Chapter 49
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As Beta looked at the book in his hands, he couldn't help but have half a smile on his face. However, after thinking about it for a second, he didn't really mind anymore. He left the room and positioned himself in front of Marlon.
"Did you decide on what you're going to take?", Marlon asked with a smile.
"Yes!", Beta answered while showing him the book he chose.
It was a thick book which contained all the information and guaranteed studies about the technique. It was quite strange since every single thin book he saw on the shelves was more like an introduction to the techniques rather than the full details of the techniques themselves. The topics barely touched the essence of the techniques too, which made him wonder why those books were separated instead of being compiled into one thick introduction book of techniques. On the other hand, there were also thick books that were full of theories from different masters which didn't succeed in clarifying their own opinions, thus, turning the content of the book into more of a compilation of nonsense rather than helpful information.
"Let me see... Monkey Stick Tactics? Eherm… What an interesting choice. Why did you choose this one?", Marlon said while observing Beta.
"I chose this technique because of its strangeness and potential. This technique only has twenty movements but it can still be expanded once the complete technique's essence is grasped. Most importantly, it's strong and, due to its strangeness, flexible. According to the description, the twenty moves have an incredible strength in them that can't normally be achieved. Another factor of its strangeness is that it's able to enlarge the staff through soulpower manipulation by creating phantom of the original staff and in the later advanced movements, it can even allow the wielder of the staff to construct a kind of clone that can be used while rushing at an enemy. That will be very beneficial for surprise attacks, especially for a staff wielder that has a longer reach compared to sword wielders. Also… well, this technique is more detailed than most of the other books in the room so I didn't really have any choice. It's alright though since it has even guaranteed studies included. So, it grants any reader to have a good grasp of the basics without much testing to do. The name is pretty much the only downside of this technique. But who said that a technique has to sound good to be good?", Beta said, proud of his judgment.
"Well, did you also read the part where it says that you will turn as hairy as a monkey if you train in this technique?", Marlon said with a small smirk.
"Eh? What? How can that be... I was so sure this is a good technique... but this... can I search for something else?", Beta asked anxiously.
He wanted to be strong, but turning as hairy as a monkey would be a problem. Even if Beta didn't really care about his looks, it would definitely make it harder for him to get into cities or trade with merchants in the future. Some explorer teams might even attack him, thinking that he was a beast.
"Hahaha, no worries! I'm just messing with you! This is a good technique you chose. Too bad no one ever picks it...", Marlon said while shrugging his shoulders.
Beta was stunned. He didn't even think of the possibility of Marlon messing with him. Since he didn't read the whole book yet, he just thought that he missed a certain part. After all, after skimming through and finding out that it was a too-strong technique, he just couldn't believe it to be placed here together with that collection of books.
"Why did no one pick it up yet?", Beta asked, ignoring Marlon's earlier deed.
"Because of its name and low set of movements. As long as you don't create new moves, it is not as versatile compared to some other techniques with hundreds of moves. It might still be okay for fighting dumb beasts but once you fight a human that knows of your movements, you're pretty much dead already. Creating new techniques also takes time, and mastering even the first ten movements is just way too hard for most people. Everyone who tried to train with this technique was, in the end, weaker than his peers because they simply didn't understand how to use it properly. Control and a large amount of physical power are necessary to even try to execute it properly. Knowing that, do you still wish to train in it?"
"Definitely!", Beta answered happily.
If it was just about physical strength and control then he wouldn't have a problem at all. His control was much better than other's due to his Surgeon's Rule, and his physique can simply be resolved by taking someone else's if his isn't good enough. So, even if later levels require even more strength or control, these were the last things Beta was worried about.
Marlon nodded in approvingly at Beta's reply. He always liked kids that didn't shrink back when confronted with risks. Most talents were always impatient to get stronger and often chose the fastest and easiest way to reach their goals but then again, all ended up mediocre and not reaching the top. With patience and determination, anyone could beat any talent, but of course, geniuses were an exception. Reaching to that point of his thoughts, Marlon looked at Beta with a hint of pride in his eyes. He really wasn't wrong from the first moment he laid eyes on this kid.
On their way back Marlon started talking once more.
"I'll have to go now. I still need to rest and prepare for the trip back. One last thing, be careful in tomorrow's excursion and don't trust anyone. Greed can make one turn to the dark side so, there will definitely be many people trying to get the reward for finding the key by all means."
"I understand. I will be careful. As long as my class moves together, it shouldn't be a problem even if we meet slightly stronger enemies.", Beta said confidently.
