Learning skills for Luke was a completely different experience compared to learning skills for Leo.
While Leo had to understand the basics of mana and mana manipulation to cast spells, the type of spells taught to Luke had a completely different casting process.
The spells used by a knight leaned more towards physical reinforcement rather than manipulating the surroundings and hence its casting process was much different as well.
While Leo had to cycle mana in his body along a particular path to create resonance with his surroundings, Luke only had to imagine sending mana to his body part that he wished to reinforce.
Unlike Leo who first drew mana internally and then influenced his surroundings, Luke first drew mana from the surroundings into his body and then guided it towards the body part or weapon he wished to reinforce.
To run with more weights, the spell taught to him was [ Body Reinforcement ] an all body reinforcement spell that increased strength, physique and agility by 20-50% depending on skill mastery.
At basic mastery, it could increase the strength of the user by 20% and the duration was 20 minutes.
This went upto 50% boost with a 2 hour spell duration at highest level of mastery, however, Luke was still a far cry from it.
Another spell that Luke was taught was a weapons skill called [ Weapon's Reinforcement ] a versatile skill that could be combined with any weapon.
This skill reinforced the weapon in use with mana, increasing its durability and damage output significantly.
The better the weapons grade, the better were the effects of the reinforcement and it also helped in performing moves such as air slashes.
At the basic stage of mastery for weapon's reinforcement, Luke could project a sword slash powerful enough to slice through a boulder, provided it was within 20 meters of striking range.
According to popular legend, at the highest level of mastery, the slash could be powerful enough to slice through entire sections of an army, however, just like body reinforcement, Luke was a far cry from achieving it.
While the grade of the skills wasn't too high and they were skills that were commonly available to purchase via skill scrolls, the fact that Luke learnt them naturally, gave his version of the skill much more strength when compared to someone who learnt it from a scroll.
In just two months after joining the academy, Luke became a formidable knight squire who topped almost all classes in the academy, being known as a freak.
As his conditioning and combat awareness improved, his natural talent for fighting also began to shine as he fought so technically, leaving no gaps in his defense, that even the instructor's found it hard to fight Luke on equal footing, often needing to use superior strength to suppress him.
The brighter he shined, the better his bond became with Jerome as well, as Luke developed beautifully, just like Cervantez hoped that he would.
*************
( The iron circuit, Luke )
On his day off at the academy, Luke decided to try his hands at the iron circuit once more now that he had improved so much as a fighter, just to see how much further he could get now, compared to before.
As he entered the establishment, he saw the familiar bunny assistant who smiled sweetly when Luke entered.
"Hello sir, how may I assist you today?" She asked, as her bunny ears wiggled in happiness.
"How long before I can use the iron circuit?" Luke asked, looking down, as he felt like if he looked at the bunny assistant for too long he would get caught up in her cuteness.
"We have the iron circuit empty at the moment, would you like to try it now?" The assistant asked as Luke forked out 5 gold coins and said " yes please".
Accepting his money, the bunny assistant turned to lead the way, as once again, Luke was mesmerized by the sight of her perfectly round tail sticking out of a small hole in her skirt as she opened the heavy gate to the iron circuit.
"Please be safe and have a good time, Please know that you can exit the circuit anytime you want and if you wish for our team to assist you against a specific monster, you can ask for help, but it will cost you 2 gold coins per help summoned.
The combat arena does not encourage you to battle recklessly or battle till death and does have instructors watching over who will intervene incase of emergencies, however, in case you die, the battle arena will not be liable to pay compensation to your family" she said, closing the door as once she left the floor manager asked Luke if he was ready or should he wait before starting the challenge.
Luke asked him to wait, as he put on the gear he borrowed from the academy on, suiting up in full knight's armor and shield while using his own sword for offense.
" Okay I'm ready" Luke said, once he was in full gear which weighed nearly 30kg, but he was able to move in it like it was nothing much after two months of training.
