Above the mage

Chapter 335 Basic Footwork

Formal body movement training, however, is conducted in a separate venue.

The training ground is square and symmetrical, with a smooth black stone slab floor and many metal pillars that can rise and fall freely from the ground.

They are of varying heights and arranged in a staggered yet orderly manner.

Around the venue, water streams are ejected from the alchemy machines at different speeds and angles.

"Could it be that we're going to practice movement techniques on these stakes?" Gao De wondered, looking at the metal pillars that resembled plum blossom stakes from martial arts movies.

"You haven't even learned to walk yet, and you want to run? That's training only for people who are already very skilled. If you go up there now, you probably won't even be able to stand properly, let alone dodge attacks," said Master Naxi.

Gao De smiled somewhat awkwardly.

"Today, you'll learn a few basic footwork techniques. If you learn them quickly, you can also try out rope ladder dodging practice."

"Basic footwork?"

"Yes." With that, Master Naxi demonstrated it to Gao De on the spot.

He stood with his feet parallel and shoulder-width apart, then suddenly took a small step to the left with his left foot, followed by a sliding motion of his right foot to the left. During the sliding motion, he maintained a good distance between his feet and his body balance, while slightly bending his knees to adjust his posture and direction at any time.

"That's a slide step."

"The slide step allows you to move quickly in the horizontal direction, and the body is relatively stable during the movement, making it suitable for dodging straight-line attacks laterally."

"For example, common attacks like [Ice Blade], [Witchcraft Arrow], or even straight claw attacks from leyline creatures."

"This is a cross step." The Naxi monk crossed his left foot in front of his right foot and landed in front of his right foot. At the same time, he turned his body to the right and then moved his right foot one step to the right, returning to a position parallel to or slightly wider than his left foot.

"The crossover step can quickly change the body's position, achieving a large range of lateral movement. It is often used to dodge attacks from the side, or to circle around to the attacker's side while dodging an attack and launch a counterattack."

"This is a retreat step, which is one of the most frequently used basic footwork techniques." Master Naxi stood with both feet together, took a step back with his right foot, landing first on the ball of his foot and then firmly on his entire foot. At the same time, he shifted his body weight backward, and his left foot followed by taking a small step back.

Throughout the entire process, he maintained a proper distance between his feet and his body balance very well.

"The retreat should be quick and fluid, and the upper body should remain upright, without leaning back or forward excessively."

"Have you figured out the purpose of retreating?" This time, Master Naxi didn't explain directly, but asked the question.

"Keep your distance." This question isn't difficult; it's immediately obvious, and Gaode Maps gave the answer right away.

"Yes, distance is a mage's lifeline, weapon, and even advantage. Ranged attacks are our unique advantage."

"This is especially true when fighting creatures from the ley lines. Learning to maintain the right distance gives you enough time and space to cast various spells and make strategic decisions."

"To maintain distance, you have to pull in the opposite direction of the enemy's attack; every mage understands this principle."

"But most mages who haven't received formal combat mage training can't retreat while facing the enemy like I do when creating distance in the opposite direction; they usually just turn around and retreat."

"Exposing your back to the enemy in battle is a very dangerous thing, so you must master the footwork of quickly retreating when facing the enemy. This way you can observe the attacker's movements in real time and carry out subsequent defense or counterattack," the Naxi monk explained.

Hearing this, Gao De felt slightly embarrassed.

He had been doing this all along, even before he joined the Sea Sentinel.

To create distance, simply turn and run. At most, you'll glance back occasionally while running. Once you've created enough distance, then unleash a spell attack.

And so it goes.

It was completely crude and riddled with flaws.

Even setting aside the possibility of overlooking some enemy movements, just turning around to re-aim at the enemy would take up a lot of time.

The reason why no major problems have occurred so far is twofold: firstly, we've been lucky, and secondly, we've relied on the spell's "automatic target acquisition."

But clearly, this is only a stopgap measure.

As strength increases, the enemies faced also become stronger, and the likelihood of this crude fighting style encountering problems actually increases.

Then, the Naxi monk demonstrated a side step used to dodge attacks from the front or side while maintaining a relatively facing posture towards the enemy.

