Library

Alex had sat down on one of the empty chairs within the room. When going to his seat, he had noticed the clothes of the others. There were some just like him, wearing a white tracksuit with blue stripes. He noticed the rest wore a similar tracksuit, but the colours on it were gold stripes.

'I wasn't able to notice that at that time with those guys. By their uniforms, the ones with golden stripes are from the middle zone, while those with blue stripes are from the lower zone just like me.'

He made sure to sit far away from them as he could feel some death stares already.

"OK, back to our class. Due to our newcomer, I would start again. Now, this class is for those who are unable to awaken an element or those with low talent. Here, we make use of our inner energy in battles."

With everyone seated, Alfred, the combat instructor, began the lesson. "The first lesson is learning some basic skills which would help in forming your dantain."

"As a warrior, we don't have the ability to cast spells just like the mage. We make use of various combat techniques and our inner energy, which most of you here are aware of."

"Alright, follow me now, we'll be heading to the library." All the students had gathered around following after Alfred, who led the way.

Walking out of the room, they had passed through some sort of passage and appeared at another section, a large building with four floors. Around the area were guards with standing beside the door.

"This place is so... huge." Alex thought, staring at the building before him. With Alfred leading the way the guard quickly gave way.

"Alright, this is the academy library. A combination for both mages and warriors, we'll be heading to the second floor, which is for warriors."

On the first floor were stairs at different sections in the large hall. At the stairs were also guards standing before the stairway. At the top was a beeping device that seemed to scan those in the room.

'A lot of security in a place like this? What is so important that it's highly guarded?'

Following the stairway, they got to the second floor and into a long hall, which led to a huge double door. Placing an emblem at the crest on the door, the locks twirled before finally opening, revealing a large room filled with books.

Everyone passed through the door, which closed once again. They were all amazed by the number of books that were neatly arranged across the shelf. At the top was a heading for each section.

"Alright, you are to choose four basic techniques: a footwork and stance technique, hand to hand technique, a weapon technique of your choice, and the last is of your own choice."

Alex was eager to explore but decided to keep calm, listening to the words of the instructor.

"These are just basic skills but would be useful to you guys as of now. Learning these skills would be helpful in forming your dantain. You're to only pick from sections one and two. Alright, you can all go now."

With that, everyone headed toward the large shelf, browsing through the scrolls and books.

Alex stood before the shelf, his eyes scanning the lot. "So let's start with afootwork technique." After some minutes of browsing through the various techniques available, he had to choose between the two he deemed suitable.

'Serpent's Sway: This footwork technique is all about fluidity and deception, as the character moves with sinuous grace like a serpent. By weaving in and out of their opponent's reach, they can strike from unexpected angles and keep their foes off balance, ultimately gaining the upper hand in combat.'

'Crane's Grace: A footwork technique that focuses on balance and precision, allowing the character to move with elegance and poise. By emulating the movements of a crane, they can strike with pinpoint accuracy and evade attacks with graceful agility.'

Reading through the description, he finally made up his mind. "I think the Crane's Grace is ok."

With his footwork technique, he headed to the hand to hand combat technique. "All I need is a deadly hand to hand technique to make up with the footwork."

" What's the need of learning a hand to hand combat when we are to choose a weapon technique," he thought as he browsed through the shelf.

He had moved to the extreme edge containing some old scroll and his eye had caught sight of a basic technique. "Just the right thing I am searching for!" He said, holding a scroll up with eyes lighting up.

'Stonebreaker Palm: By striking pressure points with precision, they disrupt the flow of energy within their opponent's body.'

An offensive skill that would work greatly with the footwork skill he had picked. Holding onto it, he walked forward and was about heading to another section when he collided with a solid wall.

'Huh? Is this guy human?' He pondered, gazing at the barrel-like chest before him. The stranger stood tall, with bulging muscles and his nearly bald head.

"I'm sorry," muttering an apology Alex was about leaving. "What's with this guy, I did apologise. What does he want again?" Looking at the guy blocking his path, he was shocked to see a smile etched on his face.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

Alex was shut off words and a bit at loss of what to say. "Uhmmm, yeah... sure." He said, scratching his head. His eyes scanned through his uniform, 'He's from the outer zone, but this guy wasn't in the orphanage.'

'Maybe that wasn't the only orphanage set up after that day.'

"I'm Zephyr," he said, stretching forth his hand.

"I'm Alex," Alex said with an awkward smile, taking hold of the hand.

"So where are you headed?" he asked, giving way for him.

"Well, I was heading to the layer with defensive techniques," Alex replied, walking forward. Zephyr had followed after, walking beside him. "That's fine by me. I already selected mine," he said proudly, showing the set of scrolls on his hand.

They both reached the layer, and Alex began browsing through the scrolls and books displayed. After much thought and with a bit of advice from Zephyr, he finally made his choice.

'Iron Body: A defensive technique that toughens the user's body, making them nearly impervious to physical attacks. The user's skin becomes as hard as iron, allowing them to withstand powerful blows without sustaining injury.'

"Now, the last on the list, choosing a weapon technique of my choice."