Finishing their sword practice, Andrew felt that he now had a very decent grasp of the basics.
It seemed a bit slower than he initially expected, however he knew this was only because of who he was comparing himself to.
"Pretty solid work for today, ay?" Zachary said with a smile on his face as he sat down on the grass against a nearby tree, wiping sweat off his face.
"Yea, I guess in some ways..."
He was defientely a bit disgruntled, feeling as if he was somehow falling behind even thiugh he had the cheat.
He looked at his stat panel, the new skill being "Beginner Sword Skills [High]" glimmered before his eyes, easing some frustrations.
"Yo, Zachary... what exactly allows you to learn so fast? I mean, not to pry on your secrets per say, but i guess i'm just curious." Andrew suddenly blurted out.
He was hesitant to ask this, mainly because he already had the idea that this was a secret he would never speak to anyone.
Just then however, Zachary actually began to speak.
"Hm, well I guess I can kinda trust you... But all i can really say is i've received an out of the ordinary blessing in disguise; an opportunity if you must say." Zachary muttered quietly looking up towards the sky.
"What kind of opportunity was it?"
"I guess you could say I managed to receive the teachings of a very powerful man, beyond the comprehension of anyone..."
"Reaching a level of martial arts unknown to us all... Thats all I can say though, he's a very secretive man. You must not tell anyone about this, as you should know."
Zachary looked him directly in the eyes with a stone cold expression.
"Yes, I understand. Your secrets completely safe with me!" Andrew spoke, as he put a hand on his heart.
"Thanks bro. Well, lets not get too caught up chit chatting. It is already quite late, we both need to get home and get ready for school tomorrow."
Zachary smiled as he got to his feet, brushing the grass off his pants.
"Alright, I guess were gonna have to head in opposite directions then, lets catch up a bit at school in the morning. Ill catch you later, Zachary!"
"Likewise, ill see you at school tomorrow bro!"
.....
"Hmmm, he has a super powerful Master that just so happens to have come into contact with him?"
Andrew stroked the subtle peach fuzz on his face, a habit that had accompanied him from his past life when he sported a goatee.
"I mean, he is the protagonist, theres no need for me to ponder this, his secrets are his. Its not like he asked me to reveal anything about myself even though I should be far less talented."
"Whatever, the truth will come eventually at some point anyway. Best for me to stay in my own lane for now and just focus on getting stronger before I really do start to fall behind."
….
Meanwhile, across town in a low quality slum area, Zachary had arrived to his "residence"—a subtle trash heap among the many.
"So, master… do you think i said the right thing?" Zachary pondered as he paced back and fourth.
"I mean, I cant say you said exactly the right thing, but the situation did require a bit of an explanation. After all, you can only keep secrets as such before people start asking questions…"
"I would say it was a reasonable answer though given the situation. At least, he shouldn't suspect too much more." The master responded with a soothing tone of certainty.
"I wonder though, that kid must also have some untold secrets he cant reveal. After all, it makes no sense that even I cant see through his destiny, and his sudden surge of power…"
"Theres a very high chance he also has received the teaching of an old figure, however im 100% confident that person is not be more powerful than I…"
"Well regardless of the case, he should be a solid ally for me to keep by my side. After all, you did see the power he evoked against the foundation establishment master."
Zachary was filled with a sense of certainty not quite understanding why.
Quickly beginning to set up his bed, he was ready to hit the sack for the night.
His bed being a trash-bag filled with cotton and another industrial trash-bag to act as his blanket.
"We shall see what the future has in store…" Zacharys masters voice resounded once more, before everything went quiet upon Zacharys slow breathing being the only audible sound.
…..
The next day at school, Andrew approached the schools gates, in his hands was a sheet of paper with the classes he was taking.
Taking a glance at it, he smiled as his grip tightened, crinkling the paper slightly.
3 of the 4 classes he was to take would be martial arts classes.
"I cant say i'm not excited, but I hope these classes wont be a waste of my time…" he pondered before stepping towards the school without rush.
He noticed a shimmer of light through his peripheral vision, quickly turning his head towards his right.
Immediately, he almost went slackjawed.
"Beautiful…."
This was the first word that passed through his mind.
What his eyes lay upon ended up being a beauty, carrying the most unique appearance he had ever seen.
It was a girl, about five foot 6 inches tall, a slender waist; a beautifully proportioned lower body; a bountiful chest.
A face so beautiful he stumbled mid stride, with eyes as white as snow.
It only lasted a split second before she had already passed him, and in her hand he noticed a similar piece of paper to the one everyone else held.
The further she walked, the more every student began to pause in disbelief.
Young men had to stop their eyes from bulging out of their heads, the young women looking in not so subtle envy.
"What the fuck… since when did we have a girl like that at our school?" said one student furiously tapping his friend on the shoulder.
"Never…. But i did hear something from my dad the other day. He's a professors assistant in the martial arts department, he said there was a new transfer student from an unknown background that got admitted in less than a day…"
Overhearing this, Andrew suddenly felt something was wrong.
"Isn't this… too cliche of a plot development?"
He rapidly scanned the students all walking into the school, immediately pinpointing a particularly haggard looking student… hair draped over his eyes; a figure that spoke of untold trauma and despair.
Zachary looked behind him, as if to feel a subtle gaze.
He quickly spotted Andrew, ready to approach him to say hello with a subtle expression of joy.
However, upon taking a couple steps forward, he realized that someone had gotten in front of him without noticing.
A light wind blew, exposing Zacharys eyes and soft, yet almost perfect facial features.
His eyes that seemed to inhabit the essence of darkness itself, and they came into contact with eyes that seemed to harness the brightest of light…
"Oh shit… theres no way…!" Andrew paused as he started to chuckle out of disbelief.
The moving figure of the young lady seemed to have paused.
Although she didn't spare a glance at anyone else the whole time, she actually stopped to look at Zachary.
From his perspective, he noticed she gave a faint smile before pivoting around him and continuing forward.
"Did… she just smile at me?"
…..