A jump used to dodge ground spells such as [Earth Spikes];

Small, quick steps to adjust body position in small, complex terrains or spaces;

The spinning step is used for all-around evasion and repositioning, using minimal body rotation to avoid attacks.

After all the demonstrations were completed, there were more than ten different basic footwork techniques alone.

"A well-rounded battle mage needs to learn and master just this much," Naxi added, seemingly worried that Gaode might find it tedious.

"That's only right," Gao De nodded.

He didn't find it cumbersome.

In his previous life, learning mathematics required a full twelve years of foundational training.

It starts with the most basic understanding of Arabic numerals and mathematical symbols, and continues to mastering basic mathematical tools such as arithmetic, functions, and geometry.

"Try it yourself first. I'll watch from the side and point out any mistakes," said the Naxi monk.

Gao De had no objections. He silently cast a [Divine Guidance+] spell on himself and entered the youth version of the flow state. Then he began to practice the steps demonstrated by the Naxi Master.

At first, there were bound to be some mistakes, but the Naxi monks would point them out and correct them in time.

"The key to a side step is a balanced transition of your body's center of gravity. You should first shift your weight entirely onto your right foot and feel the concentration of power."

"While quick steps require rapid movement, they are not simply random, unstructured steps. The degree of knee flexion must remain stable to ensure flexibility during movement."

"The core of the spin step lies in the stability of the axis."

With the guidance of the Naxi monk, Gaode gradually got the hang of it, and his movements became more and more standard.

While Gao De may not possess the extraordinary talent for judging distance and angles, his learning ability is among the best.

Once each step is mastered, the Naxi master will have Gaode begin practicing the next step.

In just one morning, Gaode learned five of the ten or so steps.

"Go get some food, come back in an hour. Your learning progress is very fast. Try to master all the basic footwork today." After hearing the hourly chimes from the clock tower on top of the Collingwood Academy, Master Naxi stopped Gao De's morning practice.

Upon hearing this, Gao De respectfully bowed to the Naxi monk in gratitude before leaving.

Watching Gao De's departing figure, Master Naxi's eyes flickered slightly, and he couldn't help but sigh as if he had thought of something.

A student who is so polite and respectful to his teacher, and so talented, is naturally someone that any teacher would like to be very happy with; this is human nature.

So although he didn't say it out loud, in his heart, he actually had a very good impression of Master Gaode and Master Naxi.

If this had happened thirty years ago, before the incident with Master Jaden, he would have been thrilled to encounter such a "student," given his personality. But now...

Gao De, who had been immersed in practice, was already covered in sweat. He first went back to his dormitory to take a shower and change his clothes. Then, as usual, he went to the cafeteria to enjoy a free lunch. When he returned, he found that Master Naxi had already arrived and was waiting for him.

"Master Naxi, I'm sorry I'm late."

The Naxi monk waved his hand, "I arrived early, let's continue."

In the afternoon, just as the Naxi monk had predicted, Gao De successfully mastered the remaining basic footwork.

"Learning the basic footwork and being proficient in its use are two different things. You can only be considered barely qualified when you are familiar with these footworks as if they were muscle memory." After seeing that Gao De had mastered the last and most frequently used retreat step, Master Naxi said this.

"I see."

He still relies on his brain to execute these footwork techniques.

This level of skill would be full of flaws in actual combat; only when it reaches the level of instinctive footwork can it be considered effective in real combat.

"The next stage is rope ladder dodging practice. Of course, all the practice so far has been conducted without the addition of any magic."

"Because once you've been given spells like [Great Stride] or [Jump], your speed will be too fast. At your current level, you'll just be flustered and it won't serve the purpose of training."

"Practicing body movements should be done gradually."

Finally, the Naxi monk led Gaode through a rope ladder dodging exercise.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

He placed a rope ladder flat on the ground, then activated the alchemy machine to launch water jets at Gaode. Gaode needed to move his body quickly within the rope ladder's grid, using basic footwork techniques such as shuffling steps, side steps, and cross steps to dodge the water jet attacks.

This requires trainees to use the most appropriate footwork according to different attacks, while using rope ladders to restrict the range of movement in order to ensure that the best reaction is made with the least amount of movement.

