Jason turned his gaze toward Zara, flashing her an innocent-looking smile as he spoke.
"Oho? Our first brave soul! Step right up!"
He then began beckoning her with his finger, making a casual 'come here' gesture.
All the students around started whispering and throwing Zara pitying looks, as if she had just been sent to her doom.
Feeling countless eyes on her, Zara sighed and quickly stood up from her seat.
As soon as Zara set foot on the stage, Jason casually tossed a wooden sword toward her — but with astonishing speed, almost like a bullet.
Zara yelped and instinctively ducked, the sword whizzing past her head.
When she turned around to see where it had landed, her eyes widened. The wooden sword had embedded itself deep into the stone floor, cracks spiderwebbing outward from the impact point. A thin trail of smoke rose from where the sword had struck, as if the stone itself had been burned.
The entire hall fell silent, everyone staring with wide eyes.
Zara swallowed hard, feeling a cold sweat trickle down her back. Slowly, she turned her head to look at Jason.
He was still smiling.
But unlike before, that smile no longer felt friendly or innocent — it sent a chill down Zara's spine. She could tell she wasn't the only one who felt it; the students watching from their seats wore pale faces, their bodies stiff with fear.
It wasn't just a smile.
It was the smile of a predator sizing up his prey.
"Hey, student! What's your name?" Jason called out, bouncing lightly on his feet like an excited child.
Zara stared at him for a moment, then quickly answered, her voice steady despite the nervous thudding of her heart."Ah… my name is Zara, Instructor."
"Oh, Zara, pick up that sword, and we'll start your training," Jason said cheerfully, grabbing a wooden sword from a nearby rack for himself.
Zara turned toward the sword that was still deeply embedded in the stone.She placed her hands firmly on the handle and pulled with all her strength... but the sword didn't budge an inch.
Gritting her teeth, she tried again, straining harder, her arms trembling slightly.When that failed, she let out a frustrated huff and started kicking at the sword with her foot, earning a few quiet chuckles from the watching students.
Jason, watching Zara struggle with the sword, couldn't help but smile in amusement.With a casual air, he strolled over to her.
Without saying a word, he reached out — and, in front of Zara's stunned eyes, he effortlessly pulled the sword free from the stone using just two fingers, as if it weighed nothing at all.
Zara could only stand there, jaw slightly dropped, completely shocked.
After effortlessly pulling the sword out, Jason casually handed it to Zara."Here. Now, let's start your training," he said with a wide grin.
Before Zara could even steady her grip, Jason suddenly swung his own wooden sword straight toward her head with frightening speed!
Zara, caught off guard, yelped and hurriedly raised her sword. She barely managed to deflect his attack, the impact numbing her arms as she struggled to redirect the force of Jason's strike.
Seeing his strike blocked, Jason raised an eyebrow, a glint of interest flashing in his eyes."Hoh?" he muttered, his grin widening.
He began swinging his sword with just one hand, his movements casual and relaxed—almost like he was toying with her.Meanwhile, Zara, though she somehow managed to block every strike purely on instinct, was struggling to keep up. Each impact rattled her arms, and the casual ease with which Jason attacked left her inwardly shocked.
He's not even serious yet… and I'm already being pushed back!
Then, a flash of excitement lit up Zara's eyes. She couldn't help but inwardly speak to Fluff.
'Fluff, so this is the reward for basic swordsmanship, huh? I can actually stop his swings!'
Floating lazily above, Fluff snickered.
[Host! Don't get cocky. You're about to get smacked down any second now.]
Hearing Fluff's warning, Zara's confidence wavered. She snapped back to her senses—but it was already too late.
Jason's wooden sword was already descending fast.
Thwack!
With a dull thud, Zara fell face-first onto the stage.
"Ow—owowow…" she groaned, sitting up and rubbing the growing bump on her head, her eyes watery from the pain.
"Next student!" Jason called out with a grin.
Zara hurried off the stage, her steps a little wobbly. She flopped back into her seat, still rubbing her sore head with both hands.
Grumbling under her breath, she watched as the next unfortunate student stepped into the ring—only to be swiftly beaten down by Jason in a matter of seconds.
At least I wasn't the only one, Zara thought bitterly as she massaged the bump on her head.