Chapter 14 Trouble On The Road

[That's not how you do it. Swing it sideways, not down.] Evangeline complained as she watched his training. The past two days had been a bit of a disappointment; his stats hadn't risen in the slightest. The only thing that had changed was his understanding of the sword. Even then, it wasn't enough to increase the rank of his skill. It couldn't always be that easy. Yeah? I am swinging the sword sideways though. Neraxis shot back and slashed once more. He was currently practicing in the yard without the target dummies; Elara had taken it upon herself to lock them all away. It wasn't that big of a deal; all he lost was a bit of a power-up. In exchange, he was able to better his swordsmanship. Evangeline taught him an attack, one that worked effectively against opponents at any range. It was a sideways slash, one that reached the opponent in an instant. The only problem was, it had to be perfect. If it wasn't, then it turned out like any ordinary slash. He was unsure of how it worked. She merely told him there was a simple principle behind it, one that he would comprehend once he mastered the said slash. However, even after two days, there was still no progress. He hadn't managed to perform the attack once. But just as he was about to continue practicing, a voice interrupted him. "Neraxis! 30 minutes!" His mother shouted from inside the house. Today was the day the academy officially started. It was also the day he would find out which class he would be going to. There were five in total: A, B, C, D, and lastly, S. D was the lowest, while S was the highest. Getting into S class was nothing but a pipe dream to him, well, at least in the past. He was only able to enter class B after continuously improving himself. But now, he could not predict the outcome. He might be sent straight into B or even C again. Who knows? Neraxis let go of his sword, and it dissipated back into the stigmata on his wrist as he walked back to his house. He kept it brief. As he went inside and dressed up, saying his goodbyes, he went straight to the academy.@@@@ It would be a good way to burn some time. By walking, he would arrive there exactly on time. [Hmm... I didn't pay that much attention before, but that tower, when did it get there?] Evangeline suddenly asked, curiosity clear in her tone. Like half a century ago, apparently. He answered as he walked through a couple of nearby alleyways. They were much cleaner than he remembered. [Half a century? Really...?] She mumbled to herself before quieting down. Neraxis merely listened to her. She had been giving off strange red flags ever since he first met her, so it was no surprise she saw something out of the ordinary. After all, he was the same when he first arrived in this strange, yet similar world. [You... What are you talking about!?] Evangeline shouted directly into his ear while waving her sword-self around, trying to make him go back. But he had already set his mind on it. The benefits that fighting monsters provided were something he could not pass up on, especially when the opportunity was right in front of him. Typically, killing a monster doesn't do much on the surface, but they give off a tiny amount of mana, which, in turn, raises his mana capacity stat while slightly enhancing his other stats. However, that was only the case for monsters of a similar rank to a person. If it was too low-ranked, the mana would disperse instead of going into him. The monsters before him were perfect. It also seemed like they noticed him as one of the hyena-looking monsters began dashing at him, its speed similar to the one Celina showcased, just a tad bit slower. But unlike last time, he was prepared and significantly stronger than before. Neraxis evaded the incoming Scrapfang monster before grabbing his sword out of the air and slashing through its throat, effectively severing its head. As he did that, he noticed the other monster running toward him, seemingly enraged upon seeing its kind die. Which was precisely the case, and the strategy Neraxis would employ. He waited patiently until the Scrapfang got close to him before simply stretching out his sword in front of him, severing it through the head with its own momentum. Neraxis sighed and slashed the air quickly, flicking the green blood onto the ground before looking onward toward another approaching pack of monsters. [Uhh... how did you do that?] Evangeline's puzzled voice resounded in his mind. However, he had no time to explain as he said, Doesn't matter, what's the time right now? [9:47 AM. That thing you are going to starts at 10, I believe.] Neraxis grumbled. It was a tight timeframe. However, the academy was not that far away. If he ran at full speed after killing all these monsters, he could make it easily. [Hmm... I don't think you will, but best of luck!] She remarked teasingly, to which he responded with a shrug. Watch, I'll arrive early... Neraxis stated and got into a defensive sword stance, holding his sword horizontally with his feet far apart. It was something that he had seen online. However, Evangeline was quick to interrupt with a soft laugh, [Pfft... Bring your feet closer to each other, try keeping it within shoulder-width, else you would not be making it to the academy, or anywhere for that matter. You'd die.] Neraxis blankly fixed his stance according to her instructions and stared at the now incoming horde of Scrapfangs, numbering around 15 in total. Nonetheless, he was confident. His past experiences and training were not for nothing. He grasped the sword tightly and let out a deep breath, readying himself for battle. I won't die.