41. A: Arts skills

“seriously ? an insect ?”

And I thought it was some weird-looking gorilla?

But if it doesn’t have blood, nor bones. And it does release weird gases from inside it. Then I can only think of it as being a weird insect monster.

Reaching that conclusion, I remembered.

“oh, yeah. Analyse did level up before, right ?”

When I was trying to analyze the curse before, it happened. Not to forget that the Analyze at that time was a more clear one, so maybe if I were to try it this time, the result would be different?

Thinking of that, I glance toward the falling monster corpse and try using my skill on it.

-Pale Walker’s corpse: a corpse of a pale walker. a human-insect hybrid demonic beast.-

Ignoring the name changing for the moment, I am now sure of it being an insect, but what’s that about the demonic beast?

The hell, is that?

If only I could use Analyse on the description, but ...

Sigh.

“I can’t. Though it’s not like guessing is that hard anyway. It’s a more accurate word instead of using monster, am I right ?”

Smiling smugly, I think of the new description.

As it seems that having the skill level up is more useful than I thought.

Though it doesn’t really provide more information than things I can already guess, it is apparently, have started using a term I don’t recognize too.

After all, I don’t know the origin of the term.

So maybe what I thought about skills containing a certain amount of information, or knowledge increasing with every level was not wrong after all.

Because, even the single level I got from physical art before, has made using it clearer and easier.

Though sadly it seems, the information and abilities of the skills are not something I can grasp, but it’s more of unconscious action.

“oh speaking of physical art. Using this guy as a target for my training was useful, after all.”

Stepping on the corpse’s head and looking down at it, I think back to my battle’s result.

Not only did I level up the skill of physical art, I even understood it more.

To be clear, I understood how it works.

How do you say?

Hmmm, well, to explain the skill Physical Art, no, to explain all the art skills as a whole, we will need to start from the beginning.

And that starts with the mastery skills.

So for that, let’s take, for example, a pen.

“though I don’t know if pen mastery does exist or not. Maybe it does? maybe it does not? well, it’s not important.”

The important is just the example taken. So let’s say it does exist.

If you have pen mastery, then you can control the pen more comfortably and easily, right?

“And if the skill level is high enough, you may also be able to use the pen easier than using your own limbs.”

So, now a question. If you have such a high-level mastery, how will your writing be?

The answer is, it will be great and beautiful at the very least, if not more.

Because you will be able to make precise and perfect moves with the pen.

“You will be able to move it just how you want or imagine, and with complete ease at that.”

Now then, let’s give another question.

If your pen mastery is that high, will you be able to use that pen to draw a good picture?

Well, sorry. But the answer this time is NO.

“Even if you control a pen, better than your limbs, it may not be possible to make a drawing.”

After all, to draw, you will not only need a certain mastery of the pen, but you will also need a certain understanding of the art of drawing.

“because drawing a face, or even a mountain does not use a math formula, nor does it depend on a technique alone, but a type of understanding, and also a person’s aesthetic.”

Instead, even if a picture was presented in front of you, you may fail at copying it, only making a low imitation at best even if you have such high pen mastery.

After all, it’s not possible to just try and copy, if you can’t draw, to begin with.

But then how to draw?

The answer is simple, though not easy.

“Just learn about drawing, see how lines should be, how things will appear better, and reach an understanding of the way you see it fit.”

Though because it depends on each person’s way and style, trying to teach drawing or even speaking about it using words may be a harder thing than it sounds, leaving no choice but a demonstration to explain, right?

After all, you can’t explain how a sad face’s drawing looks, simply by words. You also can’t explain, how the dark colors and lightning lines in a painting show human emotions and stuff like that. Otherwise, it will become poetry instead, and you will be in another totally different art topic.

But back to the pen and drawing.

“Even with high-level pen mastery, you can’t easily draw.”

But if you have a certain level of understanding of the art of drawing, you may succeed.

And if you succeeded, then you can draw, and by that, you can also project feelings, thoughts, and human emotion in your picture.

And of course, that is not only in the drawing.

After all, there are many arts out there, with many ways to insert feelings or thoughts in their respective arts.

The sadness shown in a picture, the graveness tasted in a song, the awe felt in a sculpture.

And also, the beauty seen in a sword swing.

Just like how each art, depending on its own way show and projects emotion to the outside world, even the skills, like physical art, or even taking sword art as an example, where the swing and movement of a sword are the main, can do the same.

To show the anger in your slashes, or to imitate the lightning in your swings, are nothing but a projection of thoughts using a part of the sword art.

And just like any other art, without any understanding of it, you not only can’t use it, but you also can’t even recognize it or understand its beauty.

After all, every single human on the planet had once tried to draw, so they do have a certain level of understanding, and can recognize a beautiful picture when seen, but swordsmanship? well, only a person that has a deep understanding of it, can recognize the meaning of sword art.

So simply put, sword art is not just a series of coolly named and weird exaggerated moves. But a type of art, that uses a sword as a pen, a wielder of that sword as ink, and the world, as paper, to draw and communicate, projecting his feeling to the outside, in the same way, a painting with its colors or a song with its word does.

“pfft, though if someone were to try saying it and acting cool, like saying that sword art is a way of communication or something without explaining it, I will burst into laughter, thinking that it’s a pitiful chunni.”

But seriously. Sword art, can be taken as a form of art to project thoughts outside of your mind, and into the world, just like any other art. With the same applying to all the other art skills, from physical art to weapon art.

“though, the art skills do differ from a normal art, in their special use.”

After all, I don’t think your average drawing technique can enable you to make a hole in a monster chest, now can it?

Smiling, while thinking of that, I move to search for a new target for my attack.