CHAPTER 31: JOINT TRAINING EXERCISE

Hermes placed his palms on his knees to support his body upright. The training he had just completed gave him no room for rest. It was clear to him, that Arthur's training regime would hold back no punches at all. Grasping for air, Hermes rubbed a towel on his face to clear away the sweat and asked a question that had been plaguing him the entire night before.

"Commander Arthur, how should I utilize [Martial-Study] to create a brand new sword art for the gunblade?"

Arthur, with his arms crossed, answered stoically. "It's quite simple, really. Just use your gunblade."

Hermes raised an eyebrow. "Just use it? What do you mean?"

"Let me ask you this: how did the first swordsman learn to wield the sword?"

Hermes looked down at the ground to contemplate an answer, but nothing came to him.

Seeing his disciple struggling, Arthur spoke once more. "It was done by trial and error. One swordsman would try a certain move in battle. If it helped him win his battle, he would continue using it. If it didn't, he would die, simple as that."

"Over the course of thousands of years, the correct movements continued to be passed down to the next generation of warriors, who then began compiling them into more nuanced forms. This would eventually lead to the first sword manuals and martial art techniques."

"Ah?" 'Of course… They had to keep trying until they got it right… In a sense, it's similar to the scientific method. Edison had to try 1,000 different combinations before getting the light bulb right…'

After organizing his thoughts, Hermes voiced his concerns once more. "So you are saying that I should use [Martial-Study] to practice different moves I make up on my own until one of them clicks? Wouldn't that take too long?"

Arthur nodded his head. "Indeed, it is quite cumbersome. But that is the only way to do it. But I am sure you have already thought of something to accelerate it, didn't you?"

Hermes nodded his head confidently. "Yes… I plan to utilize [Augmented-Comprehension] to think of many scenarios in my head and let them all play out in tandem until I figure out the right move."

"That may work, yes, but you have probably already seen its limitations by now. [Augmented-Comprehension] at your level can only be used in short bursts. Using it for too long could give you brain damage."

Hermes, who was still grasping for air, looked down at the cold, metallic floor beneath his feet.

"Yes… I already know that. But that is exactly what I want; short bursts. If a move takes too long to do even with [Augmented-Comprehension] simulating it, then it's probably useless in battle anyway."

Arthur stood there silently before nodding his head. He had accepted Hermes' answer to the dilemma. "Good. The key to training is to not rush for results. Even if it takes you days, weeks, months, or years. A payout will eventually occur if you stick to the resolve you showed me when you first picked out the weapon at the armory."

Undoing his crossed arms, Arthur walked towards the exit of the facility. After reaching the fortified entrance, he stopped in his tracks and turned his neck to face the cadet. Suddenly, he pulled out something from his windbreaker and threw it in his direction.

"Catch."

Hermes stumbled at first but caught the object regardless. It was a rectangular silver box with a latch. At the top of it was a golden, engraved symbol he was familiar with; a fortified castle wall being pierced through by a sword: the Guardian Regiment emblem.

Looking up towards Arthur's direction, Hermes furrowed his eyebrows. "What is this?"

"Look inside and you will know. It's a gift from Dorian."

After opening the box, Hermes was left speechless. Inside, about 20 gun shells, each 6 inches in height and about 2.5 inches in diameter, were packed closely together. The light of the room reflected off of their golden tint.

"This is…"

"Yes. They are gunblade shells. Not magical ones, but still deadly. Also, be sure to come to the courtyard outside Section A in your uniform at 12:30. There will be a joint training exercise for the cadets."

Staring at the box of bullets before him, Hermes' lips curled up into a smile.

"Can you thank Dorian on my behalf? I'll be sure to do it personally as well when I visit him later."

Arthur nodded his head and stepped out silently. Hermes was left alone in the large reinforced room. Staring at the shells once more, he placed the box on the ground next to the gunblade, which was lying on the wall.

Taking a deep breath, Hermes cast his gaze towards the gunblade. "Alright, then. Should I start?"

…

After training for two more hours, the clock hit 12:00 PM. Knowing what was required of him 30 minutes later, Hermes rushed back out of the training facility and towards his dorm room. He took a shower and wore his black military uniform, which was devoid of accolades.

During his training period with the gunblade, He had decided to not use the shells Dorian provided him at all and instead focus on perfecting his sword swings. He spent the two hours specifically repeating the vertical and horizontal slashes.

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Although he did not completely master them, [Martial-Study] allowed him to make more and more precise poses and movements when reenacting the move. Without gaining knowledge on the fundamentals of wielding a blade, creating a sword art that could utilize all aspects of the gunblade to perfection would be impossible.

Furthermore, he had to think about the possible stances he should take when wielding it as well. Because of the gunblade's weight, he found it easier to hold it over his shoulder for support. With this stance, he can allow gravity to do its part when slashing downwards.

Walking toward the courtyard, Hermes' thoughts continued to swim through an oceanic current of ideas. He was full of excitement about the future.

Stepping outside, the Martian soil perfectly reflected the rays of the sun, giving warmth to the entire open space. In the distance, he can see the platforms, bridges, and buildings that were etched into the cliff sides of the ravine. None of these features paled in comparison to the mighty tower situated only a few meters away from the barracks. The Spire, with all its glory, pierced through the heavens, almost blocking out the sun completely.

The air continued to carry with it dust and sand that would occasionally get in his eyes. Pushing up his glasses, Hermes walked toward the other cadets, who were spread across the courtyard. Some were chatting with each other, others were standing by themselves, awaiting the arrival of their superior.

'It seems many of them have already formed cliques and social circles between each other.'

"Hey! Hermes, how have you been!" Startling him out of his thoughts, Hermes turned to face the source of the sound. The figure of a handsome young man with sun-kissed skin appeared before him. His cleanly shaved face and chiseled jawline would make even the straightest person alive acknowledge his dapper.

