Chapter 27: Combat Class (I)

  Damon sat atop his bed as he focused on his Arcane Node. Immediately after the meeting with Tidus, he swiftly ran back to his dorm room to take the elixir. The Arcane Rejuvenation Potion was indeed very effective. When he poured the contents into his mouth, he initially thought he was scammed yet again due to the taste being incredibly sweet and delicious. It tasted just like fruit juice. However, he quickly felt a comfortable warmth building up in his chest. Upon inspection, he could see a clear and transparent energy being absorbed from the liquid, traveling through his body before reaching his Arcane Node. Many of the smaller and finer cracks could be seen mending rapidly.

  “This medicine is truly great. It is probably just as effective at healing damage to a node as the Mindsoul Dew I obtained from the hidden cave. I really struck it rich by pretending to be pitiful in front of that senior. Hall Leader Tidus is actually quite a kind person, not just a scammer.”

  Even though Damon had put on an act to swindle the medicine from Tidus, he was still very grateful for the generosity he had received. His originally negative opinion of Tidus had now improved.

  The majority of the effects of the potion wore off after the initial surge, but the energy surrounding Damon’s node had not completely disappeared. It would continue to provide healing and protection to his node for the next month.

  “I should try not to use any arcane power for the next couple of months. However, I need to see if I can resume cultivating arcane energy. Aside from that, I guess I will focus on organizing the Legacy Hall, as I have already received benefits from the Hall Leader. During the process, I’ll be able to consume a lot of knowledge to fill up the gaps left by my lack of experience with the cultivation world.”

  After planning out his next steps in the Academy, Damon took out a storage pouch from his robes and placed it on the table in front of him. This was the storage pouch belonging to the Channel Weaving Disciple from the Tower he had killed. He had attempted to open the pouch during his journey to the Verdant Sigil Tradehaven but was unable to do so. He had tried multiple different methods, but to no avail. Now, he had a clue as to how to open it.

  “An arcane mark binding must be purged with a purification spell before you can use a communication orb belonging to someone else. Perhaps some higher-grade storage pouches can also be bound by the cultivator? The pouch that Master Silas left behind is definitely a much higher grade than the ones I have picked up so far, as it has a much larger capacity, but it didn’t require me to brand it with a mental mark. Have the methods to create storage pouches changed since ancient times? Or… Does mental power work differently?”

  Damon mused over his thoughts for a while before shaking his head. He still had too little experience regarding both the arcane and mind paths. Master Silas had left behind some notes and insights, but these most likely assumed his successor would have all the common knowledge the mind cultivators of Silas’s time knew. It did not help guide his cultivation nor answer any questions he had. Fortunately, he now had access to a large trove of knowledge. Soon, he would no longer be as ignorant and inexperienced.

  Several days later, Damon bumped into someone as he was leaving his dorm to go to the Legacy Hall. It was an early stage Node Awakening Initiate apprentice. He was a short and skinny young boy. He had black hair in the shape of a bowl cut. He had a round face, green eyes, a small button nose, and a thin mouth.

  “Oh, hello! Are you Damon Fletcher? I’ve been sent by Senior Apprentice Alan to come and find you. He is a Channel Weaving Disciple. You have been assigned to Combat Class Alan. Would you be able to follow me there right now? The class is starting soon!” The boy smiled awkwardly and spoke with a squeaky voice. He was looking down at his feet, twisting his body slightly, and holding the sides of his robes tightly. It appeared he had lived a sheltered life, being uncomfortable and timid around a stranger like Damon.

  Smiling, Damon replied, “Yes, I’m Damon. Nice to meet you, kid. Are you in the combat class as well? What’s your name? How old are you? I’m ready to go now so we can chat while we walk there.”

  “Yes! My name is Dylan, and I’m 12 years old. I’m also in Combat Class Alan. I only joined the Academy after awakening my Arcane Node two weeks ago! I’ve never been away from my parents, so I’ve been a little nervous! They’re just ordinary people.” Dylan responded cheerfully after hearing Damon’s gentle tone. It appeared the little boy had been quite lonely and was grasping to latch on to anyone who was even a bit kind to him.

  For a second, the visage of Lyndon washed over the body of Dylan, confusing Damon for a second. A lump grew in his chest, blocking his throat and preventing him from swallowing. He stopped walking, shook his head, and then rubbed his eyes to clear the superimposed image from his vision.

  Damon opened his eyes again to the sight of Dylan shyly looking up at him in a curious manner. He couldn’t see the image of Lyndon anymore. He smiled softly and ruffled Dylan’s hair, as he had done to Lyndon. I must move on. It is unfortunate what happened to Lyndon, but such is fate. It can’t be controlled, and I can’t do anything about it. I can only move forward and grow stronger and more knowledgeable. Perhaps I will be able to avenge him someday. I’ll make sure to protect this one, though. He thought to himself as he looked down at the cute boy chattering away while walking alongside him.

  Standing on an open training ground were 16 people. One of them was the teacher, and 15 of them were students. The ground was dirt, and there was a low wall surrounding the area, covered in runes. These runes, once activated, would envelope the area with a barrier, allowing for the use of spells for training without fear of damaging nearby property.

  “So, you must be Damon Fletcher. I hear you are a Runeology prodigy. Let’s see how good you are at combat.” A bulky man with a shady mustache and thin beard stood at the front. He had short black hair, small beady eyes with brown irises hidden behind his eyelids, and a large build reminiscent of an ape.

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  Hmm? How did he find out about that? One of the Senior Apprentices who tested me must have told him. They were the only ones who knew about my results. Damon narrowed his eyes slightly as he made a conjecture. Shortly after, he modestly replied, “Yes, Senior Apprentice Alan, I am Damon Fletcher. I wouldn’t call myself a prodigy, I just dabbled a bit with runes and got lucky.”

