"No way." He thought as his hand sagged due to the weight of the spear. It was at least 50kg, almost half of his total body weight. It had only caught him by surprise, soon he was able to adjust to it but he couldn't deny that it is very heavy and most importantly it made him off-balance. So he glared at SQUARESKULL as if to say, 'How am I supposed to wield this?'
SQUARESKULL might still be messing with him and he wasn't about to take any more of it.
"This is the training spear that everyone uses for their first training regimen. You seem capable enough. Follow me then." SQUARESKULL said, then he finally stepped down from his lofty seat on his spear.
He went towards a door at the back of the room. Soverick's seniors followed SQUARESKULL with clear anticipation in their eyes. Soverick was beginning to understand why they came here even when he said that they didn't need to. Either they didn't have anything to do or they came here specifically to watch him fumble and fail.
Everyone left the main hall while carrying a spear of different sizes. Soverick was the last person to enter through the door and what he found within the room was a small mountain range. It is small when compared to the mountain ranges out there in the world but it is extremely large for an indoor mountain range. The peaks of the mountain range were made to form a circle, there was flat ground at the center of the room.
'This is not an illusion, it's all real.' Soverick thought to himself as he sensed the world. He didn't sense the external influence of an illusion array. The academy and crammed a mountain range into the building somehow. Or someone created it inside the building. It could be both, and both are impressive.
SQUARESKULL'S divine sense began to speak again. "What you will do is run while carrying your training spear. The spear must not be dropped nor must it touch the ground or you will start again. You can carry it however you want. This exercise aims to form a sense of affinity with the spear, to bond with it the spear. You will complete 10 trips around the peaks before we move on to the next exercise. Any questions?"
"One question. How will you know when I have bonded with the spear?" Soverick wanted to know what to truly aim for. Running around with a spear without a concrete goal isn't his style. If he had enough data and information, he can make accurate simulations. That's why he learns things quickly and he can find the solutions to the problems in the challenges. His mind is powerful enough to simulate world scenarios almost perfectly.
"The mysteries of the spear are infinite. There is only a beginning, there is no end. Spear affinity can always be increased. There's no limit to it and the more of it you have, the better your training will be. This exercise will continue until I see it fit to stop." SQUARESKULL answered.
Soverick coughed. "Well, that's good and all. But you still haven't answered my question. How will you know when I have bonded with the spear?"
SQUARESKULL turned to regard him. His eyes were narrowed. "Spear affinity is familiarity. I'll know when you become familiar with the spear and when it becomes easier to carry the spear. The exercise will strain your body, the different slopes will put your body through different forms, and your mind will try to make the exercise less painful, hence it will find the best way to ease the burden that is the spear you're carrying. As you run and tire, your body will become sluggish, yet your spear form will become better. Does that answer your question?"
"Thank you, teacher SQUARESKULL."
Soverick began to run up and down the mountain peaks.
It would have been easy as peach to perform if he were not so bogged down by the spear. As it was, his gait was awkward trying to run up and down the slopes. His balance was off and he realized that he couldn't perform his movement techniques as well as he should be able to. Each step he takes shifts his center of balance precariously, like a pendulum. The arms that should help him maintain his balance are preoccupied with carrying the heavy and getting heavier spear.
It is true that given enough time, his mind will figure out a way to carry the spear better and his body will adapt to the weight. His steps will become lighter and the weight of the spear won't throw off his center of balance as much. All these are possible with time. But that's for passive learners.
He is not a passive learner. He is an active learner, he actively pursued his objectives and adjusts to them. He realized from the answer that SQUARESKULL gave him, that spear familiarity is about the posture when holding the spear. Spear form is about shifting the weight of the spear so that it doesn't negatively impact the performance of the body. So he didn't maintain a single way of holding the spear. He tried out several postures for several situations and collected data on how they affected his body.
He was determined to make a catalog of the various scenarios. He wanted to collect data, make conjectures, confirm them, make adjustments and finally assimilate the essence. The essence of this exercise is the spear form.
All this isn't something that he could complete in just ten trips around the mountain range. That's why he ignored the pain and stress signals from his body and focused more on the sensation of carrying the spears. SQUARESKULL was right that he will see the most result when his body is at the edge of giving out. So he stayed at that edge and made sure all his efforts won't be wasted by concentrating on the essence.
It took 31 trips but he finally found a comfortable posture for almost every scenario. For when he was crouching so that the spear will not make noise. For when he is about to jump so that the spear will not affect his judgment of distance and how much effort was needed to make the leap. For when he is running, so that the spear will not make him trip easily. For when he is trying his trying to walk silently. For when he is off balance, so that the spear will shift and help him regain his balance. For when he is tripping, so that the spear will not make it difficult to regain his balance.
He combined different scenarios to create a sense of variability in his forms. For example, when he is running and also off balance. How to maintain his streamlined form to reduce wind drag. His hold on the spear will shift and the spear will be made to change positions relative to his body such that his center of gravity remained stable.
He stopped running when he was satisfied with what he had accomplished. SQUARESKULL only asked him to run 10 trips and he did more than that. Even if he did less than that, he would still have stopped if he considers the objective complete. There's no use wasting his time doing useless things.
Within the Plain at the center of the artificial mountain range. A few hours earlier when Soverick began to run.
"Do you think he will be able to complete it?" SYNCLAIR asked.
He wore the same battle academy uniform that the others wore just with a different color. He had green fur and he carried a standard spear that is much lighter than what Soverick was slugging about.
NARGOTHROND laughed at the question. He just laughed and rolled about on the ground.
It was NOBELLES that answered. He snickered and said. "I'll eat my non-existent shoes if he completes it."
Battle sage monkeys don't wear shoes because it inhibits their movement and the execution of foot techniques. Their disdain for foot protection becomes higher as they grow stronger. The odds of injuring their feet become the same as the odds of falling over and breaking their necks. Which is practically impossible.
"It will be fun to watch him try though. I so can't wait." NARGOTHROND finally said between his fits of laughter.
JUST_EVILNESS felt compelled to speak. "We should support our junior and not make fun of him. It is our duty to do so. We shouldn't make him feel bad."
SYNCLAIR glared at him and said, "Shut up. You are ruining our mood. We came here to mock and not to encourage. This event is traditional. And it will continue after we are gone. You should be glad that someone will take up your mantle of clumsiness. We won't have to laugh at you anymore."
The others laughed all except Teacher SQUARESKULL and the ever-brooding SLEEP DEPRIVED DEMON. SLEEP DEPRIVED DEMON hadn't spoken since the introduction. He or she kept to themselves. The other seniors didn't bother them, they were already used to the silent loner. So they focused on what they came here for.
They were here to watch Soverick fail to complete the 10 trips and they intend to enjoin every bit of it.