Chapter 9: Experience
Chapter 9: Experience
"What is going on?" he whispered, looking around, he watched as the warriors spring back to life, their clash playing out over and over again.
Ren watched in awe and dread as the same fierce clash unfolded, the same flurry of sparks lighting up the air, the same aura-charged strikes crashing against each other.
Each movement, every feint and powerful swing, repeated exactly as before.
The swordsman leaped back as the Aura Zone appeared, only to charge forward when it ended—only for time to rewind, pulling them back to the start of their relentless, cyclical battle.
Over and over, the fight replayed, each repetition feeling both eerily familiar and hauntingly intense.
Ren felt himself being drawn into the rhythm, his heart racing as he anticipated every clash, every spark, every surge of aura.
He lost track of how many times he'd seen the same moment unfold—the aura-charged blades, the warriors' narrowed eyes, the oppressive weight of the Aura Zone—but each time, the tension hit him as if it were happening for the first time.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity trapped in the endless battle, a distant ringing pierced through the din of the battlefield.
Ren blinked, feeling the strange loop dissolve, the grasslands fading into darkness as he felt himself being pulled back to reality.
He opened his eyes to the sound of his alarm, his sheets damp with sweat, his heart still pounding as if he had fought in the battle himself.
The dream was over, but its intensity lingered, echoing in his mind like the final clash of those two warriors.
...
"You look like shit. Rough night?" Kai commented as he saw Ren enter the training chamber.
"Well...something like that." Ren said, deciding to keep what had happened to himself.
Normally something like this would cause someone to think they were being haunted since this was clearly not usual.
However, since Aura Zone was involved, Ren knew that this was something related to his Life Codex.
And anything related to his Life Codex should be cards he kept to himself.
"Alright then, today we will begin sparring against robots. Something casual, just so you will not flinch when a sword is flying right towards you."
Ren took a steadying breath, gripping the greatsword tightly in his hands.
It felt different today, somehow—a natural extension of himself, as if he'd spent a lifetime wielding it instead of just the one session of practice he'd had.
He couldn't quite place why, but it felt like his hands knew the weapon, guiding him almost instinctively.
In the viewing chamber, Kai pressed a button, and the hologram flickered to life.
A figure with a build nearly identical to Ren's materialized before him.
The holographic opponent approached, moving fluidly with a calculated, deliberate step, the same greatsword held firmly in its hands.
Ren watched it closely, his senses heightened, almost as if he were watching the duel from his dream play out again.
Then, without warning, the hologram lunged forward, swinging its blade in a powerful arc aimed at Ren's side.
Almost unconsciously, Ren sidestepped, dodging the attack just as he'd seen the swordsman in his dream do countless times. His body seemed to anticipate the movements of the hologram, mimicking the techniques of the greatsword warrior from his vision.
He raised his weapon and swung, meeting the hologram's blade with a solid clash.
Not quite right, Ren thought, his grip shifting as he felt a strange discord between his instincts and his trained reflexes.
His body wanted to move as he'd seen in the dream, but something felt slightly off.
He took another step, adjusting his stance as he brought the greatsword down with a precise, deliberate strike, testing his form against the memory of that nightmarish duel.
The hologram countered with a quick, sweeping strike, and Ren's body moved on its own, ducking and twisting with a speed that surprised even him.
He parried the attack, but the force of the blow reminded him of the overwhelming power the greatsword warrior had wielded in his dream.
The memory of that crushing strength filled his mind, and he found himself adapting to match it, adding weight and precision to each swing.
Kai watched from the viewing chamber, eyebrows raised as he observed Ren's movements.
There was a raw intensity to them now, something that wasn't supposed to be shown in the eyes of someone who held the sword for the first time yesterday.
The way he wielded the greatsword was less predictable, more refined, as though he'd learned from experience far beyond his actual training.
'We haven't even begun training with footwork training yet,' Kai thought, as he increased the holograms level slowly.
Ren caught the slight shift in the hologram's movements, the subtle tightening of its stance, as Kai increased the difficulty level from the viewing chamber.
He didn't pause or react to the change—instinctively, he adapted, falling into a familiar rhythm.
It was as if he'd trained for this challenge countless times, as though the memory of the warriors' clash in his dream had hardwired his reactions.
Each time the hologram advanced, Ren parried, sidestepped, and countered with the precision of a seasoned fighter.
The hologram's attacks came faster, with more calculated ferocity.
Ren met each swing with intense focus, adjusting his footing and angling his strikes with subtle shifts.
He could almost hear the roars of the armies from his dream, feeling the same weight of the moment pressing down on him, pushing him to match the skill of the figure before him.
Another clash sent vibrations through his arms, but he absorbed the force, adjusting his stance just in time to dodge a sweeping horizontal strike.
He responded by slashing upward, an instinctive move that seemed to channel the power of the greatsword warrior he'd seen, his movements flowing with a strange blend of confidence and raw intensity.
In the quiet space of the training chamber, his footwork, blade angles, and speed all seemed to be improving at an alarming rate.
Kai watched with wide eyes, noting how Ren's form continued to shift and adapt.
But as the hologram increased its aggression, stepping into a new series of rapid combinations, Ren felt the strain creeping into his muscles.
His body moved on instinct, his blade meeting each attack, but the dream's ghostly memory was starting to fade, the physical demands beginning to outpace his own stamina.
He blocked another swing, barely deflecting the weight of the hologram's greatsword, but the force sent a tremor through his body, and he felt his strength waning.
After another intense exchange, his knees finally buckled.
He stumbled, the heavy greatsword weighing down his grip, and barely managed to stay on his feet as he took a step back to catch his breath.
Kai immediately cut the hologram's level down, bringing the simulation to a halt as he made his way down to Ren. "Not bad at all," Kai said, impressed.
"You almost kept up with it, and you're pushing yourself too hard. Where did you learn those moves?"
Ren looked up, wiping sweat from his brow, still catching his breath. He thought back to the dream, the intensity of that endless battle, but only shook his head. "I... I'm not sure," he muttered. "It just felt… familiar."
Kai raised an eyebrow but didn't press further.
"Well, whatever's going on, you're showing promise with that greatsword. We'll build up your endurance so your body can keep up with whatever instincts you're tapping into."
Ren nodded, glancing at the blade in his hand.
Since a young age, he used to hate physical exercise, but for some reason, swinging the sword felt fun.
Ren then glanced up to see Kai's eyes turn into a Golden Gear which was moving, like he had first seen.
Kai then tossed over a pellet to Ren and Ren consumed it.
"That will speed up your recovery. I also have good news." Kai mentioned to Ren, as he saw Ren struggle to stand up by leaning on the greatsword.
"At the rate your body is improving, you will be able to sense Aura soon. So from now on, we will begin polishing your senses." Kai mentioned, as Ren nodded at the training plan.
"Oh, and about a week from now I have a buddy who wants to bring over her first year." Kai mentioned nonchalantly.
Ren's eyes widened slightly at this but soon they reverted to normal.
He was in an academy, student interaction was going to be the norm, even if normally for the first semester we wouldn't see too many students.
"Is this meant for just normal interactions so I can meet other first years?" Ren questioned. He knew most nobles around his age from his Empire.
Obviously, it was one of his duties as the Third Prince of the Empire. He even knew the most prominent families of other countries.
"Hmmm, you can say so. But my friend and I have a small bet about you guys, yet I wouldn't worry too much about it, since it doesn't affect you directly." Kai mentioned nonchalantly.
..
Authors Note:
Hope you guys will enjoy this novel.
If you wish to read more chapter, it will be on my p#treon
p#treon.com/Fat_Cultivator