think it's been ten years.
You know, magic is something else. It means I can surpass the bodily limitations of humans: lift ginormous boulders with a single finger, dash twice as fast as a horse, leap higher than a house.]
" I see so you have been hiding a lot from your older sister, worry not your older sister is quite forgiving " Claire said with an evil grin which could even scare the demon diablos.
" The scary part is most of us were not even aware of him up till now " marco said with awestruck eyes
" Right he is not only unbelievably strong but also a great actor " glen made his own comment
" We keep on founding about his different talents and it hasn't been even that long " iris said
' he should also be great in espionage' thought rose, she has already decided that she will do anything and everything possible to make sure cid becomes her ally.
And what was the so called espionage master doing....
" Fish is obviously better, dumb doggo will never understand fish's value " zeta was seen arguing with delta, while cid was caught in between their squabble.
" If delta says meat is better than meat is better even alpha sama agrees " delta argued back.
" I do like some thick, juicy, ( girthy) meat " alpha said while looking at cid ?
" Uhm uhm you sure like joking " cid could be seen sweating.
" Araji you like the fishes i bring you right " zeta knew that the only person who has more authority than alpha would be her araji.
" I do like it " cid answered
Happy zeta noises could be heard with a lot of tail wagging.
" Huuuh bossman also likes the meat i bring him too, right bossman " delta could be seen panicking how could the bossman like the gift from this stray cat.
( i like zeta more but I also like delta , it seems in this series beast womens are all top tier I mean there is zeta , delta ,pi and yukime plus there was also one of the named numbers in game )
" Yes I like meat too " said cid already knowing what will happen next.
" Which one do you like more araji/bossman" asked both zeta and delta
" Can we concentrate on the viewings " saph decided to save cid's ass.
" You are right " cid decided to make use of this opportunity given by saph.
[That said, I'm no match for nukes. Well, I know my defenses will increase with my magical capacity, but have you seen the firepower of those weapons on Earth? There was a time when I contemplated forgetting about them entirely, 'cause we don't have nukes in this world.
But what good is a master puppeteer who settles for less?
No good. Not at all.
That means my next mission is to become strong enough to beat weapons of mass destruction. After extensive research and training, I found one potential solution, which l've been incorporating into my daily experiments. ]
Satisfied eta noises.
" You did, what's the solution" asked Sherry in great interest.
" Yes I would also love to know, is it replicable can we all also achieve it ? " Alexia also continued with questions
Everybody except for shadow garden members ( who already knew what the solution was ) were as interested as the two girls who asked the question.
" I think that would be considered spoilers " cid said
" Spoilers? What's spoilers" asked Sherry in a cute way.
" Imagine you are reading a book and someone tells you what will happen later in the book ruining all the fun, you don't want that right " explained cid.
" I see, it seems i got a bit too excited I don't want ' spoilers ' rather i would prefer to wait to see it when it happens " alexia said and Sherry could be seen noding.
[Oh yeah. And it seems l've been born into a noble family. For generations, members of this family have trained to become dark knights, who use magic to power up and slay enemies in battle. And as my family's rising star of a son (...NOT), I'm living my days as your average apprentice. After all, shadowbrokers need to be extremely selective about when, where and to whom they reveal their powers.Yeah...I'll lie in wait until then.]
After hearing this claire was looking at cid EERILY.
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" could it be that you were worried that if you were to reveal your true talent your sister will get neglected by people around you ? " Alexia asked because she could understand the pressure of having a really talented sibling specially among royal and noble families .
Cid looked at the princess who just saved his life with eyes full of gratitude and used the opportunity to its fullest " yes you are right, in my family since i displayed an act of normality i was neglected to the point that i could leave my house and nobody would notice my absence for days"
" That's not true i would have noticed it right away, but i did leave for academy... It couldn't be did my absence affect you that much, that damn baldy can't even take care of his own son." Claire was fuming
" I was planning to you big sis but i just felt realllly shy near you " cid used one of his original anti claire technique... The puppy eyes.