They then parted and bid each other farewell. When they left the Martial Abode, it was already nearing evening, so Beta forgot about going to the market and instead went to his dorm in order to train in his new Monkey Stick Tactics. He arrived within a few minutes and directly started reading once he closed the door to his room. If he wanted to only use martial arts in public for a while, he needed a deeper knowledge of martial arts. Although he had the experience, he was still lacking in the knowledge about techniques. Luckily this book satisfied him. It clearly instructed him on what to do and explained why. Beta really liked this part about the book.
After reading through everything related to the first movement, which was a simple strike from above going downwards, he stopped reading for a while to make sure that he had memorized every detail. He then started to replicate the instructions with his body. Beta quickly found out that training in this technique really wasn't as easy as he had thought. Of course, it wasn't just a simple strike down. Instead, it was all about the control of his body. Every single part had to have a certain action. Only by executing it in the right way would it bring forth its true power. Beta tightened his muscles and got into position, his arms' muscles twitching as he struck downwards with his staff. This time, it had more power to it but still not as much as described in the book. Hence, Beta repeated this action over and over again, until he finally got the right feeling and timing. His waist turned, legs moved, and arms twitched.
"Woosh"
A loud sound was created as Beta struck down his staff. He stopped it before he hit the ground, but the force of the wind alone, let a vase that was three meters away from him quiver.
"Truly strong!", Beta said with shining eyes.
If compared to his previous strength, this was on a whole other level. With this, he could probably split a Black Wolf's head in two without even breaking a sweat. Seeing this kind of result, Beta was finally satisfied. Only now, did he look out of his window to see that it was already dark outside.
"I overdid it again... Oh well, I will just sleep now.", Beta said with a self-ridiculing smile. But once he was about to fall onto the bed, he noticed that his clothes were wet from sweat. Beta then decided to take a shower first before sleeping. The moment he made it into the shower, he already felt much better. After washing himself properly, Beta left the shower, drank some water, and finally fell asleep.
The next day, Beta was woken up by an incessant knocking noise from his door. He unwillingly sat up on his bed and slowly moved towards the door, his eyes still half closed. As he opened the door, Beta was quite relieved that he had still put on a new set of clothes before going to bed, even if he didn't remember doing it. Brian, Domian, and over half of his class were standing in front of him, looking at him weirdly.
"We're going in thirty minutes, you know? Hurry up and get ready already!", Brian said, facepalming.
Beta startled, rushed back into his room, and quickly got ready. Meanwhile, outside of his room, his classmates were talking.
"I even told him to not overdo it...", Domian said with a sigh.
"Are we really going to have such a lazy guy as our leader? But this can be good too. At least, we won't lack sleep on our trip!", said someone that was also showing signs of sleepiness on his face.
"It's already almost afternoon and he was still sleeping!"
Everyone said a word or two to Beta's lazy appearance, not minding at all what his reaction will be. If anything, they've all become that close for the past year that they were able to talk to him normally and even tell jokes. It also wasn't new to them that he loses track of time so, they couldn't help and take the opportunity to tease him before he finally comes back.
"I'm ready, let's go!"
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As Beta looked at the book in his hands, he couldn't help but have half a smile on his face. However, after thinking about it for a second, he didn't really mind anymore. He left the room and positioned himself in front of Marlon.
"Did you decide on what you're going to take?", Marlon asked with a smile.
"Yes!", Beta answered while showing him the book he chose.
It was a thick book which contained all the information and guaranteed studies about the technique. It was quite strange since every single thin book he saw on the shelves was more like an introduction to the techniques rather than the full details of the techniques themselves. The topics barely touched the essence of the techniques too, which made him wonder why those books were separated instead of being compiled into one thick introduction book of techniques. On the other hand, there were also thick books that were full of theories from different masters which didn't succeed in clarifying their own opinions, thus, turning the content of the book into more of a compilation of nonsense rather than helpful information.
"Let me see... Monkey Stick Tactics? Eherm… What an interesting choice. Why did you choose this one?", Marlon said while observing Beta.
"I chose this technique because of its strangeness and potential. This technique only has twenty movements but it can still be expanded once the complete technique's essence is grasped. Most importantly, it's strong and, due to its strangeness, flexible. According to the description, the twenty moves have an incredible strength in them that can't normally be achieved. Another factor of its strangeness is that it's able to enlarge the staff through soulpower manipulation by creating phantom of the original staff and in the later advanced movements, it can even allow the wielder of the staff to construct a kind of clone that can be used while rushing at an enemy. That will be very beneficial for surprise attacks, especially for a staff wielder that has a longer reach compared to sword wielders. Also… well, this technique is more detailed than most of the other books in the room so I didn't really have any choice. It's alright though since it has even guaranteed studies included. So, it grants any reader to have a good grasp of the basics without much testing to do. The name is pretty much the only downside of this technique. But who said that a technique has to sound good to be good?", Beta said, proud of his judgment.
