The people were shocked. No one would expect Jay to have such a technique. However, there was one person who understood it when he was only Tier 3. And that person was none other than Clovis.
That was right. Clovis and Jay fought a lot. It couldn't be helped if Jay understood the Soft Sword bit by bit. After all, Clovis learned this difficult technique due to the movie that allowed him to experience the role of the protagonist.
And Clovis shared that understanding with Jay, which allowed Jay to understand the essence of the sword technique.
Unfortunately, he learned it from others, not experiencing it himself. As a result, his mastery was still quite low.
If his mastery were as perfect as Clovis', he would have knocked away that attack properly instead of getting hit.
Still, learning such a technique when he was only a Tier 4 human, specifically an 18-year-old Tier 4 human, it made people wonder if Jay's talent was actually better than Aileen, who had the pseudo unique ability?
It was no wonder why Jay remained as the vice captain of the Libation Fiesta, a group with such abnormal people in it. It was because Jay had that qualification.
"What kind of talent is this? Is this also a unique ability?" Utaha gasped. "There's no way such a talented human exists… It's only been two years since he became an explorer!"
The principal smiled wryly. Even he didn't know Jay was this talented. However, he couldn't say it out loud to avoid people thinking they were the ones leeching on the Libation Fiesta.
The principal explained, "No. Jay's talent… How do I say this? It's hard to explain. Unlike the unique ability or even the pseudo one, Jay's talent is still extraordinary, but not at the level of those two.
"However, Jay works harder than any of us. Even Clovis has told me that Jay doesn't have a lot of time for his personal life because he uses all of it for training. Even during physical training, he doesn't just swing his sword. He also trains his mind with image training. By doing all that repeatedly from the beginning, he is able to achieve this level.
"Still, I can't define Jay's talent accurately. All I can say is that this result doesn't come only from his talent. Even hard work pays off. That's why… don't ever give up and continue pursuing your dream. After all, the chance you succeed never reaches zero. Whether it's because of an unknown inheritance or a meteorite falling from the sky, you still have the chance. Keep working hard for your dream." The principal ended his explanation with sincere advice.
'As expected of the principal, he does know how to come up with something random but reasonable.' Hana was laughing inside. 'In the end, Jay is helped by Clovis' items. Of course, I can't deny Jay's talent and hard work as well. He has the sense of responsibility as the vice captain and I know that even without Clovis, he can keep everyone in check.'
As Jay gained the recognition he deserved, Yasen couldn't help but get more and more frustrated.
"Haaa!" He punched Jay, only to be deflected again. Instead of attacking, Jay fully focused on deflecting the attack this time as though he was using Yasen to practice his Soft Sword.
"You bastard!" Yasen shouted and punched Jay with his beast soul.
"!!!" Jay reacted almost immediately, shifting his stance to block it instead of taking it. The punch pushed Jay back one more time.
However, Yasen's attack had yet to end. Once he got some distance, Yasen gathered all his strength into his fist and punched forward. Whether it was his beast soul, technique, or pure strength, he concentrated it on this punch.
The shock wave coming from the punch was overwhelming. It shattered the ground it ran through and quickly reached Jay.
"…" Jay maintained his calm, as though he wasn't bothered by the attack. He took a deep breath.
Clovis' image training that his grandfather taught him was proven to be useful. Even in this situation, Jay couldn't help but imagine that single slash he had been doing for thousands, if not tens of thousands, of slashes during his training in the pool.
He kept slashing and slashing even when he couldn't feel his arm anymore.
And that slash could now be unleashed.
"Huu…" Jay raised his sword. Just like what he had done until now, he would slash it forward. The incoming shock wave was just like a raging wave.
Jay swung his sword downward, unleashing yet another profound technique. This time, it was the Hard Sword, the opposite technique that Clovis used for his ranged attack.
Unlike the ranged attack he had used so far, this one was more refined and concentrated at the tip of the blade.
"This roaring shock wave that looks like a dog that is all bark but no bite… Let me cut it." Jay also activated his old beast soul to increase his power.
Once the two attacks collided, they produced an even more powerful shock that shook the entire arena.
However, the conclusion came almost immediately.
Jay's sword attack actually sliced through.
That was right. Unlike the fist attack, Jay's sword strike was more polished and concentrated. On the other hand, the shock wave from that punch was spread all over its body.
As a result, there was no way it could withstand the sword strike.
The sword strike sliced it into two and gradually reached Yasen.
"!!!" Yasen widened his eyes in shock as he put both of his arms in front, taking Jay's attack head-on. "Kh!"
Yasen was dumbstruck after feeling the power behind Jay's strike. His feet were sliding on the ground for over ten meters before Jay's attack stopped.
Meanwhile, the sliced shock wave ended up missing Jay.
This was the battle between the two captains, the two prides of the two groups. Jay, who had been suppressed by Yasen's strength this whole time, finally struck back.