(Arc: origin) Training (1)

I woke up to the softened sunlight beaming down on my face. I was squinting when I came to the sudden realization, I'm late for training! I hurriedly got ready and sprinted across the hallway to the training areas. As I approached the room, the sound of metal clashing and groaning could be heard.

As I entered I could see a total of twenty men training relentlessly. Some of them were kneeling, others were laying on the ground gasping for air. The pungent smell of sweat filled the area, it was almost vomit inducing.

Suddenly, I heard someone yell, "ROHAN."

It was Gerald, I knew that I wasn't in for a good time from the tone of his voice. He approached me with furrowed brows, he was going to speak but he noticed something and stopped. He looked at me carefully for a minute before uttering in shock,

"I've given you the book yesterday, how come you have already formed your energy source! This is a groundbreaking achievement, you must be a genius!"

He complimented me so much, I was almost blushing before replying in a joking manner,

"Sir thank you but for your information, I'm not interested in men."

"You little brat," Gerald replied. "Now let's get started with your swordsmanship training. Today you'll learn the basics, the thrust and the slash. Do 1,000 repetitions of each. No scratch that 1,500 each because of your joke," he added.

I sighed and grabbed a sword off the rack. I slashed and thrusted for hours under the guidance of Gerald who corrected my form every once in a while. It was a grueling form of training and when I was done, I was soaked in sweat. Gerald yawned before saying,

"We're done for today, go wash up and come meet me in front of my room."

"But sir I thought I told you I didn't like men--" I didn't have time to finish my sentence before i received a knock on the back of my head from an annoyed Gerald.

When I reached my room I went straight to the bath, my smell was as acrid as a latrine. While I was steaming in the hot bath, the thought of how much stronger I've gotten over the course of the last two days filled my mind. However this was only the beginning and I wouldn't be in this place for long. I was not a frog in a well!

My head tilted down to look at the pendant around my neck and two questions came to mind. I was wondering who my parents are and if they are still alive out there. These queries would soon be answered.

I got dressed in the clothes provided by Gerald, a white linen shirt, black striped trouser and a black coat. I looked like the son of an aristocrat. I made my way through the labyrinth that is the guards residence. I got lost three times before finding the correct door. I knocked on the inconspicuous door twice, the name plaque shaking everytime my knuckles made contact. The door creaked open and Gerald stepped out.

"You're here already, it seems training is the only thing you're late to," he said sarcastically.

"Let's go, you'll be meeting the captain today," he added.

Behind my expressionless face, I was brimming with joy. Gerald's status was already above the elders' and the captain was on the same level as the village chief! It was an honor to meet someone of his caliber. He had already made a name for himself outside of the village earning him the nickname 'The Righteous Demon'. This was a man who would go to any extreme for justice even annihilating entire villages. His name was Drago Malor, a fifth stage swordsman and an upper fourth level in energy circulation, a true powerhouse.

We reached a rusty iron door with bolts running all along the edges, it seemed to have withstood the test of time. Gerald pushed the door with a loud grinding noise. I stepped inside the room following the vice captain.

As I looked up I could feel the pressure that Drago was releasing, he was testing me! The air was heavy and I was having a hard time breathing but I stood my ground. Nothing good would come out of cowering. After a couple of minutes that felt like eternity, he finally stopped. For the first time I had a good look at the man. The captain was in his fifties with black hair, had a beard and possessed blood red eyes, he possessed sharp features that could seemingly cut diamonds.

"So you are Rohan," he said.

I nodded.

"You have achieved lower first stage in record time, is there anything you wish for?" he added while examining my facial expression.

"I wish for strength," I replied without sugarcoating it.

"Good, I've decided to agree to Gerald's offer. From now on, you will be his personal disciple. He will be teaching you skills and swordsmanship to make your wish come true." he said while smiling.

I looked at Gerald with a surprised expression and he gave me a nod of confirmation. Why would he go so far for me? He has only known me for two days. Could it be he really swung that way... I looked back at him with a worried look and as though he read my mind, he slapped the back of my head.

Before being dismissed by the captain, he gave me a skill book 'Serpent Slash'. Back in my room, I started reading the description.

Serpent Slash is a skill where the sword will take the form of a serpent like a whip and deal a devastating blow.

Rank-B

Skills and spells were divided into different categories namely D, C, B, A and S. The lowest rank being D and the highest being S. Serpent slash was very valuable as B rank skills were quite rare, so to obtain something like that as a gift showed the confidence the captain had in me.

I wasted no time and started experimenting with the form. Most of my attempts were failures but I had a couple of promising results. I should be able to learn this skill within a week.

I've decided, tomorrow I was going to buy a brand new sword. I already had a blacksmith in mind, my friend who got me in the guard unit in the first place, Jack.