*Ding*

Strength (STR): +1

Agility (AGI): +1

Abel came to a halt, gasping for air but trying to control his breath at the same time, instinctively trying to use the Xiang family breathing style. He had been at it for around 6 hours now and he was getting pretty bored of the same movements. He would mix and match different moves with his footwork but tirelessly repeating similar moves was grating on the mind. Whenever he thought he’d reached his mental limits, a new notification would pop up, boosting his spirits and preventing him from stopping.

“Open character status”

Name: Red Sky

Level: 1

Profession: None

Alignment: Neutral

Title: None

Reputation: 0

Health (HP): 150

Mana (MP): 100

Strength (STR): 16

Agility (AGI): 14

Endurance (END): 16

Toughness (TGH): 10

Vitality (VIT): 15

Wisdom (WDM): 10

Intelligence (INT): 10

Luck: 0

Satiety: 55

Stamina: 23

“Not bad kid. I expected you to wuss out and back off an hour ago but you’re still holding strong!” Instructor Cedric didn’t conceal his satisfaction and honestly complimented Abel for his hard work.

“You still need some more practice with your strength control but I guess you’ve just barely reached the point where I can teach you to block and parry.”

The instructor stepped up to the dummy and it came alive on its own, as though preprogrammed for the following directives.

“A parry is a defensive move used to disrupt and redirect an opponent's attack with your own sword. Different parries involve using the blade to intercept the opponent's weapon and guide it away from its intended target.” The instructor patiently explained as he easily parried several sword strikes in example. “A cross-parry is the best method to intercept an enemy’s strike, redirecting it and gaining the initiative to attack.”

The instructor showed several examples of a cross-parry before carrying on, “Similar to a parry, a block is a defensive move that involves using the sword to interrupt an incoming attack.” The instructor forcefully stopped the dummy’s sword as he spoke. “Blocks are often more forceful and direct, aiming to halt the opponent's strike with the intention of creating an opening for a counterattack.” He blocked a few more times before he lunged at the dummy and struck it in its chest, bringing it to a stop.

“I don’t expect you to master a cross-parry any time soon or to learn how to counterattack after a block, it requires real combat experience. But a simple parry to re-direct and a forceful block to stop a sword is a must if you want to learn the final move in basic sword proficiency from me!”

“Understood instructor!” Abel replied vigorously as he had restored some stamina in the time instructor Cedric explained the steps to block and parry. He stepped up to the dummy and as expected, it started moving on its own. Thankfully, it was slower and weaker than when the instructor was teaching him, the dummy seemed to adjust itself according to the stats of its current opponent.

Abel found this ‘spar’ much more enjoyable than his earlier monotonous swings and thrusts. The mere addition of having the dummy move in response to his footwork added much needed dynamic to the stale training exercise.

Just like that, Abel practiced for another 40 minutes before instructor Cedric ordered him to stop and rest for 15 minutes.

“Sir, is there a place I can refill the water in my canteen?” Abel politely asked and was pointed to a small fountain at the side.

‘My black bread will probably last me a single day…’ Abel sighed as he thought about his food problem. Although the 10 loaves should actually suffice for 3 days, that was if he had chosen to carry out simple quests like delivering letters or working as a table-boy in a tavern. The more physically demanding quests would see a person burning through their food at a much quicker pace, hence the average of 2 days was stated online. Only drinking water would refill a person to 50 points of satiety and it would drop quickly after that, a person still needed food.

‘Although my stamina and satiety are decreasing at a slower rate with the increase of endurance, it’s just not as obvious due to my actions.’ The realism and technicality of the game was far more surprising than he realized and he couldn’t help but marvel about how Doctor Orion even created such a complex system. His respect and admiration for the forefather of virtual reality was increasing greatly and if Abel was an NPC he’d have a maxed-out favorability with the old man.

After resting and satiating his hunger, Abel got back into practicing with the dummy. The sun in Veridia was starting to rise above the horizon but it was still around 3 am in Luminara.

