. "Not just a student. I want you to join our academy and then become my student."

"Alright, but what's in it for me?" I wasn't about to overlook an opportunity, especially after our brawl. A good trade is the backbone of civilization, and passing up a chance laid right at my feet would be plain foolish.

"Well," she began, an air of pride likely on her face, though hidden by the helmet. "You get access to fantastic melee fighting styles, exclusive metal-weaving arts, a library brimming with knowledge from history to material properties, and, most importantly, camaraderie and companionship with others aiming to be the best versions of themselves."

I started pondered, I absentmindedly scratched my chin. Most of what Nishra mentioned didn't pique my interest, but those special metal-weaving arts and the library? Now that's something worth considering.

"You guys have any information network to keep tabs on what's happening around the globe?" I inquired.

Nishra's noded, which caught me off guard, but it sounded like the solution to most of my current dilemmas. "We do. Got something particular in mind?"

I raised an eyebrow. That was unexpected, but it sounded promising. "Alright then... what's the catch? What's do you want from me?" I probed as I raised my eye suspiciously.

"Just the usual things - study, learn, do your academic chores, and join the tournament down the line. Usually, there's a tuition fee, but with my endorsement, you're in for free on a scholarship as long as you don’t leave us." she explained.

Hmm.

I wasn't entirely sold on this tournament business; sounded a bit dodgy. But she was likely recruiting me for that reason alone.

After weighing the pros and cons, I made up my mind. "Alright, you've got yourself a deal. I'll lend a hand with the tournament and whatever else you need, but in return, I want access to all that information and knowledge."

"I knew you'd see it my way. Now then, what's your name?" Nishra inquired.

"Adam... Adam Vagner," I replied.