  “Well, enough about that. Since we have a new student, I will briefly explain what we have been learning over the past month since this class was established. We have been practicing a form of instant casting for combat. No, it’s not what you’re thinking. Instant casting even a first-tier spell would require you to be an Adept at the very least. What we will be practicing is using arcane power to produce effects similar to a spell, but on a much smaller scale.”

  Damon felt his confusion grow at Alan’s words. Instant casting? Effects similar to a spell? How did that work?

  “The basis is similar to how we conjure small flames or water using arcane power. It does not require chanting or casting. We just imagine the flame emerging from our finger and channel arcane power. So, we will be doing the same thing, but with attacks and defence. I will give an example. Come up and stand opposite me for a quick duel, Kelvin. You can attack, and I will defend.”

  A boy with shoulder-length black hair with bright red tips walked up and stood opposite Alan, standing several feet away. Kelvin had tanned skin and a small build. He was releasing the fluctuations of a mid stage Node Awakening Initiate. He raised his hand and pointed a finger at Alan, causing a crimson light to start glowing at his fingertip, growing to the size of a pea, before suddenly shooting towards Alan in a trail of light.

  Alan immediately responded by waving his hand in the trajectory of the red beam of light, causing a small blue barrier to appear in that direction, only the size of a plate. The shining projectile crashed into the small barrier, fizzling for a second before disappearing. The barrier also dissipated not long after.

  Damon stared in astonishment at what he had just witnessed. This form of combat was entirely different from everything he knew about Arcons currently. His mind shook as endless combinations of combat strategies utilizing this new technique began to form in his consciousness, almost causing him to ignore Alan’s words.

  “Damon? Did you hear me? This is what I’m talking about. Forming an Arcane Missile with pure arcane power takes almost no time, even if you imbue the strength of an element. Same with a miniature barrier. Using energy this way allows you to react immediately in combat, instead of being caught out by someone faster than you. Without learning this, you would be no match for the speed of an Auron. How shameful would it be if you lost to an Auron? Scrolls are good, but they’re not entirely instantaneous either. They also require channeling multiple times more arcane power than casting the spell yourself. Hence, this is the best combat method for an Initiate or Disciple.”

  Damon and the other students nodded in response to Alan’s words. It made perfect sense, now that he had witnessed it in action. Yes, this was how Arcon should battle. His eyes gleamed with excitement, though it immediately dulled straight after.

  “Now, get into pairs and start your duels. Make sure you use only enough arcane power to lightly push your opponent back, not injure them.” Alan said, while standing cross-armed at the side.

  “Umm… Senior Apprentice Alan, I can’t do this exercise. I have an injured Arcane Node, you see…” Damon coughed awkwardly. It was his first combat class, and he had already opted to sit out. He felt as though he was trying to excuse himself, even though it was the truth.

  Alan glared at him for a while before shaking his head. “Come stand here at the side. We have an odd number of students, so it is fine.”

  Damon went over and stood near Alan and watched as the other students practiced with their Arcane Missiles and mini barriers. The class had a mix of boys and girls of numerous ages. They all looked between the ages of 12 and 18. There were more boys than girls, with there being 11 boys and 4 girls. He watched as the various pairs of apprentices exchanged blows, switching between attacking and defending. His body twitched from the anticipation of joining them and trying out the new combat methods being taught. However, he took his injuries very seriously and did not dare attempt to use any arcane power until he fully recovered.

  Suddenly, Damon heard a scream from one end of the training ground. He looked over and saw a large, muscular girl, wearing a robe several sizes too small for her, standing over a small boy retching while on his hands and knees. She had a sneer on her face while watching the struggling boy, her eyes invisible behind the fat on her cheeks. She had the energy fluctuations of a late stage Node Awakening Initiate. On a closer glance, Damon noticed the boy was Dylan.

  Damon’s brows furrowed in a frown as he glanced at Alan through the side of his eyes. Alan just stood there, observing the duels going on at the other end of the training ground, as though he was unaware of what had just happened. However, Damon saw the corner of Alan’s lips rise slightly in a very subtle smirk.

  So, Alan is complicit in the bullying by allowing it to happen. He must know, so why is he not doing anything about it? Does he just find it entertaining? Does the climbing of cultivation realms strip away morality, or do only the heartless succeed in walking the path? Damon thought to himself. He had met numerous Disciples and Adepts, with most having sadistic tendencies. Perhaps it is not just higher realm cultivators… It seems most cultivators behave similarly. They must be letting their strength get to their heads.

  Damon snapped out of his brief contemplation and focused back on Dylan. He was still retching, as though he had been punched very hard in the stomach. Even some of the other students had stopped their exercise and began spectating the scene without intervening. Something isn’t right… Why is nobody even asking if Dylan is okay?

  Unwilling to continue watching, Damon stepped up and walked past the girl, kneeling on one knee beside Dylan as he stroked his back.

  “Are you okay? What happened?” asked Damon.

  “Ughh… I’m… Okay… Missile… Hit… Stomach… Hard…” Dylan struggled to get out his sentence between the gasps and the gags.

  Damon stood back up and faced the girl.

  “What? You got a problem? We were just training like Senior Apprentice Alan had told us to. It’s not my fault that he couldn’t defend in time. I was just following the rules. He’s not even injured; it just hit him in an unfortunate location.” The girl snickered and shrugged her shoulders.

  Damon silently stared at the girl until she began to feel slightly unnerved. Right before she said something, Damon said, “You’re right. You didn’t do anything wrong. But how about you practice with me now?”