Liam turned around and was a bit shocked at what he found.

It was a middle aged man who stood a little taller than Liam.

He wore light clothing, a tank top, shorts, and knee high white socks that showed off his tanned slim well-toned physique. He had a well-groomed dark beard that reminded him of when the actor Robert Downy Junior played Tony Stark. He had a short black side-swept hairstyle, and baby blue eyes.

However, what caught Liam off guard were the symbols under each eye. Under his right eye was a black club. Under his left eye was a red heart.

Remembering how rude it was to stare at someone, Liam took in the man’s body language.

Menara was right, this guy really looked unmotivated. In fact, he looked like he’d rather be somewhere else.

Looks like I’m going to have to get him interested in teaching me. Liam thought as he frowned.

“My name is Nabal,” the man stated with listless tone.

Liam was about to respond to the greeting with his own, until Nabal raised a hand up and announced, “I do not care what your name is. Our time will be short.”

Feeling annoyed, Liam stated, “I don’t know what your problem is, but I’m here to learn.”

Nabal rolled his eyes. “That’s what they all say at first, but then they switched to other weapons after learning one thing.”

“Well, I’m not like them,” Liam replied.

Liam cringed after he said that typical line.

“Really?” Nabal questioned with a brow raised.

“Yeah, I guess I could have worded that different,” Liam winced.

Nabal stared at him. He looked like he was thinking something over. After coming to terms with whatever he was thinking he pronounced, “I’ll tell you what.”

Two wooden daggers suddenly appeared in his hands. “If you can dodge, avoid, or block one of five of my attacks. I’ll get serious and teach you anything you want to know.”

“And if I can’t, I assume I lose any chance of learning any Dagger Weapon Arts?” Liam asked.

Nabal gave the most spiritless smile he had ever seen. “You catch on quickly.”

Liam watched Nabal reach his right arm out in a stretch. His hand opened, allowing the dagger to fall from his hand.

The next thing Liam knew, Nabal appeared behind him with his other dagger across his throat.

With an unmotivated tone of voice, the man said, “That’s one.”

Liam’s eyes widened. He didn’t see the man move. His eyes couldn’t follow Nabal’s movement at all.

He was fast. Too fast.

I think mistakes were made. Liam internally panicked. If I can’t follow his movements how the hell am I supposed to dodge or block his attacks?

Nabal slowly walked back in front of Liam and made his way to his fallen dagger.

Liam watched as Nabal reached for the dagger. Once when he grabbed it, he flung his arm perfectly at Liam. Liam instinctually took a step out of the way, but stopped as Nabal once again appeared behind Liam with the thrown dagger in his free hand and pressing against his neck.

“What the fu…,” Liam subconsciously blurted.

“That’s two,” Nabal taunted. “Why haven’t you taken your daggers out? Are you not taking this seriously?”

Scowling, Liam pulled his daggers out.

Nabal stared at the curved daggers and gave a puzzling look while walking back in front of Liam.

Liam noticed a hint of curiosity in Nabal’s eyes before he turned them back on Liam.

Seems like I have caught his attention with something. Liam smirked. He then shook his head and thought, Wait no! I need to focus.

Nabal saw Liam was caught up in some thought and let out a disappointed sigh. He was using the most basic Dagger Weapon Art he learned from his starting days, Back Stab. Even though it was the most basic it was also one any dual dagger wielder needed to train.

It was a Duel Dagger Weapon Art that was versatile enough to be an opener in a battle or combination chain. It could also be the finisher of any fight too.

He was disappointed by this newest trainee for a few reasons. One, he didn’t look like daggers really suited him. The way he held the weapons were unfamiliar to him and made him look like an amateur. Two, he was slow to react. Three, he fell for the most obvious distractions.

However, what disappointed Nabal the most, even though his skills and sub-stat levels were much higher than Liam’s, he was holding back a considerable amount. A small part of him was hoping this young man would stir some inspiration within him and be skilled enough to at least dodge. Blocking the attack was out of the question due to the gap in sub-stats, but he still gave him the option.

He took this moment to attack once more.

Liam felt something in the back of his mind start to tingle. He quickly looked at where Nabal was and watched him suddenly disappear.

After appearing behind Liam once again, Nabal stated, “That’s three.”

