Basic Swordsmanship

Even if these boys in the militia reserve were not from wealthy merchant families, they could at least afford to wear clean clothes.

Standing before them, Duke seemed somewhat out of place.

He merely frowned slightly at the little brats' mockery, without much stirring in his heart.

Wood's expression turned stern as he shouted, "Quiet! If anyone keeps talking nonsense, I'll kick him out!"

After he spoke, the group instantly behaved themselves and began practicing Basic Swordsmanship in a proper manner.

Behind Wood stood Count Hardy. With his background, strength, and prestige, these little brats naturally did not dare disobey him.

Wood walked over to Duke and handed him a wooden sword. "Kid, practice with this wooden sword first. It's made from ironwood and weighs about the same as a real sword, so it serves the same training purpose."

"Thank you, Mr. Wood." Duke accepted the wooden sword with both hands.

Seeing that Duke did not seem embarrassed by what had just happened, Wood patted him on the shoulder with some admiration.

Once Duke held the wooden sword, he did find it somewhat heavy. But that amount of weight was nothing to him, and he wielded it with ease.

Whether they held iron swords or wooden swords, the others still found them somewhat strenuous to use.

Basic Swordsmanship was divided into three aspects: footwork, attacking techniques, and defensive techniques. Footwork included advancing steps, sidesteps, bow stances, and many other forms, each with a different method of exerting force.

Footwork was connected to attacking techniques such as thrusting, chopping, lifting, sweeping, and slashing, as well as defensive techniques such as parrying and leading the sword aside.

It was Duke's first time receiving systematic swordsmanship instruction, so he found it somewhat difficult. There was simply too much for him to absorb in a short time.

However, his physical condition was good, and he had strong control over his body. By practicing step by step, he gradually began to grasp it.

Quite a few people in the group had learned Basic Swordsmanship before. This was easy for them; they were merely reviewing it.

Levin was one of them. While practicing, he took the chance to glance at Duke. When he saw how unfamiliar and clumsy the farmer boy's movements were, he began whispering to the people beside him again, occasionally snickering.

Wood had been observing everyone's movements. At a glance, he could tell who had swordsmanship experience and who was a complete beginner.

He continued instructing the youths, occasionally correcting their movements and methods of exerting force.

"Your habits are wrong. Both your arms and waist need to exert force. If you fight like that, you'll strain your own muscles before you even hurt the enemy," Wood said to Levin.

In truth, Wood preferred complete beginners. They were actually easier to teach.

Many people with prior experience had developed bad habits from their earlier improper training, and those habits were difficult to correct.

Soon, Wood came to Duke's side. After watching for a while, he said, "Your strength is quite good, but pay attention: when taking a bow stance, bend the knee of your front leg and straighten your back leg as you push off..."

Following Wood's instructions, Duke corrected each of his movements one by one.

Because he possessed exceptional control over his body, he was able to perform these movements very precisely.

Wood nodded in satisfaction. He felt that he had discovered a promising talent and said, "That's it. Keep it up!"

Duke recalled the entire set of Basic Swordsmanship, then began practicing it again from beginning to end with meticulous care.

Ten minutes later, the skill tree in his mind changed. Another branch grew out, bearing a green bud.

When Duke focused his attention on it, he received the relevant information.

[Basic Swordsmanship: LV1 (1/300)]

The appearance of Basic Swordsmanship on the skill tree meant that Duke had finally gained an initial grasp of it.

Gripping the wooden sword, Duke began practicing Basic Swordsmanship once more.

This time, he no longer needed to carefully think through every movement and step. His body naturally carried out those motions, as though they had become instinct.

Nor would he forget this Basic Swordsmanship again. Every movement had been deeply engraved in his mind and would never be forgotten.

This was a hidden function of the skill tree: once learned, always retained.

As long as a skill was mastered, it would never be forgotten. There was no possibility of regressing.

Duke greatly enjoyed the feeling and completely immersed himself in practicing Basic Swordsmanship, as though no one else existed. Nothing could disturb him.

After Wood had instructed everyone, he turned around and could not help but feel surprised when he saw Duke practicing.

Outsiders watched the spectacle; experts saw the finer details.

He discovered that the young man's movements were astonishingly precise. Every motion seemed to have been cast from the same mold, without the slightest deviation.

Wood asked himself whether even he, practicing Basic Swordsmanship, could guarantee that every movement would be so standard.

Looks like I've encountered a genius, Wood thought to himself.

However, his expression did not reveal anything unusual. He had also seen the others excluding Duke earlier.

If he openly declared Duke a genius, it would only harm the child instead.

Wood silently remembered Duke but said nothing.

Training lasted the entire day, from morning until afternoon, with only time set aside for lunch.

Lunch was provided by the training ground: a piece of black bread and a bowl of potato soup. Duke ate with great relish.

Levin and the others were different. They looked down on food like black bread.

Though they were not nobles, they considered eating black bread shameful, as though doing so would make them lowborn.

"That's enough practice for today. We'll continue tomorrow," Wood said as he stood before the group.

There were still several hours before sunset, but many of them lived far away, so they needed enough time to return home.

Holding the wooden sword, Duke hesitated. Only after most of the others had left did he ask, "Mr. Wood, can I take this wooden sword home? I promise I'll take good care of it."

Wood immediately saw that Duke wanted to continue practicing at home. Smiling, he said, "Of course. This wooden sword is yours. But training is a gradual process, so don't rush things. Overtraining can harm your body."

"Thank you, Mr. Wood! I'll be careful." Duke nodded.

Just as he was about to leave, Wood called him back.

"Oh, right. Wait here for a moment." Wood seemed to remember something and hurried back into the nearby room.

After a while, he returned carrying a set of clothes. He stuffed them into Duke's hands and smiled. "Take these. They're an old set of mine. We're about the same size, so they should fit you."

Duke lowered his head and looked. The clothes were made of fine linen, completely different from the stiff coarse linen. They would surely be very comfortable to wear.