"Well, did you also read the part where it says that you will turn as hairy as a monkey if you train in this technique?", Marlon said with a small smirk.
"Eh? What? How can that be... I was so sure this is a good technique... but this... can I search for something else?", Beta asked anxiously.
He wanted to be strong, but turning as hairy as a monkey would be a problem. Even if Beta didn't really care about his looks, it would definitely make it harder for him to get into cities or trade with merchants in the future. Some explorer teams might even attack him, thinking that he was a beast.
"Hahaha, no worries! I'm just messing with you! This is a good technique you chose. Too bad no one ever picks it...", Marlon said while shrugging his shoulders.
Beta was stunned. He didn't even think of the possibility of Marlon messing with him. Since he didn't read the whole book yet, he just thought that he missed a certain part. After all, after skimming through and finding out that it was a too-strong technique, he just couldn't believe it to be placed here together with that collection of books.
"Why did no one pick it up yet?", Beta asked, ignoring Marlon's earlier deed.
"Because of its name and low set of movements. As long as you don't create new moves, it is not as versatile compared to some other techniques with hundreds of moves. It might still be okay for fighting dumb beasts but once you fight a human that knows of your movements, you're pretty much dead already. Creating new techniques also takes time, and mastering even the first ten movements is just way too hard for most people. Everyone who tried to train with this technique was, in the end, weaker than his peers because they simply didn't understand how to use it properly. Control and a large amount of physical power are necessary to even try to execute it properly. Knowing that, do you still wish to train in it?"
"Definitely!", Beta answered happily.
If it was just about physical strength and control then he wouldn't have a problem at all. His control was much better than other's due to his Surgeon's Rule, and his physique can simply be resolved by taking someone else's if his isn't good enough. So, even if later levels require even more strength or control, these were the last things Beta was worried about.
Marlon nodded in approvingly at Beta's reply. He always liked kids that didn't shrink back when confronted with risks. Most talents were always impatient to get stronger and often chose the fastest and easiest way to reach their goals but then again, all ended up mediocre and not reaching the top. With patience and determination, anyone could beat any talent, but of course, geniuses were an exception. Reaching to that point of his thoughts, Marlon looked at Beta with a hint of pride in his eyes. He really wasn't wrong from the first moment he laid eyes on this kid.
On their way back Marlon started talking once more.
"I'll have to go now. I still need to rest and prepare for the trip back. One last thing, be careful in tomorrow's excursion and don't trust anyone. Greed can make one turn to the dark side so, there will definitely be many people trying to get the reward for finding the key by all means."
"I understand. I will be careful. As long as my class moves together, it shouldn't be a problem even if we meet slightly stronger enemies.", Beta said confidently.
They then parted and bid each other farewell. When they left the Martial Abode, it was already nearing evening, so Beta forgot about going to the market and instead went to his dorm in order to train in his new Monkey Stick Tactics. He arrived within a few minutes and directly started reading once he closed the door to his room. If he wanted to only use martial arts in public for a while, he needed a deeper knowledge of martial arts. Although he had the experience, he was still lacking in the knowledge about techniques. Luckily this book satisfied him. It clearly instructed him on what to do and explained why. Beta really liked this part about the book.
After reading through everything related to the first movement, which was a simple strike from above going downwards, he stopped reading for a while to make sure that he had memorized every detail. He then started to replicate the instructions with his body. Beta quickly found out that training in this technique really wasn't as easy as he had thought. Of course, it wasn't just a simple strike down. Instead, it was all about the control of his body. Every single part had to have a certain action. Only by executing it in the right way would it bring forth its true power. Beta tightened his muscles and got into position, his arms' muscles twitching as he struck downwards with his staff. This time, it had more power to it but still not as much as described in the book. Hence, Beta repeated this action over and over again, until he finally got the right feeling and timing. His waist turned, legs moved, and arms twitched.
"Woosh"
A loud sound was created as Beta struck down his staff. He stopped it before he hit the ground, but the force of the wind alone, let a vase that was three meters away from him quiver.
"Truly strong!", Beta said with shining eyes.
