Three days had passed.
John was sparring with a burlier person who had more experience holding a sword in the training field, when suddenly he felt new memories begin to flow into his brain.
He had no choice but to stop what he was doing and take a knee. His opponent stopped when he saw John suddenly disengage, thinking John must have been exhausted.
John quickly summoned his interface. Under the SKILL tab, he saw that swordsmanship had finally lit up.
Swordsmanship (0/1000)
Two minutes later, when the buzzing stopped and the new memories were fully integrated into his brain, he felt as if he had been swinging a sword for more than five years. Basic attacks and defenses such as cuts, thrusts, and parries were now fully honed.
Next to the icon, he saw there was an upgradable plus sign. However, he decided not to spend his only skill point yet since it wasn't needed at the moment.
John was amazed at how formidable the system was. He hadn't even added any points to the skill, yet he already realized his swordsmanship had tremendously improved.
John stood up again and smoothly grabbed the sword beside him. When he held it, there was no longer any awkwardness in his grip.
His opponent looked at John and paused. He could feel a different air about him—the way John held the sword and carried his posture was completely changed. So this time, he looked at John more seriously.
John smiled, eager to try, and said, "I am ready."
The man nodded and rushed at John. This time, he added more strength into a combination of diagonal cuts and horizontal slashes. However, John easily dodged the attacks. When another diagonal cut came, John parried smoothly and launched a straightforward thrust at his opponent's chest.
With just one strike, the man staggered backward and fell on his back. When the others saw it, they were startled. Some were amazed and couldn't help but praise him, since John was lean compared to his larger opponent.
Even Captain Elias, who was overseeing the training ground, was stunned. He had been on his way to scold John for resting when he witnessed the whole thing.
But then he was completely shocked when John suddenly displayed agile footwork, a smooth parry, and a pinpoint-accurate thrust to the sternum. Although Elias himself could do the same as a Great Knight, John had only been in training for two or three days. His eyes widened.
"Another genius in our midst," Captain Elias sighed, feeling both impressed and envious of John's talent. He shook his head and continued to watch the new recruits.
…
In the afternoon, Captain Elias moved everyone to the archery range. Archery was king when defending castle walls. He demonstrated his perfect archery skills, able to hit both short- and long-distance targets. Then the new recruits lined up and picked their bows.
John found one he preferred. Knowing what to do, he grabbed his first arrow and knocked it.
Without much effort, he hit the target. It wasn't the center, but it was close. Others were amazed, and even Captain Elias couldn't believe what he was seeing. John smiled. Back on Earth, he used to practice archery and hunt wild animals with his friends. Although he wasn't an extreme expert, he knew the proper movements.
Then he checked his panel:
Archery Level 0: 45/100
He smiled again. That was just the first arrow. Soon he began shooting one after another. He saw his progress increase—not as fast as swordsmanship at first, but steady, and eventually faster. By the end of the day, his Archery had reached 78/100.
…
The next day, John was surprised when Captain Elias dragged him to a different training courtyard. There was a stark difference between this group and his old one. Just by looking at how they held their swords and stances, he could tell they were far more experienced. Furthermore, they weren't practicing with wooden swords but with real cold steel.
Captain Elias noticed John's surprised expression. "With your talent, you'll be wasting your time staying with the new recruits. From now on, you'll train here with those who have experience."
John nodded, agreeing. When he checked his swordsmanship, he realized he hadn't received any more experience after his breakthrough. He assumed he now needed either a better partner or to spend his skill point.
When he entered the training ground, he was faced with another person. By her looks, she seemed like a little girl about his age. She had short blond hair and wore simple, tattered leather armor. Her expression was stoic, her pale skin smudged with dust and mud. But the most striking thing about her were her deep golden eyes, mesmerizing if you stared too long.
Then John glanced at Captain Elias, thinking, "Does he want me to babysit his daughter?"
When Captain Elias saw John's gaze, he coughed and shook his head. "She will be your partner from now on." Without further explanation, he turned and left.
The little girl spoke calmly. "My name is Altea. You can pick your weapon from that rack."
John looked where Altea was pointing and grabbed a rusty training sword and a shield.
He made his stance, smiled, and shared his name. "John."