Cherreads

Chapter 4 - The Restart Invite (4)

The [Wind Blade] skill dimly glowed. Lanster understood this as the recommended ability choice.

Yet, Lanster still rubbed his chin and thought for a moment.

In the end, Lanster still decided to follow the recommendation [Wind Blade].

Otherwise, he could already see the following conversation:

"Hi, I'm the rogue. I can be stealthy and scout out our enemies."

"Hi, I'm the warrior. I'll tank all the enemy fire. You can trust me to protect you."

"Hi, I'm the wind mage. I'm good at running away."

"You can trust me with your will?"

Yeah. Hell no.

Lanster tapped [Wind Blade]

[Skill Choice Complete]

[Entering Training Mode]

Lanster found himself in the middle of a forest.

The screen popped up again.

[Welcome to Training Mode]

[You have 30 minutes to practice your new ability here]

[All damage inflicted and sustained will be reversed immediately]

[All stamina and mental focus will be restored immediately]

Lanster took a deep breath of the forest air.

"Well. Let's begin." Lanster calmly nodded. 

Lanster raised his arm. Seamlessly, a translucent arc of wind formed in front of him and shot out like an arrow, cutting a tree branch off.

It's as if Lanster had practiced this move countless times before. He just wanted it to happen, and the attack was completed.

In a white flash, the falling branch returned back to the tree.

"Ok." Lanster paused and thought about the observations he'd made. 

Wind Blade!

Wind Blade!

Wind Blade!

With a few practice shots, Lanster got a basic understanding of his ability.

The range of the wind blade was three yards. Within three yards, the blade could cleanly cut through an entire fully grown tree.

Ten yards away, the wind blade could only leave a scratch on the bark.

Twelve yards away, nothing.

In terms of mana cost… Funny thing is, Lanster didn't feel a 'mana' energy inside of his body.

It's a strange feeling. Making a wind blade to the mind was like curling a dumbbell with his bicep.

Normal wind blades were like lifting a 10lb dumbbell multiple times. At a good pace, Lanster could last a while in battle firing these off.

'Alternatively.' Lanster concentrated his mind. "Wind Blade!"

The translucent arc shot away like an arrow, and cut right through a tree ten yards away.

Lanster felt rather mentally tired, as if he'd read a long and boring textbook for an hour. But this mental fatigue disappeared in the very next moment.

Firing a condensed wind blade was like curling a 30lb dumbbell. Lanster could do it, but it's straining.

'On the other end.' Lanster swept his hand forward, releasing a gust. There's no strain. But there's no clear purpose either for sending out this gust of wind.

"Wind Blade!"

Lanster shot out a blob of condensed wind. It exploded upon contact with a tree. The attach didn't have to be a blade. It's just blades were most effective.

"Ok. So there is some range issues with wind magic." Lanster rubbed his chin in thought. "Sure, the cutting ability of the wind blade is powerful. But how many arrows do I need to tank, before I can land a shot?"

"The problem at hand is that the wind blade falls apart by itself as it travels."

"Of course it does! The spell is basically shooting out condensed air. You need to put in extra effort to hold the form of the blade. Or, the condensed air dissolves in air."

"Eureka! Genius! Well done, captain obvious!" Lanster chuckled at himself with a calm gaze and a serious expression. 

"So the problem is that most of the energy is used to hold the wind blade together, instead of propelling into further distance."

"But what if I shoot something that doesn't dissolve in air?"

"What if I convert the high air pressure generated by my ability to bring a projectile into high speed?"

Lanster picked up a pebble, flicked it forward, and aimed at the pebble with his hand. "Condensed air!"

It's fast! The pebble shot out!

Lanster caught a glimpse of his experiment. The pebble was like an arrowhead, and Lanster's stream of condensed air was like the arrow shaft.

"And it works." Lanster estimated that he'd walked at least twenty yards from his firing spot. The pebble sank an inch into the bark.

As if detecting Lanster's examination, the pebble disappeared in a white flash. The bark was perfectly intact again.

"Kind of." Lanster couldn't lie to himself. This was not the tree he was aiming for.

"Maybe I should make myself an enclosed barrel, and make some steel balls." Lanster felt like he was onto something.

Something that will bring a smile to his foes.

"I'll put this on my to-do list."

"Next test. What if I want to make a shield out of condensed air, like the wind blade?"

"The form is like this?" Lanster pushed his creation against a tree.

The shield exploded!

The gust knocked Lanster off the ground. The world started spinning.

Lanster felt like he'd hit something with the back of his head, but he couldn't be sure.

He was standing in the middle of the forest again, perfectly fine.

"OK. Don't do that outside of training mode." Lanster made a note.

"And mobility test?"

"[Invisible Wings]."

"I guess it's just a forward pushing current, like woah!"

Lanster stood in the middle of the forest, perfectly fine, just pressing his palm against his face.

"Noted. Don't do that outside of training mode."

[Thank you for using the training mode]

[More ability points will be awarded to you upon completing date missions]

[Class Selection Complete. Please prepare for the recording of your intro video.]

[See you next time]

Lanster sat on the bench in the middle of no where. In front of him, there was only the ocean and the waves in sight, and also that floating digital screen.

[Filming starts in 5 minutes]

[Please get ready]

This… felt surreal to Lanster.

Lanster wasn't doubting his decisions. It's just, with the class selection complete, and that it was time for him to actually embark on the journey, Lanster was not so sure anymore. 

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