(Sword Training Arena)


    "She''s here as well," Rocky whispered under his breath, as his eyes caught Sophia''s presence in the sword training hall.


    Their paths had seemingly intertwined once more, both having opted for the electives of practicalbat and swordsmanship.


    "This is going to be such a hassle," Rocky exhaled in resignation, realizing that, akin to practicalbat,parisons between him and Sophia would inevitably arise throughout the year in the swordsmanship ss as wellparisons Rocky wished to evade at all costs if possible.


    Since the ss had not yet started, Rocky took a moment to soak in the environment of the sword training hall, which was slightly different in orientation whenpared to the practicalbat hall.


    Though simr in dimensions, the sword training arena was strewn with practice dummies for slicing,plemented by an array of swords differing in weight, length, and design for trainees to select from.


    A pile of broken wooden swords was collected in one corner of the hall, the sheer size of the heap being a testament to the sheer dedication with which students trained here.


    "Good Afternoon, young warriors. I am Instructor Mae, and I will be guiding you through the swordsmanship ss this year.


    The essence of this course is to hone your foundational sword skills and impart practical techniques that will aid you on your ascent as a climber," dered a lean female instructor, her appearance catching Rocky off guard as the ss officially started.


    "The grading for this course is simple. I need you to perform some tests for me.


    Part one - Foundational technique test, which will be me judging your sword basics such as thrust, sh and block.


    Part two - Practical cutting test, where you will have to slice through boulders and real obstacles with your sword.


    Part three - Sword Skill test, where you have to attain intermediate mastery in at least 3 skill scrolls of (rare) grade or higher.


    Part four - Sword Duel, which we will hold at the end of the year in a knockout style tournament.


    Eachponent I mentioned has 25% weightage, with there being bonus marks for anyone who can consolidate their sword intent" Instructor Mae said, as excitement washed over the ss.


    Unlike other courses, attendance did not seem to be a factor here as the only thing instructor Mae seemed to care about was results.


    "Since this is the first ss, I want you all to pick up a sword that you feel slightly heavy for yourfort and practice the foundational techniques with them.


    There are only two foundational offensive techniques in swordsmanship.


    The sh and the thrust, if you master them then you be a formidable swordsman.


    But don''t be mistaken, offense is but a small part of swordsmanship.


    I see many new kids believing that offense is all that a swordsman should do, as they chase domineering strength without understanding the fundamentals that make a good swordsman.


    A real swordsman should be not only great at offense, but also defensive moves such as block and parry, should have excellent footwork to support their offense/ defense, utilize body mechanics, have a subconscious grip over distance and timing….


    Etc" Instructor Mae said, as she picked up a blunt wooden sword and moved towards an iron dummy that seemed to be made of a thin iron te on the surface and wood underneath.


    "Pay close attention as I demonstrate the two basic moves of swordsmanship. This is what I expect you to practice today-" Mae said, as she slowly exined everything right from the basics.


    " Look at my palms, the grip I''m showing you now is for a one handed swordsman, who uses a light sword that focuses on agility.


    In this posture, your hand should grip the hilt firmly but not too tightly, allowing for flexibility in your wrist movements. This grip enables quick, agile strikes and precise control over the de," Instructor Mae continued, demonstrating the subtleties of her grip and stance.


    " For a long sword/great sword, the dominant hands needs to be ced below the weaker hand which presses against the hilt, while for a dual swordsman, they should utilize the same grip as a normal swordsman, but only grip it more angrly" Mae said, as she demonstrated all forms of grips, before returning to the basic.


    "For the sh, it''s not just about swinging your arm. Engage your whole body. Start the motion from your legs, channel it through your core, and let it explode out through your arm and the sword. This way, your sh carries the weight of your entire body, not just the strength of your arm," she exined, her de whistling through the air as it sliced effortlessly through a demonstration dummy.


    "And for the thrust, precision and timing are key. Step forward, extend your arm, and push the de straight ahead with force. Aim for vulnerable points. It''s a piercing move, designed to prate armor or flesh with minimal effort but maximum effect," Mae added, demonstrating a thrust that punctured another dummy with startling uracy.


    From start to finish, she made the whole process look so easy that Rocky almost believed that swordsmanship could be done by even a child, but then he saw the dull wooden de in her hand and gulped in awe.


    " We have about 110 minutes left for this ss, so hurry up and start practicing.


    I will be doing rounds and guiding those who need it. Go! Go! Go!" She said as all the swordsmanship students rushed towards the sword selection section, as they tried on different swords which suited their strength.


    Sophia chose a giant greatsword. It was approximately 5 feet long and weighed at least a good 30 kilograms, however, she picked it up effortlessly.


    Most students were awed by her disy and tried to replicate her by choosing arge sword, but failed miserably.


    Rocky, firm in his belief of wanting to be a dual sword wielder, chose two normal weight swords which as the instructor suggested were slightly ufortable to hold, being on the heavy end.


    Both his swords weighed approximately 7.5 kilograms each, as his choice was slightly above average in terms of weight, but having chosen two, he was one of the very few dual wielders in the ss.


    As the training started, everyone began hacking and thrusting at their practice dummies, however, unlike how easy Instructor Mae made it seem, most were unable to even scratch it.


    Rocky could see it as clear as day as students of all races hacked at the dummies with poor form.


    There were a few who did better than the rest, but even they were far from demonstrating the kind of proficiency that Instructor Mae expected from them, failing to make a clean slice through.


    Of Course however, Sophia was the exception.


    That glory hunter demonstrated perfect stance and perfect grasp over her foundation as she effortlessly shed through the training dummy before doing the same with another with a picture perfect thrust.


    "Wow-, looks like we have a talented student in our mix who has already perfected the fundamentals of swordsmanship. Bravo-" Instructor Mae said, as she pped in appreciation for Sophia while the other students joined.


    "Thankyou-, if you would permit me, I would like to take the boulder shing test today itself professor" said Sophia, as the crowd cheered and encouraged her to take the test for the next stage on day one itself.


    "Umm, I don''t know if holding the test for stage two on the very first day, for only one student is a good idea…" Instructor Mae said, as the sound of another training dummy hitting the floor distracted her.


    As she looked across the training hall, she noticed Rocky standing over a training dummy after dissecting it into four equal parts that had the cleanest edge to them.


    "Oooo another student with great technique-" Professor Mae said excitedly, as Rocky moved on to the next dummy and performed a perfect double thrust.


    "BRAVO!" She eximed, her eyes sparkling at the sight of Rocky''s perfect footwork and bodyweight utilization as he performed those thrusts.


    Having already received knowledge about (Basic) swordsmanship from the system, Rocky, just like Sophia was perfectly proficient in tasks such as Thrust, sh, Block and Parry, as although he did not wish to intentionallypete with her, it seemed like the two of them stood out from the rest of the crowd once more.


    "Would you like to proceed to the next stage as well? Student?" Instructor Mae asked Rocky, who nodded, as themon crowd erupted in cheers.


    " Wow, 6 years I''ve been a teacher, but I''ve never conducted second round tests so soon…." She murmured, as she instructed her assistant to arrange for two practise boulders.