Damn it! I can’t get distracted or else he’ll…. Liam thought before an idea popped up. I have been focusing on the weapon that he drops thinking he’s going to use it. If that’s just a distraction, then maybe I can use that to my advantage.

Liam gritted his teeth. First, I should try and focus on his movements. Even if there is anything insignificant, I need to notice it. After all, miniscule bad habits are telling signs for any type of attack.

Liam focused and studied Nabal’s body after the man got into position.

Nabal stared at Liam as he stood with a relaxed posture. He then thought to himself, It looks like he might have picked up on something… He shook his head. But it’s too late.

He overlapped his arms over each other in a parallel. He then slowly moved his right arm out.

Liam watched the arm but still searched other parts of the man’s body through his peripheral.

Nothing seemed out of place. No slight movements or signs of bad habits.

As Nabal’s right arm reached out, a slight tingling sensation started to buzz a bit in the back of Liam’s head. Liam brought his eyes back to the rest of Nabal’s body one last time before he suddenly disappeared.

Nabal then stated as his dagger reappeared across Liam’s neck, “That’s four. This is your last shot.”

Liam ignored the man’s words as a smile formed on his face. I got it. He thought. It was hard to spot, but I found the telling.

Nabal got into place once more in front of Liam. He let out a sigh and stated, “I can tell you may have figured something out. That smile you have plastered on your face is giving it away.”

Liam was shocked by his words. It didn’t, however, make the smile go away.

“You have no hope of winning this bet so please do not get upset when you lose,” Nabal finished.

“That’s mighty confident of you to assume you’ll win this,” Liam stated with the grin still growing on his face. “If you’re trying to persuade me into giving up then I will say I will not. If I lose, I lose. That’s just how things go. However, we will not know how it will go until the end happens.”

Nabal raised an eyebrow. This was different. The ones he tested before would always fall into a bout of anger or frustration. Curious, he asked, “The gap in levels in our sub-stats is wide. Aren’t you frustrated with this impossible bet?”

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“Oh, I’m frustrated by the difference in our skills. There’s no doubt about it,” Liam stated.

“Then why are you grinning like an idiot?” Nabal asked.

“I can’t help it,” Liam replied. “I always grin when I am faced with a challenge. I can’t explain why, it’s just…a habit.”

“A habit?” Nabal questioned. “That’s one hell of a habit then. Oh well, let’s get this over with then.”

Liam took a defensive stance as he repositioned his daggers into different grips. The one in his right hand was set in a regular grip with the curve of the dagger facing Nabal. The one in his left hand was in a reverse grip with the curve of the dagger pointing away.

Nabal overlapped his arms over each other in parallel once more. He then slowly moved his right arm out.

Liam memorized his movements and watched the arm but kept a certain part of Nabal’s body in his peripheral.

As Nabal’s right arm reached out, that slight tingling sensation buzzed again in the back of Liam’s head.

Here it comes. Liam thought as he tensed up. I have to time this right, or I’m screwed.

The sensation suddenly blared as he saw, what Liam believed was, the bad habit Nabal had when attacking.

As Nabal released the dagger in his right hand, his body disappeared.

As quickly as he could, Liam brought the dagger in his right hand up. As soon as he got it in place, Nabal’s dagger collided with it.

Liam felt the force of the collision and almost lost control as his opponent’s weapon almost slid across his neck.

“What the…” Nabal suddenly said with a wide eyed expression.

Did he really just block this attack? Nabal thought. But how? How did he manage to get the timing right to block it? There’s no way he could have done that! This is impossible!

As his mind whirled with plausible arguments, he noticed something else that made his blood start to pump with excitement. This youngster had not only blocked the attack, but he also had a counter ready to go.

An excited smile slowly started to form as he started the dagger in Liam’s left hand that was pressed against his lower side. This guy, in the heat of the moment, did something that wasn’t in my calculations. He learned Counter Stab!

Liam turned around and took a step back. That shit eating grin he had on just moments ago returned as he asked, “So this means I won right?”

Nabal stared at him. His questions started whirling again. After going over everything, he nodded and said, “Yes. You won. But I have to ask…how did you get the timing right? What gave me away?”

The grin Liam had slowly disappeared as he went over everything in his head. After organizing everything he said, “You grip your left hand tighter than your right hand when you’re about to strike.”

