31 'Tap'

The lecture went on for an hour before Aliza left the classroom. Like always, after the lecture, all the students headed to the training ground.

Alec stood in front of a dummy with his sword unsheathed, his palms sweating and his clothes drenched. He wiped the sweat with a towel and glanced at his friends. They were all practicing diligently. Not far from him, Carcel and Nine were also honing their skills on dummies.

Alec put the towel away and looked at the person standing next to him.

Kyle seemed completely absorbed in reading the art book he had gotten from the library. He would furrow his brow every now and then but hadn't done anything else for the past thirty minutes.

After taking a deep breath, Alec resumed his practice.

Professor Liam, the weapon training instructor, also noticed Kyle and frowned. He had been keeping an eye on all of the students, ready to help if they had any problems. He walked over to Kyle.

"Kid, what are you doing? You're holding a 3-star art manual. If you don't understand it, why not ask me for help? I'm here to assist, after all."

"!..."

Startled, Kyle looked at the tall professor standing in front of him.

"It's fine, sir. I'll ask for help when I need it."

He nodded politely and put the book back in his storage ring. It seemed like he had gotten so engrossed in reading that he forgot about everything else.

Liam's frown deepened. Aliza had asked him to give Kyle some extra time.

'Forget it. I just wanted to help, but let's see how well you understand this challenging manual on your own.'

Not caring anymore, the professor walked towards another student. He had encountered many students like this before, who believed they could learn everything without any assistance. In the end, they all came running for help.

Meanwhile, Kyle approached one of the dummies. Retrieving the sword from his storage ring, he took a deep breath. He had been studying the art book, and after just half an hour of reading, he grasped all four moves.

It seemed that his understanding and comprehension abilities had greatly improved as the suppression effect of his bloodline lessened.

After fully comprehending the moves, he inwardly cursed because now he understood why it would take hundreds of years to master just a single move.

The four moves themselves were relatively easy to execute. The first move required finesse rather than brute force. By utilizing light as a medium, a swift, precise strike could cleave an enemy in half. They were both nimble and devastating.

Only when the strength in your arm melds seamlessly with the sword will you be able to master the first move. Kyle gazed at the dummy, gripping the sword tightly as he assumed an imposing stance.

Alec, who was practicing nearby, stopped and eagerly watched Kyle's every move. During their previous encounter with the goblins, Alec had noticed that Kyle relied solely on brute force without proper technique.

Liam, who had been waiting for Kyle to seek help, also turned his attention towards him. This sudden shift in the atmosphere caught the attention of a few other students standing behind the professor, who also directed their gaze toward Kyle.

On the other hand, even before executing the move, Kyle could feel Alec's intense stare burning into him. He also sensed someone's else eyes on him from behind, causing him to break into a nervous sweat.

"Damn."

Kyle muttered to himself, taking a deep breath in an attempt to clear his mind.

Gripping the sword more firmly, he slowly swung it horizontally, executing the move that everyone had been eagerly anticipating.

Alec's brow furrowed as he observed the tip of the sword, feeling no force behind the attack.

'Is he aiming for the chest? It's too slow and easily blockable.'

Both Alec and Liam shared the same thought, but suddenly, the sword accelerated, changing its trajectory mid-way, aiming directly for the dummy's neck.

'?'

Liam showed a surprised expression.

At the same time, the sword hit the dummy's neck with a light 'tap'.

"Huh?"

Alec blinked, dumbfounded because the dummy didn't even move an inch. The impact was so gentle that it felt like he could endure thousands of those hits without a scratch.

"Pffff."

Laughter erupted from the students standing behind the professor, catching the attention of others nearby.

"What happened?"

"Hahaha! Damn, that's hilarious. He took such a grand stance only to give the dummy a gentle tap?"

"Hahaha, right? I thought after all that buildup, he was going to do something amazing."

Hearing the endless laughter, Kyle felt his ears turning red with embarrassment.

'Fuck, whoever wrote this art, pray I never find you, or else I'll definitely give you a beating!'

Kyle silently cursed the creator of the art, trying to ignore the fools who were laughing uncontrollably. He consoled himself in his head, wearing a deadpan expression.

'What do they know? This art is powerful. I just need more practice.'

Suddenly, he heard a burst of laughter coming from the left side. Turning around, he spotted Alec, who was struggling to contain his laughter while covering his mouth with one hand and holding a sword in the other.

Witnessing Alec's uncontrollable laughter, a vein started to bulge on Kyle's forehead, and he couldn't hold back his frustration any longer.

"Are you laughing at me? It looks like you're asking for a taste of my sword."

Kyle exclaimed, pointing the tip of his sword towards Alec.

"Haha, no, I..."

Alec tried to respond, but his laughter kept getting the best of him. It was amusing to see Kyle desperately trying to maintain a serious expression, like a kid who lost a bet.

His laughter caught the attention of the other students in the training ground, and they all turned to witness the scene between the duo.

Kyle let out a bewildered 'huh', as he looked at Alec, dumbfounded.

'What's so funny? Even the students behind the professor didn't laugh this much!'

"Damn it, you asked for it!"

He launched an attack at Alec with a fierce expression. Despite wanting to stop laughing and apologize, Alec quickly reacted, effortlessly deflecting Kyle's attack with a single slash.

After successfully deflecting the attack, Alec decided it was time to patch things up. He realized he had gone too far this time.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. It's just that your expression was funny."

Alec apologized, but his smile seemed to only make Kyle angrier. Now Kyle was determined to wipe that annoying smile off Alec's face.

"Stop laughing first!"

Kyle continued to launch attack after attack, growing more frustrated by the fact that Alec effortlessly deflected each one without breaking a sweat. The only one who seemed to notice the subtle change in Kyle's movements was Liam, who had been observing the fight closely from the beginning.

'His movements are becoming more refined the more he uses his sword. Is it just my imagination?'