章 28: Disk

Khan didn't want to delude himself. His sensitivity to mana was good even before reaching twenty percent attunement, but that alone couldn't explain his recent feat.

'Was it a mixture of luck and sensitivity to mana?' Khan wondered as his expression grew severe. 'Did I understand her words due to my similarities with the Nak?'

Khan didn't have the answer to his doubts, but xenolinguistics had instantly reached the top of his list after that event. The lesson was almost over now, but he promised himself to pay far more attention from that day onward.

After the end of the morning lessons, the group hit the canteen, and Khan and Martha eventually remained alone during the break before Professor Norwell's course.

"You should talk with Professor Norwell once you get your martial art," Martha explained after Khan described his interaction with Lieutenant Dyester. "It's pointless to train in those techniques if you have better ones at hand."

"Isn't the lesson mandatory?" Khan asked.

"Not really," Martha continued. "The Global Army can't force you to attend useless classes. Professor Norwell only has to confirm your attunement and your new martial art to exempt you from her lessons."

"I will have more time to train with Lieutenant Dyester then!" Khan exclaimed.

"And I will lose my sparring partner," Martha snorted. "I guess I have to search for a new one. Maybe I should pick a girl and make new friends."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Khan laughed. "Things should change once a few recruits hit the right attunement level anyway."

"You have no idea!" Martha scoffed. "Girls only talk about marrying guys and other political idiocies. They even have a ranking of the boys in our class."

"Where am I at?" Khan quickly asked. "I shouldn't be too low."

"You aren't on the list," Martha snorted. "Why would anyone go after the boy from the Slums?"

"My poor heart will never recover from this," Khan replied while wearing a sad expression.

"You won't lose your mind, at least!" Martha shouted. "This is so annoying. I should get my attunement to twenty percent as soon as possible."

"What will happen once a few of us reach that point?" Khan asked.

"It depends," Martha explained. "Those without martial arts will get one from the Global Army and continue to train under Professor Norwell's supervision. The others will probably rent a training room and practice there. Their Masters might also come from Ylaco and manage their exercises."

"I bet the training rooms cost a lot," Khan sighed.

"The price depends on the quality," Martha replied. "You can have simple reinforced rooms or large halls with animated training dummies. It's pointless for you to think about them anyway. You have no Credits at all."

"You are always so nice to me," Khan said while wearing a wide smile.

"Shut up," Martha snorted. "I have to spend the next weeks with a bunch of annoying girls, and it's your fault. Don't you dare to slack with Lieutenant Dyester."

"You know I won't," Khan replied honestly, and Martha heaved a helpless sigh when she saw the man-Khan face.

"By the way," Khan eventually continued, "When can we get access to spells?"

"The Global Army should still provide some basic training for each element," Martha explained while wearing a pensive expression. "They will probably happen on holoscreens and similar devices, but most of the wealthy kids will summon Masters right away."

"Do you have a Master for your element?" Khan asked.

"The Weesso family is poor," Martha said before wearing a proud smile, "But we always get the same two elements. We already have masters ready. I even ended up with earth like my grandfather, so I can use his notes."

'I need to find a way to get Credits then,' Khan thought. 'I can't fall behind in my training as a mage.'

Khan had revealed his problems connected to the meditations to Martha, so the duo had chosen an even more isolated spot during the break.

They began to mediate once their conversation was over, and the process ended up being far from smooth for Khan. Still, he was slowly getting the hang of it.

Enduring pain wasn't an issue for him. The main problem was getting in and out of the meditative state. Khan had to learn how to suppress his instincts and continue to control mana without interrupting his training, and only time could give him that expertise.

Khan and Martha eventually attended Professor Norwell's lesson and ended up in their usual messy state. However, Khan didn't follow Martha to the medical bay at that time. He went straight for the prisons of the camp to see his Master.

The trapdoor of the prisons opened as soon as Khan stepped on the lawn. He quickly noticed that Lieutenant Dyester wasn't in his usual sleepy mode. The soldier had a satisfied expression as he stood near the end of the staircase.

"I can surprise myself at times," Lieutenant Dyester announced while gesturing to Khan to enter the basement.

The trapdoor closed behind Khan, but he didn't notice that noise. His eyes remained fixed on the Lieutenant. He could barely hold back his excitement now that his martial art was so close.

"I had to pull some strings to get it," Lieutenant Dyester explained. "The crisis on Istrone has been a mess. I could have asked the army for the world, but I chose a demotion instead. The higher-ups were obviously happy that they didn't have to spend Credits on me, so they didn't hesitate to satisfy my request now that I've reappeared."

"Did you get a good martial art for me?" Khan asked as his figure began to tremble in excitement.

"I should explain the division among martial arts first," Lieutenant Dyester announced before clearing his throat. "Martial arts can have many labels, which mostly describe their qualities. However, they all have a set potential and a quite clear value depending on their moves."

Khan nodded, but his body began to move alongside his head. He had basically started to jump on the same spot during the explanation.

"The army has studied each martial art and has given them a score," Lieutenant Dyester continued. "The ranking goes from one to one hundred. Generally speaking, anything under forty points is a low-level martial art."

