An Old Man’s Weapon of Choice

If one were to ask any kid about the weapon they would use in a fantasy world, most would most likely choose the cool, golden, bathed in the light of heaven sword.

The edgy ones would probably go for a katana or dual-wielding swords. Thinking every one of their enemies would die from how cool they were, or by the main character's aura they exuded.

Some other kid who thought that they were different from everyone else, they're not the 'mainstream', would probably choose something like a glaive, nunchucks, or straight up Kyoketsu-shoge.

That's a weapon where a blade is attached to a rope. 

And, before you ask.

Yes, Martin had googled the name of this weapon just because he wondered whether such a peculiar weapon really existed in the history of mankind.

But for Martin, a man who could have a kid enrolling in kindergarten, he preferred something he had seen in his day-to-day life.

The first class he attended in the adventurer preparatory course was the melee weapon class.

Just after the class started, almost all the other students, who were kids, literal kids, not even older than 17, had already swung their 'very cool' weapons around.

Noticing Martinus entering the field, the instructor smiled and greeted him, asking whether he was a teacher sent to help him teach the students.

Which Martinus could only reply by showing the instructor his student card.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were a fellow retired adventurer like me."

The instructor rubbed the back of his head, laughing as he patted Martinus back, strongly.

Martin's bones shook after each hit, the impending feeling of his back pain resurfacing began to creep up his spine.

"No offense taken, sir. I'll admit I'm at least the best here when it comes to having a face that screams desperately wanting to retire in a secluded countryside."

The instructor laughed even harder, his hands coming to rattle Martin's bones with enough strength to actually dislocate his shoulder.

Martin swiftly dodged the attack, taking a few steps back, going just out of the instructor's reach.

The instructor then told Martin to pick a weapon that he liked.

And that's where his thoughts began to spiral earlier.

'Something that I'm comfortable with…'

Every weapon, from a long sword to a war axe, seemed to have its own shine as Martin wanted to grab and swing every single one of them.

But following his own principles, Martin chose a weapon which he already had a connection with.

'You can't teach old dogs new tricks, but they are certainly better at doing the old tricks with more experience in their pocket.'

A slick silver dagger, or in Martin's mind, 'A glorified kitchen knife.' Was Martin's weapon of choice.

Don't get him wrong, he wasn't inspired by the Assassin's Mission game, or had the dream in his heart to become a stealth attacker that blended with the shadows in the world.

'Forget about moving in the shadows, my knees sometimes popped out of nowhere. What kind of assassins have knee problems?'

The sole reason Martin chose a single dagger was that he was a home cook.

He counted his protein and carb intake daily, making sure he put enough seasoning to make the food edible, but not too much that it would explode the calorie count.

If he were to choose a weapon, a glorified kitchen knife would be his best choice.

Martin brought the dagger to the instructor and asked him to teach him how to use it to fight.

"A dagger, eh? What an interesting choice. Do you want to acquire the thief job? It required patience and good timing analysis. You might have gotten these two down, but it is one of the most dangerous roles to do in a party. Are you sure?"

"I just picked this because I am familiar with it, not because I want to wait in the bushes and stab someone to death…"

'Not that I mind just sitting still and doing less overall movement…'

The instructor nodded, "Alright then, I'll show you the basics."

Martin watched the instructor move using two daggers in his hands closely.

His instincts, back when he did combat sports in his younger days, kicked in.

Martin picked up the subtle motions of the footwork, weight transfer, and how to wield the weapon fairly quickly.

And after about 5 minutes going back and forth with the instructor adjusting his form slightly, Martin concluded, 'It is a glorified kitchen knife.'

In the next 10 minutes, the dagger moved as if it were an extension of his hand, even picking up a second dagger to dual-wield them.

Just like how he would cut his chicken breast cleanly in a single, swift motion, the dagger also worked on the same principle.

'Instead of pushing the blade forward, then to the side, move the blade in an arc, emphasizing the moment the blade is about to cut its target, then just follow the flow.'

With that mindset, and several more repetitions, Martin was able to cleanly cut the rolled-up bamboo mats in front of him.

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Dagger Mastery Skill Acquired.

A basic skill that every Joe and Jane in the world has gained after learning how to use the dagger.

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Passive Skills:

+Silver Tongue Lvl. 1

+Dagger Mastery Lvl. 1

Active Skills:

-

Unique Skills:

+Magic IDE

+Elderly Resilience

============================

When the skill appeared in his status screen, Martin kept on making minor adjustments to the way he handled the daggers.

His body instinctively knew how to generate more force, how to deliver the attacks faster, and how to adjust his footwork better.

'Wow… Now that's a useful, practical passive skill.'

The instructor noticed Martin's rapid improvement even though he had only spent 15 minutes inside the class.

The instructor came over and said, "If you're so quick in learning, why don't you try learning this move next?"

The daggers in the instructor's hands glowed green as mana converged.

A gentle breeze blew around the instructor's body.

Martin blinked. 

The instructor turned to a blur, then appeared right next to a bamboo target a couple of meters away.

The two daggers crossed each other, cutting the target into three pieces.

It all happened in just a single second.

The instructor then looked backward, wanting to know what the man who was about the same age as him thought.

But Martin's eyes just stared at the empty air in front of him. His mind seemed to have wandered elsewhere.

'Magic spell detected.'

'Begin analyzing.'

'Analyze complete.'