An hour and 30 minutes after the events of Coca Market, the headmistress' office…
Mr. Patrick sat before the headmistress, having just narrated the full sequence of events that happened in Coca Market.
On her usual black scholarly clothes, at this moment, the headmistress, Lady Openda looked thoroughly neat and professional as she faced one of her HODs.
Sheila stood behind her, a professional look also painted on her face.
As the headmistress deliberated, Mr. Patrick stole glances at her red-head assistant even as he shifted guiltily each time that she caught him doing it.
"The Fate Society…," Lady Openda's face turned serious as she muttered. "What are they doing here?"
He looked at Mr. Patrick again. "Thanks for this information, you will be rewarded for it".
"For the next few months, I want you to stay at alert".
"Any further information on them will be rewarded".
"Yes, headmistress". Mr. Patrick stood up and finally left.
As soon as he left, Sheila complained. "That lecherous HOD of yours was stealing glances at me again".
"That's what you get when you're so pretty".
"It'll do the academy a lot of good if you can tie him down to us permanently".
"Huh? Why? Why me?" Sheila hugged her breasts protectively.
"He's now the 2nd strongest in the whole academy".
Silence.
It took a few seconds for Sheila to understand. "Huh?"
She was shocked. "Even more than the deputy headmaster?!"
"Yes," Lady Openda stood up and went to the window of her office as she sighed. "He's now getting even close to me".
"They really said don't judge a book by its cover".
"In his case, it's by his size".
"I would marry him if he was not so big".
Sheila's eyes widened. "A-are you serious?"
"B-b-but you said you'll appreciate it if I can tie him down to us".
"Me telling you to go after him is a lot of compromise on my part, a sacrifice" Lady Openda turned to look at her assistant with a look of pain on her face. "I'm in Spain but the s is silent".
Sheila felt touched but only for a moment, her eyes widened the next moment as she snapped out of her fantasy. "F*ck!"
"You tricked me again!"
Lady Openda chuckled. "It's so cute when I get you every time".
Sheila fumed but a few minutes later, she calmed down then her face turned serious. "You need to take this serious, Afterall, it's the Fate Society".
"I know". Lady Openda nodded as she looked at the massive academy from her office window.
"Contact the ruling family of Centerpoint City".
Sheila sighed. "You mean the Macintosh Family".
"Yes, yes, the Mashintos family, tell them what Mr. Patrick said".
"Centerpoint City needs to be on high alert for some time".
Sheila nodded. "Yes, headmistress".
She left to execute her orders.
…
>Astral Sword Technique: Quick Draw<
>Author: Emeritus Headmaster Robinson<
[This is a 2-style variable sword technique.]
[Quick Draw is a sword technique with all emphasis on speed.]
[The first style, Quick Draw is a swift downward slash attack that goes from the shoulder to the opposite hips after rapidly unsheathing sword. The attack is faster when amplified by astral energy.]
[The second style, Quick Draw is a swift upward slash attack that goes from the hips to the opposite shoulder after rapidly unsheathing sword. The attack is faster when amplified by astral energy.]
[The primary aim of Quick Draw is to rapidly attack and injure opponents before they can react.]
[Quick Draw can be used to target enemy hands and limbs to decapitate them easily.]
***
>Astral Sword Technique: Dual Blades<
>Author: Unknown<
[Dual Blades is a sword technique totally reliant on astral energy and it can be used with any basic attack, and even alongside other sword techniques.]
[Through astral energy, Dual Blades grants the ability to create a 2nd sword formed completely out of astral energy, performing the same attack as the first.]
[This sword makes it easier to catch enemies off-guard in battle.]
[NOTE: This is a sword technique branded as incomplete.]
After 6 months spent in Centerpoint Astral Academy, apart from his first Battojutsu Sword Technique: Slicing Mountain; Thrusting River, Ramon increased his repertoire with these 2 new sword techniques.
In the battle in Coca Market, he could only use Quick Draw, not having the opportunity to use Dual Blades before Mr. Patrick intervened to save him.
Though the encounter in Coca Market was just over an hour ago, at this moment, Ramon felt like he matured a lot already.
Most importantly, his understanding of the power system was now even better and he could tell the level of some people that he saw previously.
He already knew since that the patriarch; his dad was a mid-tier Knight Stage Warrior. Now, he could also tell the level of Joel's crew.
'Joel and the others should be Knight Stage Warriors too, probably peak tier experts while the young Dragon is most likely a low-tier Commander Stage Beast'.
Thinking back to his lectures in the wildlife department on how terrifying astral beasts could be, he finally knew how great of a feat Joel's crew achieved.
'I will be like them someday…, no, I'll be greater than them!'
With that, he rushed to the lecture hall for his next class. Though he arrived 3 minutes late, his seat at the very front of this lecture hall remained unoccupied.
Being the best in a department had its benefits.
"Welcome to SWD 103, Basics of Sword Combat".
"Today, our topic is the art of feinting in combat".
The lecturer for this class of the sword department was a blonde middle-aged man whose most prominent feature was his eyebrows that seemed like curved daggers, it looked cute and scary at the same time.