"How many points does mine have?" Khan promptly asked.

"Seventy-eight!" Lieutenant Dyester revealed before exploding into a proud laugh. "It's only two points away from being a high-level martial art. I bet that even some of the wealthy kids here won't get something this good."

Lieutenant seemed to take some joy from Khan's impatient expression, and he didn't miss the chance to brag.

"You sure are a lucky rat," Lieutenant Dyester announced. "I checked your background, and, oh boy, you wouldn't have gotten anywhere on your own. Instead, you get to learn a good martial art and have one of the strongest soldiers in this camp as your master."

"I'm dying here, Master," Khan begged the Lieutenant with a weak voice, and the latter eventually suppressed his laugh to hand a small circular item.

Khan picked the item and inspected it. Visible confusion filled his face. It resembled a tiny white disk that he could hide with a single finger.

Lieutenant Dyester waited for his deserved praises, but Khan remained silent. The soldier then looked toward the boy again and noticed that he had begun to smell the disk.

"What are you doing?" Lieutenant Dyester asked.

"I don't know what this is," Khan honestly replied, and the Lieutenant covered his face to suppress the helplessness that he felt.

"You are a lost cause," Lieutenant Dyester sighed. "Bind the disk before inserting it in your phone."

"Binding?" Khan asked while picking his phone. "Does this thing have an opening?"

Lieutenant Dyester had to sit to handle the emotions running through his mind, but he still mustered enough energy to explain how to use the item. "Make a drop of blood fall on the disk to bind it. Then, place it on your screen. The phone will do the rest."

Khan's eyes lit up, and he quickly looked around the basement. Lieutenant Dyester handed him a small knife while heaving another helpless sigh, and Khan even forgot to thank him.

Khan opened a small cut on his forefinger before pressing it on the disk. A red glow suddenly covered the item, but the light vanished in a matter of seconds.

Then, Khan placed the disk on the phone, and the item began to fuse with the smooth screen. It only took a few seconds to disappear completely.

Khan glanced toward Lieutenant Dyester in fear, and the latter shook his head before pointing at the phone. Khan unlocked the screen to inspect the menus, and his eyes quickly fell on a new label.

'Connected magic devices?' Khan read the label before pressing it.

The menu opened, and a long blank list unfolded in Khan's vision. Only the first spot had something written on it.

'Lightning-demon style,' Khan read on the phone before pressing on the writing.

A series of images immediately came out of the phone. His device created interactive holograms that depicted a short old man with a long white beard.

The man was bald, and wrinkles filled his face. However, he had a single big star on both shoulders of his military uniform.

****

Author's notes: I'm trying to set the word count for Chaos' Heir, which inevitably affects the cost. I was thinking about 1400-1600 words for each chapter, so 8 coins once they are premium (to give you an idea, both chapters today were 1570 words long). Let me know what you think about it.

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章 29: Holograms

The hologram had a few options. Khan could start the first lesson immediately or watch a catalog of each different move separately. He could even use the phone to scan himself during the training to find eventual mistakes in the executions.

The disk contained a program that went over every aspect of the Lightning-demon style. It had everything Khan could think of. It even contained information about the old man and the martial art as a whole.

"You shouldn't activate these training programs in the open," Lieutenant Dyester explained and forced Khan out of his amazement. "These magical items are expensive, and they require genetic authorization. In theory, no one can access what you have on your phone unless you allow it."

"Isn't it dangerous to have the martial art on my phone?" Khan asked. "Doesn't it work on the network of the Global Army? The higher-ups should have access to that."

"Magic isn't the same as technology," Lieutenant Dyester reassured. "The higher-ups might be able to enter your phone, but they won't be able to activate the magical devices connected. Mana works past your idea of technology. That's why the Global Army focuses on training soldiers instead of investing in weapons."

Khan felt still an outsider in the world of mana. He almost couldn't believe that the energy could affect programs and similar digital assets.

"What if someone uses mana to hack the phone?" Khan asked. "Is it possible to go past the protections of the disk like that?"

"In theory, yes," Lieutenant Dyester revealed. "However, mages with an element able to affect digital protections are rare, and the disk usually wipes itself clean whenever it senses a breach in its defenses."

"Magical items sound interesting," Khan couldn't help but exclaim.

"They are a unique branch of the Global Army," Lieutenant Dyester explained. "They go past the simple fusion of technology and mana. They use mana to create special effects from almost nothing. It's a marvelous subject, but it requires many years of study and perfect control over your power."

'There is so much to learn about the army,' Khan thought while closing the holograms and the training program.

"How should I train from now on?" Khan asked.

His excitement about the new martial art was far from gone, but he wanted to hear Lieutenant Dyester's opinion before diving into the holograms.

"I actually can't have a say on this matter," Lieutenant Dyester revealed. "It's up to you to decide how much you want to involve me in your training."

Lieutenant Dyester continued when he noticed Khan's confused expression. "Our physiques are quite different, so I decided to find you a different martial art. I would have taught you my techniques and followed your training if the higher-ups were to fail me, but you have many options now."

