Chapter 484: The essence of swordsmanship II

Kyle pointed the branch in his hand down and wrote a few words on the ground with a concentrated expression.

He knew he would forget the memory he created before he arrived in this land. That's why, even though he couldn't practice his art due to the lack of a weapon, he made sure to go through the memory of his art again and again in his mind. He even outlined it in his notebook, but now that the notebook was gone, he needed to write the art in another place as soon as possible.

"I remember..."

Hubert glanced at the character Kyle wrote on the ground and raised a brow.

"Void Shattering Strikes...?"

"You are saying it's a 3-star Art? But why does the name sound so powerful to be just a 3-star Art?"

The old man rubbed his chin.

"I know Arts are divided into 1 to 8 stars, with 8-star being the highest... And I'm sure the name of the art you wrote is definitely not a 3-star. Instead, it gives off a feeling that it's a higher star Art."

Hubert's words reverberated in Kyle's ears, who suddenly remembered a line he read when he first got the art.

"I just recall there was a note at the end of the art book I got that stated the star of the art can be increased after the learner achieved perfection in all the moves included in the art."

The old man let out an 'Oh' with an interested expression.

"And how far have you come in those moves? You are skilled with the sword, and your comprehension ability is also great, so I am sure you have already achieved perfection in all the moves, right?"

However, Hubert never expected to hear the words that came out of Kyle's mouth next, who scratched his head with an embarrassed expression.

"There were only four moves in the art, but... actually, I neglected the art after I acquired a powerful skill, blue flames. The flames were stronger and always killed the enemies faster, so I just got used to using them instead of my sword. I remember a little that I did use my sword in between but not to the point of completely mastering the four moves. To be truthful, I just mastered the first move perfectly. The second and third moves had not reached perfection yet... and I never even used the fourth move, not even once."

Kyle's expression remained unchanged as he explained to the old man how he had neglected his art, causing him to miss the moment when Hubert tightly clasped his hands behind his back to refrain from smacking him on the head.

The old man's eyes flashed with frustration. He couldn't believe the human neglected the talent he was most proficient in just because of a powerful skill?! No matter how powerful the skill was, Kyle should have never neglected his sword!

All of a sudden, he finally noticed that the young man never mentioned the fact that he ever practiced swordsmanship. Kyle only mentioned that he stopped focusing on his art after acquiring a powerful skill.

Hubert narrowed his eyes sharply.

"Kyle... tell me. Just how much time have you given to practicing swordsmanship? Don't you dare lie, tell me truthfully."

Kyle raised his brows with a thoughtful expression. He remembered not entirely but a vague memory of himself practicing with the sword in the academy for a while where he was surrounded by many people he barely remembered.

Then he practiced his swordsmanship a few times afterward in the secret realm as well, but Kyle had no recollection of himself practicing the sword or his art extensively... like the man with blue hair who appeared in his memory as he thought about the academy and sword.

He opened his mouth and let out an 'ah' as he remembered how he never asked for help from someone else while practicing the sword. After understanding his art, he didn't think he needed help.

'Now that I am looking at myself from the perspective of someone who is trying to recall his memories like images... why do I feel like I was being an arrogant prick?'

'Don't tell me I was proud of my ability to grasp the art easily when others my age could not. I was, was not I?'

'I want to beat up my past self.'

He let out a sigh inwardly and evaded Hubert's sharp gaze before sidestepping the topic.

"Master... I can not recall clearly as my memory is hazy. Maybe I did practice the sword art for a brief period?"

Hubert narrowed his eyes and, after unclasping his hands, he made a pinching motion with his fingers, leaving a small gap between his thumb and index finger.

"How much brief?"

Kyle blinked as he observed the old man's action before grabbing the latter's fingers to make them move a little further away from each other.

"A little more maybe?"

Immediately, Hubert smacked him on the shoulder, and Kyle hissed with furrowed brows while rubbing his shoulder. Even though Kyle's expression remained passive during their talk, the old man noticed that his body had become less tense.

Hubert clicked his tongue and gestured for Kyle to follow before they started walking toward the mountain that overlooked the village. Once they arrived at the old man's house, he entered inside and retrieved a weathered, dusty wooden sword. Hubert brushed the dust off the sword and tossed it to Kyle with a solemn expression.

"Starting today, you are going to pick up your sword again. I expect you to practice the basics every day before you go to bed."

"But first and foremost, jot down everything you remember about your sword art so I do not have to find a new art for you. Our new routine will include physical training in the morning and afternoon, and refining your swordsmanship skills at night."

Kyle gave him a nod and took the pen and plain notebook Hubert handed to him. He also voiced his concern when the old man began explaining more about the sword.

"But... this land lacks energy. Except for the first move of my sword art, the rest of the moves require mana or any other form of energy, and without it, the moves won't be able to show their true power."

"So, will I be able to reach the perfection stage in the remaining moves?"

Hubert grinned.

"So what? Achieving perfection isn't about making your move deadly and forceful. It's about mastering its form to the extent that you can effortlessly perform it with muscle memory alone, and it's possible without relying on mana or any other form of energy."