18 Chapter 18 - More Lessons!
{18} - Evans Smith - More Lessons!
For as gentle as Io looks, the way she fought was crude. Almost barbaric.
He was no expert in polearms—halberds even less so. But he'd trained using a pole for his -Kung Fu-, and he could tell that she wasn't used to fighting with one. She was suited for it, but it was as if this was the first time she'd ever used it.
Which, considering she lost her memories, wouldn't be too far off.
She runs through the Lost like a battering ram, using her halberd more as a hammer than anything else. Her stomps would make a small crack on the street, and the Lost screamed as their bones shattered beneath the tremendous force of her attacks.
But,
"Kgh…!" Io winced as a bullet of blood slammed into her side. She turned and leapt towards the gun-wielding Lost, but another Lost took the chance to attack her back. Io slammed her foot down, and the cracking of the street caused the Lost behind her to lose balance. She spun on her heel and jammed her halberd into the Lost's neck.
But her back was open once more, and she let out a whimper as another blood bullet smashed into her back.
Evans watched from the side, sitting on a long-broken car as he followed her movements. He'd already killed the Losts on his side—he was just waiting for Io to finish hers.
He wanted to help her. He really did. But the more he watched her, the more he realized that she needed to fight. He had the Stats and experience to bulldoze through the Ruined City, but Io didn't. If she was to be his Teaching Assistant, she'd at least need to learn how to fight.
At least he already had a number of ideas on Lectures he could give her. He had the [Infinite Library] on his side, and -Guidance for the Lost- made sure he didn't miss anything.
Minutes later, she finally killed the last Lost. She'd slammed the flat of her halberd straight into its head. Its skull popped like a watermelon. It was morbidly fascinating to watch.
Io heaved her breaths as she leaned on her halberd. She didn't look all that injured, but that was because she was a Revenant. She was probably close to collapsing from that single conflict alone.
He hopped down from the car. She turned to him, and then looked away. "...I'm sorry."
He frowned. "You've lost your memories. It's not surprising that you're unused to fighting." He gave her a pat on the head. "And besides, I'm here. I'll help you get better."
"Thank you."
He glanced around. The area seemed to be clear of any Lost. Most likely because he'd already cleaned most of them out previously. "I'm a Teacher." He said, and then winked. "I'd be a bit of an ass if I didn't help my own Assistant."
She stared at him. Confused.
He coughed. "Anyway, are you up for a quick Lecture?"
She bowed. "If that's what you wish."
He frowned for a moment. She really has no spine, he thought. It wasn't her fault. She was born to aid the Protagonist. It was her purpose to defer to him in everything.
He closed his eyes. It would change. Eventually. But they'd need to find Louis and begin the storyline before her journey could begin.
He shook his head. He could save his plans for later.
He walked back to the car he sat on. "You can sit here." She nodded, and primly hopped onto it as he gave himself a few steps away from the car.
"You are strong." He began, waving at the spots of cracked asphalt she'd left behind. "You might not remember how to fight, but the Strength in your body won't fade as easily. But, of course," He drew a circle over his left kidney. He saw her wince. "Strength with no Skill won't get you very far."
He pulled out a wooden pole from his Inventory. "It'll take time, and experience." He spun the pole around and slammed its butt into the street. A large crack formed across the asphalt. "But I'll just stick with some tips for now."
"First," He stabbed the pole forward. "A polearm's greatest strength is their range." He swept the pole to his left. "More chances of striking your opponent before they can. Less chance of you getting hit."
She nodded. He could see her miming his moves, though still sitting on the car's hood.
"But you're using a halberd. Not a pole. Nor a spear." He pats one of the ends of his pole. "Your weapon is meant to cut." He slammed his foot into the ground, spun on his heel, and used the weight of his spin to swing his pole. A sharp wind blasted out towards a nearby ruined wall. The wall exploded.
He clicked his tongue. "Would've been cleaner if I had an actual weapon."
Io hummed. And then she mimicked the way he'd twisted his waist. Although it looked more like she was stretching or something, and combined with the deadpan expression she held, it looked almost comical.
"Range. Cut. Spin. Weight." She repeated.
He gave her a thumbs up. "Exactly. Using your limbs is good and all, but the rest of your body can also contribute to your attack." His pole vanished back into his Inventory, and he quickly threw a few punches. "When I punch, I don't just use my arm." He did a few more punches. Slower this time. "I twist my waist. I turn my shoulders."
"Ooh." And then she blinked. "Sir Evans?"
"Yeah?"
She tilted her head. "Why don't you use a spear too?"
