Tale Of A Knight 34 Volume 2: Chapter 24: Challenge

Zenjuro gave a thumb up with his right hand.

"That's not funny!"

Bakit could not comprehend why his master would congratulate him on his dire circ.u.mstances. Crazy things kept happening to him one after another and he just wanted a way out.

"And then you invented an entirely new move, using an air slash in order to escape them by flying through the air! I am not sure whether to praise you for your ingenuity or laugh at how absurd your situation was!"

"Give me a break, master! That's not what I am here about!"

"Then what are you here for?"

Bakit clenched his sole hand into a fist.

"I want to get out of the city and find a job as an adventurer. I don't want to stay here and end up being sent to the frontlines by the idiotic cross dresser who has no chance of landing the throne. Which is why I would like to ask for your approval on this endeavor, master."

"Sounds fine by me"

"Really?"

That was too quick. He expected the Sword Lord to tell him at least a dozen reason he shouldn't become an adventurer, but much to his surprise, Zenjuro agreed with him right away.

"Indeed, you need to gain some practical experience, after all. That is, if you can succeed at the challenge I will give you."

"Which is?" Bakit now expected the worst.

"You have to succeed at crossing the first layer within Sword Lord Training grounds. An endeavor which you have yet to complete"

Bakit and Zenjuro were already inside the barrier that separated Sword Lord's Training grounds from the rest of the city, and now Bakit fearfully looked at the first layer of the barrier, filled with wind spirits.

"So, if I manage to cross it, you will approve of me becoming an adventurer in the neighboring city?"

"Indeed, if you manage to pa.s.s the first layer, you will definitely have the skills required to survive as an adventurer. Of course, you will need to come back after one month to continue your training."

"Sounds reasonable"

"By the way, Bakit….What's up with that girl?"

Zenjuro pointed outside the barrier, standing there, looking everywhere, but unable to find Bakit, was a maid with silverish blue hair. The barrier made it impossible to see what was inside of it from the outside, but the ones inside the barrier could clearly see everything outside of it.

"Just a stalker, please ignore her, master"

"Hmm, that emblem on her clothing, it's definitely of the Aristan Household….I see, so they sent a watchdog after you, huh?"

"It is exactly as you say"

Bakit's lowered his head in embarra.s.sment, like usual, his master saw through everything in one glance.

"If I were you, I would have just gone along with them and lived a comfortable life, with no worry whatsoever"

"I considered it, but all of the family members are insane, obsessed with swordsmans.h.i.+p to the point of ludicrousness!"

"Bakit, you are an apprentice of the Sword Lord, I think you would fit perfectly in their household."

Zenjuro couldn't help but think how hypocritical Bakit sounded, calling people insane for following the path of the sword when he is doing the exact same thing by being Sword Lord's apprentice.

"No way! Three of their family members almost killed me on three separate occasions! I don't want to be married into a family of cutthroats with nothing but blades and swords on their minds!"

"Hmm, Sword Saint Household truly is quite devoted towards following the way of the sword, which might be too extreme for some…. It's understandable why you would want to refuse their offer"

"Thank you, master"

At the very least, his master seemed to understand his dilemma.

"Enough chit chat; let your challenge begin!"

* * *

Sword Lord, Zenjuro Tamaraki watched from the distance as Bakit proceeded to enter the first layer of the training grounds.

First layer had countless wind spirits within it; their air based attacks would overwhelm and then cut up anything that crosses their path.

Each layer was separated by the stopping points, in a sense a safe grounds, which were constructed long ago by the previous Sword Lords.

If Bakit manages to cross the first layer and reach the stopping point, he would pa.s.s the first of the five layers within Sword Lord's Training grounds.

Zenjuro's objective here was for Bakit to learn a certain skill called chi manipulation.

Chi, in a sense, was to a swordsman, what mana was for a magician.

Magicians used mana generated from the mana points located on their body in order to cast spells.

Due to its ease of use, many preferred to use mana to enhance their swordsmans.h.i.+p.

However, experienced swordsman like Sword Lord used a fundamentally different approach to swordsmans.h.i.+p.

Instead of using mana, Sword Lord used his chi to augment his swordsmans.h.i.+p.

But learning to channel chi took months if not years of meditation, and since Sword Lord wanted to retire as soon as possible, he could not waste his time trying to teach Bakit to learn to channel his chi the traditional way.

It took too much time, and Sword Lord was not exactly the patient type.

Which is why, he chose a far riskier method, teaching Bakit's body to channel his chi by placing him in a situation where he will be forced to fight for his life. He will be pushed to the brink and be forced to adapt in order to survive.

The instinct to survive, a powerful drive, if used correctly, it would allow one to instinctively grasp and be able to use a skill that would have otherwise taken years if not decades to master.

In a sense, it was a forceful wakeup call in order for one to grasp the feel for channeling chi.