He ‘sparred’ with the dummy and even struck it many times, despite the change in tempo. Finally, after another hour the loud instructor decided to finally teach him the final move. Once he learned it, he’d have basic sword proficiency in the bag and get an ordinary sword to boot!

“The last move is known as the eight-figure whirl. To put it simply, it’s a circular sword movement resembling the shape of the number 8. It can be both a defensive and offensive move, creating a continuous motion that can be difficult for the opponent to predict.” The instructor adeptly showed off the movement as he explained and then walked up to the dummy to show it again in practice. Once he repeated the movement several times, he stepped back for Abel to try it out.

It took him a while to integrate the diagonal slash with a parry but after a mere 10 minutes, he got the hang of it and started testing out the different 8-figures. Abel had to thank his other half’s memories, he figured he’d have to spend at least twice the amount of time just to pass the basic sword training, but he didn’t let his thoughts hinder his movements and he continued testing out different whirls. He took a quick break in between and finally, after another hour he was easily thrashing the dummy with every swing of his wooden sword.

*Ding*

+New skill: Basic Sword Proficiency – Increases attack speed with a sword +3%, Increase attack power with a sword +3%.

+New Stat: Resilience- After enduring repeated training with minimal break, you have grained the ability to adapt and thrive in the face of adversity and challenge. Increases resistance to mental attacks.

Toughness (TGH): +2

Abel was shocked at the new stat alongside the skill, he wasn’t even aware he could gain new stats before getting a profession but he quickly added it to the growing list of information he would never be able to find online.

“Well done lad, you’re a pretty fast learner!” The instructor smiled as he came up to Abel before he continued, “Do you want to start the course for Bow Mastery right away?”

“If you don’t mind instructor, I’d like to go buy some supplies and get some rest first, although I’m fine physically, I’m quite spent mentally. I’ll come back tonight.” Abel thought about it for a moment before making the decision, he’d have to log out to have breakfast. He had quite a long list of stuff to do like check out the trap he set up the day before, stretch out the boar pelt, finish some chores around the house and actually sleep. Once he logged back in, he wanted to try hunting some small monsters at the outskirts of the city to see if he could learn a skinning skill and get some meat. He might be able to solve his food shortage this way without having to spend his measly copper coins on some more coarse and bland bread.

“Mmm, it’s good to know how to priorities things instead of trying to seek out instant results. Go on, I’ll be off duty in another hour anyway so just come back again at 9 pm sharp!” The instructor agreed and actually looked gratified at Abel making such a decision, whether his earlier question was just a test or he was being sincere, only the NPC would know. “Here, this is yours boy. You earned it!” He then tossed a sword to Abel.

Abel reached out to accept the sheathed sword that appeared out of thin air, he pulled it out of its ordinary leather scabbard. “Inspect”

*Ding*

[Ordinary Iron Sword]

Attack power: 21-24

Durability: 25/25

Description: Mass produced sword from the Kingdom of Veridia. Given to all those that pass the Basic Sword Course. Although ordinary, it is sharp and easily equipped without level or profession requirements.

Abel re-sheathed it and strapped it to his waist. He then bowed respectfully and turned around to log out in the square. Although the NPC’s wouldn’t be weirded out by how “travelers” come and go from their world, since he was being respectful Abel figured he should go all the way.

‘Open panel menu’ Abel quickly accessed the panel to log out and swiftly left the world of Faeron, finding himself back in his virtual home, from there he chose to log out of the NeuroNex and the world seemed to break up into pieces with everything flowing back into darkness. Once he opened his eyes, he found himself laying down in his pod.

Taking a deep breath, Abel got out and stretched, thinking back to all that he accomplished throughout the night. Once he was out of his reverie, he looked at the time and saw it was still slightly before sunrise, he quickly changed his clothes and washed his face before heading out to the Verdant Forest.