Pushing up his glasses once more, Hermes clicked his tongue. "Sigh, why didn't the heavens bless me…"

"Hm? What's wrong, my friend?" A concerned look appeared on Kevin's face. Seeing this, Hermes straightened out his collar and looked up towards the 6'1 man before him and smiled.

"Nothing, nothing… I was just thinking how stuffy it is inside this uniform."

"Ah, that! Yes, it is. Mars is already hot enough, you know!" He began to pull on his collar to let the air inside. Several female cadets kept trying to peek from the corner of their eyes at his figure.

"Tsk."

"Hm? Did you say something?"

"Nope, you are imagining things."

Suddenly, Kevin's eyes opened wide as he smacked his fist into his other palm. "Ah! I just remembered. I heard you were evaluated as an Enchanted Striker. That's amazing, you know! It was already surprising enough to hear you were a Celestial!"

"Ah, yes. I apologize for not telling you. I never found the opportunity."

"Don't worry about it! By the way, I heard you chose the gunblade as your weapon. Why is that? Shouldn't a sword or spear give you a better chance of progressing?"

"Sigh… A lot of people so far have questioned my choice. It… It was a gut feeling."

"You… Chose based on a gut feeling?"

"Yes…"

"Pfff…."

Hermes furrowed his brows and crossed his arms. A frown plastered his face as he stared at his friend in contempt. "Hey…"

"No, no no! It's not what you think. I am not laughing at your decision. I just found it funny how honest you are. Most people would have lied and said something like ‘It’s to challenge myself,’ or something! They would try to look confident about their decision when they probably picked it because it looked cool. You, on the other hand, are uncertain it will work out, but you trust your 'gut feeling'. I find that admirable."

"You aren't wrong about the second statement. The gunblade is cool." A glimmer of light twinkled in his eyes as he pulled out the work of art strapped to his back.

"Just look at it… Isn't it marvelous…"

Casting his gaze toward the enigmatic weapon, Kevin nodded his head in agreement. "You are right. That is one badass weapon…"

"Right?!"

Suddenly, a harmonious voice interrupted their childish conversation.

"What… Are you talking about?"

A round face plastered with curiosity appeared before them. Flowing past the honey-textured crown of blonde hair was a pair of pink-hued eyes that hid a sliver of gray. Her fair skin, devoid of any imperfections, reflected the light of the sun gracefully.

Dressed in an elegant black uniform like the rest of the cadets, Elizabeth stared at the two men admiring the blade nuzzled between their figures. Seeing her face, Hermes could immediately identify her.

"Ah, Lady Elizabeth. We were just conversing about the gunblade here." He gave her a gentlemanly bow while addressing her question.

Kevin saw this and turned to face Hermes. His eyebrows lifted. "Elizabeth Lysange?"

Hermes nodded his head in confirmation. "Correct, that is her." Hearing his answer, Kevin immediately turned to face the elegant lady and bowed his head slightly, similarly to Hermes.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lysange. I hope you will excuse my rude behavior. I grew up mostly in the streets, after all."

"The pleasure is mine." She picked the two edges at the hem of her skirt and lifted them slightly while posing an elegant bow.

After exchanging pleasantries, Elizabeth peered her curious eyes toward the blade she had previously seen the night before. "It is indeed a beautiful weapon."

Hermes nodded his head at her compliment and smiled. "Yes. I heard it was crafted about 80 years ago by Dorian Fabbro's great-grandfather."

Kevin's eyes shot upwards. "Dorian Fabbro? That Dorian Fabbro?!"

"Hm? Do you know him?"

"How can I not know him? He is one of the greatest Artificers of the century! Many of the Stellar Artifacts above the Ecliptic Tier were created by him."

'He was that powerful? I thought his stage was around 5 or 6 at first…'

Suddenly, Elizabeth opened her mouth and continued the conversation on behalf of Kevin. "Yes. There are many rumors about him… Some say that he is secretly working to create a Sidereal Ship."

A hint of confusion lingered in Hermes' eyes. "Sidereal Ship? What is that?"

Nodding her head, a symphony of words graced their ears. "According to the old texts, it is a type of starship, one that can traverse the mythical Astral Currents. They are essentially Stellar Artifacts themselves."

'Astral Currents! I can't believe this is being mentioned. That's exactly what I used to reach Mars… So there is a way to effectively utilize them for transportation without needing the obelisks? I need to look up more information on these Sidereal Ships…'

The conversation between the three continued. Elizabeth would silently listen to what they had to say and occasionally add one or two comments here and there. Eventually, the crowd of cadets around them noticed her presence.

Looks of envy, awe, confusion, lust, and even greed filled their gaze. It was hard not to notice them. Hermes was fundamentally an anti-social person; he was not used to receiving this much attention.

Surprisingly, the one person he thought would try to confront them never appeared. Charles, who was staring at them from the distance, would occasionally give them glares of disgust but never approached.

'Wasn't this guy crushing over Elizabeth? I thought he would try to do something by now… Oh well, I don't feel like dealing with him anyway…'

Disrupting their conversations, a voice rang out across the courtyard.

"Attention all cadets."

Turning their heads towards the source of the reverberations, a man about 6 foot tall stood stoically. He wore a military uniform similar to the cadets, except he had many badges, emblems, and other accolades plastered on his chest. His decorated shoulder pads were adorned with four golden stars on each side, denoting his rank as a captain.

Below his military cap, unkempt hair swayed through the breeze, highlighting his chiseled face, which was filled with authority and confidence. His emerald green eyes oozed with grace and nobility as he looked onward toward the cadets.

Hermes could immediately recognize the figure. "Leonardo Césaire…"

End of Chapter