Martial Arts Talent

Chapter 59 Martial Arts Talent

Just as Nelly and Kovina returned, her progress in [Warrior Breathing] came to a complete standstill.

When Kovina saw Xue Ling engrossed in reading by the training field, she was clearly taken aback.

"Can it understand?" Kovina walked up to Lorne and whispered, as if afraid that her voice would be too loud and disturb the little guy.

"Probably—maybe." Lorne wasn't too sure either, because the little furball was clearly more interested in the magical images in the book.

"Nellie said you need a sparring partner who can take a beating," Kovina said, getting back to the point.

"Yes." Lorne nodded. "I need to learn warrior attack techniques. Nelly isn't wearing armor, and I'm afraid I might hurt her."

"Then you've come to the right person," Kovina said confidently.

"Do you want to get a shield?" Lorne asked.

"No need, I'm used to parrying with my sword," Kovina said, patting the hand sword hanging at her waist.

"Uh. You'd better get a training sword. I didn't call you here just to get beaten up," Lorne said.

As a melee fighter, Kovina naturally understood the training process of focusing on individual skills before moving on to comprehensive training. So she readily nodded and said "Okay," and quickly walked into the armory next to the training ground.

Professionals use high-quality steel for their training weapons because they are more sensitive to the weight of weapons, especially larger ones. Even a slight difference in weight can significantly reduce or even negatively impact training effectiveness.

The training weapons used by the militia are mostly made of wood. Their strength is not as great as that of the professionals. The main subjects of their training are moves and routines, and they have special physical training to improve their strength.

Kovina picked and chose among the row of figurine swords, and soon found one that was almost the same weight as her own sword. She carried it back to the training ground.

Both sides took their positions and got ready to begin immediately.

Lorne launched the first attack using a combination of [Guerrilla Stance] and [Gladiator Stance], while Kovina, wielding her swords in both hands, used footwork and soul parrying techniques.

Lorne's attacks failed to hit Kovina's body in several rounds, but he did not stop. Instead, he continued to maintain his attack rhythm and gradually entered a state of flow.

Kovina could clearly sense that Lorne's combat skills were improving at an alarming rate, forcing him to gradually unleash his full power.

Nelly, who was watching from the sidelines, also noticed Lorne's change and became focused, as if she were also involved.

Lorne was well aware of his own pace of progress, but he wasn't surprised.

After all, he currently has a total of 28 points in all attributes, has the basic skills of a level 4 martial artist, and has complete combat experience as a master gladiator and mentor-level shield warrior.

Even if the weapon he uses is not a heavy axe, and his proficiency level is only [unskilled], he can still quickly master it.

So when the two were sparring for the ninth round, Lorne successfully broke through Kovina's defense and struck her shoulder with his sword.

Kovina was clearly stunned for a moment. Her first reaction was that this was too unreal. How could a novice who had just started using a sword use such a move?

But the slight numbness in my shoulders, the trembling of my shoulder armor, and the sound of the steel sword striking my armor all proved that it was indeed real.

"Amazing," Kovina exclaimed instinctively.

"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, teacher," Lorne said sincerely.

"Did I teach you anything?" Kovina blinked blankly.

"Your sword skills and defensive techniques," Lorne explained, "how can I find a way to counter them if I don't learn them first?"

Kovina's eyes widened in disbelief: "You mean, you memorized all those sword techniques you used to parry them?"

"Yes," Lorne smiled and nodded, "my brain works pretty well."

"I don't believe you, let me check," Kovina said, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"Alright, let's start with a full sparring session then," Lorne said, getting into position again.

"Okay." Kovina said and launched the first attack.

Lorne immediately raised his sword to parry, his movements almost identical to those of Kovina.

Kovina missed her first attack, and then launched another, only to have it blocked by Lorne's sword, which was also Lorne's own technique.

No, not only is his magical talent unparalleled, but his combat talent is also outrageous?

Kovina refused to believe it and attacked three times in a row, but Lorne parried them all. Although he was clearly flustered on the third attack, his moves were correct and he successfully parried it.

"Okay, I believe you." Kovina took a step back and said in a sour tone, "Your learning talent is truly enviable."

"Hahaha." Lorne laughed awkwardly and said, "Maybe I have some talent."

""

"A little bit?!" Kovina said irritably, "Is this your first time holding a sword?"

"Uh, does practicing with wooden swords when I was little count?" Lorne tried to make amends, in fact, what he meant by practicing swords was something that most little boys had done.

"No," Kovina decisively rejected, then said seriously, "I've taught many soldiers swordsmanship, and you clearly haven't practiced before. I doubt it would make much of a difference if I gave you a fire poker instead."

""

"Uh, okay, then it seems I really do have a talent for this," Lorne admitted awkwardly.

Kovina sighed, then said with mixed feelings, "Let's continue. I have a feeling that it won't be long before I'm the one calling you 'teacher.' Oh, and that move that broke my defense just now, try it again."

"Okay, let's do it in slow motion."

"Yes, that's what I think too."

""

So the two elves reviewed the move in slow motion.

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! How did you come up with this idea?" Kovina said.

Lorne wanted to say that this move was created by incorporating [Listening Strike] into [Spear Technique Training] and then transforming it into a sword technique.

Unfortunately, there is no profession of martial artist in this world, let alone a sub-position of gun god.

So all he could say was, "Actually, I didn't think too much about it. I just happened to find a weakness on your side and swung my sword at you."

"As you saw in the replay, when this move was executed, the wrist was locked by the joint, so the only way to strike was by deforming the blade. It was impossible to slash with the blade, so it was not suitable for use with a sword."

Kovina pondered for a few seconds and nodded in agreement: "That's true, but if you were using a hammer spear or an orc heavy axe, my shoulder would definitely be ruined if I took that hit."

Lorne imagined it for a moment, and indeed, as Kovina said, this move would be extremely lethal with armor-piercing weapons like hammers and axes. Moreover, it certainly couldn't be blocked by simply parrying with a sword; only a heavy shield could prevent it.

"I think you'd better practice with a heavy shield. The orcs mostly use heavy axes, and you'll be at a disadvantage if you only use your hand with your sword," Lorne said.

"Yes, you're right." Kovina nodded without hesitation, clearly having thought of that as well.

So Kovina took out a heavy shield shaped like an iron made of fine steel from the armory, while Lorne took out a round heavy shield made of fine steel.

To level up a warrior's [Shield Warrior Training] subclass to level 1, they not only need to learn [Shield Warrior Stance], but also need to master [Heavy Shield].

He has trained his skill level to [Mastery], while Lorne is currently only at the proficient level.

The two elves, sword and shield in hand, began to practice.

[Guerrilla Stance] Training Progress +1. (55/100)

[Gladiator Stance] Training Progress +2. (57/100)

[Warrior Breathing] Training Progress +2. (61/100)

[Heavy Shield] Proficiency +2. [Proficiency] (2/1000)

[Dual-purpose weapon] Proficiency +1. [17/100]

[Sword and Blade Proficiency +2. [29/100]]

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