Chapter 57: Weapon Training

Why did Ashton chose the regular staff?

Well, first and foremost, it felt nice on his hands. It was dense and heavy enough for him to hold and he liked that feeling compared to other weapons displayed here so far.

Additionally, a weapon like this good for maintaining distance. It's arguable that bows and spears could do the same but frankly enough, he didn't like the way they feel in his hands.

In the end, he's really using his instincts here. Since his instincts told him that a staff would be good for him, then there's no reason not to try it out for now.

Ashton took a couple a couple of seconds to recover from the information transfer. It maybe helped that he has the mind of an adult that made this process significantly faster.

Once he opened his eyes, there's a system panel hovering in front of him.

[Notice! Knowledge Transfer, detected. Scanning for malicious intents...]

[None found. Accepting the transfer...]

[Host has acquired: Basic Staff Technique!]

[Basic Staff Technique - Lv.1]

• Increases Host's familiarity and finesse when using a Staff to fight.

• 10% attack potency increase when wielding a Staff.

• 5% increase in Host's Endurance.

Ashton released a short breath and walked-away, Rycard was already passing down knowledge to another student anyway so he didn't notice.

Seeing as others found a spot for themselves to train, Ashton thought he should do the same.

The Training Field A was quite large, there's enough space for students to spread around so that they won't disturb someone else's practice. Ashton went into a distant corner of the field, somewhere that has a good amount of shade and people around.

His chosen spot was surrounded with trees and has a nice open space for him to train, there's also plenty of shade so he wouldn't have to worry about heat. Before starting with his training though, he figured that he has to ask something to the system. He argued that he probably should've done this before he made his decision but, better late than never...

'System, was there a way for you to tell me which weapon was suitable for me?'

[Negative, Host.]

'Alright, I figured as much.' He sighed.

He already had a clue that this should've been the case but it still wouldn't hurt to ask, just in case. Thankfully, his intuition was correct.

'And I suppose I can't put this skill in the Grinding Slots, huh?'

[Negative, Host.]

'Yep, just as I thought.' Ashton wasn't really surprised.

As much as he was glad to have the system with him, right now it couldn't really help him much.

He initially that thought that, since Spells and Skills are only different in name, that he could also grind them as well, apparently not. As for why, he can't exactly tell for now and it isn't the time to wonder about that too. He had other things to pay attention to.

Doing some light stretches, he twirled the staff in his hands first to get a good feel for it. Just as he expected, it felt nice in his hands, especially now that the perk from the technique is in effect.

Ashton then went into a horse stance while holding the staff parallel to the ground. He took a deep breath and checked if he's doing the stance properly.

He searched for flaws and fixed them according to the proper way before even performing the first attack. He wasn't on the rush, there's no time limit given so he could take his time. He figured that it would be better to practice it in the correct from as to not develop any bad habits in future.

The first attack was a simple thrust. Just by getting a good grip on the staff and stabbing it forward was all he has to do.

Ashton did it on his first try, like anyone else here would, but he's far from satisfied. He was severely lacking still but he got the idea.

For the next chunk of the class, Ashton wouldn't perform any other move aside from this one. He didn't feel the need to go through the list if he can't even perform a single one properly.

And so, he did just that. He got absorbed into his own training that he lost sense of time in the process.

"Alright Kids, time's up. Gather around here!"

Rycard's voice broke his focus. Ashton released a sigh and released himself from his stance. He felt his muscles aching but it was a good burn. He's already used to this kind of sensation due to his daily conditioning.

Before he left his spot, he noticed that for some reason, he left a deep footprint on where he was standing before. He failed to notice when that happened though, but he knew that it's the product of the intensity of his strikes and focus.

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He returned to his classmates that are now standing in front of their professor.

Just from a single glance, he could tell that everyone are drained. He was in a better spot but he's drained too, after all this is his first time training with a weapon.

"All of you can keep the weapons you picked today. A word of caution, don't try to use them for hurting others since they are programmed to send a signal if that happens. If you use that to intentionally hurt someone then that's an automatic expulsion for you and that's non-negotiable." Rycard reminded strictly.

"You can also keep the training clothes. Every time you come in to my class, you all should be wearing that instead of your uniforms."

"For your homework, I want you all to study the basic weapon techniques I passed down onto you. You have until our next class to perform them in an acceptable level."

"I will ask you to give me a demonstration during our next class where you will be graded based on your performance. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Good. I'll be expecting you all on our next class. That's it for today. Go home safely."

After saying that, Rycard disappeared the same way as other professors did.

Knowing that he's gone, the students finally released their frustrations. Most of them just groaned, some complained but mostly, they just dragged their exhausted bodies back to the changing room before going home. Of course, there's also some who didn't even bother at all.

As for Ashton, whether he likes it or not, he still has a shift to attend to. So, he went back into the changing room to wear his uniform again.

When he got out, he noticed that Mary, Blake and Alice were already gone. That's when his smartwatches pinged. He received messages from them, telling him that they already went ahead of him since they were tired beyond their minds.

Ashton didn't mind this of course, he just told them to get a good rest and told them that they're going to be in severe pain tomorrow due to the abuse they suffered today.

After that, he went straight into the Grand Library and clocked-in for work. Aria was there as usual and there weren't any visitors yet again.

"You look a bit...exhausted. Did something happen?" Aria asked in concern while Ashton was taking out the things he need.

"Oh uh. It's Combat Class today, that's why."

"Ah, I see. Wait, what's you're specialization again?"

"White Mage." Ashton replied without looking at her.

"And you enrolled in the Combat Class? That's admirable. Good for you."

"Thanks." Ashton looked at her and smiled.

He failed to notice how Aria seems to blank out upon seeing that smile of his.

"Uh, I have a question." Ashton faced her looking a bit hesitant.

"Y-yes? What is it?"

"Do I smell bad?"

Aria wasn't prepared for that question, Ashton even leaned towards her so that she can get a good whiff of his scent.

And so, just like what a normal human being would do in this situation, she sniffed him and paused for a bit.

Ashton waited for the verdict, feeling a bit nervous since he honestly don't know what he smells like right now. His nervousness only got worse when he saw Aria looking at him blankly with her jaw slightly ajar.

"Uhm...earth to Aria? Hello? You still there?"

"Ah! Yes, yes. I-it's fine. You don't smell bad." She replied, jolting out of her stupor.

"Are you sure?" Ashton frowned, "You don't sound convincing."

"Really, believe me." Aria nodded, "You're fine- smell, fine! Yes. You smell fine. You don't stink. Not at all. Y-you can ask Chief Leon to confirm it if you want."

"Nah, that's fine. I'll take your word for it." Ashton grinned them took the things he needed to do his job.

He's mostly worried about smelling bad since he didn't take a shower before coming here, he knew that teenagers had a lot going-on for their bodies including hygiene concerns so he just want to make sure. But since Aria said that he smells fine, then it's all good.

She wouldn't lie to him about that, right?

What Ashton failed to notice was that, after he was off checking the durability of books, Aria left a 'comfort room break' on the station's desk. She only returned after ten minutes.

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