Three round projectiles sliced through the air at supersonic speeds, homing in on the white haired boy standing resolutely in his pristine white kimono.
His hand rested casually on the hilt of his katana, exuding an air of unshakable confidence as if facing down a trio of hurtling projectiles was an everyday affair.
Within moments, the projectiles closed in, closing the gap to a mere five meters. At that instant, a mesmerizing dance of silver slashes erupted into existence, a breathtaking display of unfathomable skill.
The air was filled with shimmering lines of silvery light, each cutting the incoming projectiles with flawless precision. They exploded into countless fragments, scattering in every direction as if the boy had willed them to disintegrate.
Not a single line of his expression shifted, remaining as calm as still waters.
Without pause, another set of projectiles, this time numbering four, followed suit. The ethereal dance of his katana played out in a symphony of destruction, each incoming projectile meeting the same fate.
His graceful strikes cut through the air, effortlessly splitting them into a myriad of fragments. Yet, he remained undaunted, an embodiment of serenity amid chaos.
Then came five more projectiles, and before his sword could meet their path, Atticus's keen senses detected a shift. Swift as a streak of lightning, he darted ten meters to the right, displaying a sudden burst of agility that defied explanation.
Immediately, a ferocious eruption of searing hot lava spewed forth from the ground where he had stood just moments ago, its intensity alarming.
The frequency of the shooting projectiles continued to escalate, first to six, then seven, and soon ten, fifteen, and more. Their assaults became increasingly relentless, the intervals between bursts of lava growing shorter, as if to test his limits.
Undaunted, the boy moved with a speed and grace that defied imagination. His every motion was like a work of art, the lightning fast slashes from his katana transcending the realm of human capability.
With lightning speed, he severed each incoming projectile, reducing them to fragments, and elegantly dodged the eruptions of lava that sought to engulf him.
It had been one month since Atticus began his training within the katana realm, and his progress was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
At the beginning, he could barely last more than a few seconds, and dealing with any more than five projectiles was a challenge, especially when accounting for the erratic lava bursts.
The journey wasn't easy, but Atticus possessed a unique advantage that none of the previous wielders learning second art had at this stage: his extraordinary intelligence and perception.
Even from the very beginning, Atticus had displayed intelligence and perception levels far beyond what one would expect for his rank.
Most individuals would awaken their perception as they ascended through the ranks, this was the norms.
As an individual increased in rank, all their stats improved, including stats like intelligence and charm. And Perception naturally awakened once an individual's intelligence reached a certain threshold.
It was typical for higher-ranking individuals to have awakened perception, and this single awakening significantly boosted their overall strength.
With heightened perception, they could learn complex arts with ease, manipulate mana effortlessly, and, most importantly, their combat prowess soared.
Having total awareness of their surroundings allowed them to have an edge in battles, enabling them to strategize effectively.
Most people in the human domain awakened their perception at the Expert rank, aligning with the average intelligence stats in the human domain.
But Atticus had awakened his perception when he was just at the Intermediate rank! One could only imagine the amount of boost Atticus would receive when he reaches the Grandmaster rank, considering how early he had unlocked his perception
The current training felt like a godsend for Atticus's perception. If he didn't know any better, he might have thought that he had been brought here solely to enhance his perception.
One fact remained unchanging: the more he strained and utilized his perception, the more it seemed to thrive. And it had grown remarkably over the past month.
Before, he had struggled to keep up with the fast-moving projectiles or react to the sudden bursts of lava from the ground.
But after a month of relentless training, continually straining and using his perception, he could now easily follow their movements and react accordingly.
As he continued, a man observed him from the side, a faint look of shock on his face. 'He reached this level in one month?' Cedric thought, disbelief overtaking him.
Cedric was astounded by Atticus's rapid progress. He knew just how incredibly challenging it was to master the second art. It wasn't something that should have been achievable so quickly and easily.
Even he had taken a total of five months and twenty days to learn the art, and three months to reach the level Atticus had attained in just one month.
And that was when he was in the Advanced rank! If only Cedric knew that Atticus had already awakened his perception, no one could know how he would have reacted.
'What monster did 'he' choose this time?' Cedric thought gravely.
After hours of dodging and slashing, the clock suspended in the air struck zero.
As if someone had flipped a switch, the 100 speeding projectiles that had been closing in on Atticus came to an abrupt halt in the air and crashed down to the ground with resounding thuds.
Atticus let out a small smile. He was glad that he had improved a lot compared to when he started.
He turned to find Cedric, who was still staring at him with a hint of astonishment.
Cedric walked toward Atticus and offered praise, "Good job, kid. You're actually improving beyond what I expected."
Atticus nodded in acknowledgment of the praise, but it did little to sway him. He hadn't forgotten about what awaited him outside this training. "So what's next?" he asked.
"You've learned the first part of the art: its movements. Now I'm going to teach you how to move your mana."