Dumpy observed Leo and his movements closely once Leo succeeded in performing Full Counter.
Instead of the images in the spell manual, Dumpy felt Leo to be a much better role model to follow, as he committed all of Leo's movements to memory.
As Leo prepared to execute [Full Counter], his body moved with a fluid grace that Dumpy lacked.
By just watching him perform it once, Dumpy understood that the way he jump started the move abruptly was wrong, and the way Leo did it was more efficient.
'Lord Father…. His grace is unmatched' Dumpy thought, as he observed all of Leo's movements closely.
To execute [Full Counter], Leo positioned his right foot forward first, angling it slightly outward at around 30 degrees, while his left foot remained anchored behind him.
Then, He bent his knees just enough to lower his center of gravity, creating a firm, balanced stance which could withstand the physical force of any attack coming his way.
'I see, I was bending my knees too much… I must do it like Lord Father' Dumpy realized, as he noticed how Leo's posture wasn't rigid but instead flowed naturally, allowing his body to move seamlessly.
Then, once Leo imagined an attack coming his way, He finally gripped his dagger lightly, while his arm remained relaxed by his side as he waited for the perfect moment to strike.
Here, Dumpy noticed how Leo's right hand barely twitched—as if his body was preparing for something, but the real power came from elsewhere.
Finally, as Leo envisioned the attack nearing him, he rotated his hips slightly to the left, his upper body following while his feet stayed firmly in place. His right foot twisted inward just a little, and his left foot dug into the ground for stability.
All the while, his dagger remained steady, perfectly poised at the right angle, waiting for the crucial moment. Then, as he envisioned the attack reaching him, Leo executed the strike.
Snapping his hips forward with precision, his arm followed through in perfect synchronization. Mana flowed seamlessly from his core, down through his arm, and into the dagger, as he created the perfect blue streak.
'So beautiful! Lord Father is so powerful!' Dumpy thought, as having seen Leo execute the move, Dumpy realized that the rotation of the hips was crucial to the technique— that Leo was using his core to generate the torque necessary to channel the energy, while he did not do the same.
Dumpy's wide eyes glimmered with admiration as he watched Leo return to a relaxed stance, each step of the move having already been etched into his mind.
'I understand it now, the correct angle of the feet, the rotation of the hips, the timing of the strike, and the precise flow of mana' Dumpy thought, as he croaked in pure elation.
"Ribbit!" He said as he tried to imitate Leo's stance, positioning his right foot forward just as Leo had done.
Then, bending his knees, Dumpy relaxed his body, making sure to loosen his grip on his weapon.
Slowly, he twisted his hips, mimicking the way Leo had shifted his weight. His small frame moving with a determination to get every step right.
Unfortunately for him however, the first attempt was a failure—as his blade remained dull, without the blue glow.
But Dumpy didn't let that deter him. He corrected his stance, remembering how Leo had twisted his hips at the precise moment and tried again, this time more focused than before as he visualized the mana flow in his body.
"Haha… that kid has actually grasped the right stance so fast… it's impressive" Leo muttered to himself, watching from a distance as he enjoyed Dumpy's struggles to grasp the move.
Just as he had anticipated, Dumpy was a fast learner, however, while he had managed to learn the stance by copying Leo's movements, the internal flow of mana needed to perform the technique was not something that could be learnt by copying someone else.
It needed a deep understanding of one's internal mana circuit and flow to learn it precisely and hence Leo expected Dumpy to take at least a few more days to learn it at the minimum.
"You're too slow! I expected you to have mastered it already— even if you're not as fast as me, show some promise at the least." Leo shouted from a distance, as his words unexpectedly became a catalyst for Dumpy to push through to the next stage, as just as Leo made this jibe, Dumpy suddenly felt it.
The mana surged through his small body, and as he completed the strike, a faint blue glow emanated from his blade. It wasn't perfect, but the technique was there. He had somehow grasped the essence of [Full Counter].
"WHAT?" Leo said, as the smug smile that he had on his face was wiped right off.
Dumpy, after just a few failed tries, executed the technique flawlessly. His small blade glowed with a vibrant blue arc as he twisted his body with near-perfect timing, and more shockingly the blade's blue light was just as vivid as Leo's had been.
"What the fuck?" Leo muttered under his breath, as he felt his mind grow blank looking at Dumpy.
Dumpy had managed to master [Full Counter] to (basic) mastery in under two hours—an impossible feat by most standards, especially since it had taken Leo over 14 hours of practice to achieve the same level and his comprehension was already extremely high.
" *Ribbit* " Dumpy said, croaking happily towards Leo, as Leo just kept blinking at him blankly.
Within just 18 days of being born, the dynamic between Dumpy and Leo had shifted, as it was the frog who was croaking now, while his master watched on in utter disbelief.
"Master Ben…. Is this what you felt while training me?" Leo wondered, as he finally realized what Ben must have felt when he trained Leo as a master.
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/// A/N - Mass release chapter 2/4 for the day. Hope you liked it. ///