Supreme Magus novel Chapter 351

"Last, but not least, the difference between a good and an expert swordsman lies in the footwork!" Tepper ignored Lith’s words and performed a feint to the face before side stepping to stab at his exposed shoulder.

Unfortunately for the Sergeant, footwork was something Lith had learned back on Earth and it was the first thing he had practiced as soon as his body allowed him to. Tepper’s blade hit only air.

Lith had sidestepped too and his blade was barely an inch away from the opponent’s leg.

The Sergeant inwardly cursed at himself for performing such an ample movement to impress the unit. Lith and Tepper were too close. At such distance, even a small opening was the difference between victory and defeat.

"In the next five months you’ll either become good swordsmen or you’ll start searching for a new job." Tepper’s voice was perfectly relaxed, not revealing the surprise nor the anger he was feeling.

"As for you, maggot, get down and give me forty!"

***

During the following months, the training involved getting accustomed to use several magical tools and to use chore magic for tactical purposes.

Lith already knew most of the tools thanks to his Forgemastering lessons or Solus’s Alchemy. They were the magical equivalent of sniper rifles, grenades of all kinds, and climbing suits.

There were no such things as boots of flight or levitation. Long lasting spells required to be controlled by their caster’s will, but magical items had no will of their own, they could only turn on and off the spells they were imbued with.

Much to Lith’s comrades’ dismay, chore magic became more and more relevant over time. Earth magic was crucial to cross quagmires or walk through muddy fields without leaving traces.

Water magic allowed to more easily wade rivers, or in Lith’s case to walk on water, and could be used as an invisible umbrella offering protection against rain, snow, or hail.

Soon Lith’s skills in both hand to hand combat and swordsmanship were outmatched by his instructors’. He wasn’t surprised nor disappointed by finding himself lacking. He had joined the army to learn how to fight and it was finally starting to teach him something.

The worst part for him was the team exercises. They were meant to build trust and teamwork between the members of the same unit, but they only resulted in Lith drifting more and more apart from the others.

He didn’t trust them and they didn’t trust him. Lith was like the moon to them, cold and distant. Something they could look at but never reach. He had no weakness the unit could help him overcome. _{fɾēewebnσveℓ.com}

When units competed against each other and he received the role of scout, Lith would single handedly wipe out the enemy team. If he was assigned the role of rearguard, instead, even if the unit made grave mistakes, he would be the sole survivor.

The drill Sergeants soon considered him a scourge rather than a monster. He was the living proof that everything they taught to the other cadets was a lie. Teamwork, trust, and hard work were useless against an overwhelmingly strong opponent.

Life Vision allowed him to spot his opponents, no matter how good they were at hiding. Magic wands and chore magic were more than enough to snipe enemies from a distance before they even understood what was happening to them.

"He has no care for the unit nor for the lives of his teammates." Sergeant Tepper explained to Berion, the boot camp Commander.

"I think he is a liability. A dangerous individual that has nothing to offer to the Kingdom. I swear it on my stripes, sir. To watch into his eyes is like staring into the abyss. There’s nothing inside. My opinion is that Lith 1416 should be deemed unfit for service."