【Inferior equipment detected: 【Worn Standard One-Handed Sword】. Equip?】
【Yes/No?】
Matthew silently thought, “Yes.”
【Equipment: Worn Standard One-Handed Sword (Bound)】
【Quality: White】
【Requirements: Strength 3.0, Physique 3.0, Agility 3.5】
【Description: A melee weapon crafted by a town blacksmith shop, imitating a design commonly used by adventurers. It focuses on hacking power and durability. Although the craftsmanship is crude, it is practical, and most importantly, affordable.】
【Effects: Slightly increases the training efficiency of Basic Swordsmanship; increases effective damage dealt to unarmored or light-armored targets.
Skills: None.】
“White quality, and the requirements have gone up quite a bit...” Matthew looked at the small text, a slight smile playing on his lips. “But the effects are much stronger too!”
Most importantly, this cheat system seemed to have growth potential.
“No, strictly speaking, it's not that the cheat itself has growth potential, but rather that the higher the quality of the weapon, the stronger the attributes returned to me!”
The training effect of Grey quality was 'negligible', but for White quality, it had become 'slight'.
If he could get his hands on some legendary weapons or divine blades...
Just thinking about it made Matthew feel a surge of excitement!
“What are you thinking about, Matthew?” Edmond's voice pulled him back to reality.
Matthew snapped out of it and looked at Edmond, who was walking over with a spear tipped with an iron point slung over his shoulder.
“That sword of yours looks really nice. It must be a lot lighter than my spear, right?”
Matthew nodded. His gaze fell on the spear on Edmond's shoulder, a hint of doubt rising in his heart.
Based on his understanding of Edmond, though his friend was stocky, he was quite brave and not one to shy away from trouble.
Choosing a one-handed sword, which required close-quarters combat and tested one's courage, would have suited his personality better. But choosing a spear... was a bit strange.
“Edmond,” Matthew asked directly, lowering his voice. “Why did you choose the spear?”
Edmond scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. “My dad made me choose it. He said I'm the only boy in our family, and the mill will depend on me in the future. With a spear, I can stand in the back with everyone else. It's safer.”
Matthew nodded in understanding and said no more.
Everyone had their own considerations and limitations.
After all, others didn't have a cheat like him, nor did they need to choose a more promising profession.
Meanwhile...
The crates were now completely empty, leaving three adolescent boys standing in place empty-handed, looking at Instructor Calm with varying expressions.
Instructor Calm's gaze swept over the three of them. His face was expressionless as he instructed Byrne nearby, “Byrne, take these few to the clearing over there and have them practice with slings and shortbows. They don't need to be extremely accurate, just enough to act as a deterrent.”
Matthew looked at them. Their builds were far inferior to Edmond and the others; even Matthew looked sturdier than those who had been left out.
Byrne grunted in response and called out to the four crestfallen boys: “Follow me.”
He led them toward a darker corner on the other side of the square, where some crude slings and a few clearly aged shortbows seemed to have been prepared in advance.
Instructor Calm then instructed the boys to split into two lines: “Spear-wielders on the left. Sword-wielders on the right. Keep five paces apart, face outward.”
The boys split up as ordered. Though their execution was clumsy, it was already much more orderly than the chaos from earlier.
Instructor Calm first walked over to the spear-wielding boys. Including Edmond, there were seven of them in total.
He then taught them the essentials of thrusting a spear, focusing on how to exert force correctly and how to conserve energy while doing so.
After all, one shouldn't underestimate the spear. It might look like a simple forward thrust, but without the proper technique, the strikes would either be weak and powerless, or one's arms would grow sore and weary after just a few thrusts, leaving them panting like an ox.
“Dalton, you teach this side,” Calm shouted toward the group of young adult men.
Then, he walked straight over to Matthew and the other sword-wielding boys.
“I will only demonstrate Basic Swordsmanship once. Watch closely,” Instructor Calm's voice was still hoarse, but it carried less of the severity he had shown the spear-wielders and a bit more appreciation.
'Basic Swordsmanship?' Matthew's heart stirred. It seemed this was the benefit of choosing a one-handed sword—risk and reward coexisted.
After all, when Calm was teaching the spear-wielders earlier, he hadn't used such a professional term.
Then, Calm held his sword with one hand, and moved.
His movements were not fast—one could even call them slow—but every single detail was crystal clear.
First was the thrust.
Pushing off firmly with his back foot, power seemed to rise from the ground. The short sword shot forward like a viper striking from its nest, straight and swift, the tip of the blade perfectly steady without the slightest tremor.
Next, he demonstrated the diagonal slash and the upward slash in detail.
Once the three movements were completed, Calm shared a few minor tips, such as how to swing the sword while conserving energy, before leaving everyone to practice on their own.
This process lasted about ten minutes in total.
The movements were not complicated, and the forms were far less difficult to understand than the math classes from his previous life. Matthew immediately found an open space to practice.
However, being taught was one thing; actually mastering it was no easy feat.
Matthew had the advantage of the 'slightly increased training efficiency of Basic Swordsmanship' from binding the White-quality sword, as well as his own high Focus and comprehension from his 6 points of Spirit.
Although he grasped the essentials of the movements and the feeling of exerting force much faster than the others, his body still needed time to adjust.
During his first few attempts, his movements still appeared clumsy and disjointed.
Pushing off, twisting his waist, driving his shoulder, swinging his arm... these steps were crystal clear in his mind, but when translated to a tired body that had not yet fully adapted, there was always a slight lack of coordination.
It wasn't until twenty minutes later that Matthew performed another standard diagonal slash.
This time, pushing off with his back foot, twisting his torso, and letting his shoulder lead his arm, the short sword sliced through the air, producing a sharp, brief whistle!
The entire movement was fluid, the force continuous, without any of the previous friction.
The moment he completed the movement, the familiar translucent text floated before his eyes once more, but its content was different from before:
【You have learned 【Basic Swordsmanship】. Current level: 【Mastered】.】
And a skill had appeared on his status panel:
【Basic Swordsmanship: Mastered (1/10)】
Seeing the skill appear, Matthew was overjoyed. He felt his fatigue vanish in an instant, and he immediately resumed practicing, following the sensation he had just captured.
Meanwhile...
Instructor Calm's gaze kept sweeping over the practicing boys, silently observing everyone's progress.
When Matthew's fluid diagonal slash produced that clear, brief whistling sound, Instructor Calm's grayish-blue eyes immediately snapped over, landing on Matthew with a hint of surprise.
‘Oh? He has some talent.’
Rate on N.U.