He brought a finger up. Opened his mouth. Thought about it for a good moment. And then he pulled his hand back down. "...good question." He admitted. "I'm not sure, actually."
He glanced to his left.
[-Kung Fu Lv 100*-]
[Increases Hand-to-Hand damage by 200%. Pierces 20% of enemy's Endurance.]
*The Skill has reached Max Level. 50,000 Mentor Exp to Evolve
He was actually somewhat curious now. The Kung Fu videos he watched from the [Library] also included ways to fight with a polearm. And yet it didn't translate into his Skill. Was it because he hadn't evolved the Skill or something?
That was his guess at least. The amount of Mentor Exp he needed to evolve it was over double what he would've needed for -Mentoring-.
He coughed. "Anyway," He smiled. "Remember everything I showed?" He asked.
She nodded, hopping off the car's hood as her halberd flashed into her grip. "I am." She looked around for a moment. "Will our Lecture continue here?"
He shrugged. "Might as well. It's still early in the morning."
So they did. For nearly five hours they remained on that ruined street. Io would try her best to put his lessons into practice, and he'd be by her side, helping her along whenever she needed it.
And it was clear that Io had a long road ahead of her. It looked like she knew what she needed to do, but her body refused to play along. Sometimes she'd attack but forget to steady herself. Sometimes she'd twist her waist to increase her impact, only to miss her target entirely.
He could see her growing frustration. Her empty expression didn't change, but her frowns came more frequently, and her knuckles were white from how hard she was gripping.
But she didn't relent. She kept swinging her halberd. Kept silent. Kept listening.
And in the face of that determination, what else could he do but help her along?
The five hours that passed dragged. Just seeing Io try and fail. Over and over and over. Swing and miss. Spin and forget. Twist and slip. It was almost agonizing to watch, but he didn't turn away.
Then, finally,
With grit teeth, and what almost looked like anger in her eyes, she slammed her foot into the ground. The asphalt cracked, and dust rose into the air as she spun on her heel. Her arms reared back. Her halberd was level against the ground. Her waist turned. Her shoulders rolled.
And then she slashed.
An ethereal white glow rose from her halberd, flung forward as an arc of glowing white, followed by a powerful gust of wind. The blade cut through several walls of concrete, and the harsh winds blew over the sliced walls. The ground shook as the building before them collapsed in the wake of her attack.
Io heaved her breaths as she leaned on her halberd. She looked exhausted, but satisfied.
"Well," He gave her a pat on the head. "Seems like you've done it."
She looked up to him. And for a brief moment, she definitely smiled at him. "It's because of your help."
He smiled. "Nah. I'm sure you could've gotten better on your own." He winked. "I'm just her to speed things up."
[Io's Lecture [Halberd Practice]: Success!]
[Evans Smith: -Guidance of the Lost- Level Up]
[Io: +4 Strength, +2 Endurance, +2 Agility, +4 Skill, -Halberd Mastery- Level Up]
He narrowed his eyes. The bonuses Io received were a lot less than he was expecting. Even without the Classroom to boost the rewards, his -Guidance for the Lost- should've made up for some of it.
…was it because she was a Teaching Assistant and not a Student?
[Correct]
He smiled helplessly.
It seemed this world wouldn't be as easy as he was expecting.
"Sir Evans?"
He shook his head. "It's nothing." He coughed. And then pulled out a pair of convenience store Onigiri from his Inventory. "Want one?"
She blinked as he placed one on her hands. "What is this?"
"They're Onigiri. They're just rice balls with a filling inside of them." He smiled. "Not sure what this one is. I just got them randomly."
And by that he meant that he bought out an entire convenience store. Every drink, every snack, every ready-to-eat meal—he took them all. It wasn't even that expensive. It didn't make a dent in the money Izumi lent to him.
"Ooh." She hummed. He helped her unwrap the plastic around it.
He smiled. "Try it. I think you'll like it."
She nodded. Took a nibble. And then her eyes shone. "Ooh…!" Her eyes practically sparkled as she devoured the entire thing in seconds. She only blinked as she saw her empty hands. And then she gazed at him.
He grinned as he pulled out another Onigiri. "Want another?"
"...yes please."
He could only chuckle as she devoured four more.
...............…...................................
And then, barely twenty minutes later,
"Sir Evans," Io turned to him, with blood on her cheeks and chopped limbs surrounding her. "What should we do to them?"
He turned to the poor Revenants literally sobbing on the ground, curling in on themselves as blood poured from their severed limbs.
"Don't kill them." He said. One of them turned to him, eyes tearful but filled with hope. It quickly turned to terror as the Revenant saw the smile he gave. "I need to…have some words with them."