"Why would I not involve you in my training?" Khan asked. "I don't even know how most of this technology works."

"Well," Lieutenant Dyester hesitated before explaining his worries. "I would gain access to this martial art for free if you do. It's fine now since it's me, but you shouldn't do that all the time. Even some of the older soldiers won't miss the chance to learn something this valuable."

'I only need to watch my back then,' Khan summarized in his mind.

"I wouldn't have gotten this martial art without your help," Khan eventually announced. "I even need a place where to train. I definitely need you involved."

Lieutenant Dyester scratched his head before nodding. He only wanted Khan to understand how dangerous it could be to share such valuable items with strangers. The soldier had no interest in the martial art.

Khan activated the training program again when he saw Lieutenant Dyester's reaction. The interactive holograms came out of his phone, and he quickly tried to start the first lesson.

"Read the general overview of the martial art first," Lieutenant Dyester sighed. "Don't jump blindly on the moves."

"And you wanted me to do this on my own," Khan snorted.

"You are lucky that your Master has no ill intentions," Lieutenant Dyester complained. "I hope you won't trust hired professors and similar figures so easily in the future."

"I hope to have enough Credits to hire them in the future," Khan laughed before clicking the label that led toward the overview of the martial art.

"Lightning-demon style," A mechanical voice suddenly came out of the phone. "Martial art created and explained by Dean Ulluw, an evolved soldier who has opted for a secluded life."

"Evolved?" Khan asked while turning toward Lieutenant Dyester.

"It's when you go past one hundred percent attunement," The lieutenant explained before the mechanical voice resumed its explanation.

"The forms of the Lightning-demon style rely on speed and precision," The mechanical voice announced. "Ideal for shorter soldiers who don't shine in raw physical strength. Nevertheless, being strong can help bring out the true potential of the martial art since it features overall complete techniques."

"Most high-level martial art requires all the relevant physical features," Lieutenant Dyester added. "The program is saying that the techniques focus on speed out of choice rather than necessity."

"The speed generated by the techniques and the precision required during their execution will force the human body to endure a lot of pressure," The program continued. "Frail physiques should avoid this style. The same goes for soldiers with poor control over their bodies."

The overview ended after those lines. Khan felt slightly disappointed that the program didn't tell him anything else, but it was hard to ruin his mood with the various lessons listed on the other side of the hologram.

"I guess you don't care about Dean Ulluw," Lieutenant Dyester commented, and Khan showed a shameless smile before skipping the description of the evolved soldier and starting the first lesson.

The old man at the center of the hologram suddenly began to move, and a raspy voice came out of the phone as it followed his lips. "I bet that those idiots in the army told you that you only need speed and precision for this style."

Khan and Lieutenant Dyester exchanged a glance. They didn't know why the Global Army had decided to leave that description after such a specific introduction.

"Okay, they might be partially right," Dean Ulluw continued. "You can perform this style by relying only on speed and precision, but that would be a waste."

The area depicted by the hologram began to enlarge. The program's point of view retreated until it managed to represent both Dean and a humanoid training dummy in the scene.

"This is what you can do with only speed and precision," Dean announced before shooting toward the dummy and delivering a precise kick to its throat.

Dean's speed had been incredible. Khan barely managed to follow his movements. The hologram kept track of the stats connected to the technique, so he could read that the soldier had covered ten meters in less than a second.

Moreover, the precise kick had ended up cutting the dummy's head. The power generated by Dean's momentum had transformed his movement into a threatening attack capable of severing metal.

"Every mage and soldier would die against this attack," Dean explained while walking back to his previous spot. "You would be too fast for them to react, and defenses can't do much against a blow backed with such speed. However, humankind has aliens as enemies."

Something that the holograms didn't depict replaced the broken dummy with a new one. Dean then took a deep breath before disappearing from his spot.

A loud noise came out of the phone. Dean reappeared next to the training dummy, with one foot raised toward its chest. Yet, the puppet was no more. The attack had destroyed its back and insides, leaving only a thin layer of metal intact.

"Mana gives us the chance to overcome our physical limits," Dean explained while turning toward Khan. "In theory, I can push my speed further indefinitely. I only need to be strong enough to endure the physical strain. More power equals to more speed, which equals to even more power if deployed accurately."

Khan quickly stopped the recording to play with the buttons on the hologram for a few seconds and learn the various functions of the program. He could zoom, go forward, rewind, and save scenes at any time. He could even hide or show the different stats.

The first and second executions seemed different techniques, but the program contradicted Khan's opinion. Dean had performed the same move, something that the training would teach later on, but he had used different amounts of power.

The program also kept track of the mana depleted during the activation of the technique. Khan remained speechless when he saw that Dean had used the same amount of energy in both executions. The difference between their effects came from the sheer physical strength deployed.

Khan glanced toward Lieutenant Dyester, who had a hand under his chin while he inspected those stats. He didn't appear as amazed as Khan, but the technique had definitely caught his interest.

"I guess this martial art has the potential to enter the high level," Lieutenant Dyester explained. "Everything depends on how much you and your body can endure without lowering your accuracy. Some techniques might even require special training, but I'll make sure to warn you about them."

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