The Unlimited Ascension: Reborn as an Extra

Chapter 113: The First Lesson

As both of them continued to laugh softly, Alen just stood still, looking at them while folding his arms across his chest.

Their laughter finally subsided, and their breathing started to puff out heavily as they caught their breath.

"Hah... hah... ha... I am sorry... but... I couldn’t hold it back..."

Alen didn’t reply as he continued to stare at them flatly.

L then calmed down. He looked at Alen and offered his critique.

"Your stance was basically wrong. You swing wildly, and your technique is the worst. Overall, your skill with the dagger is terrible..."

Alen looked at him and replied sarcastically.

"Oh, wow. Thank you for reminding me of my shortcomings. I wouldn’t have known that if you hadn’t told me..."

L didn’t look offended at all. He straightened his back and made an offer.

"Let me show you how to wield it, then..."

L stepped forward toward the remaining patches of tall grass. He summoned a sharp dagger from his storage ring, clutching the hilt tightly as he took a proper combat stance.

He placed his right leg forward and held the dagger firmly in front of his chest. Its pointed, sharp edge angled downward toward his waist.

He took a deep breath and moved his back leg forward. He swung the dagger in an elegant, diagonal arc while quickly slipping his front leg sideways to make the move much faster. The grass in front of him was cut down by the blade, and the sheer air pressure released by the swift motion split the remaining grass in half.

All the surrounding grass, which Alen had spent hours trying to cut, split apart as easily as paper being cut by sharp scissors.

Alen looked at the freshly cut grass. Almost half of the remaining weeds in the park were sliced off by that single strike, which wasn’t even imbued with the slightest bit of mana.

’Is he a monster or something? How can he cut things like that without even requiring magic? If he lived in my original world, he would have become the biggest and most dangerous serial killer. It is better to be careful with him, rather than making him my enemy...’ Alen thought, his eyes wide.

L stepped back and looked at Alen with a soft smile.

"Look, if you learn how to wield a blade perfectly, you would be able to do even better than me..."

"Hmph... Better than you? Are you joking?..."

"No, I am not joking. There are people in this world who can even smash anything without even touching the object. Just by punching the thin air, the air pressure created by their strength will destroy it..."

Alen looked at him and nodded. He remembered the anime he used to watch in his past world. There were some characters where a single punch could shatter entire mountains even without using mana, so it must be possible here in Asterion too.

"If it is alright with you, should I teach you?..." L asked.

Alen blinked, caught off guard by the generous offer.

"Why? Are you sure you want to teach me your own technique?..."

"Well... Why not? It is not any big deal. I also learned this from someone else, so it doesn’t hurt to share the knowledge with others..."

Alen nodded as he thought about it for a second.

"Okay... Teach me how to use the dagger..."

L smiled, feeling a bit excited as he looked at Alen.

"Okay... Then let’s start. Can you just repeat how I did it earlier? It is okay to be sloppy at first..."

Alen gave him a sharp look.

"But don’t laugh again..."

"Okay, okay, I will try not to laugh..." L replied with a light chuckle.

Alen took a deep breath, mimicking L’s earlier stance. He positioned his right leg forward and gripped the dagger in front of his chest, its sharp edge pointing downward toward his waist. He then inhaled slowly, shifted his back leg forward, and swung the dagger in a diagonal arc, attempting to replicate the fluid movement L had demonstrated. His front leg slipped sideways, but it lacked the effortless grace L had displayed. The dagger swished through the air, but the grass remained stubbornly uncut.

He tried again, putting much more force into the swing, but the result was the exact same. The dagger felt clumsy and unwieldy in his hand, a stark contrast to the effortless precision L had shown. He glanced at L, expecting to see a mocking smirk, but L’s expression was one of patient observation.

L looked at Alen and pointed out the flaw.

"Why are you trying to force the blade to cut the object? Your whole focus is entirely on the object you want to cut, rather than the dagger you are actually wielding. That is why you are not able to improve..."

L stepped a bit closer to demonstrate. "And you are not using your stance perfectly. You are trying to mimic my movements exactly, using the same gap that I take with the same fluid motion. I appreciate that you listened to me... But you should swing the dagger according to your own body’s comfort."

"First, take a stance similar to the one I took, but this time, distance your feet in a way that fits your own center of gravity. And this time, as you swing the dagger, let your body flow with it. Don’t restrict your physical movements just to mimic mine."

Alen nodded, taking in L’s wise words. He repositioned himself, adjusting his stance slightly to find a much more natural balance. He still placed his right leg forward, but this time, he allowed a small, almost imperceptible shift in his weight distribution, finding a comfortable grounding. He held the dagger, feeling its true weight in his hand, and closed his eyes for a moment. He tried to connect with the weapon rather than focusing on the outcome of the swing.

He opened his azure eyes, took a deep breath, and began to move. This time, as he swung the dagger, there was less rigidity. A subtle, natural flow emerged that was completely absent before. His front leg moved sideways, not in a perfect mirror of L’s movement, but in a way that felt much more organic to his own body mechanics.

The dagger still didn’t create enough air pressure to cut the grass from a distance, but the physical movement itself felt less strained and much more fluid. He repeated the motion a few more times. Each swing was a little less forced and a little more natural. He could feel the slight improvement, a glimmer of understanding finally dawning on him.

L backed away and looked at him with his arms folded. Seeing the rapid improvement, he forced a smile, while inside, she was looking at him with a surprised expression.

’How can he learn that fast? It took me days to adjust my movements to my swing. But he easily adjusted his posture and adapted my technique with just a few steps...’

’He will surely be able to master this art even faster than I did...’

Alen stopped swinging his dagger after he saw quite a bit of improvement in his posture.

"Yeah, it really works. Thanks for teaching me that..."

L stepped forward and issued a challenge.

"Let’s have a duel, then. Being able to swing the dagger is alright, but you also need to learn how to use it in a practical match...."

L smiled as he waited for an answer. Alen looked at his hand holding the dagger, and then back at his rival.

"But let’s forfeit the use of any magic..." Alen requested.

L nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I am completely fine with that..."

Both of them distanced themselves from each other and took their respective combat stances. Their second duel was soon going to commence.