Chapter 30: The Core Essence of the Water God Style, the Ability of Water God Reida
The next day, Paul's anger had subsided. But after his heartfelt lecture to the two children the night before, combined with his 'rest and recuperation' over the past couple of days, he was full of energy. As soon as breakfast was over, he led the two of them into the yard and told them to get into their stances.
Once the three of them were standing in a triangular formation, he put on an adult air and said to them.
"You two have had your fun these past couple of days. It's time to get your sword training back on track! So today, we're having extra practice, supervised by me personally. Especially you, Allen. What kind of teacher gets into a fight with his student? Have you been properly teaching Rudy swordsmanship these past few days?"
Rudeus, looking at Paul's posture, subconsciously tightened his grip on his sword hilt. He hadn't properly studied swordsmanship since Allen had arrived, but the reason was clearly because Paul was obsessed with sparring with Allen, which had greatly reduced his lesson time.
But now was not the time to say that. If he were to talk back to Paul and lose the one-hour reduction in his sword lessons he had just won, it would be a huge loss.
Allen, on the other hand, looked at Paul's serious face and couldn't help but twitch his lip.
'I've only been here a damn week, and I've spent more than half of it fencing with you. What the hell was I supposed to teach?'
But his words were respectful.
"To answer the Master, although I haven't been here long, I feel that Rudeus has a lot of talent for the North God Style in the future."
'Wearing a Magic Armor definitely counts as North God Style.'
Paul's face fell, his expression turning to one of disdain. He had previously taught Rudeus the Sword God and Water God styles because...
"North God Style? That stuff can only be called fighting with a sword. It can't be considered swordsmanship at all."
Paul, who was quite proficient in the North God Style himself, was very dismissive of it. Thanks to the North God II, who had opened a North God Style dojo in the Wyrmroost Empire, the mainstream version in the Central Continent was the Eccentric School, which was probably too unorthodox in Paul's eyes.
Although Paul himself was not a very orthodox person.
Allen cleared his throat, his face very respectful.
"Then today, we'll have to trouble the Master to help us go over the knowledge of the Sword God and Water God styles."
Seeing this, Paul nodded with satisfaction. He shouted, "Then let's begin!", drew his sword, and pointed it excitedly at Allen's forehead.
"This time, it's your turn to attack!"
Silence fell.
A breeze blew past, and a withered leaf fell onto the face of Rudeus, who felt like a complete outsider. He looked at the tense atmosphere between the two in front of him, his expression dumbfounded.
'So... should I leave?'
Allen looked at the tip of the wooden sword in front of him. Under Paul's surprised gaze, he reached out with two fingers, caught the blade, and moved it away from his face.
"Master, I believe that post-battle analysis is very important. Perhaps we can start by reviewing our experiences today. To be honest, I also have many questions I would like to ask you."
Paul blinked. He suddenly realized that Allen was very proficient in the Water God Style, and that he was saying this probably because he wanted to ask about the Sword God Style, which he was clearly not as good at.
"I see... alright. But I'll say this in advance: I'm an instinct-based fighter. I may not be good at teaching this theoretical knowledge."
"That's still much better than me fumbling around on my own."
The three of them each grabbed a small stool and sat in a circle. The country wind blew gently around them, as warm and gentle as the smile on Zenith's face as she watched them from the second-floor window, her chin resting on her hand.
Allen looked at Paul, who had his arms crossed and was looking at him with a pained expression, not saying a word. Allen's own expression was serious.
His Sword God Style was still at the Intermediate level. As someone who had read the novel, he shouldn't still be stuck at this level. But the problem was that the novel's description of sword training was too abstract. If it weren't for the systematic training he had undergone in the Water God Style since he was a child, it would probably be difficult to reach the Advanced level just by relying on the book's descriptions.
At this thought, he first turned to Rudeus.
"I don't know if the Master has ever thoroughly analyzed the three sword styles for you before. I'm better at the Water God and North God styles, so I'll first tell you about the detailed characteristics of these styles."
Rudeus blinked.
"Actually, I already know..."
Allen smiled nonchalantly and asked, "Then what do you think is the core essence of the Water God Style?"
Rudeus scratched his face.
"Defense?"
Allen shook his head.
"That's just its form of expression. The core essence of the Water God Style is—Perception."
At this, Paul raised an eyebrow.
...This kid... is interesting.
Rudeus, however, looked confused.
"Perception?"
"That's right. Perception."
As Allen spoke, he let out a long breath, his breathing gradually becoming steady, his mind as calm as a windless water surface.
In his five senses, the rustling of the leaves, the smell of the earth, the smile on Paul's lips, the raised eyebrows of Rudeus, and the sensation of the wind blowing over the fine hairs on his own body were all revealed in exquisite detail.
He opened his eyes again and looked at Rudeus. He extended his arm and held out two fingers in front of him. As Rudeus looked on in confusion, he said.
"Perceive all the information in your surroundings: the flow of the wind, the source of sounds, the vibration of the air, the shape of objects. If you go deeper, you can even feel the burst of killing intent, the flow of mana..."
As he spoke, a falling leaf landed precisely between Allen's two fingers. His fingers trembled slightly.
At the same time, his unfinished sentence fell.
"...And then, based on the judgment of the information obtained, make the most appropriate response, find the opponent's weakness, and complete a fatal counterattack."
Under Rudeus's astonished and Paul's appreciative gaze, the leaf in Allen's fingers instantly split in two, sliding down from either side of his fingertips.
The process was so smooth that Rudeus even thought the leaf had actively thrown itself onto Allen's fingers to meet its 'end.'
He broke free from his daze and suddenly realized the illogical part of Allen's words. He then asked.
"I can understand the parts before. It means you need to keep your brain calm and analyze a huge amount of information about your opponent in a short time, then choose the most suitable counterattack. I can understand killing intent as something like a fierce aura... but what about the flow of mana? Can that also be felt by someone who is not the magic caster themselves?"
Allen smiled.
"It can."
Rudeus's eyes widened. He looked at Allen, who somewhat embarrassedly retracted his fingers and rubbed his nose.
"But... I can't do it under normal circumstances yet."
Rudeus's face fell.
"Then weren't you just lying to me—"
"He's not lying to you."
Rudeus turned to look at Paul, who had suddenly interjected. Paul nodded at Allen with a solemn expression.
"It is rumored that a Water God Style swordsman of a high enough level can indeed do such a thing. But to be honest, I've never seen it myself."
Rudeus frowned.
"Then isn't it still just a rumor... How could such a thing be possible—"
"I've seen it with my own eyes."
Rudeus and Paul both looked at Allen, who had just spoken. The latter didn't meet their gaze, but looked down at the sword at his waist. After a slight pause, he said.
"At the Water God Style main dojo in the Asura capital—the Water God herself—Reida Lilia. She can do it perfectly."
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