noveltune Chapter 11 Windmill Training
Chapter 11 Windmill Training
"Phew~"
Alwin charged forward, turned and slashed diagonally, the sword flashing.
[Wolf School Witcher Swordsmanship Experience +1!]
He stopped moving when the mechanical sound rang out.
He began to breathe heavily, his chest heaving violently, and the cold wind blowing against his face stung the sweat.
I've finally learned this one lesson.
Geralt stood up from the stone block.
"Very good, you've mastered the basics of swordsmanship," he said, glancing up at the stars and moonlight. "It's been about three hours; your talent is quite good."
Arwen calmed his breathing and looked at the panel.
[Wolf School Demon Hunter Swordsmanship Lv1: 1/100]
He was not satisfied with the progress of only gaining 1 experience point in three hours.
Moreover, this was practiced under Geralt's guidance. If he were to learn on his own, he probably wouldn't even be able to get the hang of it in just a few days.
"Geralt, how long did it take you to get started?"
Alwin asked with some curiosity.
Geralt paused, raised his right arm, and held up two fingers.
"Two hours?"
Alwin's cat eyes trembled.
It was only an hour off; it seems my swordsmanship talent isn't as bad as I thought.
Geralt shook his head and scoffed, "Twice, Alwyn."
Twice?
Alwin looked extremely shocked, and a strong sense of defeat welled up inside him.
At that moment, he deeply realized that people are different from one another.
Without the system, the gap between myself and these geniuses is like that between a firefly and the moon.
We must work harder to accumulate experience; diligence can make up for shortcomings!
Geralt was wondering if his words had been too harsh on the black-haired boy in front of him.
But when he saw those spirited gray cat eyes, a look of admiration flashed in his eyes.
Geralt put his training sword back into the weapon rack.
"Alright, it's getting late. Training is over, we should head back."
"Vesemir said that rest is just as important as training, and if you want to practice your sword, you'll have plenty of time later."
After listening, Alwin understood the importance of striking a balance between tension and relaxation.
After putting the training sword back on the weapon rack, Geralt and Geralt went to the well for a drink of water, and then walked back side by side.
Inside the apprentices' quarters, the apprentices' snores rose and fell in waves.
Alwin tiptoed back to his bed.
As soon as all the muscles in my body relaxed, a feeling of soreness and fatigue followed, and my heavy eyelids quickly closed, and I fell into a deep sleep.
……
The eleventh day after the autumnal equinox.
In the kitchen, the Witcher and his apprentices were having breakfast.
It contains milk, as well as fried eggs and bread.
Of course, green juice is essential.
The apprentices chatted amongst themselves, completely unaware that Geralt had given Arwin special lessons the night before.
Breakfast is over.
Vesemir and Geralt led their apprentices on a five-lap run around the castle as a warm-up exercise.
Whether apprentice or seasoned witcher, no one can slack off in their daily training, not even Brad, whose right arm is bandaged.
In the afternoon, Vesemir led the group up the city wall.
The majestic Blue Mountains are a spectacular sight. Under the sunlight, the snow-capped peaks radiate a faint golden glow, and the pine forests are shrouded in mist. No matter how many times I've seen it, Alwin is still deeply moved.
Vesemir clapped his hands, and everyone began to check their equipment.
Seeing that it was about time, Vesemir finally spoke.
"Today's training session is windmill training. Can you all see the 'comb' in front of you?"
comb?
Arwen and the others looked over, their eyes filled with confusion.
Vesemir said, "Take a good look at the wooden stakes in front of you."
Alwin then realized what was happening.
On a platform not far ahead, there are dozens of wooden stakes of varying heights, with significant differences in the distance and orientation between them.
Paul touched his hair. "Master Vesemir, these are just a few wooden stakes, aren't they? Why call them 'combs'?"
Vesemir crossed his arms over his chest.
"My children, you are witchers. The comb you speak of is for women to comb their hair, but this 'comb' is for you to groom your bodies."
"Geralt, demonstrate it for them."
Geralt drew his training sword and easily jumped onto the wooden stake, which was about 1.6 meters high, using the battlements as cover.
Vesemir said, "Open your eyes wide."
Geralt moved, his footsteps landing precisely on the center of each stake without the slightest wobbling, as if he were standing on flat ground, not on precarious stakes.
The speed increased rapidly, flowing smoothly like clouds and water.
In just a few breaths, they reached the middle of the 'comb'.
There, a wooden dummy was fixed to a stake, and the dummy had claws made of wooden sticks on its body.
As Geralt approached, the dummy's heart and the gems around its neck suddenly lit up.
The dummy's upper body emitted a mechanical spinning sound, and its claws began to dance wildly, like a spinning top.
Geralt's amber cat-like eyes were aggressive as he pressed close, raising his arms and slashing through the dense, rain-like claws of the dummy, striking the gem in the dummy's heart.
"Clang!"
With a single blow, the high-speed rotating dummy stopped working and ceased its movement.
Geralt sheathed his sword, took a step into the air, and jumped off the 'comb'.
Alwin pursed his lips, and Paul beside him couldn't help but say, "This...this is too amazing."
"Well done, Geralt."
Vesemir turned to the apprentices and said, "You have all seen the process clearly. As long as you use your sword to hit the gems on the windmill dummy, you can stop it from turning."
"It looks simple, right? But be careful. If it knocks down your 'comb,' you'll be fine if it's near the inner wall, but if it's on the outer wall, you can only pray that you'll get stuck on a tree trunk. Otherwise, you'll become a water ghost in the White Stone River."
Upon hearing this, everyone swallowed hard, and many began to tense up.
Arwen peeked out from the battlements. Kaer Morhen was built against the mountain, with a bottomless cliff below. Clouds and mist filled the air, and only the rushing sound of the White Stone River could be faintly heard.
Falling down there would be a certain death!
Fear spread through his heart, but was forcibly suppressed by his mutated body.
Vesemir's expression was stern. "Relax, children."
"First one, Aiken, you go!"
Aiken picked up the training sword; his cat-like eyes were already itching to try.
"OK."
He followed Geralt's method, stepping onto the "comb" by stepping on a corner of the battlement.
After familiarizing themselves with the route, they quickly began to sprint, treating the cliff beside them as nothing.
Soon, he arrived in front of the windmill dummy, whose wooden sticks and claws were spinning at high speed.
Aiken stopped, hesitated for a moment, and then squeezed in close.
"Snapped!"
The wooden stick struck Aiken hard on the shoulder, causing his body to sway violently.
At this moment, the apprentices were terrified and exclaimed in surprise.
Aiken gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain in his shoulder, and plunged his sword into the dummy's heart.
"Gagaga..."
The dummy immediately stopped operating.
Aiken stretched his shoulders, did a somersault, and jumped gracefully off the 'comb'.
"My God, Aiken succeeded on his first try."
"With the plague above, that backflip was really cool."
The praise from Winston, Brad, and others made Aiken forget the pain in his shoulder, and a smug look appeared on his face.
"It's a piece of cake."
Vesemir took out a timer from behind him and pressed it. "Twenty-nine seconds, not bad."
Geralt leaned against the battlements and nodded slightly.
For an apprentice trying for the first time, this result is indeed excellent.
Upon receiving the former's affirmation, Aiken's smile widened even further.
Vesemir reset the timer to zero and then shouted:
"Arwen, you're next."
Arwen stepped forward upon hearing the sound.
As he passed by Aiken, Alwin heard his smug voice.
"Watch out, don't get knocked off the windmill, Alwin."
Alwin noticed the sarcastic tone in the former's voice and simply smiled.
"You don't need to worry about that."
Twenty-nine seconds?
Oh……