Standing before the familiar gates of the Military Martial Arts College, Aster paused for a moment and looked up at the entrance. "Sigh... This really feels like coming home."
He walked back to his villa, threw himself onto his bed, and let out another exhausted sigh "These past few days have been such a pain. I’m sick of tournaments. I swear I’m never entering another tournament again."
He buried his face into the pillow and lay motionless on his stomach, enjoying the peace.
Knock! Knock!
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
"Damn it! Which bastard is here to bother me now?!" With an annoyed expression, Aster stormed toward the entrance and violently flung the door open.
Bang!
He nearly crashed into the enormous figure standing outside. Slowly looking up, he froze. It was General Cassius. Aster’s furious expression instantly disappeared, replaced by an awkward smile. "G-General! Why did you come here yourself? You could’ve just called me to your office! Hahaha..."
General Cassius looked down at him with a calm smile. "Oh? Did I bother you, Aster?"
"N-No! Of course not!"
Aster coughed awkwardly before asking, "But... why are you here, General? Do you need something?"
The General smiled gently and said, " I’m here to give you a reward for your wonderful performance."
"A reward?"
"That’s right. And this one is far better than the sword."
Aster’s eyes widened. Something better than an A-Rank sword? What could it be? An S-Rank sword?
"There isn’t any time to waste." Before Aster could react, General Cassius grabbed his arm and dragged him away.
"W-Wait! Where are we going?"
"The training ground."
"...Huh?"
Aster’s face fell. There goes my chance to get some sleep...
A few minutes later, they arrived at the training grounds. General Cassius rolled up his sleeves. "Watch carefully." He raised one hand in front of him with his palm facing forward. Golden mana began flowing into his palm, gathering rapidly until it shone with a brilliant golden light.
Aster stared in amazement. "Whoa... Is that a skill?"
Without looking at him, the General replied,
"No... This isn’t a skill, It’s a Martial Art." The General thrust his palm forward.
BOOM!
A gigantic palm made entirely of condensed mana shot forward. The attack slammed into the training wall, instantly blasting a massive hole through it. The wall, built from special B-Rank materials stronger than steel, crumbled as if it were paper.
Aster’s eyes widened.
Martial Arts...
Aster’s memories contain a little information about them. Long before, ancient warriors created techniques that allowed them to fight using only mana. Many of those techniques were later discovered inside hidden dungeons. People who specialize in these techniques are called Martial Artists. Some of the strongest people in the world are Martial Artists rather than Awakener.
General Cassius folded his arms proudly. "Impressive, isn’t it? When I was a young soldier, my squad accidentally discovered a hidden dungeon. I was fortunate enough to obtain this Martial Art."
"It’s called Palm Strike."
"That’s incredible, General."
The General chuckled.
"No need to flatter me."
He reached into his storage ring and pulled out a blue manual.
"This is the Martial Art Manual for Palm Strike. It’s the reward I mentioned."
Aster stared at the book in disbelief. A Martial Art Manual...? These things are so rare they can sell for trillions!
The General handed him the manual. Aster held it carefully with both hands. He looked at it and thought "If I sell this... I won’t have to study anymore. I can spend the rest of my life relaxing..."
A smile slowly spread across his face.
General Cassius laughed.
"Looks like you really like it."
"Yes, General! Thank you very much for your generosity!"
"I’m glad."
The General stretched his shoulders.
"I happen to have some free time today. I’ll personally teach you how to use it."
The smile instantly vanished from Aster’s face.
"...What?"
For the next two hours, General Cassius patiently guided Aster through the basics of Palm Strike.
"Close your eyes."
"Now... feel the mana around you."
Aster obeyed.
Soon, he sensed countless tiny golden particles floating through the air.
"Good."
"Now gather them into your palm."
Aster concentrated. The glowing particles slowly spiraled toward him before gathering in his hand. General Cassius smiled as a faint golden light appeared on Aster’s palm.
"You’ve grasped the basics."
"Now release it."
Aster thrust his palm forward. A tiny mana palm flew out from his hand.
Pop!
It struck the wall before dispersing into countless glowing particles.
System Window
Skill:
Palm Strike (Basic) Level 1: Manifest 1 Palm Strike per second while Touching your hand. Range 1 .
A Martial Art also counts as a skill? And... "while touching your hand?" Does that mean my own hand counts as a weapon?
General Cassius burst into laughter. "Excellent work! It took me an entire week to learn Palm Strike. You managed to learn it in only two hours."
Aster smiled modestly.
"It was only possible because I had such an amazing teacher guiding me."
The General laughed.
"Still trying to flatter me?"
He shook his head and said "But my Palm strike is so small and weak how can I make it bigger like yours?"
General replied "It’s perfectly normal that your Palm Strike is much weaker than mine. Martial Arts become stronger as your proficiency increases."
He raised one finger after another.
"Basic."
"Expert."
"Master."
"Grandmaster."
"Transcendent."
"These are the levels of proficiency every Martial Art has. The higher your proficiency, the more powerful The Martial Art becomes."
Aster nodded. So that’s what "Basic" means in the system. And since I’m always using my own hands... I can use Palm Strike even without holding a weapon. That’s actually pretty useful.
General Cassius dusted off his sleeves. "That’s all for today. Work hard to improve your proficiency. I have high hopes for you. If you continue growing at this pace...I’m sure you’ll lead this college to first place in the National College Tournament."
Aster’s eyes twitched "...National College Tournament? There are... more tournaments?"
"Of course!" General Cassius laughed heartily.
"Only the strongest college from each city qualifies. We’re Aurora City’s number one college now...all thanks to you!"
HAHAHAHA!
The General enthusiastically patted Aster on the back.
Aster’s face turned pale.
No...
Please...
Not another tournament...