If compared to his previous strength, this was on a whole other level. With this, he could probably split a Black Wolf's head in two without even breaking a sweat. Seeing this kind of result, Beta was finally satisfied. Only now, did he look out of his window to see that it was already dark outside.
"I overdid it again... Oh well, I will just sleep now.", Beta said with a self-ridiculing smile. But once he was about to fall onto the bed, he noticed that his clothes were wet from sweat. Beta then decided to take a shower first before sleeping. The moment he made it into the shower, he already felt much better. After washing himself properly, Beta left the shower, drank some water, and finally fell asleep.
The next day, Beta was woken up by an incessant knocking noise from his door. He unwillingly sat up on his bed and slowly moved towards the door, his eyes still half closed. As he opened the door, Beta was quite relieved that he had still put on a new set of clothes before going to bed, even if he didn't remember doing it. Brian, Domian, and over half of his class were standing in front of him, looking at him weirdly.
"We're going in thirty minutes, you know? Hurry up and get ready already!", Brian said, facepalming.
Beta startled, rushed back into his room, and quickly got ready. Meanwhile, outside of his room, his classmates were talking.
"I even told him to not overdo it...", Domian said with a sigh.
"Are we really going to have such a lazy guy as our leader? But this can be good too. At least, we won't lack sleep on our trip!", said someone that was also showing signs of sleepiness on his face.
"It's already almost afternoon and he was still sleeping!"
Everyone said a word or two to Beta's lazy appearance, not minding at all what his reaction will be. If anything, they've all become that close for the past year that they were able to talk to him normally and even tell jokes. It also wasn't new to them that he loses track of time so, they couldn't help and take the opportunity to tease him before he finally comes back.
"I'm ready, let's go!"
As Beta looked at the book in his hands, he couldn't help but have half a smile on his face. However, after thinking about it for a second, he didn't really mind anymore. He left the room and positioned himself in front of Marlon."Did you decide on what you're going to take?", Marlon asked with a smile."Yes!", Beta answered while showing him the book he chose.It was a thick book which contained all the information and guaranteed studies about the technique. It was quite strange since every single thin book he saw on the shelves was more like an introduction to the techniques rather than the full details of the techniques themselves. The topics barely touched the essence of the techniques too, which made him wonder why those books were separated instead of being compiled into one thick introduction book of techniques. On the other hand, there were also thick books that were full of theories from different masters which didn't succeed in clarifying their own opinions, thus, turning the content of the book into more of a compilation of nonsense rather than helpful information."Let me see... Monkey Stick Tactics? Eherm What an interesting choice. Why did you choose this one?", Marlon said while observing Beta."I chose this technique because of its strangeness and potential. This technique only has twenty movements but it can still be expanded once the complete technique's essence is grasped. Most importantly, it's strong and, due to its strangeness, flexible. According to the description, the twenty moves have an incredible strength in them that can't normally be achieved. Another factor of its strangeness is that it's able to enlarge the staff through soulpower manipulation by creating phantom of the original staff and in the later advanced movements, it can even allow the wielder of the staff to construct a kind of clone that can be used while rushing at an enemy. That will be very beneficial for surprise attacks, especially for a staff wielder that has a longer reach compared to sword wielders. Also well, this technique is more detailed than most of the other books in the room so I didn't really have any choice. It's alright though since it has even guaranteed studies included. So, it grants any reader to have a good grasp of the basics without much testing to do. The name is pretty much the only downside of this technique. But who said that a technique has to sound good to be good?", Beta said, proud of his judgment."Well, did you also read the part where it says that you will turn as hairy as a monkey if you train in this technique?", Marlon said with a small smirk."Eh? What? How can that be... I was so sure this is a good technique... but this... can I search for something else?", Beta asked anxiously.He wanted to be strong, but turning as hairy as a monkey would be a problem. Even if Beta didn't really care about his looks, it would definitely make it harder for him to get into cities or trade with merchants in the future. Some explorer teams might even attack him, thinking that he was a beast."Hahaha, no worries! I'm just messing with you! This is a good technique you chose. Too bad no one ever picks it...", Marlon said while shrugging his shoulders.Beta was stunned. He didn't even think of the possibility of Marlon messing with him. Since he didn't read the whole book yet, he just thought that he missed a certain part. After all, after skimming through and finding out that it was a too-strong technique, he just couldn't believe it to be placed here together with that collection of books."Why did no one pick it up yet?", Beta asked, ignoring Marlon's earlier deed."Because of its name and low set of movements. As long as you don't create new moves, it is not as versatile compared to some other techniques with hundreds of moves. It might still be okay