Flabbergasted by the response, Nabal said, “What? How did you see that each time I attacked? It didn’t look like you were studying my movements each time.”

“It wasn’t each time,” Liam flatly said. “I noticed it on the fourth strike. It was gamble to trust my gut on that, but it felt right. That, and a tingling sensation started to buzz in the back of my head right before you disappeared.”

Nabal’s jaw dropped. This guy really left it all up to chance? He thought. “You are crazy to leave it all to a gamble…” Nabal then caught what else he said. He then asked, “A tingling sensation? What level is your reflex sub-stat at?”

“It’s at…,” Liam started to say until a few chimes echoed in his mind. A smile formed again as he read the notifications that popped up.

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“Congratulations! Body Attribute Dexterity Sub-stat Fine Motor has reached level 12! Progression to Level 13: 0%.”

“Congratulations! Body Attribute Dexterity Sub-stat Reflex has reached level 13! Progression to Level 14: 0%.”

“Congratulations! Spirit Attribute Luck Sub-stat Lucky Break has reached level 11! Progression to Level 12: 0%.”

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As he closed the messages he answered, “It just leveled to 13.”

Nabal gave Liam a look of respect after hearing that. He then explained, “That sensation you felt has to do with the danger sense your body is starting to create within it. When you level it up higher it will help warn you about incoming lethal attacks before they connect.”

“Really?” Liam said with a look of disbelief. “That’s something that sounds like everyone should have. That essentially mean I can look out for sneak attacks.”

“To point yes,” Nabal stated.

“What do you mean?’ Liam asked, a bit confused.

“Like many things,” Nabal started. “It works better on opponents and monsters who are weaker or similar in stats. Your reflexes can only cover you so much. You’ll have to hone and work on them to be able to catch those who have better skills and higher levels than you.”

“Ah,” Liam replied, starting to understand. “The whole checks and balances thing.”

“What?” Nabal asked, this time sounding a bit confused.

“Never mind,” Liam said as he waved his hand in front of his face.

“Ok,” Nabal stated. “Having said what I did, it begs to question how you were able to feel that sense when my skill and levels are higher than yours.”

“What do you mean by that?” Liam asked.

“The Dagger Weapon Art I used on you was a very common and basic skill called Back Stab. Even though it is a basic one I have leveled it pretty high,” Nabal explained. “I held back and went as slowly as I could, but once when a Weapon Art is activated it works automatically. My Agility, Fine Motor, Reflexes, and Speed are all taken into account when using my Dagger Weapon Arts. They are fundamentally the core when using them for this weapon.”

“So, Dagger Weapon Arts rely on the Dexterity Sub-stats?” Liam inquired.

Nabal nodded. “Since my Dexterity sub-stats are substantially higher than yours, I have to ask again…How did you manage to pull that off?”

Liam stared at him. He then looked at the ground and brought a hand to his chin.

What he says makes a lot of sense. Liam began to think. My Dex sub-stats are lower than his. If the Weapon Arts are automatic does it mean that they are flawless in their execution?

Liam shook his head at the thought. The idea didn’t sit right. Nothing in any world was flawless. Not skills, ideas, theories, or anything. There is always holes, slip ups, or even misconceptions.

He remembered what sub-stats leveled after pulling it off. His jaw opened a but as he felt he came up with the answer.

“Luck,” Liam mumbled.

“What?” Nabal asked.

“I think it was my Lucky Break sub-stat,” Liam answered as he looked back at him. “It was one of the sub-stats that leveled after I pulled that move off.”

Nabal stared at him with disbelief. He was shocked that he didn’t consider that sub-stat. Not many people knew how the Luck stats worked. And those that did never shared. If I consider what he said it makes sense. To be able to pull that off against a higher level opponent would take luck.

Not wanting to push his luck, Liam waited patiently. After watching Nabal think over whatever he was thinking for a couple of minutes he decided to ask, “So, getting back to the topic at hand…Since I won are you going to teach me Weapon Arts for Dual Daggers?”

Nabal looked at him and studied him a bit.

Liam felt his gaze upon him and shrunk internally a bit. Crap. I was told he wouldn’t teach me if he wasn’t interested, and I thought that I got his attention by winning this bet. Is he the type to go back on his word?

