บท 11: First Step [11]
===Status===
Name: Ray
Level: 10
Class: Temporal Fighter
Strength: 5
Agility: 6
Stamina: 8
Intelligence: 6
Mana: 24/24
Skills: [Flicker Step]
Talents: [Temporal Synapses]
Awakened elements: Null
==========
I examined the information before me as carefully as possible, making sure I didn't miss anything of importance. From the awakening, I already had a small increase in some of my stats, but other than that, they hadn't changed at all. But the stats were also not where my focus lay.
No, despite my careful observation, I was already pretty sure that what I needed to focus on was something else.
So, after making sure I hadn't missed anything, I got to work.
'Temporal Fighter and Flicker Step...'
I had already seen these words before, but as I needed to hurry and prepare myself for the academy start, I hadn't had the chance to fully ponder what they actually meant.
I already knew that Temporal had something to do with time, as that is what the goddess told me, but a... time fighter?
'I have no idea what that means... but I guess it has something to do with whatever is going on with my brain. But... Flicker Step?'
"Hmm... Yeah, I have no idea. Some kind of fancy footwork technique maybe?"
It couldn't be helped. I was new to this world, so how was I supposed to understand how things like magic worked? For example, even if I somehow had come to know that when I concentrated on my blood flowing and my vessels started heating up as mana circulation, I honestly had no idea how it worked.
"Mana, huh? Most likely it's just some kind of energy source, like magical power..."
If mana could be measured in 'units' and from the looks of it could run out, it wasn't far-fetched to assume that it acted like electricity in a machine. And if that was the case...
'Then I am the machine and the skills are the things I can produce? Something like that?'
I didn't make things more complicated than needed, and although there were surely some intricacies to magic, I was content with basing my knowledge on this one simple principle. For now at least.
Taking a seat in the chair in front of the desk, I looked up at the wooden roof, a bit confused as to why the rooms were so outdated and old-looking when they were part of a very modern dorm.
'Did the budget run out after making the building or something?'
"Haaa..."
A slight sigh escaped my mouth as I allowed myself to relax for a bit. There were still many unanswered questions, and at some point, I ascertained that I just didn't know enough to make sense of them on my own. I did, however, manage to come up with one theory that I resonated with.
'So, somehow, I managed to activate this so-called Flicker Step, which in turn saved me from Instructor Folm's attack? Then there's just one thing left to answer... how did I activate it?'
So far I was quite content with how far I had gotten in this short period of time, an accomplishment that I attributed to the fact that my brain was literally sped up relative to the reality around me, as not more than a couple of minutes had passed since I got back to my room. According to my approximation at least.
'Then I guess there's just one thing to do!'
Getting up from the chair, I did some light stretches to get my body ready for one of the most important parts of the training of a boxer. Roadwork.
-----
"Huff... huff..."
It was quite painful, continually putting strength into my legs to push me forward only to see the world pass by so incredibly slowly. But it was nowhere near as painful as roadwork had been in my previous life.
No, compared to that, this was heaven.
Because even though I imagined that I was running quite fast, I still had enough energy to spare to take in the sights around me as I journeyed all around campus. From the dorm to the assembly hall, passing by what looked like a study hall, as well as multiple older buildings where I thought we would be having theoretical classes, to the outskirts of campus where the training fields were located as well as a large, dense forest.
But I kept running, running all around campus, making sure I explored as much as possible while also trying to figure out what the purpose of all the different kinds of houses, huts, and modern buildings was.
'So... that's the library? And that should be the building for the second years... or maybe it's for the third years? And that must be the dorm for the women...'
At some point, I began to feel like I had a pretty good grasp of the general geography of the academy, and so I decided to run back to the training fields.
"Huff...! Huff...!"
Surprisingly the sun was already setting, proving that I had spent a pretty fair bit of time doing roadwork. What was more surprising than that, however, was that at some point I had lost the sensation of time moving slowly around me and simply lost myself in the sensation of moving my body, which made time feel like it passed incredibly fast.
"Huff... I guess that's what they mean when they say that time passes faster when you're having fun.... huff..."
It was something that I had never experienced, but I didn't dislike it. It did, however, make the current moment feel even slower as it became a clear contrast as to when I was running.
'But that also gives me more time to reflect.'
Training techniques were useless unless you properly reflected on the movements, as you would likely get stuck and start repeating the same mistakes over and over again.
Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.
And with that, I began my attempts at using my newly acquired skill.
'Circulate the mana...'
The now somewhat familiar sensation of my blood heating up settled in pretty quickly this time, a sign I interpreted as the machine being powered up.
'Then... take a step!'
I put strength into my left leg and took a breath as I lifted the right leg off the ground. Afterward, I breathed out while pushing with all the strength I could muster in my left leg while simultaneously pushing my right leg downwards.
'Go!'
*Stomp!*
...
'Huh... nothing happened?'
In the end, I had just stomped my foot on the ground and although I still felt my mana circulating around my body, I hadn't been able to produce any sort of magical phenomenon. But this was just the first try. It was still too early to go back to the drawing board.
*Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!*
Repeating the step of stepping forward over and over while at the same time circulating my mana, I tried to relive the memory of when I sparred with Instructor Folm, imagining him standing in front of me and swinging his sword.
'This is not working...'
I must've spent at least twenty minutes looking like an idiot as I stomped the ground. So, at that point, I knew I would have to take a step back for a bit.
I wiped some sweat off my forehead and looked at the sky which was currently allowing the sun to stop his shift, making way for the cool wind of the night to settle in.
'Flicker Step... something to do with time...'
It was truly painful to rack my brains for that one memory that would show me exactly what had happened after I had tripped, as it for some reason just didn't seem to exist.
'Wait...'
Turning my head down to my feet, I slowly started to realize something bizarre.
'What if... I can't remember not because I blacked out but because the memory... doesn't exist?'
What if the memory didn't exist... no, what if it couldn't exist because I never actually executed the steps that I was looking for?
A fighter that uses time. A fighter that manipulates time. A fighter that can...
"Travel through time...?"
Instantly I found myself changing the way I thought about my skill and without hesitation, I threw away all the basics I knew about footwork. But it was still a bit hard to come to terms with the conclusion that I came up with.
"That means that instead of taking a step I would... skip the step by traveling forward in time? Is that even possible? ...argh! I don't know! But I have to try!"
Readying my stance, I also raised my fists this time forcing myself to get into a mental state suited for giving it all my all. Then, I took a breath, filling my lungs with the main contributor of the blessing of life, and set my sights forward.
'Step forward without taking a step!'
Once again I forced my left leg to act as a pivot to push my right leg forward, setting my muscles ablaze with the heat congregating inside of my blood. My focus was then fully set on my right foot as I saw it fall to the ground like a bomb, ready to crush the gravel beneath it.
That's when something strange happened. All of the heat in my body suddenly vanished, cooling my head and body in an instant. For a fraction of a second, I thought that I had failed, before realizing something.
'It hasn't vanished... it's all gathering in my leg!'
My right leg was on fire as every single muscle fiber was activated to the very limit. As time slowed down even more, I was able to catch a glimpse of a small purple hue emerging from my leg only to then...!
*Zoom!*
...
"...what?"
My whole body had suddenly traveled forward, traveled a distance that was roughly the same as one stride, without my foot ever touching the ground.
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