Genius

"David, did you really memorize all of it?" Gallen asked, equally incredulous.

He had seen plenty of geniuses, but the Storm Hammer Technique wasn't some ordinary basic technique. Although David's physique met the requirements for practicing it, its complexity and the ways it used and shifted force made it difficult to memorize in full—even for someone who had learned the Basic War Hammer Technique.

As far as Gallen knew, David had never learned how to use a war hammer before, just like Myron.

"Uncle Gallen, I memorized all of it!" David replied confidently.

"Then practice it once!" Gallen said. Even after David confirmed it, he still had doubts, so he asked him to demonstrate.

David nodded and took the war hammer from Gallen.

The instant he took hold of it, his presence changed. An unstoppable momentum burst from him.

Feeling that momentum, Gallen couldn't help but be taken aback. The war hammer was a purely offensive weapon, and it demanded precisely that sort of forward-driving spirit.

If he hadn't known that David had never learned how to use a war hammer, he would have thought David had been practicing with one since childhood.

But who had ever seen someone who practiced with a war hammer not even own one at home? Had he been practicing with the longsword hanging on the wall?

David paid no attention to Gallen's searching gaze or Myron's expectant look. The moment he picked up the war hammer, he became one with it. It felt like an extension of his body.

Although this wasn't the style of war hammer he preferred, with his War Hammer Mastery already at 82% proficiency, all he needed was a war hammer.

As he began practicing the Storm Hammer Technique, he realized how important his earlier proficiency-level Body Technique training had been. By practicing it, he had gained precise control over his bones and muscles. That was why practicing the Storm Hammer Technique felt much easier than he had expected.

Myron stared wide-eyed as David performed each move of the Storm Hammer Technique flawlessly. He began to question his own intelligence.

How could two people who had learned together—and whose physical abilities were such that he even surpassed David—have such different results? He had only memorized the first six moves, while David practiced the entire sequence without pausing, showing no hint of awkwardness.

Unlike Myron, Gallen saw much more.

David wasn't merely imitating the Storm Hammer Technique he had just demonstrated. He was adding insights of his own. To Gallen, David seemed like an experienced Armored Warrior who had spent years wielding a war hammer.

As David practiced, a hint of savage killing intent joined his unstoppable momentum.

The killing intent was faint and unstable, but Gallen couldn't understand how David could have produced it.

There was only one explanation: David was a genius, an unparalleled talent in both Body Technique and the use of the war hammer.

In truth, David had mastered the war hammer so quickly entirely thanks to Gallen's instruction. The way Gallen had just demonstrated the powerful technique slowly, bringing out every detail, was exactly what David needed to improve.

If David had searched for videos on his own or found someone less skilled to teach him, there was no way he could have reached this level the first time he picked up a war hammer.

"Myron, take a war hammer and demonstrate the first six moves you learned!" Gallen said, retrieving one and handing it to him.

Myron glanced at David, who had finished his demonstration. He didn't want to be compared with David at a time like this, but he had to do as Gallen asked.

"Go ahead. Don't compare yourself to David. Just focus on doing your best," Gallen said gravely.

Myron picked up the war hammer and was about to begin, but Gallen stopped him before he could start.

"You're holding it wrong. It should be like this." As he spoke, Gallen corrected Myron's grip.

After the correction, Myron performed the first move, and Gallen immediately spotted a mistake. This time, though, he didn't correct him. He simply watched Myron continue.

Only after Myron had finished the first six moves he had memorized did Gallen feel certain: Myron's performance was normal. What David had done was something only a true genius could manage.

"David, take that war hammer and practice over there by yourself. I'll teach Myron for a while," Gallen said, waving him off.

A good student made a teacher's job easier, but a student who was too talented could leave the teacher feeling utterly helpless.

Gallen was certainly capable of teaching David, but it was impossible for anyone to become nearly proficient in War Hammer Mastery after just one lesson. Once someone reached the proficiency level, it was no longer a matter of a teacher's instruction. The student had to experience different battles and develop a style of their own.

David acknowledged him, picked up the war hammer, and went off to practice by himself.

Like a child who had just received a new toy, he started again from the first move of the Storm Hammer Technique he had just performed, steadily improving his familiarity with the war hammer. What he needed now was practice.

Gallen had Myron start from the first move, correcting his mistakes one by one. Fortunately, Myron wasn't a fool. Mayor Bernard was willing to pay a price to send him here because he had sufficient faith in Myron's talent.

Myron was moving from his first encounter with the war hammer into the stage of understanding it.

Gallen didn't expect him to reach the entry level right away. He wanted to teach Myron the correct way to practice and make sure he learned the Storm Hammer Technique without any mistakes. As long as Myron worked hard from then on, his mastery of the war hammer would naturally improve.

Gallen had initially planned to teach David the same way. David's talent had simply caught him off guard, throwing his plans into disarray.

Myron followed Gallen's instruction attentively. Both the Storm Hammer Technique and Gallen's guidance were rare opportunities, and he didn't want to waste a moment.

But just as Myron was concentrating on his lesson, David's practice nearby kept distracting him.

David wasn't trying to distract him, of course. It was just that as David's practice grew more involved, the Storm Hammer Technique and his 82%-proficient War Hammer Mastery became increasingly well matched.

As Myron practiced, he would occasionally feel a chilling presence coming from David's side. He was only a student, and although he came from a prominent family in Peilan City, he couldn't understand what that chilling presence meant.

Gallen, however, was astonished. In less than two hours of practice, David had strengthened his faint killing intent until it was plainly evident.

At this point, aside from not being an Armored Warrior himself, David's mastery of the war hammer was already on par with that of an experienced Armored Warrior who used one as his primary weapon.

Gallen looked at David, then at Myron, and felt the difference between them.

When Myron saw Gallen's expression, he felt deeply discouraged.

Myron had always thought of himself as a genius. At school and among his social circle, he had been one of the most outstanding young people of his generation.

But compared to David today, he felt like a fool.

"Myron, watch from the side," Gallen said, taking the war hammer from his hands. Then he smiled at David. "David, let's spar."

As he spoke, Gallen swung his war hammer toward David's chest. With his control, he wouldn't let David get hurt; he could stop the hammer just before it struck him.

He wanted to put David under a little pressure. A genius who had everything come too easily wouldn't grow as well.

A little fear would help him grow.

Gallen expected David to fumble, perhaps even fail to deal with this simple strike.

No matter how talented David was, this was still his first time handling a war hammer. He had only just learned how to use one, and no matter how well he had mastered the technique, he was still a long way from real combat.

But David's reaction surprised him. His war hammer traced an arc, and he used its momentum to turn his body and slip past Gallen's strike. At the same time, his own war hammer spun through the air and swung toward Gallen's arm.

Though surprised, Gallen was far stronger than David. He shifted his hand slightly, turning his war hammer over and deflecting David's strike.

"Good!" Gallen shouted. He showed a little more of his skill and launched a flurry of attacks at David.