Claire was .... Moved , yes cid is innocent no matter what her brother is still that innocent and nice little brother that she does not deserve.
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After looking at cid's unbelievable acting even iris was moved, it seems she could learn a lot from him, maybe if she would have also not displayed her full potential alexia might not be in the spot where she is right now.
[I know I'm not exerting my true potential and that I am cutting corners, but I learned some skills as an apprentice that have come in handy. Like how magic is used on the battlefield in this world. It's been a good opportunity for me to reflect on my own techniques.
To be completely honest, it's clear to me the fighting styles from my past life were a hundred times more logical and refined than the ones here.]
" A hundred times better..... I see " iris muttered.
" Plus he has mastered multiple of such martial arts " gamma proudly declared to everyone in the room.
" Sasuga shadow sama, he never fails to impress us " epsilon said with a proud tone.
" Indeed, he has done so many crazy feats that it's not even surprising anymore" alpha agreed with a satisfied look.
" How just how " asked marco
" I will most probably explain why in the next scene"
[I mean, look at any contemporary martial arts battle. These fighters rebuke unnecessary movements, drawing from various combat schools and whittling them down to the crème de la crème. This creates the conditions for the "perfect" fight. It relies on the rules of the game, of course, but this mental attitude can be used to identify the best of the best in any situation.
And then consider this world. First and foremost, their fighting techniques stay in their country of origin.
Which means different schools of combat don't cross borders. Plus, there are certain secret skills that countries won't allow out of their jurisdiction-not that we'd be able to spread them to begin with, since no forms of media are readily available to us. This means we can't combine techniques from other forms of fighting, much less reject or improve our own.
If I had to describe this system in one word, l'd call it unrefined.]
" So you are saying since we are so secretive about our fighting style we are not able to improvise" asked glen who understood cid's point of view.
" I see, for an example if someone for example were to learn swordsman ships from both the midgar kingdom and velgalta empire, they will be able to create a new style which will have the best aspects of both and reduce unnecessary things" rose said
" And if a person were to learn all three and another one they will continue improving, but how would you know the development made are the right ones ?" asked alexia
" Through practical and competitive tests like for example bushin festival and other tournament the new martial arts will be put to test and the one who will show the results will get publicity and fame. Encouraging others to do the same and improvise, creating an infinite loop of martial arts becoming more refine " alpha decided to ya- i mean share her thoughts.
Everybody nodded as they understood alpha's assessment.
' she sure likes to yap a lot ' cid thought but contrary to his thoughts he decided to give alpha the legendary head pats ( alpha was in bliss) .... Which made every shadow garden member jealous.
Po and skel decided to test their luck too....
"Well done" "great job" as they also tried to pat alpha , before their hands could even reach alpha she decided to place a blade on both of their useless necks as a warning.
( Yes alpha , let's goo alpha , alpha is too good just a bit more and we won't have to hear their gibberish anymore, but i would prefer to torture these two i mean what could be worse than seeing cid get all the girls infront of them while constantly getting abused)
Both of them returned to their spots instantly huh did they really just wet their pants...
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[But there's one fundamental difference between the two worlds. That's right: magic. It completely changes the baseline of physical performance.
Take physical strength, for example.
I can lift someone up with one hand, which means any knowledge about hand-to-hand combat and wrestling, or "ground fighting," goes out the window.Even if we're in a mounted grappling, I can soar through the air by flexing my abs.If l've got my foot hooked on an opponent in an offensive guard, I can blast them off me by activating my leg muscles. Yeah.Ground fighting is out of the question.
It's like how humans have their method of combat and gorillas have a breed of their own. And I'll just leave it at that.]
" But still if you are evenly matched in strength martial arts would make a huge difference, i would rather be someone with Absurd martial arts skills than totally rely on magic" cid decided to elaborate because he already knew of people who had great amount of magical energy but no skills.
