Ah such a talented youth The man said but his gaze was greedily running over Shal’s skin I don’t suppose he has learned any of the core Skill Sets
Unfortunately not Shal said his expression turning stony He does not yet have a Skill Set
Oh I see All in good time I suppose Then sir please follow me you can choose from any of the middle tier colors
Randidly blinked speaking up I actually have one
Shal and the bearded man looked at him turning back from the area they were heading towards which was filled with red banners
Shal said nothing but the man smiled kindly Ah you have a basic skill set Unfortunately if it’s of common rarity you won’t be able to do better than
It’s runic Randidly said Then he added But I only know the first movement so I guess it isn’t complete
The two just looked at him Shal’s face had become inscrutable The man’s eyes were bulging
Then then He said finally managing to speak Let us proceed below for a test
The man led the way into a back room down the stairs passed several employees who were talking to each other in whispers and looking excitedly at Shal and Randidly Slightly bemused Randidly just followed
At the lower floor there was another room one with two women sitting in meditation This room was much larger than the one Shal was staying at It was about as large as a basketball court The bearded man hurried over to one and whispered in her ear and her eyes slowly opened her gaze focusing on Randidly
Shal stood next to Randidly gazing meaningfully at him
What Randidly finally asked
I Don’t know what to say I cannot decide So I shall wait until I see your move Then Shal shook his head ruefully Perhaps it is fate that you became my student We both attract far too much attention to ourselves
The woman stood and spoke I will receive your spear move to determine its strength Do not hold back your strength is not at the level that it can hurt me Come whenever you are prepared
Shal stepped back away standing next to the bearded man Randidly found himself standing there with the woman slowly leveling her spear at him waiting calmly After a brief hesitation he removed his bone spear from his ring It was slender and thin but it was a spear and Randidly felt like it fit very well in his hands
He lowered his own spear at the woman preparing
Chapter 125
Randidly hadn’t used this move in quite some time purposefully so as to take advantage of the notification free period to refine his image for this move Even now he could feel the icy hot violet Aether flowing through him making a strange symbol the symbol that was the skill that he had created
And as he thought and believed it changed slightly evolving shifting It was hard to tell whether this change had been a good one but it had been one he had been working on for several weeks
During that time Randidly had thrust his spear countless times It was a heavy repetition not to increase the quality of the thrust but so that his body knew intimately the motions required in a thrust A thrust was to advance to attack to proceed T thrust was to walk forward into battle It was a simple motion but it was the bread and butter of a spear using its strength its speed and its monstrous reach
To thrust was the first reaction of a spear To advance was the only option in some cases
As he stood there in that room in the bottom of the boat his bare feet on the planks underneath him the soft swaying of the waves making the entire structure rock Randidly focused on this searching inside of him for the perfect feeling of advancing That perfect thrust that he slowly grew closer to the longer he practiced
After he had finally settled on that feeling he did not stop there His move was one that required more than just a spear there was also the propulsion of fire that threw him forward Breathing slowly Randidly ran through everything he had learned practicing flexing his mana reaching for that feeling attempting to imbue it into that symbol of Aether inside of him Insidious addicting cold and deadly that energy pulsed burning his insides
But there was one more thing he needed for this image and it was a rather recent addition It was a phrase that Shal had just said to him earlier in the day that had stuck like a burr in his mind nagging at him
It is like you forgot that the true weapon you have is the spear You try to do the work yourself but you are just a man with a spear The spear knows its business
The spear knew its business huh
As he raised the spear in his hands Randidly relaxed his grip using just his fingertips to hold the spear Then he slid his hands into position learned over the long practice with the root avatars Then he steadied his grip and opened his eyes
In his mind he merged all of these concepts into one hold combining all those feelings he hung onto into the move the Aether in his chest roiling and burning
Stance grip mana flex explosion
Crack
Randidly felt the board beneath his starting position crack and splinter as he launched himself forward his whole body a blur Eyes of the Spear Phantom working as effectively as he could manage as the whole scene blurred
The speed he had gained was too much Randidly in the past had struggled with remaining calm as he screeched forward but this time he relaxed After all the spear knew its business
By the time all of these thoughts had flickered across his mind he had arrived at the woman and her spear blurred the blunt end rising to meet him As the spear curved towards him Randidly had a crazy idea
He activated Phantom Half Step teleporting himself backwards a small amount His momentum continued though and he ripped forward through the air his move creating only a brief moment’s delay
It was only a fraction of a second but the woman noticed it that strange unnatural movement Her eyes widened Her spear blurred even faster
Randidly sat up wincing His head was killing him As he looked around it took a few seconds for his vision to stop spinning and for the people around him to settle back into normal motion The bearded man was talking animatedly with his employees The two women were in quiet discussion with Shal in the corner
When they saw he had awoken they all turned to coolly regard him
Randidly had to suppress a grin This certainly was a lot different than the reception that he would have received in a similar situation back in Donnyton He hated people who fawned over him and were overawed by his presence Much better to deal with people like Shal who was practically glaring at him
Shal in fact was the one who spoke first You cheated He said simply and Randidly flushed In the heat of the battle he had forgotten that he was just testing the power of his created Skill Set He had been too lost in the move and reacted naturally when the instinct to use the skill had struck him
Be that as it may in terms of power that move was almost enough to overwhelm my counter even before he adjusted his position The woman said coolly
Shal crossed his arms This was unnecessary A mid tier color will suffice
And it is dishonorable He should wear badges of his strength with pride Shouldn’t you the son of a Spear Adept know that better than anyone else
Shal remained silent and the woman walked slowly over to Randidly Follow me I shall take you to our back room You may pick any color but Indigo or Violet for your Tassle It is the proof of your accomplishment It will draw attention to you but it will also bring to you the respect you have earned
Disciples from small Styles who receive such attention inevitably die Shal snorted but he followed them as they headed up back into the Tassle shop
Randidly was led deeper past the yellows the oranges the reds then the maroons and light blues into an area where there were pinks lilacs blues and seafoam greens For several minutes he slowly walked among the colors helplessly looking around Honestly he had no idea what he was looking for But they were both looking at him with such expectations it was hard to just pick something