CHAPTER 105: WEAPON TESTING

CH105 Weapon Testing

***

The first weapon Alex reached for was... a knife.

As a self-proclaimed member of the Brotherhood, it only made sense to go for the most concealable weapon on the rack. And what better choice than the most universal tool found in nearly every culture in existence?

Grasping the knife, it felt right. Almost like it had been born to rest in his hand.

Intuitively, he knew how to move with it—how to make it respond to his whims.

Stab. Slash. Cut.

Alex executed the basic movements fluidly. The more he moved, the more familiar the weapon became.

Then he understood why.

Battle Intuition.

The trait born from his Velkar True Name, granting him instinctive familiarity with any weapon he picked up. At the very least, he could wield it beyond the level of a novice—well enough not to injure himself and to actually do some damage.

"How do you feel?" Earl Drake asked.

"I think I understand what you meant when you said I’d know when I held the right weapon," Alex replied.

The Earl nodded. "Do you want to test out other weapons, or are you satisfied with wielding a dagger?"

Alex shook his head. "I’ll test the others first."

It only made sense. He’d be remiss not to try other weapons before deciding on his main one.

’What if there’s something I’m even more compatible with?’

His gaze moved to the next weapon on the rack—and surprisingly, he hesitated.

It wasn’t because the weapon was bad. Quite the opposite. But it was... cliché.

It was a sword.

Alex used to hate how every novel protagonist seemed to default to swords like it was the most natural thing in a medieval setting.

It’s not!

Not only were swords ridiculously expensive, but they were also comparatively harder to use than many alternatives.

In truth, no self-respecting peasant-turned-soldier would pick a sword as their first weapon—not when heading to war.

’Anyway, let’s get this over with.’

He picked up the generic sword. It was slightly shorter than a standard longsword but balanced for both cuts and thrusts.

It had clearly been crafted for versatility—a design that could be adapted to many combat styles.

’How do I know that?’ Alex wondered.

He wasn’t sure.

’Battle Intuition again, I guess.’

A chuckle almost escaped his lips. ’If this were a novel from my old world, I’d have chewed the author out for lazy writing. Now... I kind of sympathise.’

"You don’t like it?" Earl Drake asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"No, it’s not that," Alex replied, frowning. "I get the same sense of familiarity and control with this as I did with the knife."

"Hmm... maybe your talent is with bladed weapons," the Earl mused. Then he added, "Try something without a blade."

Alex nodded.

He set down the sword and made his way to the next weapon—one far more common on the battlefield than the over-romanticised sword.

The staff.

Technically, he was going for a spear, but it wasn’t among the archetype weapons. Likely because spears were basically staffs with tips.

And that, in his opinion, was exactly what made them brilliant.

They were simple, easy to manufacture, and ridiculously effective.

A long rod? That’s something anyone might have held or played with growing up.

Add a sharp tip, and it became a spear—a frontline killer.

The staff was, in many ways, the most practical weapon of them all.

Easiest to improvise. Cheapest to make. Fastest to learn.

Just upgrade the tips, and you’ve got a lethal weapon... without even needing years of training.

That was just how easy staff-type weapons were to wield compared to swords—at least at the beginning.

It was no wonder the staff had given birth to many of mankind’s most important weapons: spears, halberds, glaives, and so on.

If one wished to push the envelope, it could even be argued that maces and warhammers were born from the staff as well.

At least, in True_Sage’s humble opinion.

Once again, Alex moved the weapon with fluidity and precision. His proficiency with the staff easily matched that of the knife—and therefore, also the sword.

However, not wanting to give the sword any sense of superiority, he quietly ranked the blade and spear above it in his mind.

Without waiting for Earl Drake’s prompting, Alex moved on to the next weapon—a type that had helped mankind both in times of peace and of war, possibly dating back to humanity’s very origin.

The hammer.

Yes, that once-humble tool, which—alongside fire—ushered humanity into enlightenment, had since evolved into a brutal weapon of war.

As a tool, it was the mother of all weapons, in the sense that without a smith’s hammer, no weapon could be forged.

[A.N: Minus the spear, I guess.]

The hammer Alex picked up was a two-handed weapon, essentially a staff combined with a heavy stone head.

Swoosh!

The swoosh sound it made as he swung it around was oddly satisfying. The feeling of slamming it down onto the ground, imagining it crashing through the skulls of his enemies, was... intoxicating.

Before he knew it, the brutal nature of his Furor Bloodline began to assert itself.

It was only when he felt a sore ache run through his arms that he came to his senses and stopped.

"Satisfying?" Earl Drake asked, the hint of amusement in his voice.

"Hmm." Alex nodded.

He didn’t try to deny it—he couldn’t even if he wanted to. Anyone with eyes could see it.

"The brutal nature of the hammer is highly stimulating to the Infernal aspect of our bloodline," Earl Drake said solemnly. "A lot of discipline is required to wield it without losing yourself on the battlefield."

He gave a brief pause, then added, "Even I had to switched from the hammer to a greatsword after reaching the Saint rank. A Fury Berserker wielding a Warhammer... it’s not a good combination. And I say that from experience."

Alex nodded in understanding.

Losing one’s sense of reason on the battlefield was a quick way to get oneself killed.

"Aside from its intoxicating effect, my proficiency with it is about the same as the others," Alex admitted.

Next up, Alex tried a one-handed axe.

It was similar to the hammer in handling, but the focus shifted from blunt impact to cleaving and chopping.

As before, his proficiency remained consistent.

Then came the bow and arrow.

Technically, his proficiency was the same again. However, there was a slight boost in effectiveness, likely due to his experience with accurate spell targeting.

’So, archery and spellcasting are more compatible than I thought...’ He mused. ’Well, I guess that should be obvious. Both are ranged attacks, after all.’

After that, he tested the chain and rope, followed by the shield.

As expected, he wielded both instinctively, with a degree of competence, despite never having touched them in his life.

"What does this mean, Father?" he finally asked.

"That you have the talent of a Weapon Master," Earl Drake said, stroking his bearded chin.

He examined Alex from head to toe with a thoughtful gaze.

"You’ve awakened a True Name for your Furor Bloodline?"

**