"Today's class will be more on practical demonstration".
"Before we kick off, what do we mean by a feint?"
"A feint is a deceptive movement or punch during a fight. It is a movement meant to make your opponent think you're about to do one thing while you do something completely different".
"…!" Smoke seemed to come from a certain student's head at the front.
Mr. Churchill was not surprised. "Just try to follow, you can understand it better during the practical".
That certain student finally calmed down.
"That's the official definition of a feint but in my opinion, there's another definition. Feint attacks are attacks designed to draw defensive action towards the point under assault, used mostly as a diversion to force enemy to concentrate more manpower in a given area".
"In essence, feint is meant to deceive in battle".
"That's dirty!" Ramon stared at the lecturer confrontationally.
Mr. Churchill did not react; he was used to it. "You'll make the decision if its dirty or not during the practical".
"Using feints is one thing, but what if your enemy is a master at it?"
"This brings us to ways of dealing with feints".
"The first trick is to stay focused. Feints are designed to distract and deceive, so it's important to stay focused and not get caught off guard".
"The second trick is to anticipate. Look for patterns in your opponent's feints and use that information to anticipate their next move".
"The second trick can only be improved upon through combat experience".
"The third trick is to maintain a proper form. Keep your guard up and maintain a strong stance so you're prepared to block or parry any attacks".
"The fourth trick is to stay calm. Feints can be frustrating and unsettling, but it's important to stay calm. Don't rush into a counterattack without thinking as this can leave you vulnerable to a counter-counterattack".
"And finally, the fifth and last trick is to practice".
"Dealing with feints takes great practice, there's no magic to it".
"Now, it's time for the practical".
Mr. Churchill looked at his students. "Ramon, come up".
Shing!
Sword Breaker vibrated as soon as Ramon's name was called.
Excitedly, he went up the stage as the lecturer told him to get prepared.
"I'll be lowering my realm to your level and tier, so don't worry".
Despite this, considering the fact that he had never come close to winning against this sword instructor of his yet like the others, Ramon took it serious.
Taking a good defensive stance like the lecturer just taught, holding his sword vertically to react fast and block any attack, Ramon felt adrenaline flow through him as he focused and watched the lecturer attentively.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes!"
"Now!"
Mr. Churchill lunged forward, swinging his sword for a downward slashing attack. Ramon reacted instinctively as he swung his sword to match his opponent's movement, aiming to block the initial attack and reset the battle.
As soon as Ramon swung his sword, he felt feedback from Sword Breaker, disapproval but it was already too late.
Right before both swords hit, Mr. Churchill twisted his hand with the sword in it while inclining his body to the left as effortlessly dodging Ramon's slash, he continued his attack but in a different form.
From a downward slash, by twisting his hand, Mr. Churchill changed his attack to an upward slash while using the momentum of the initial attack, an attack that aimed to cut off Ramon's right hand that wielded his sword from his body.
The sword stopped just before Ramon's right hand could be looped off.
Ramon froze, still shocked by what just happened.
"And that is what you call a basic feint".
"Most times, some of you do it in your arena duels without realizing, your skills will increase even more if you are conscious about it and do it deliberately".
"Once you master the basics, you can make your feints more complicated".
"Infact, there are techniques dedicated to feinting skills".
Ramon stared at his lecturer with brightly shining eyes, he was finally getting it. "I want to go again!"
"Sure".
Whoosh!
The lecturer attacked immediately but this time, prepared, Ramon focused as his eyes followed the sword keenly.
It was a straightforward sword stab aimed at his head.
Ramon grinned. 'Easy!"
His golden astral energy briefly flashed as powered by it, he reacted, swiftly bending his head to the left even as he slashed upwards with his sword to counterattack. What followed made him remember the lecturer's words.
'Don't rush into a counterattack without thinking as this can leave you vulnerable to a counter-counterattack'.
Mr. Churchill read Ramon's actions like a book and again, the stab was just a feint. As soon as he bent his head to the left, from a stab it became a horizontal slash of his sword to the left. Mr. Churchill expected Ramon's reaction.
Whoosh!
"Ouch…!" Ramon grabbed his cheek as it bled, the sword nicked him.
"You injured me!"
"Yes, you learn faster through injuries and setbacks".
"I think that is enough demonstration, now is time to learn".
"I need other students to climb up the stage and challenge Ramon, combat is the best way to learn the ways of the sword and the art of feinting".
Hearing that, Ramon felt a bit disappointed but still some anticipation.
For the remaining minutes of this class, Ramon's course mates sparred against him, the best of the department. By the end of the class, they pushed him so hard that he mastered it.
In just one class, Ramon mastered the basics of feinting.
Mr. Churchill was used to being shocked by this student.
Picking his bag, he left, the class was over.
As Ramon returned to his room, a lot of things went through his mind. He thought to Mr. Churchill, to Mr. Patrick, to Shaggy, to everything that happened today, and his mind was set.
'I need to get stronger!'
'I need to get stronger faster!'
'I need to put even more effort into training!'