"Mom, the Sword Arts instructor is here already?" Amon asked, staring at his mother curiously as he hid his fatigue.
"Yes. Seth went to get him early in the morning since he heads out around that time," Vela warmly explained.
Amon nodded, then followed Vela's lead as she took him to the courtyard where the training would be held between the two.
They passed through the corridor decorated with faded sigils on the wall, and a land of grass opened up to him.
"This was where your father trained when he was young…" Vela explained gently, her eyes containing faint memories.
Although Amon was curious about the words, his gaze remained fixed on the scenery.
It was a land of grass, and there were a few trees here and there.
The air was fresh with the scent of vibrant leaves, and Amon couldn't help inhaling to take a deep breath of the surroundings.
There, settled a few meters ahead, almost at the middle of the grassland courtyard, was his father and another man who seemed to be middle-aged.
Vela and Amon walked up to them for a few minutes before reaching the location.
"Amon," Seth called out, noticing Amon's curious gaze on the man.
"This is James, and he is going to be your Sword Arts instructor," Seth explained, pointing to the man in front of him.
The man had dark brown eyes that flickered with a calculating light, as though a plan were brewing within them.
And he had a black hat covering his long blond hair. The hat seemed to blend perfectly with his dark blue robes, and strapped to his side was a sword that emitted a slight chill.
"Hey, little guy…" the Sword Arts instructor, James, called out with an inviting smile. However, Amon could feel a hidden intent behind the smile.
Inwardly, he grew cautious of the man.
"Greetings, Mr. James," Amon greeted with a bow.
James rubbed his chin thoughtfully and waved dismissively. "You don't have to be so polite around me."
He turned to Vela and Seth. "Well then, you two. Off you go. You can watch from the edge of the courtyard. It's best not to interrupt the training of the little guy."
Vela and Seth nodded in agreement, understanding that James' words had some truth to them.
With that, Seth cast Amon a sidelong glance with a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Meanwhile, Vela rubbed his dark hair, her eyes filled with warmth. "Don't stress yourself too much, baby."
"Yes, Mom." Amon nodded and watched the two walk away and settle on a seat to see how Amon's first sword training would go.
Amon turned to James, wondering how their lessons would begin.
James raised his hand, and a glow appeared briefly before two wooden swords materialized in it.
"Here!" He tossed Amon one, and he caught it.
Noticing his curious gaze on the ring, he explained, "This is called a Universe Ring. It is crafted jointly by a few people specializing in blacksmithing. However, it is mostly made possible because of those with celestial gifts related to space."
"Wow." Amon was amazed at the description.
"See…" A white glow flashed on James' hand once more, and this time a piece of meat appeared in his grasp. "You can store anything within a Universe Ring, but the space is limited. Cost me a fortune to get it, so don't dream of getting one anytime soon."
Amon chuckled in amusement.
"Well then, let's get to the real deal. We're going to start with learning the basics."
"Basics?" Amon raised the wooden sword in his hand, prepared to start learning the basic sword movements.
"Yes. Wielding the sword comprises a couple of sword techniques, including the stab, chop, slash, swing, flick, and so on."
The instant he finished speaking, James began demonstrating the sword techniques to Amon.
"This is the stab basic sword movement."
He placed his foot firmly on the ground, and the tip of his wooden sword plunged forward, rippling the air.
"This is the chop."
As he spoke, he didn't pause to catch his breath, changing his sword movement immediately from the stab to a chopping vertical strike.
"This is the slash. It can be in any direction you want, preferably in the vertical or horizontal direction…"
His sword made rapid movements in the air, moving horizontally, then arcing backward to move vertically.
Amon watched with wide, curious eyes filled with amazement at the display of swordsmanship.
It was a truly grand sight.
However, he could feel his body instinctively adapting to every movement.
When James displayed the chop, he could faintly understand the rough movements behind the strike.
Amon didn't understand this feeling, but he could tell it was something good.
He watched on as James went on to display more than thirteen different basic techniques to him.
"Well then. Come and show me what you've learned." A faint smile tugged at the corner of James' lips.
This was the moment of truth!
Depending on how much Amon had mastered in his display of swordsmanship, he would know if Amon was talented in the Sword Arts or not.
If he wasn't, then he would only be following a doomed path. However, if he was…
'His father is gifted in spear arts, so it's highly impossible that he will be good in sword arts. At most he will be average at best.' Internally, James had already analyzed the truth.
It was also something Vela and Seth were aware of.
"Alright." Amon nodded, then took a similar stance as James.
"This stance…" James widened his eyes slightly, then finally commented, "Good stance."
Amon didn't pay attention to his words.
The sword in his hand moved slowly and pierced through the air smoothly without any obstruction.
There was no pause in the flow or rhythm of his movements.
James suddenly froze.
Amon didn't notice James' expression and continued smoothly into the next basic sword movement.
A simple chop to the left just as James had done.
Then he transitioned into a simple vertical slash, and halfway through, it became a horizontal slash.
After that, he went on to display the series of basic sword movements that James had shown him.
When he was done, he panted exasperatedly, feeling his clothes cling to his skin and sweat sneaking down his forehead.
'This was truly draining. How is he able to do it without much effort?' Amon couldn't help but wonder internally.
"Instructor, how did I do?" Amon turned to glance at James, only to realize he had begun muttering incoherent words.
"Fifty percent… no, seventy percent. He mastered roughly seventy percent of the basic sword movements in a single display. What the hell?"
He stared at Amon as though he were a monster and asked:
"How did you do that?"