“Sure, I’ll teach you,” Nabal slowly said. “Well, I’ll teach you more since you acquired a Weapon Art already.”

Confused by what Nabal said, Liam asked, “What do you mean by acquired a Weapon Art already?”

“That move you pulled at the end is a Dual Dagger Weapon Art called Counter Stab,” Nabal stated. “You should have received the skill since you were able to use the move.”

Liam stared at him.

He blinked once.

Twice.

A third time.

After the fourth he thought about if he had received a notification stated he had received a Weapon Art.

His memory could not recall one ever popping up.

“No…,” he said slowly, hoping the worst wasn’t going to happen. “A notification never appeared.”

Nabal frowned. “That’s strange. That’s how it works. If you’re at the appropriate level of weapon skill, then when you are able to first land the Weapon Art, you should receive it as a skill.”

Liam closed his eyes and swore internally. God fucking damn it! As he opened his eyes again, he said with an irritated tone, “I think I know why I didn’t receive it.”

“Oh?” Nabal asked, curious as to why. “Why is that?”

Liam was unsure what he could or should say. He knew that what was going on with the issues of the foreign obstructions were affecting certain things he could and could not get. However, he wasn’t sure if he should divulge that information. Not only that but if he said he couldn’t get any then this training was both pointless and he would lose Nabal’s interest in teaching.

Maybe it was just a fluke, and I didn’t receive it because I didn’t truly use the skill properly? Liam internally argued. Even after thinking that his gut told him that it wasn’t true.

He didn’t know why but after Nabal said what he did was a Weapon Art Liam knew it to be true. When he went through the motions it felt like something was guiding him to the right places.

It’s a gamble, but maybe he’ll still help me with my handling of the daggers? Liam tried reasoning, grasping for some hope.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable and irritated he said as calmly as he could, “It’s a personal issue, but let’s just say that I think something is preventing me from receiving any Weapon Art skills.”

Nabal’s gaze fell upon Liam as he stared deeply at him with a frown.

Feeling frustrated with himself, Liam waited for the bad news.

After a minute of deliberation, Nabal stated, “I don’t know what the issue is, but you were clearly able to use the art.”

“But you said…,” Liam started to say until he saw a look of excitement grow on Nabal’s face.

“I’m not sure why it didn’t show up for you,” Nabal started as he stared at Liam. “But if it didn’t show up as a skill and you were able to still use it like that, then that means the possibility of using Weapon Arts not as a skill, but with pure reflex and muscle memory might be possible.”

Liam’s eyes widened at the pronouncement. “I…Is that possible?” Liam asked with a bit of hope in his tone.

“I don’t know,” Nabal replied as he frowned thinking about it. “No one that I know has ever tried it. To others the idea might be ludicrous. Why use Weapon Arts as a pure reflex instead of a skill? The amount of time and work you’d have to put into it is astronomical.”

Nabal grew excited as a maniacal smile grew back thinking about it. “This might be the key to truly master of the Weapon Arts.”

“What do you mean by that?” Liam asked, confused by what he was saying.

“Weapon Arts have both pros and cons to them,” Nabal started to explain. “Like I said earlier, when you use it during a fight the movements become automatic. You don’t have to worry about placement or anything. It just happens. That, in itself, is a pro because sometimes in the heat of battle your mind can be all over the place and you can’t lose focus on what’s in front of you.”

Liam nodded to the logic. “So, what’s the con then?”

“The con is the fact that the movement of the skill is automatic,” Nabal stated. “Once you use the skill you can’t stop.”

“Are you serious?” Liam asked.

“Yes. So, I’ve been trying to figure out how I can better master my Dual Dagger Weapon Art skills, but haven’t come up with anything…,” Nabal said then grinned. “Until now. I am going to use you as a guinea pig to test this theory out.”

Liam involuntarily took a step back as he heard a low crazy laugh escape Nabal’s mouth.

I guess this is what Menara meant when she said once when he finds something interesting, he’s a bit…eccentric. Liam thought. I don’t know if I’m happy he’s now motivated or scared that he’s taken an interest.

“I suggest you empty your schedule for the next few hours,” Nabal suddenly announced as he brought Liam out of his thoughts. “I am going to work you so hard that every bone in your body will reflexively flinch to anything.”

On second thought. Liam thought as he gulped. I think mistakes were definitely made.