Would the instructor believe me if I said I learned it by accident?
Even a pig wouldn't believe that!
But Klein still held onto a shred of hope. "Some weirdos in the Pirate World really aren't much smarter than pigs. The early Celestial Dragons were like that… But this instructor doesn't seem like a pig at all..."
This whole genius persona of his was really backfiring now.
Gotta think of something!
No way he could let this slip. Stay calm. Don't panic!
Inside the training room.
The instructor stood in front of Klein. "Klein, your nicotine habit's gotten pretty heavy lately."
"Heh heh..." Klein laughed awkwardly. "Just stress, sir. You said I've got Admiral potential. I'm just worried I won't live up to it!"
"Hm?" The instructor raised a brow. "You're worried, yet you're not training hard? I hear your training classes are doing quite well—booming, even."
There was a clear sarcastic edge to his tone. But those training classes were Klein's main source of income.
No matter what, he couldn't let them be shut down.
So Klein started spouting nonsense. Whether it was believable or not didn't matter—he had to fool himself before he could fool anyone else.
"Instructor, I used to work really hard, but then I realized hard work wasn't doing much for me. Ever since I shifted my focus to making mon— I mean, to teaching students, something just… happened."
"It was like I got a second wind! A total transformation!"
"Training and studying became as natural as breathing, as easy as drinking water! Everything just fell into place!"
Logic be damned—in anime worlds, it's all about confidence!
Whoever has the bigger fists, has the truth!
That's an eternal law.
Klein was putting on a bold front, but whether the instructor believed him wasn't his concern. No way was he revealing his secret.
"....." The instructor fell silent, confused. "Did focusing on money really unlock Klein's hidden talent?"
"Are there really students ??"
It was genuinely the first time he'd seen something . Recalling his original reason for finding Klein, he changed the subject. "First, train with me and see if you can master all of the Rokushiki."
"You've already learned Tekkai and Kami-e, so next up is Shave."
"Shave is one of the hardest to learn among the six."
"Of course, all six techniques are difficult, but Tekkai and Kami-e mainly focus on training and controlling the muscles throughout your body. That's why I taught those first."
"Even if you can't fully master them, your physique and evasive ability will still improve, which is a huge help in combat."
Before he knew it, the instructor had launched into a full lecture. Klein couldn't help wondering—Do all military instructors talk ?
The instructor caught himself in time and began explaining Shave in detail: its principles, muscle coordination, precautions, and other key points.
He even demonstrated personally.
He vanished from sight in an instant, leaving behind a blurred afterimage. Even with Klein's perception, he couldn't track the instructor's movements.
He was like a phantom circling the room—if this had been a real enemy, the oppressive pressure of death would be overwhelming.
Klein guessed this level of Shave must be at least Level 3 or 4 in game terms.
The instructor reappeared, a sharp gust of wind in his wake. "That's Shave. Beginners usually can't control it at all—"
Before he could finish, Klein disappeared right in front of him. A faint voice echoed through the training room: "Instructor, is it ?"
The hell!? He really went and showed off again!?
I just showed him, and now he's already pulling it off!?
The instructor's eyes widened in disbelief. "Nani!?" Thıs content belongs to 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾※𝙣𝙚𝙩
"You've already learned it???"
Klein used Shave to dart across the room, leaving a trail of blurred white afterimages.
"This… talent… is absurd!" The instructor suddenly felt like all those decades of his own training had gone to waste.
Klein stopped. 'Alright, I pulled it off this time—but what about Rankyaku?'
The instructor's eyes were blazing. "Klein, you really are a goddamn genius among geniuses!"
"..." Klein's face darkened. Instructor, why does that compliment sound kinda off?
If you've got nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all!!
"Klein, your talent is incredible. As long as you stay alive, you're destined to become the strongest Marine admiral!" The instructor looked at him like a rare treasure… or a naked top-tier beauty.
Next, the instructor began teaching Shigan. And once again, Klein learned it with ease.
The final technique of the Rokushiki: Rankyaku.
The instructor demonstrated it with a sweeping blue slicing wave, cleanly cutting a wooden dummy in half inside the room.
Klein started sweating bullets, heart pounding. "Shit. The game didn't unlock that move! I used the daily discount pack during his demo just now..."
"But Rankyaku still didn't unlock! What the hell do I do now?!"
He was seriously panicking. He'd breezed through the other techniques, but now he hit a wall?
Even with the game's Breath of All Things, he still couldn't replicate that move!
Seeing Klein frozen, the instructor frowned slightly. "Klein, why the sudden nerves? You're sweating like crazy…"
"Take a break, have a cigar."
Klein gladly accepted the gesture, lighting up and exhaling thick smoke. "Huuu—"
But even halfway through the cigar, his stress hadn't eased—it had only gotten worse.
As the cigar neared its end, a flash of inspiration struck him.
Desperate times, desperate measures!
Snuffing out the cigar, he flicked the butt with perfect accuracy into the trash can.
Klein's expression returned to calm. With a confident smile, he declared:
"Instructor, I've learned Rankyaku."