Gamma sneezes, weird she doesn't remember being sick or anything.
" And there are some artifacts which can block enemies magical energy by constantly absorbing it from them " eta said
" Yes that's true i have been working on one such artifact myself " Sherry totally did not expose something she shouldn't have.
Eta was looking at her with the eyes of a hungry predator but before she could ask or do anything saph decided to intervene and stop her.
[There are also differences in the distance and speed at which combatants step into their attacks-meaning it's harder to predict their movements in battle. This might be the most important thing. I mean, martial arts are all about reading your opponent at an appropriate range. The angle, position, and distance of your attacks are everything.
It took me a while to get the hang of the last one, especially because these fighters attack from afar. Like sixteen feet apart. I mean, I guess I get it. They're lightning fast and take ginormous steps, and l'd just assumed this was their way of fighting...until I realized it was to compensate for their poor defense tactics.
I'm sure this is relatable to all martial artists: Those who can't guard will stand too far from their opponents.
It's really scary to get hit. I get it. It's tempting to retreat to where your opponent can't reach you. But this results in a contest where one fighter attacks and the other retreats, and vice versa, which is a real snore.
You call this outboxing? Try again. This is just an exercise of running back and forth.
It doesn't matter if the fighters are five or a hundred meters apart. They can't land a decent hit either way. It could be six or seven or ten meters-it's all the same.
This has been a public service announcement to close the gap and duke it out.But once you cross a certain threshold, one millimeter can make a huge difference.
And it stands at the exact point where I can both land a blow and react to an attack. Throw in other factors like the angle of my hits, and the slightest turn can mean an advantage—or a disadvantage. The narrowest of margins is the best range between two fighters.
A battle shouldn't be about one combatant dashing in sixteen feet and the other leaping back nineteen.]
" So we lack defensive tactics, i am sure we can improvise on them with cid's help " iris said
" Haha you are giving me too much credit " cid awkwardly said while waving his hands.
" No what my sister is saying is correct, it's a shame you have been hiding your talent" alexia said
( If it comes to their world martial arts wouldn't that make zeta the best in it since she is probably the fastest among the 7 shades)
[I guess I came into this whole thing with an idea of what to expect from other worlds, which — compounded with my unfamiliarity with magic—left me confused about their combat scene. But, eh, I've gotten my bearings straight as of late. It's all chill now.
I train every day at home, where our dad basically directs us on how to throw down, and I grapple with my older sister. I know she's only two years older than me, but she has natural talent, according to everyone else. If she keeps it up, she's the one who will take over as head of the family, which isn't uncommon in this world, since magic can make women powerful enough to become the heir.
"Geez, you're so strong..." I whimper every day as she kicks my ass.]
Claire has never felt so proud and happy of herself it seems this viewings will not only include punishment but rewards for him too ( what reward would claire give to cid stay tuned for the next chapter of drag- just kidding, i would love your suggestions to what the reward should be )
" Even the sister seems really talented " iris was sure she has found a goldmine of talents.
" Yes princess I was planning to tell you about her, she has become a rising talent who i planned to invite after her graduation" glen said
" Saph could you tell us more about their lineage " asked iris.
" Although this would be considered a spoiler i think it wouldn't affect the story that much, indeed you are correct both of them are from a really special lineage.... They are the descendants of the hero Nonna " saph answered
" Hero Nonna never heard of her, she must be no- " before skel could continue again with his shit, Nu decided to explain " hero Nonna was one of the original heroes who worked along the three heroes "
" I see " marco was the first to answer
(Are you ready guys)
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" I am also a descendant of a hero " both skel and po shouted
" Which one to be exact " saph asked expecting a dumb answer from these donkeys.
" Hero oliver " skel said with a proud grin
" Same, I am also a descendant of hero oliver " po had an even prouder grin
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" Hero oliver was an elf you dumbasses" Nu decided to burst their bubble and believe me it was loud... Loud because of everybody was laughing at these 2 idiots while they tried to hide their sorry faces.
