CHAPTER 64: EDGAR’S TRAINING [2]

Gabriel noticed a slight trace of surprise flicker across the person’s eyes before it reverted back to its emotionless appearance.

"I have an appointment with someone here," Scarlet, the vice president of the Adventurer Guild, said as she looked away.

’An appointment with Edgar?’ Gabriel inwardly thought, not finding it strange. After all, it could be said that most Hero Ranks were familiar with each other.

Without saying another word, he went to sit down in one of the other empty chairs.

Normally, any sane person would have asked him out of politeness what he was doing there as well.

But Scarlet didn’t.

Not like Gabriel expected it, considering her personality.

She wasn’t cold.

She was just distant, silent, confident, aloof, and had strong control over her emotions, making her appear robotic at times.

She was one of the players’ biggest crushes.

With her beauty, skill, and confidence, Gabriel was certain that if Scarlet had started her own guild, she would have easily swindled NPCs and players alike.

The air between them was awkward. Neither of them spoke. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for Edgar to enter the hall.

"I see you both have met already," he smiled. "Gabriel, meet Scarlet. From today on, you both will be my personal disciples. I hope you both get along."

Gabriel raised a brow but said nothing.

Scarlet simply nodded as well, her expression calm as always.

"Follow me." Edgar gestured and turned around, not waiting for their response.

They walked through a narrow corridor until they arrived at a spacious, dojo-like training hall.

Edgar turned to them, clapping his hands. "Good. From today, I’ll teach you both the Eleven Military Arts, Devil Mirage Technique. But be warned, this is no simple swordsmanship or flashy spell combo."

His lips curled into a smirk. "These techniques are so dangerous and overwhelming that if taught to a classless individual, they can easily destroy an Awakened."

He stepped forward, raising one finger. "The first art I’ll teach you is Phantom Breaker—a technique that leaves afterimages with each step. With enough speed and control, those afterimages can fool even advanced perception skills."

"How does that work?" Gabriel asked. "Do we need a specific movement skill or...?"

Edgar shook his head. "It’s not about skills. It’s about how you shift your weight, the precision of your footwork, and the explosive release of force with each step. When executed properly, your body will momentarily outpace the mind’s ability to track you, leaving behind an illusion."

He snapped his fingers, and two training dummies appeared. "Your goal is simple. Move from one end of the hall to the other while creating at least one convincing afterimage."

Gabriel and Scarlet exchanged a glance, but neither said anything. Without waiting, Scarlet bolted forward, her steps swift and light.

Gabriel watched her with narrowed eyes. Her movements were sharp, steady, and elegant as usual. She didn’t create an afterimage yet, but her footwork was almost textbook.

He took off right after her, focusing on what Edgar had said. It wasn’t about raw speed—it was about how he shifted his center of gravity.

Bang!

His foot slammed against the ground, his body blasting forward in a low sprint.

FWISH!

His frame flickered slightly, a faint blur trailing behind him.

Not yet.

Again. Bang! Bang! He stomped with every step, releasing short bursts of mana to push his body faster, sharper, cleaner.

Scarlet had reached the other end first. She turned around, observing him quietly as he tried again and again.

Edgar watched with growing amusement. "Don’t brute-force it, Gabriel. Relax. Feel your weight shift naturally. Overloading with mana will just slow your reaction time."

This time, Gabriel took a breath and let his body move without forcing it.

FWISH!

An afterimage flickered in place as he dashed past one of the dummies.

Edgar’s grin widened. "Not bad."

Scarlet’s eyes gleamed slightly in interest. She noted how easily he adapted after the advice.

And once again, she was impressed.

"Again!" Edgar barked. "Keep practicing until you can leave at least three afterimages in succession!"

Gabriel didn’t complain. ’Who knew when a time will come when I won’t be able to assess my skills? It’s always better to be prepared than to be caught off guard.’

Scarlet silently returned to her position and began practicing as well.

Bang! Bang!

Both of them continued to dash across the hall, the sound of their footsteps echoing like gunfire. Sweat dripped from their bodies, but neither slowed down.

They practiced until their legs trembled.

Until their vision blurred.

Until their muscles screamed.

And even then, they kept going.

The faint afterimages slowly became more solid. More convincing.

’They’re learning at a very fast pace. At this rate, it’s safe to say they’re ready to proceed to the next step,’ Edgar thought, a look of shock on his face.

He knew it would be pretty easy for Scarlet, as she was an experienced Hero Rank, but he never expected Gabriel to master it so quickly as well.

At that moment, he said, "All right, you both have successfully mastered the first art. After a short break, we’ll proceed to the next stage of the training."

After some minutes of rest, Scarlet and Gabriel could be seen sitting down in a lotus-like position.

The next step of training was called Flow Breathing.

According to Edgar, in order to proceed, they needed to master a specialized breathing technique that synchronizes heartbeats, muscle movements, and footwork to minimize wasted energy and maximize speed.

This step proved to be more difficult, and if one paid close attention, they would notice the slightly strained expressions on both of their faces.

Edgar smirked smugly. For a moment, he had thought his kingdom’s top military art had been so easy that two humans were able to learn it without difficulty.

A few hours later...

’Impossible, they mastered that as well.’ Edgar’s expression paled when he saw that the two were able to synchronize their breathing so quickly.

It was a big blow to all elves, especially the queen. After all, to learn this technique, most elves had taken weeks, but these two...

It wasn’t even up to 24 hours!