A Lifes Journey

“Arrogance.” His stupid stern face is annoying “Huh?”.

“Your arrogant attitude is so blatant, sure, you have a high level of skill with a bow but, it is incredibly apparent that you have little to no face to face combat experience, if I didn’t know any better, I’d have guessed you grew up as an assassin.” I felt the color draining from my face.

My muscles tightened as a single thought popped up. Run? But then again, it's not really illegal…

I mean yeah, I barely have any experience fighting face to face with people as almost all of my missions ended up with me just killing the target unnoticed but still, Kiyoko did train me for that too.

“-ey! Kid, are you still with us? Your face looks like you’ve seen a ghost, let me finish my lecture before you panic.” His suspicious look tells me everything. He knows, absolutely. Maybe…?

“So, I said you lost due to arrogance but I’ll be honest, your accuracy is astonishing, especially for a 20 year old kid, cheer up.” Tch, he just wants to kick me out of school or throw me in jail, should I run?

“hohoho go easy on the boy my dear Gorin, he’s obviously shook by this fight.” What was this weirdo’s name again? Dickel?

“Anyway, Amenda, would you please heal me before we continue with the fights?” I don’t know what this muscle brain’s thinking and if he wants me in jail or whatever, but master wanted me to study here for a while, I’ll have to just bet he didn’t figure me out.

Since I think the rest of those people here are way smarter than him, I’ll have to use bare minimum Sy techniques and just forgo using my Seal entirely like Kiyoko suggested while I’m staying here.

While I was lost in thought, the middle-aged woman named Amenda used her Seal to heal mister high and mighty knight while the other instructor – Dickel - was preparing something.

As she waved her hand over his wounds, a layer of dark brown foam appeared, it was called hazel foam but it just looks like literal shit to be honest…

As if in response to my thought, bizzare bubbles with a light-green, clear color popped out and floated over the foam, giving a perfect, somewhat ethereal hazel hue.

“Seeing as our little spar was very short, I’d like for you to fight Djah’ckel as well, without resting, we will give you your rank after we’re done assessing your combat prowess.” Ah, fuck, how do I keep messing up their names, Jakel is a pretty unique one though, kinda hard to remember.

While the desert guy was wrapping his hands with some bandages, Groin explained to the rest of the class that they’re all gonna have to fight the instructors. My blue-haired ice statue of a teacher will serve as an instructor for weaponized combat as well to speed things up.

“Are we ready little boy?” mister brown was in position already gesturing me to the farther end of the arena so as to give the other losers space to fight.

“Respected teacher, are the rules the same as before?” stretching my arms and preparing for the fight was essential, Kiyoko always warned me of little things like cramps.

“Not quite boy-boy,” huh? Boy-boy? “hohoho, in this fight you’re allowed to use Si energia” ‘si energia’? Is that Sy? “but the rest of the rules are the same.”

After we both finished our preparations, I took a deep breath and nodded before taking a fighting position.

“We will begin after this coin hits the floor, yes?” browny explained and just tossed the coin into the air after I nodded.

With a deep breath, everything around me slowed down, I felt extremely calm.

*ting* we both closed the gap we had between us, his body is undoubtedly coated in Sy, such inefficient usage, he’ll run out of stamina in no time.

A snake-like stab with his fingers at my face snapped me out of my thoughts, I redirected with my right hand while moving my head diagonally to the right and shifting my balance forward in order to go in for a strike into his flat stomach.

My victory.

To my surprise though, his stance had shifted from a normal one into a weird one legged stance, my open palm hit his right knee cap as he used the force of my strike to spin to his right as if dancing, my whole world sank and I found myself on the floor…

Arrogance, was it? I guess those teachers are pretty strong.

After taking a second to humble myself, I got up and turned to Jakel.

“Instructor, would you please give me a second try?” Asking this felt disgusting, but I had to try something out.

“Why of course my dear child, hohoho, enthusiasm is a blassink.” His weird laugh made me wanna throw myself off a building.

My short ritual felt even more intense this time around, I took everything in, the sounds, the smells, the moisture in the cool air.

Everything seemed to slow down for a second when I inhaled as I came up with a plan.

I felt extremely calm.

“I’m ready.”

Browny tossed his coin yet again into the air and we started, this time I looked carefully, I needed to seize just 1 moment to shift the tides.

As we closed the gap between us I just stood there waiting for my chance, his left hand shot forward, yet again in a snake-like movement, I followed the sequence to its natural conclusion and ended up in the same spot as before.

This time is different though.

As I felt the force of my strike being sucked in by his eccentric movement, I used the Slayers’ special Sy technique to ease the centrifugal force and rebalance myself, I lifted up my right hand into an open palm uppercut but stopped just before hitting his chin in order to redirect his left hand from reaching my face.

While our forearms collided, I already stepped down with my left foot onto his left foot.

Seeing as he was in a one legged stance, his balance was supposedly his biggest flaw.

Using the weight of my body I pushed him into the ground and won the fight by submission.

With a snarky smile that had me confused, snake-man put 1 hand on my shoulder and declared me victor.

“You know boy-boy, you fight very intelligently when you get rid of your arrogant thoughts.” Prick.

“Howevar, this is not a good battle you just hat. One, you lost the first battle, and two, you assumed I would use the same tactic again just because you chose to do so, please do not think in this manner while fighting, hohoho.” Tch, I hate to admit it, but he’s right, stupid owl…

After my humiliations, heading to the southern seating area I could swear I heard some assholes talking about my loss to desert monk.

*Sigh* I sat down, whatever, I’ll just sleep until this whole test thing is over…

***

“Yo, Inoshi, how ya doin’ brotha?” My goofy friend asked.

Feelings I tried to bury re-surfaced, why am I seeing this guy in a dream, I don’t want this.

“Ostel, you bastard, move your hands from my face, I’m trying to concentrate!” My mouth responded on its own.

Aghhhhh, this is the worst.

“Whatcha actin’ all grumps about man, I’m just tryna help ya.”

Just hearing his nostalgic voice makes me feel like the piece of shit that I actually am, fuck…

*THREAT!*

My instincts suddenly kicked in and shook me from my nightmare as a sword was about to hit my neck, without even thinking I stopped the blade with my Sy-coated hand.

Pulling the blade over my body I threw my hand towards my assailant’s throat with the purpose of piercing a hole through it as a realization fell on me, I’m in school, this is not ‘Home’, there is no… danger?