[But I can't win. If I want to become a shadow commander, l've got to establish myself as the most average of all background characters.That's how l've been living out my day-to-day. Tack on lessons about how to act as an aristocrat and hanging out with people to secure my place as a low-profile extra, and l've barely got any free time during the day.
Which means the only time for me to train is after everyone else has gone to bed, late into the night. I may be cutting into my beauty sleep, but l've been using magic to recover super-quick and meditation to catch some z's in new ways. And now, I've pretty much got short sleeper syndrome. I make it work.]
" so this is the reason you never slept in the same room as me " Claire was upset?
" It's not that i didn't like to sleep ( in the same room) with you it's just -" before cid could continue claire stopped him with a red face.
( hehehe it's just a joke guys )
" I think we should con-continue " beta decided to change the subject.
[Okay, time to get down to business. I blast through my usual training regimen in the forest. I've got something special planned today.
I heard that rogues have taken up residence in the ghost town nearby. According to my investigation, it's a large gang of thieves, who were hired by the cult—and the perfect opportunity to test my new weapon.
I take down bandits here and there. But a whole group of criminals? That's the event of the year. And I'm always short on sparring partners, so l welcome evildoers with open arms.
Oh, please, please, please infest this place with more crime!]
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" I get that you wanted to spar with other people but in the last line weren't you hoping for more crime " alexia asked
" No that's not the case I was just too excited to try my new weapon.... I am sorry " cid replied while panicking
" No you have nothing to apologise araji it's not that you were 'actually' hoping that would happen, you just thought that at the heat of the moment" zeta decided to defend cid which earned her ear rubs from him.
Delta also wanted that and decided to give everyone a piece of her mind " bossman did nothing wrong, hunting thieves is a must for a pack on the contrary we must thank bossman " cid had a blank face but was forced by saph to give delta ear rubs too.
" Hired by a cult ? " Sherry decided to finally adress the topic that most of them have glossed over.
" That would be a spoiler " saph decided to intervene before any shadow garden members could explain about the cult.
[I think it's standard for villages to try to deal with offenders on their own terms, but they mostly get away scot-free. I mean, our judicial system is in the city, which is why l've decided to take the law into my own hands.]
" Glen when we return make sure to remind me to assign knights to as many villages as possible if it weren't for cid this thieves would have continued looting and killing innocents and cid although what you are doing is right taking law in your hand is something i wouldn't advise it ..... Unless you have the special privilege which I shall give you " iris declared with a grin
Although shadow garden members didn't like the audacity of the princess but in the end it was beneficial for them, as they were sure after this viewings they will get support of not only midgar kingdom but also oriana kingdom.
" I will also give you the special privilege to do what you must in oriana kingdom" rose decided that she will not lose and convince cid to join her.
[Today marks the historic day of my first official battle with my newest weapon. I've been experimenting with it for months and call it the "slime bodysuit." Allow me to explain.
We can use magic in this world to strengthen our bodies and weapons, but there are energy losses when it's transferred from one form to another. For example, if I run one hundred currents of magic through an average steel sword, only 10 percent of them will be of use in combat. A whopping 90 percent is lost.Even a mithril sword, which is known to be compatible with magic. It's considered high-end if it performs at 50 percent capacity.
That's when slimes caught my eye. A slime is a magical being that uses energy to change form and wobble from place to place. According to my research, l've found they have a conductivity of an astonishing 99 percent. On top of that, they're in a liquid state, which means they can change their shape at will. I started testing slime jellies after capturing and crushing their cores-easily more than a thousand of them. In fact, I pushed them to the brink of extinction in my area by killing too many and had to go on an expedition to find more.
The jellies are easy to handle and strong, to boot. I successfully molded the slime into a wearable bodysuit, which is super-lightweight and silent, unlike armor. Plus, it almost, like, supports my movements?
And I've given it killer defenses, of course.
As for right now, I'm wrapped