CHRONICLES of a PC Gamer Stuck Inside an RPG (Book One: Duelist)

Chapter 83 - Special Technique

I sneaked a glance over at Kalistra who was sitting by the pool holding Moff, the family pet. I knew that it would be relaxing for her to hear the sound of the large electric catfish swimming around the pool.

The disgraced cat girl was sitting cross-legged on the ground with her paws in her laps. Her eyes were closed and she exuded an aura of peace and tranquility. However, her ears were twitching.

Yup, she was definitely listening in on my training session. I turned my attention back to the grandmaster.

Kalistro clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

His students were again busy settling bets; evidently, they were betting on how long it took for me to learn the slide step skill. Again, the winners were smiling while the losers were scowling. However, the clapping pulled their attention back to the grandmaster.

"I want you to take a practice sword and line up in a single file again. We're going to have our representative for the Melee Tournament practice the slide step against you. However, we need to step it up a notch and have you actively try to attack him because Lord Mulligan's opponents certainly won't," the grandmaster explained. He waited for a moment while the pupils sorted themselves into a line and then he barked out, "Begin!"

The first student immediately launched the Charge skill.

Knowing how the skill worked, I was able to knock the timing down. As my sparring partner tried to slam his wooden sword against my skull, I activated the slide step. I managed to dodge the stick and simultaneously strike his backside. Whack! "-2 Damage." I was elated to see the small damage from my counterattack because I definitely pulled back my swing. Just a little bit.

"Yield!" my opponent immediately admitted his defeat and backed away.

"Begin!" Kalistro yelled.

I was barely ready for the next strike when the second sparring partner tried to thrust the end of his stick into my chest. Activating the slide step again, I easily evaded the attack. Seeing that my opponent's arms were fully extended, I simply tapped my stick against his left wrist. "-2 Damage."

"Yield!" my opponent yelled to his chagrin.

"Begin!" the grandmaster roared.

This time, my third sparring partner took a different tactic. He took a few swings at me to test my defense. Suddenly, he activated the charge skill.

The abrupt change in rhythm almost caught me off guard. However, my attention was one hundred percent focused on my partner and I was able to recognize the activation of the charge. With perfect timing, I activated the slide step again. When the momentum of the charge took my partner past me, his back was exposed and I poked him lightly in the back. "-2 Damage."

"Yield!" the student grumbled and backed again.

When my sparring was over, I received a notification which read, "Slide Step skill ADVANCED to Level 2. +100 XP."

Kalistro clapped his hands. "Okay, that's enough. Thank you for your help. Now please return your practice sword to the armory, and then join the heir in meditation," he ordered.

"Yes, master!" the students barked and started moving away from me.

Satisfied that his order was being executed, the cat man directed his attention back to me. He looked up at the position of the sun and judged that he had at least one more hour of daylight left. It would suffice for the last skill he planned to teach me. "Let's take a break, young pup," Kalistro suggested. "Please follow me."

He led me around the right side of the building housing the dojo and toward the back wall. There was another storage shed and in front of it was an anvil and a furnace. Nearby was another well.