As Zenjuro watched Bakit countering the attacks of wind spirits with his wooden sword, delivering air slashes at them, Zenjuro sighed.

"He is still using his physical strength instead of channeling his chi, huh"

While air slash or any kind of swordsmans.h.i.+p skill could be performed with pure physical strength, there is a limit how far muscles could go. But by channeling chi, a swordsman is able to step far beyond the limits imposed by his body.

Chi is produced by one's willpower, and the stronger one's willpower is, the more effective they are at channeling it.

However, like how mana exhausts the life force of the magician when used, usage of chi places a heavy burden upon the body, draining it dry of strength and stamina.

One could think of chi as mana for swordsmen, but it would not be a completely accurate description.

Watching Bakit now end up getting the talisman knocked off his neck, Zenjuro observed as his student ended up being bombarded by countless gusts of wind.

Now that he was not wearing the talisman of elemental protection, there was a chance that he could get killed by the wind spirits.

Yet Sword Lord did nothing to help.

Instead he watched his student struggle, each time he would get knocked down he would stand up, but finally he ended up slashed across his body, causing him to fall down on the ground, bleeding.

'If he manages to learn how to channel his chi, then he is worthy of being my pupil, but if he dies….then he was never meant to become anything special'

Depending on how he does, it would decide whether he would live or die.

Zenjuro made sure to never mention the concept of channeling chi to Bakit in order for Bakit to learn it by experiencing it firsthand. But in order to do that, his mind needed to be clear and empty of all thoughts.

What he needed to do was to push himself to his limits and then come to an epiphany.

By pus.h.i.+ng Bakit to the edge, Sword Lord knew that one of the two outcomes would inevitably happen.

That was Sword Lord's cruel test to determine whether his student was worthy of being groomed into his successor or simply a failure that was better off dead.

"I guess it is up to fate"

* * *

Bakit's body felt an undeniable sense of agony.

The talisman of elemental resistance was no longer on his neck, it was knocked off by one of wind spirits' attacks.

Now each time he got struck, he received far more serious damage. His right crystal hand ended up shattering into pieces, leaving only a stump behind.

After being knocked over and over, from head to toe by razor sharp winds, Bakit finally fell face first on the ground.

Lying in the pool of his own blood, Bakit could only think.

'So this is how I die, huh? So pathetic….'

But strangely, instead of hearing the voices of the dead, as he came closer and closer to pa.s.sing away, all he could hear was…

"The sound of the wind. I can hear it, vibrating. I can hear sounds of everything around me….in such harmony…."

The beautiful melody did not seem to have any intention of stopping, as his body was getting closer and closer to death, the sound of the wind only intensified.

His body stood up, still holding on to his wooden sword with his sole left hand. He was ignoring the pain of his countless wounds, instead focusing on only the sound that was seemed to vibrate through everything around him.

It was the voice of the wind.

"…That sound, I can imitate it…"

Bakit concentrated upon his body, and for the first time in his life, he felt a power, a melody course through his body, streaming towards his left hand, coating his wooden sword.

It was as though he was lost in a trance, he no longer had any sense of fear or anxiety, he entered a state of mind where he could only hear and perceive the wind that was around him.

With a calm expression, so unlike the one he had just a moment before, he proceeded to unleash the sound through his sword.

The effect was instantaneous.

While his air slashes before were completely ineffective, now his attack's reach was far larger.

It managed to drive the wind elementals back while dispersing some of them into nothing.

Not stopping there, Bakit swung his sword again and again, just to produce that sweet melody.

He felt that he could produce that melody with any part of his body. With a jump he unleashed a kick into the air imbued by the sound.

Bakit was unconsciously channeling his chi through every movement he made. Without even realizing it, he had grasped the basics of channeling his chi, and was currently using it in order to deliver wind type attacks to the wind spirits.

Combination of being in such close proximity to wind spirits and the mortal danger he was placed in, forced him to adapt and learn how to channel his chi in order to beat the wind spirits in their own element.

Jumping up once again, he spun around the air, unleas.h.i.+ng his chi in circular pattern, striking the wind spirits around him with blasts of wind.

In the end, all of the wind spirits were dispersed, and Bakit proceeded to walk forward in unsteady steps.

Once he reached the end of the first layer, he collapsed.

He somehow managed to reach his objective while at the same time learning to unleash the sound of the wind.

But now that he completed the task, he felt his body succ.u.mb to the damage it has taken, falling down limply as his sight was steadily fading away.

'The sound was so beautiful...'

* * *

"Not half bad, my apprentice, not half bad"

"Master?"

Bakit found himself lying on his back, apparently they were still inside the training grounds, but there was not a single wind spirit in sight. They were underneath an apple tree.

"Do not worry, I already gave you a high grade recovery potion, your wounds should already be healed."

"They really are…But, master, where are the wind spirits? Don't tell me…"

Bakit was alarmed for a second before Zenjuro rea.s.sured him.