Once Luke gave the signal, the floor master opened the monster gates, as a familiar foe came out.
[ Mutated Male Rooster ] ( Level 15 )
4 mutated male rooster flew out of the their cages and immediately identified Luke as their target.
*PAKAAK*
*PAK PAKPAKAAK*
The roosters screeched, as they flew in towards Luke from odd angles.
*Slash*
-55 CRITICAL HIT
*Slash*
-55 CRITICAL HIT
*Slash*
-55 CRITICAL HIT
*Block*
The speed of the flying chickens, which once seemed like a difficult task to handle, felt like nothing much to Luke now, after two months of training as he was able to kill three chickens one after another in single slashes, while having to block the last one with his shield, as he killed him after.
*Slash*
-55 CRITICAL HIT.
Within ten seconds, Luke made short work of the four chickens as the fight started before it even properly began.
" Onto the next stage then" Luke said, as he walked towards the next gate that opened for him.
" With your strength you're wasting your time in the iron circuit, you should go for bronze" the floor master said, however, since Luke had already paid for the iron circuit, Luke continued to the second round.
[ Hellcat ] ( level20 )
As the familiar beast prowled before Luke, he felt the pressure for the first time as this was the enemy where he faltered the first time around.
This was the beast that was much more agile when compared to the mutated roosters, its sleek black fur gleaming under the arena's dim lights, muscles rippling with each silent step it took as it eyed Luke with a predatory gaze.
Luke, feeling the intensity of the moment, steadied his breathing and focused, recalling his training and the skills he had honed.
Without hesitation, Luke activated [Body Reinforcement], feeling the surge of mana boosting his physical abilities, his muscles tensing with increased power. He then poured mana into his sword, using [Weapon's Reinforcement], making the blade shimmer with a subtle glow, ready to withstand and deliver powerful blows.
The Hellcat pounced, a blur of speed and fury, but Luke was ready. He dodged to the side with agility that belied his armored form, thanks to the body reinforcement. As the Hellcat landed, Luke counterattacked, swinging his enhanced sword in a wide arc.
The Hellcat, agile as it was, could not fully evade the powerful slash, receiving a significant wound along its flank, evidenced by the -120 CRITICAL HIT flashing above it.
Angered, the Hellcat launched a series of rapid attacks, claws and teeth seeking to penetrate Luke's armor which Luke met with precision, blocking with his shield and countering when opportunities arose.
His movements were fluid, a dance of combat honed through rigorous training, leaving no opening for the Hellcat to exploit.
As the battle reached its climax, Luke found an opening as the Hellcat overextended. With a powerful shout, he unleashed a full-powered [Weapon's Reinforcement] slash, the blade cutting through the air with a sound like tearing cloth.
The slash connected, and the Hellcat was thrown back, defeated, with a final -200 CRITICAL HIT sealing its fate.
[ System Notification - Congratulations player 'SkyLion' you have defeated a level 20 hellcat and have leveled up! ]
Luke leveled up to level20, feeling proud that he was able to defeat the Hellcat without receiving a single point in damage where he could not beat it just a few months ago.
While unlike Leo, Luke had not leveled up much, his stats and skills had undergone a massive improvement which was evident with his success today.
Although he was lagging behind on the leveling department, Luke was not too worried about it as passing each subject was going to give him a lot of levels, as he expected to gain 70-120 levels by the end of the year, catching up to the leaders when the time came.
" Nice skills, you're not made for this circuit, should've chosen the bronze tier" said the floor supervisor as he opened the gate and allowed Luke to progress to the next phase.
His next opponent was a level 25 mechanical golem, which had exaggerated defensive capabilities, however, under Luke's reinforced sword, it became as weak as paper as Luke made short work of it.
The fights against the level 30 Great Wolf and Level 35 Flame Lion were much more intense, however, in the end Luke cleared the entire iron circuit while taking only minimal damage, as he gained 7 levels in the process, leveling up to 26 with ease.