for fighting dumb beasts but once you fight a human that knows of your movements, you're pretty much dead already. Creating new techniques also takes time, and mastering even the first ten movements is just way too hard for most people. Everyone who tried to train with this technique was, in the end, weaker than his peers because they simply didn't understand how to use it properly. Control and a large amount of physical power are necessary to even try to execute it properly. Knowing that, do you still wish to train in it?""Definitely!", Beta answered happily.If it was just about physical strength and control then he wouldn't have a problem at all. His control was much better than other's due to his Surgeon's Rule, and his physique can simply be resolved by taking someone else's if his isn't good enough. So, even if later levels require even more strength or control, these were the last things Beta was worried about.Marlon nodded in approvingly at Beta's reply. He always liked kids that didn't shrink back when confronted with risks. Most talents were always impatient to get stronger and often chose the fastest and easiest way to reach their goals but then again, all ended up mediocre and not reaching the top. With patience and determination, anyone could beat any talent, but of course, geniuses were an exception. Reaching to that point of his thoughts, Marlon looked at Beta with a hint of pride in his eyes. He really wasn't wrong from the first moment he laid eyes on this kid.On their way back Marlon started talking once more."I'll have to go now. I still need to rest and prepare for the trip back. One last thing, be careful in tomorrow's excursion and don't trust anyone. Greed can make one turn to the dark side so, there will definitely be many people trying to get the reward for finding the key by all means.""I understand. I will be careful. As long as my class moves together, it shouldn't be a problem even if we meet slightly stronger enemies.", Beta said confidently.They then parted and bid each other farewell. When they left the Martial Abode, it was already nearing evening, so Beta forgot about going to the market and instead went to his dorm in order to train in his new Monkey Stick Tactics. He arrived within a few minutes and directly started reading once he closed the door to his room. If he wanted to only use martial arts in public for a while, he needed a deeper knowledge of martial arts. Although he had the experience, he was still lacking in the knowledge about techniques. Luckily this book satisfied him. It clearly instructed him on what to do and explained why. Beta really liked this part about the book.After reading through everything related to the first movement, which was a simple strike from above going downwards, he stopped reading for a while to make sure that he had memorized every detail. He then started to replicate the instructions with his body. Beta quickly found out that training in this technique really wasn't as easy as he had thought. Of course, it wasn't just a simple strike down. Instead, it was all about the control of his body. Every single part had to have a certain action. Only by executing it in the right way would it bring forth its true power. Beta tightened his muscles and got into position, his arms' muscles twitching as he struck downwards with his staff. This time, it had more power to it but still not as much as described in the book. Hence, Beta repeated this action over and over again, until he finally got the right feeling and timing. His waist turned, legs moved, and arms twitched."Woosh"A loud sound was created as Beta struck down his staff. He stopped it before he hit the ground, but the force of the wind alone, let a vase that was three meters away from him quiver."Truly strong!", Beta said with shining eyes.If compared to his previous strength, this was on a whole other level. With this, he could probably split a Black Wolf's head in two without even breaking a sweat. Seeing this kind of result, Beta was finally satisfied. Only now, did he look out of his window to see that it was already dark outside."I overdid it again... Oh well, I will just sleep now.", Beta said with a self-ridiculing smile. But once he was about to fall onto the bed, he noticed that his clothes were wet from sweat. Beta then decided to take a shower first before sleeping. The moment he made it into the shower, he already felt much better. After washing himself properly, Beta left the shower, drank some water, and finally fell asleep.The next day, Beta was woken up by an incessant knocking noise from his door. He unwillingly sat up on his bed and slowly moved towards the door, his eyes still half closed. As he opened the door, Beta was quite relieved that he had still put on a new set of clothes before going to bed, even if he didn't remember doing it. Brian, Domian, and over half of his class were standing in front of him, looking at him weirdly."We're going in thirty minutes, you know? Hurry up and get ready already!", Brian said, facepalming.Beta startled, rushed back into his room, and quickly got ready. Meanwhile, outside of his room, his classmates were talking."I even told him to not overdo it...", Domian said with a sigh."Are we really going to have such a lazy guy as our leader? But this can be good too. At least, we won't lack sleep on our trip!", said someone that was also showing signs of sleepiness on his face."It's already almost afternoon and he was still sleeping!"Everyone said a word or two to Beta's lazy appearance, not minding at all what his reaction will be. If anything, they've all become that close for the past year that they were able to talk to him normally and even tell jokes. It also wasn't new to them that he loses track of time so, they couldn't help and take the opportunity to tease him before he finally comes back."I'm ready, let's go!"