"They will reform after a single day, but until then, it will be quite peaceful within the first layer of the training grounds."

"I see, I thought I ended up ruining your training grounds for good"

"Nonsense, I couldn't ruin this place even if I wanted to"

"I guess I can say good bye to being an adventurer"

"On contraire, I think you have what it takes, considering you did pa.s.s my challenge"

"I did?"

"You sure have"

"What?"

"Is it really hard to believe that you have managed to succeed with flying colors?"

"I did it? I truly, really did it?"

"Bakit, stating the obvious will not get you anywhere"

"Sorry master, but I don't understand…what was the point of me clearing the first layer? I didn't learn anything…"

"Are you sure about that? You seemed to have grasped the concept of channeling your chi, as far as I can tell"

"Channeling what now?"

"Ooops, oh, well, since you learned it, I might as well tell you."

Zenjuro sat down with a big smile upon his face.

"Channeling chi is the most basic skill required to pa.s.s through the layers of the training grounds."

Seeing Bakit's confused stare, Zenjuro continued.

"Chi is in a sense a power generated by one's willpower. It is channeled through the body, using one's own flesh as a path to make it flow in the direction you want it to."

"So is it like mana?"

"No. Chi is different from mana as it cannot be used for magic, but it can be used in other ways…"

Zenjuro proceeded to snap his fingers, and a small razor sharp wind ended up flying up towards the tree they were under.

A single apple ended up dropping down, which landed into Zenjuro's outstretched hand.

"Was that magic?" Bakit ended up asking.

"No. See?" Zenjuro gestured at the collar on his neck. "I couldn't use my mana with this thing on even if I wanted to. Instead, I channeled my chi into my finger and unleashed it as a razor sharp wind"

"I don't understand"

"No worries, many swordsmen prefer to use mana instead of chi, most likely because it is easier to use and does not take as long to master. So it is natural to be not familiar with the usage of chi"

He continued.

"Depending on how you train, you can make chi produce different effects on your surroundings. For example…"

He unleashed another wind with a flick of his wrist that ended up making several apples fall down, one of them landed right on top of Bakit's head, bonking him much to his frustration.

"Chi can be used to unleash a gust of wind"

He picked up an apple and tossed it up before catching it again, but now the apple was frozen over, covered in ice.

"Chi can also be used to manipulate the water inside anything"

He gave the frozen apple to Bakit who stared at it with undeniable fascination.

"It can be used to destroy"

The apple that Zenjuro just picked up ended up exploding into a mush.

"Set aflame"

One apple ended up catching on fire, as unbelievable as it sounded.

"Chi has many applications, but each has to be learned separately"

"There are five primary elemental styles for channeling chi. Mastering each and every one of them is the duty of one who holds the t.i.tle of the Sword Lord"

"Is that really possible? For me to learn how to do all of those things?"

"Of course, why not? The only thing holding you back is the belief that you cannot do it. Besides, of the five primary styles, you have already learned one, the style of the wind. Now, try channeling your chi and see what you can do"

Bakit did just that.

He picked up his wooden sword and unleashed an air slash.

Unlike his usual attempts, the reach of the air slash was further and it was far stronger, it was as though it was imbued by some unknown power.

"It is so much stronger than before!"

"Of course. Using the chi style of the wind allows your attacks to become far more powerful. Chi can be channeled through any part of your body, allowing you to use it as your greatest weapon. But do take caution. Using chi places a huge burden upon your body; if you rush and push yourself too hard, it could be fatal. In order to last longer you need to train yourself. So, channel your chi daily until you get the knack for it!"

"Yes Master!"

"Now then, I presume you would want to sneak out of here without that watchdog noticing, right?"

He was, of course, referring to the maid who kept following Bakit.

"That would be nice"

"Let's take a detour, in that case"

Sword Lord and Bakit ended up exiting the barrier further away from where they had originally entered.

"Now that you have succeeded in pa.s.sing my challenge, you are free to become an adventurer, but remember, come back after one month to continue your training"

"I will not forget, thank you master"

Bakit bowed in respect to his teacher before proceeding to depart.

He looked at the stump of his right hand. It was still covered in layers of crystals, but it during his training, the crystal hand ended up shattering. According to Rolgo, the crystals grew depending on how much mana they consumed. Since Bakit's body did not produce much mana, their growth was very slow, meaning that for a while, Bakit will have to wear the hollow gauntlet on his right stump.

Still, even as a one armed man, he managed to succeed in pa.s.sing his master's test, the fact of which made Bakit feel rather proud.

He now knew that even with a handicap, he will have a chance at becoming an adventurer.

Raising his only hand into the air, he cried out.

"YES! I DID IT!"

Now, the path to his freedom from Sala was clear, and Bakit could not be happier as he proceeded to jump around like a madman, all the while thinking.

'Life of adventuring, here I come, baby!'