Unsurprisingly, the first practice session was characterized by a chaotic mess; either the opponent failed to dodge, the movements were too exaggerated, or the player didn't have time to pay attention to their footwork.

In short, Gaode was soaked by the water in no time.

"When you can last for more than ten minutes without getting your clothes wet, you can start practicing your spells." Naxi said with a smile, looking at Gao De, who was soaking wet and somewhat disheveled.

"From now on, you can train on your own."

"Yes, Master Naxi," Gaode agreed.

"I heard you turned down Zuowen Burns' sponsorship offer?" Master Naxi, who had already turned to leave, suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask.

"Yes," Gao De did not deny it.

The Naxi monk remained silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

After a moment, he slowly spoke, "They wield considerable power among the Sea Sentinels."

"So if you're determined not to associate with them, be prepared to be targeted."

"Would they try anything to harm me?" Gao De asked rhetorically.

"No, that won't happen," Master Naxi glanced at Gao De and said seriously, "You can rest assured. The rules of the Sea Sentinels are there. The price to pay for harming a fellow soldier is something even they cannot afford."

"But within the rules of the Sea Sentinels, they have many ways to deal with you."

"Many talented and proud commoner mages, like you, initially refused, but in the end, they were forced to bow down to them."

"Especially in the assessment and evaluation, newcomers like you, who already have difficulty completing tasks and earning military merits in the first year or two due to a lack of experience, can be easily pushed into the unqualified range by the authorities with just a little effort."

"So, if you need it, I can try my best to extend your initial training period. More preparation time is always good," Master Naxi said earnestly, looking at Gao De.

"Isn't the Naxi Master from a noble family?" Gao De didn't answer, but asked curiously.

"They could barely be considered minor nobles, not comparable to them," Master Naxi said, knowing what Gaode meant, without much emotion. "Besides, not all nobles are like them."

"It's not just me; there are also some noble mages among the Sea Sentinels who are of noble birth and also disdain to associate with them."

"But people like them are ultimately the most numerous, so their influence is also the greatest."

"I see," Gao De nodded, then expressed his gratitude to Master Naxi, "Thank you for your kindness, Master Naxi. However, the training will proceed as scheduled. I am still quite confident about the assessment and evaluation."

He had confidence, but more importantly, he knew that only after completing his initial training would he be able to travel freely between the North and the Plantagenet Kingdom.

During the initial training period, Gaode had to attend "classes" every day and was not allowed to leave for extended periods.

"Alright." Since Gao De had said so, Master Naxi wouldn't insist on anything further.

"However, there's one thing I need to trouble Master Naxi with." Seeing Master Naxi's goodwill, he went along with it, saying, "I'm almost out of the Qi-opening tincture. Could you please apply for another batch for me?"

"Are you almost out of Kaimai Tincture?"

"right."

"Didn't I give you a hundred bottles?!" Master Naxi asked again, still in disbelief.

Gao De smiled shyly.

"Are you feeling any discomfort?"

"You've seen my situation," Gao De said with a smile.

The Naxi monk was silent for a moment, then asked cautiously, "So, how many magical energy channels have you built?"

"Currently, there are 21 items."

After a soft hiss of inhaling cool air, Master Naxi continued, "I understand. I will report your situation to the higher-ups. Special cases should be treated specially."

Gao De was unclear about the specifics of how the Naxi monks negotiated with the higher-ups.

In short, the next day, someone came to our door carrying two boxes.

Each box contained three hundred bottles of Kaimai Tincture neatly stacked inside.

That's six hundred bottles in total, enough for Gaode to drink for a long time.

In the following period, Gao De focused on body movement training.

Twenty days have passed in the blink of an eye.

With the condensation of the 26th drop of liquid mana, Gaode's Leomon magic network construction progress has reached 53 magic networks, a remarkably fast pace.

At this rate, he could build the Leomon Magic Network, widely recognized as the most complex, in just over half a year.

Just one day earlier, his performance in the rope ladder dodging practice finally met the requirements of the Naxi Master, and from today onwards he can switch to blessing spells and conduct truly practical training.

(End of this chapter)