Chapter 22: True base arts.
Adam’s POV
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"Alright, get ready," Nishra announced, grabbing a rock and flinging it with surprising force at the Longhorn Hog in the distance. "We're starting with the basics, and you'll be applying them in a real fight."
I couldn't help but reassess my earlier impression that her teaching style was more relaxed.
The rock struck the hog with a solid thud, instantly drawing its attention. It glared at us, its fury evident, and then, as if straight out of a video game, a health bar materialized above its head. The beast roared and charged straight at us.
Panic set in. I scanned for cover, but the golden field offered little refuge, save for a few distant crimson trees. Maybe I could use them, but they were too far apart for effective cover.
Suddenly, Nishra jumped up, disappearing from sight. "You'll learn Metalweaving basics while dealing with our friend here. And remember, no armor today or our lesson's over!"
"Oh, this is some bullshi-" I barely got the words out before the Hog was practically on top of me, its tusks threatening to turn me into a kebab. With no time to waste, I hurled some spiderwebs at the charging beast. Dodging to the side at just the right moment so it wouldn’t have the leeway to change direction and impale me.
Right now, I didn’t had my dirt core equipped, plus, the hog was as tall as me and twice horizontally, didn't seem too pleased with my evasion. But hey, survival instincts kicked in.
Nishra's voice floated down from her perch on a tree branch, Even with her heavy armor, she looked surprisingly agile up there. "Good critical thinking. Now, there are two main forms of Metalweaving: slow arts and fast arts. Slow arts require meticulous preparation and many equipment.” She paused for a second before continuing, “But Fast arts? They’re for when you're staring down a charging hog with nothing but your wits."
Did she just try cracking a joke?
I put my hand next to a tree before whispering to Nove, "Base arts, sharpened stick." I grabbed the stick that materialized from the tree before I lunged at the hog, aiming for its rear. But before I could say "hog roasted!" the stick snapped like a twig.
Dam! What a tough Hide!
The hog jumped back at me like it had a vendetta, triggering every alarm bell in my body. Instinctively, I summoned a stone shield from my stone core, narrowly blocking the beast's back kick that sent me flying into a nearby tree. Thank the stars for that shield; without it, I'd be a human pancake right about now.
Nishra's voice cut through the chaos, "Whether it's slow arts or fast arts, it all starts with the basics. Base arts pave the way for Fusion Forge arts and Fusion arts. Mastering Tri-fusion arts means mastering them all, step by step."
Her words triggered a memory of Sir Edwin's lecture about the ancient era and the birth of Metalweaving. If they could innovate back then, why couldn't I do the same now? But it dawned on me; this was something I had to figure out on my own, without the help of Nove.
"Teacher!" I yelled, scrambling to my feet as the hog prepared for another round. "How do I even use Base arts again?"
"What do you mean? You just did!" Nishra shot back, confusion lacing her tone.
"Call it dumb luck or sheer instinct, but I need a refresher, now!" I implored, bracing myself for another charge.
“You have to control your NEP! Focus on removing it from your body and shape it into the object you want before latching it to an object you want to use your base arts on!” Nishra said quickly and now I suddenly had to learn how to remove NEP from my body on my own when the Hog charged at me again.
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I found myself in a tight spot, with the hog charging straight at me and a sturdy tree at my back. In a split-second decision, I spun around, sprinted towards the tree, and used it as a springboard for a daring backflip over the incoming hog. It wasn't the most graceful move, but it did the trick; the hog crashed headfirst into the tree, its massive horns wedged firmly in the bark.
Now, how the hell can I remove my NEP?
Just as I was about to ask again, Nove chimed in, “Advising the host, focus on the feeling in your heart besides the beating rhythm of your heart, NEP is the same as your life blood, it should be easier if you imagine pulling out that feeling outside of your body, it as trying to breath out your blood from your mouth.”
What the hell is that supposed to mean!?
Okay, regardless, I need to feel that something besides my heart right? Is Nove talking about the nexus crystal that’s inside everyone’s heart?
Closing my eyes, I placed a hand over my heart, trying to discern the elusive feeling Nove spoke of. The hog's struggling echoed in the background, a constant reminder of the ticking clock. But I forced myself to stay calm, to block out the chaos and zero in on whatever this elusive sensation was. Time was running out, but I was determined to crack this puzzle, even if it meant relying on Nishra's rescue as a last resort.
In a moment of intense concentration, I managed to tune out the pounding of my own heart and the impending chaos of the hog breaking free from the tree. And then, like a bolt of lightning, it hit me—a strange, tingling sensation that seemed to buzz with energy. It was odd, almost like getting a shock, but I knew this was what I was supposed to focus on.
Following Nove's guidance, I envisioned this electrifying feeling rising up within me, as if I were exhaling it out of my body. With a deep breath, I expelled the sensation, feeling it flow outwards like a stream of mist.
“Simulating vision of manually discharged NEP.” As soon as she said that, the breath I exhaled changed color from transparent to glowing blue, like a sort of light blue gas floating out of my mouth.
Unfortunately, my concentration wavered, and the ethereal blue fog dissipated before I could fully harness its power
“Don’t Lose focus! Remember, you can take the NEP out of anywhere in your body, after taking it out, you have to focus it into the object you want to use your base arts on!”
Can she also see that blue gas? I thought Nove was making me do that?
As the hog broke free from the tree, I saw an opportunity to retry using base arts. Sure, it wasn't the most peaceful of moments, but hey, gotta seize the opportunity, right? Plus, I was starting to get the hang of this NEP thing.
As the hog finally freed itself from the tree, I sprang into action, summoning that tingling sensation once more. With a flick of my finger, I pulled a chunk of dirt from the ground like I was casting some dirt-based magic spell. Meanwhile, the hog eyed me like we were about to have a showdown at high noon. I met its gaze head-on, because apparently, that's what you do in a pig stare-down.
The hog, not one to back down, started gearing up for another charge, kicking up dirt like it was auditioning for a rodeo. That's when inspiration struck. I hurled some NEP to manipulate the dirt beneath me
Suddenly, The hog started it’s chase again but this time I was ready, I quickly pulled up the ground that I was controlling and raised up a thick dirt wall big enough that the hog couldn’t jump over it.
Before the Hog smashed through the wall, I threw some NEP to the tree next to me and got control over a small portion of the tree before waiting for the hog to smash through the wall.
And, just as I thought, the hog slammed through the wall and realized it’s fault later. I smiled, knowing my plan worked.
Since I had pulled up the dirt wall, there was nothing under it supporting the wall, it’s the same trick I pulled on Nishra before as well, since there was nothing under the wall, The hog finally tripped and fell head first into the ground, I kept in mind where it stopped, before I used one hand to throw some cobwebs on the hog to slow it down and used my other hand to figuratively pull out a small chunk of the tree at such an angle that the tree would fall down on the hog.
“TIM-BER!” I screamed as the hog did its best to get up fast until it realized the tree slowly falling towards it and it squealed in terror. But it was already too late.
The tree fell on top of the hog and I could hear some bones breaking before I saw it’s health bar drop down to zero.
I looked up towards Nishra, and while I couldn’t tell what kind of face she was making behind that helmet, she clearly looks surprised.
“To use the natural laws of the world to kill… you really are full of surprises, and you did it all using some base arts and some really weird core nodes…”
I was about to say something when a small window popped up Infront of me.
Status Increase:
Metalweaving Mastery increase by 0.5
Total Metalweaving Mastery (MW): 4.5 (+2)
Oh my god.
I can just increase my MW stat like this?
Nishra really was correct, lessons like these are truly bountiful.