Chapter 62: Patching Weaknesses
Gauss had no idea what they were thinking. If he had known, he probably would have laughed.
The fact that they could receive training from a professional swordsmanship instructor already meant their families were in better condition than many low-level adventurers.
With such a solid foundation, their chances of advancing to become Professionals in the future were far greater than those of amateurs training blindly.
There was no need to envy others.
Of course, if they were to compare themselves to him, then naturally, there was no comparison.
The swordsmanship instructor, David, heard what Gauss had said.
After thinking for a moment, he recalled that he had indeed once given sword training to a rookie adventurer named Doyle.
This put him at ease slightly, and he stepped forward.
“I am David, the swordsmanship instructor of this training ground.”
“Instructor David, nice to meet you. I’m Gauss, a rookie adventurer. I’d like to ask for some basic swordsmanship guidance from you, to correct the issues I have. May I ask how you charge for that?” Gauss didn’t waste any words and got straight to the point.
As a sword instructor, his goal was to earn tuition fees, so there was no need for flowery talk.
“I see...”
While the two conversed, the other boys couldn’t help whispering among themselves.
After all, they were at the age when curiosity was at its peak.
“He looks so young.”
“Is he here to learn sword skills like us?”
“He’s fully geared up, but maybe his fundamentals aren’t even as good as ours?”
...
After a brief exchange,
Gauss and David agreed on a price—fifty copper coins per day for instruction.
To David, it was simply taking on another student, no different from the others.
He had already observed the young man. Although his eyes carried a strange sense of pressure, his hands didn’t bear the marks of long-term sword practice—he was probably a beginner.
The price was actually higher than what he charged other students, but considering the other party’s gear was worth at least several silver coins, he offered the slightly steep rate just to test the waters.
What he hadn’t expected was that Gauss agreed to this outrageous price without much hesitation.
“You all continue practicing on your own,” David turned to instruct the other students, then looked back at Gauss with a smile.
Since it was the first day of teaching, he intended to pay a bit more attention to Gauss—at least enough to ensure he had a good first experience and would return for more sessions.
Although David was not a Professional, according to him, he had once been just a step away from becoming a warrior-class Professional in his youth.
If not for his excessive fascination with all kinds of swords and techniques, spreading himself too thin, he would have found it easy to advance as a Professional.
Gauss had no comment on this self-aggrandizing claim.
People always subconsciously idealized their past.
Just like in his previous life, when asking classmates how they had done on college entrance exams—most would claim they had underperformed, and that their true capabilities were far greater.
Still, although David might have been exaggerating, his proficiency with various swords was no lie.
Whether it was long swords, broad greatswords, short swords, daggers, rapiers, or foil blades—he could demonstrate each one. His fundamentals were clearly solid.
Seeing the rather showy demonstrations, Gauss even began to suspect that maybe David hadn’t been lying.
Could it really be that he had failed to become a Professional simply because he had been too scattered in focus?
Were there really such eccentric individuals?
But in the end, it didn’t matter.
Whatever the truth was, as long as he could provide solid guidance on the basics, that was enough.
Under David’s instruction, Gauss began practicing basic rapier techniques.
At the same time, David would occasionally correct his mistakes in applying force.
A day passed in the blink of an eye.
When Gauss left the courtyard, he left behind the stunned and silent instructor and students.
“Instructor David... be honest, are we actually just stupid?” one student asked blankly, seemingly on the verge of losing faith.
David didn’t know how to respond. He had never encountered someone who could learn so efficiently.
Many times, he had only casually pointed something out, and the next moment the other party would instantly correct it.
If he himself had possessed such learning ability, never mind being obsessed with various sword types—even if he had included spears, staves, and everything else, it wouldn’t have stopped him from becoming a Professional.
“...”
Gauss stepped out of the courtyard.
He glanced at the attribute panel in the Adventurer’s Handbook, and a new line of text had appeared.
“Swordsmanship Basics lv1 (3/10)”
This could count as a skill? And it was his first skill acquired through self-study?
Gauss scratched his head. He didn’t seem to have heard of a similar skill before.
In his understanding, skills were things like his Magic Missile, or Doyle’s Cross Slash—specific actions tied to a particular professional technique.
But what was Swordsmanship Basics supposed to be? General fundamentals?
He didn’t feel like gaining this skill gave him any special technique.
It just made swinging his sword feel a bit smoother.
Shaking his head, Gauss, unable to understand the skill’s exact use, stopped worrying about it.
Better to have it than not.
Maybe after leveling it up, Swordsmanship Basics would show some new changes?
Walking along the road back, Gauss decided not to return tomorrow.
That fifty copper coins had been money well spent.
He had already mastered all the fundamental skills David taught regarding daggers, short swords, and rapiers.
All thanks to his 7 points in Intelligence and 6 in Agility.
Of course, perhaps the Adventurer’s Handbook had also played a role, allowing him to learn faster than others, but there was no evidence to prove that—so it had to be chalked up to talent and hard work.
“It’s just a self-learned skill, and it seems the growth is slower than that of the three spells,” Gauss thought to himself. “Good thing my swordsmanship is only for self-defense—it’s enough.”
If it improved slowly, so be it.
He didn’t expect to become a Professional based on Swordsmanship Basics alone.
Besides, with steady practice, experience would accumulate, and he’d grow stronger.
After becoming a skill, it seemed to retain progress automatically and never lose proficiency.
Dragging his weary body, Gauss had a hearty meal at the tavern.
As he felt his energy gradually returning, he couldn’t help but marvel again at the power of Rapid Digestion.
The next morning, at first light, Gauss resumed his training of the spell Mage Armor.
Yesterday he had strayed a bit from his path to shore up his weaknesses, but he hadn’t forgotten his identity as a spellcaster apprentice—so he immediately returned to the right course.
Practicing magic was the top priority.
Over the next several days,
Gauss immersed himself in Mage Armor training.
“Mage Armor lv2 (13/20)”
That should be enough for fighting Goblins.
Looking at the progress on the panel, Gauss took a bite of jerky, a satisfied smile on his face.
Just as he had concluded—during an adventuring commission, or in the few days following one, skill training would yield better results than usual.
As long as he seized this golden period, he could rely on sweat and effort to quickly raise proficiency.
Even while waiting for his mana to recover, practicing swordsmanship in his free time allowed his skill Swordsmanship Basics to reach lv1 (5/10).
The improvement in Swordsmanship Basics made his handling of the rapier more adept, even without changes in his Strength or Agility stats.
Now, even without using Magic Missile or Mage Hand, he could probably defeat Doyle and the others in direct combat relying solely on swordsmanship.
Because with Mage Armor active, he could afford to fight up close, exchanging blows “shield for wound.”
Of course, that was just a passing thought in his mind.
As a cautious person, when facing enemies that could pose a threat, he preferred to stay at a distance and launch a Magic Missile at them.