Training

In a messy training ground in one of the schools of the Blew clan.

Bloodstains could be seen on the ground as corpses of zombies and humans were scattered everywhere, waiting for someone to clear them up. However, rows of young children could be seen listening to a lecture conducted by one of the elders in the middle of said training ground, painting an unusual picture.

A certain young girl was at the front of this young pack, listening attentively, filled with passion. She was young Mia, and today was her first lesson since the beginning of the apocalypse.

Currently 10 years old, Mia was a genius in her own right, although not as brilliant as her big brother, she was still good enough to be taking lessons with a bunch of 12-14 years old kids.

"Today I am going to teach you about the intermediate form of the Gaia Martial Arts; the space style."

"Because of the disturbance yesterday, we could only postpone the lesson to today. However, this gives us the opportunity to gather training dummies!" The elder said with a cheerful tone, completely unaware that those 'training dummies' were currently wreaking havoc in the outside world.

"Now the first thing to know about space style is, no, it does not have anything to do with teleporting."

...

"Space style is one of the intermediate techniques of my mountain's martial arts. It is a form of martial arts that has no real set of movements but is more related to awareness." Gran explained as he traverses through a pack of zombies on one of the apartment floors leisurely, explaining to the dumbfounded woman standing at the side.

With not a single spit touching his sleeves, Gran weaved through the zombie pack effortlessly, hoping to give May a better understanding of the Space style.

'How is he doing that.' May stood there, admiring the dance that was taking place before her eyes.

"The most crucial thing about Space style is awareness, and in order to be efficient in this style, we have to train our senses to the limit. Only then, can we truly call ourselves masters of space."

...

Heading back to the apartment, May had several lingering questions in her mind.

Wait! Why does it feel like they were just returning home from a day of training?! This was the apocalypse!

She shook her head and sigh as she look at the receding figure entering through the front door.

"Since you are so powerful, how come you have not cleared all the zombies in this building? Wouldn't it be much safer for everyone?" May asked one of her burning questions.

"With power, comes responsibility." Gran replied seriously, "Had I cleared all the zombies, how are you and the rest of the survivors going to increase their strength? The apocalypse may be a survival game for the weak but for the strong, it is the best training ground the world can provide! Only those with this mindset can survive and thrive in these troubled times. The world is changing young May, we must change along with it." Gran finished off, feeling like he was imitating a certain lazy old man.

'What young May, I'm older then you ok...'

...

"Put more strength into the swing! Straighten your elbows! Hey! We are not done yet, be serious!" Angelia has put on her instructor hat as she rebuked the guy holding a long stick, doing forward swings.

Dacol had asked Angelia to teach him some moves with the sword and knife, but he didn't expect to be put through this torture instead.

"What all swordsmen have to go through is to build up a foundation! In fact, anyone who has learned martial arts knows that foundation is the most important, without it even the tallest building will crumble easily." Knowing that her childhood friend was dissatisfied with the training regime, she tried to reason with him.

"We can build a foundation when we are clear of danger, but clearly we are in the middle of an apocalypse for god's sake!" Dacol muttered under his labored breath as he swung the heavy metal rod. 'If I don't die in a zombie's hands, I'm going to die from exhaustion for sure.'

...

"We have enough food to last a week, I think. How much do you usually eat per day?" May asked as she looked at the list she had put together earlier in the day.

"It's not enough, when training we have to supplement ourselves with enough nutrition so that we recover fast. We will have to scavenge for food after today." Gran got up and said.

"Let's go, you have already rested enough."

With a pout, May arrived behind him as they head to another pack of zombies, crowding in the common area.

The apartment was huge, like a castle. Each apartment block was made of the left and right-wing, with the middle being the lobby area. In each wing, there are common areas and recreational areas on each floor, all connected to hallways that lead to the apartments. With the gym and pool on the top floor, currently, they are 3 floors below.

Walking through the empty hallways, only bloodstains could be seen from what was left from the previous training session. Apparently, zombies disappear.

'From what I have gathered so far, mana is always interacting with the world. So I can theorize that when a zombie dies, its body is decomposed by the many in the surrounding, returning the corpse to the surrounding. Dust to dust indeed. I'm surprised they don't leave any loot behind, maybe it's rare?'

Keeping his thoughts to himself, he led May to the commons area.

...

"Now our main objective is to train you up. Mana can strengthen your body after a period of accumulation, I call it the gathering phase. After gathering the required amount, the mana in your body will spread and strengthen your whole body, this shall be called mana tempering. What we need to do now is to get you used to feeling and sensing mana, because only a fool will ignore anything they take into their body." Gran instructed on the side as May wielded his sword belt, taking her time to slash at the zombies while retreating slowly.

'I can also use her as my guinea pig to see how mana is gathered and spread throughout the body. Hehe, taking her as my disciple has finally paid off.'

"I have taught you the basic forms of the Water, Fire, Earth, and Wind styles during the 2 years you were under me. Now that the apocalypse is here, we are going to proceed with the next two styles, namely Space and Time styles. Try using your senses to feel the mana, thereby connecting with it and allowing the mana to help you sense your surroundings." Gran said while 'glancing' at the skill he gained a while back through his experiments.

[Name: Gran Blew]

[Personal Info: ...] +

[Class: None]

[Bloodline: None]

[Race: Advanced human]

[Skills: Mount Gaia Martial Arts, Mana Sense]

[Mana: 213/300]

[Stats:]

[HP: 1020 | STR: 250 | AGI: 210 | STA: 520 | VIT: 520]

...

"Haaa.. Haaa.. I can't go on anymore.." May said as she slowly caught her breath. "Alright leave it to me, that is the end of today's training for you."

Gran stood forward, facing the leftover zombies in front of them.

"Don't you need your sword?"

"My body is the best weapon." Gran said nonchalantly.

While May was caught up in her lewd thoughts once again when she heard body and weapon mentioned in the same sentence, Gran called out "I will show you what it will look like when you master all the styles and combine them into the final style, Free style."

With that, he proceeds to weave through the crowd.

...

Every step he made had a purpose. Be it moving forward, or retreating slightly. He dances on the battlefield like he was performing an immortal dance.

The zombies could not help but sway at his rhythm, with each sweep of his hands, be it Fire style or Water style, a zombie was felled.

The Wind style he displayed felt like erratic gusts of wind, harvesting the zombies like they were weeds on the plains. The Earth style was stable and heavy, like mountains standing lonely under the heavens, withstanding the weather and time.

"This is the finale, May watch carefully."

As he said that, May widen her eyes and stared with rapt attention.

"Combining the styles, Space style sets the battlefield."

With each step he took the zombies closed in on him, leaving him nowhere to retreat. The heart of the onlooker was beating furiously, as she couldn't help but worry if something might go wrong.

"The Time style commands, guiding the battlefield."

Each action of Gran's was precise and with a purpose. Always stepping in at the right time to dodge a potentially fatal blow, or to retreat as the tip of the zombie's hands nearly missed his nose.

From the top view, Gran's movements were like a whirlpool, drawing in the zombies.

"Finally, the 4 elements win the battle!"

The eyeballs in May's eyes threatened to pop out of their socket as she witness the impossible scene.

[Enhanced Water style: Whirlpool]!