Chapter 373 86.3 - Sword and the Guide [Interlude

Chapter 373 86.3 - Sword and the Guide [Interlude

The world of students would be in a weird state, if it was compared to the world of professionalism.

The adults who are working are in constant competition. The money, fame, power, and a lot of other things.

All of them are important in the world of adults, and most of them tend to become slaves for all those things.

It is also the same for students. The adolescent youngsters who were slowly learning the value of money, power, and fame would also seek that.

The competition would be fierce, and everyone would seek the opportunities that would be thrown at them.

That was especially the case for the students of the Hunter Academies since, contrary to other occupations, their strength was directly related to their prowess.

Therefore, every ounce of opportunity was very important for these students.

And amongst those opportunities, there was one that even the heirs of high-ranking families would never refuse.

Guidance from the Invoker, Eleanor White.

A certain Hunter who had stormed through the ranks in the past ten years. The genius Hunter was able to control her mana so well that the title Invoker was given to her.

And now, the students get the chance to get guidance from such a figure. Thus, they were doing their best to show their presence.

Taylor was no different from others. Even if her family was rich and was a behemoth in the media industry, the amount of instructors that her family could hire was limited.

Today, however, something unexpected caught Taylor's attention. As she was doing her best to show her talent, she saw some students pointing at someone.

Curiosity piqued, she approached, only to witness a sight that made her blood boil.

Standing there, Astron was engaged in what seemed like an intense conversation with Eleanor White. The same guy she had dismissed as talentless and beneath her. Eleanor was directly talking to him, her expression serious and focused. Taylor couldn't hear what they were saying; Eleanor had erected a sound barrier around them, ensuring privacy.

Taylor's fists clenched at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. It was one thing to be ignored, but to see someone she considered unworthy receiving the guidance she so desperately sought was infuriating.

She could see the intensity in Eleanor's eyes as she spoke to Astron and the attentive look on his face as he listened.

'How could this be happening?' Taylor thought, struggling to contain her emotions. 'What could she possibly see in him?'

The scene played out in front of her, a silent tableau of instruction and learning, with Astron at the center. Taylor's mind raced, plotting her next move.

'I was about to let this guy go, but I guess I loosened his leash way too much.' She couldn't let this slight go unanswered. After all, in the place of her, that guy was there, with his worthless presence.

If he was gaining favor with Eleanor White, she needed to find a way to either match his progress or sabotage it.

But for now, all she could do was watch, seething with envy and frustration, as the sound barrier kept her from knowing the secrets being shared just a few feet away.

As for the inside of the barrier, Eleanor was observing Astron and was about to give him feedback.

"Now, please demonstrate. I will check up on it and give you feedback," Eleanor instructed, her tone authoritative yet encouraging.

Astron nodded and took a deep breath, focusing his mana on the blade as Eleanor had shown. The sword began to glow, though not as uniformly as Eleanor's demonstration. Eleanor's sharp eyes immediately caught the subtle flaws in his technique.

"Stop," she commanded softly. "Let's correct those errors."

'Really, the title Invoker is a no joke.' The subtle adjustments she pointed out had made a significant difference, and I could feel the improvement in my technique.

You need to remember that I learned how to control mana thanks to Senior Maya, but even then, it seemed my control wasn't complete. After all, Senior Maya taught me for only a little while, and I filled in the blanks on my own. And considering that, at that time, I was a complete beginner, it is not surprising that I made some mistakes at certain points.

'But this....' I glanced around and noticed the other students' envious gazes directed at me. Shrugging it off, I focused instead on my progress. It is not like they were different than before, anyway.

Turning back to my practice dummy, I took a deep breath and infused my blade with mana once more, applying Eleanor's corrections. The sword glowed with a consistent, even light, signaling a proper distribution of energy from hilt to tip. I swung the blade in a series of practiced motions, feeling the smooth flow of power with each strike.

SWOOSH!

The air parted cleanly with each swing, and the blade left behind faint trails of mana, just as Eleanor had demonstrated.

'Indeed, the feeling is different. So that's what I was doing wrong,' I thought, reflecting on Eleanor's feedback about my mana pooling in the blade.

I had been unconsciously allowing my energy to gather in my pockets, which disrupted the tension and reduced the effectiveness of my strikes. Now, with the mana flowing evenly, my strikes felt more powerful and precise.

As I continued practicing, I felt a newfound feeling in my swordsmanship, but I knew that it wasn't limited only to that.

'This can be utilized a lot more with Celestalith as well. It even opens up new possibilities for the rifle form since I found a better way to utilize compressed bullets now.'

Lost in my practice, I was suddenly interrupted by a voice behind me.

"You....I thought you were trying to lay low."

It was a voice that was familiar but not expected. After all, Irina, in general, didn't interact with me too much in the classes.

"I was."

"Then, what was that commotion?"

"I don't remember a commotion happening."

"Even if you don't consider it as a commotion, everyone's gazes are on you now."

"Let them be. They won't be able to do anything."

"But, won't this go against your intentions?"

"I can't control what Eleanor does, so this was inevitable. I can only opt according to the situation."

"I guess this is just like you."

"It is."

"But well, in any case, now that you gathered everyone's attention, you gave me a reason to compete with you as well."

"Compete?"

At the mention of competition, a smirk appeared on Irina's face.

"Yes, compete." Saying that, she raised her sword.

"Let's spar."

And pointed it to me.