Chapter 97: Learning Weapons

Klaus walked out of Miracle Law Firm with a much lighter expression than when he had entered.

He had finally understood what had been bothering him.

It wasn't that he had suddenly become incapable of making decisions, nor was it that his plans had somehow become impossible to achieve.

He had simply started doubting himself because of his first real failure.

Victor had refused to join him, and Klaus had allowed that single failure to affect his confidence far more than it should have.

He walked toward the road and pulled out his phone as he waited for a taxi.

Klaus glanced at it before another message appeared.

Do you want me to handle the next part too?

A faint smile appeared on Klaus's face.

He typed a short reply.

Deal with everything.

Carl replied almost immediately.

That's what I wanted to hear.

Klaus put the phone away.

He had no reason to interfere.

Carl was more than capable of handling the fabricated rise, and Klaus had already given him everything he needed to make sure their purchases remained hidden.

Besides, there was something else he wanted to do.

He had spent enough time thinking about money, organizations, people, and the future.

Now he wanted to test himself.

A taxi stopped in front of him, and Klaus opened the door before getting inside.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

Klaus gave him an address.

The driver nodded and pulled onto the road.

Klaus leaned back and looked out of the window.

He had already learned how to fight with his bare hands, and his physical abilities made him far stronger and faster than any normal human.

But there was something he had never properly considered.

Strength was useful, but a weapon could amplify strength in ways that the human body couldn't.

A sword, spear, bow, gun, or even something as simple as a knife could completely change how a person approached combat.

And if the world really was heading toward something as dangerous as the apocalypse he had been preparing for, then learning how to use as many weapons as possible wasn't a bad idea.

The taxi continued moving through the city, and after nearly twenty minutes, it stopped in front of a large private training facility.

A simple sign above the entrance read:

Vanguard Combat Academy.

Klaus paid the driver and stepped out.

The building wasn't particularly impressive from the outside, but the sound coming from inside immediately caught his attention.

He pushed open the glass door and entered.

The receptionist looked up and smiled.

"Welcome. Are you here for a class?"

"Yes."

"What would you like to learn?"

Klaus paused.

"Everything."

The receptionist blinked.

"Everything?"

"Every weapon you teach."

She stared at him for a few seconds before giving an awkward smile.

"That's quite a lot."

"I have time."

She glanced at him again, then pulled a tablet toward herself.

"We teach several forms of armed combat, including swords, spears, staffs, bows, knives, axes, and firearms. We also have instructors for several specialized weapons."

Klaus nodded.

"Good."

"Have you used any of them before?"

"No."

The receptionist's expression became even more confused.

"None?"

"None."

She looked at him as if trying to determine whether he was joking.

Then she sighed and began filling out the registration form.

"Alright. We can arrange an introductory session first, and if you want to continue afterward, we can create a longer training schedule."

"That works."

A few minutes later, a tall instructor walked toward him.

The man had a shaved head, broad shoulders, and a long scar running across his left eyebrow.

He looked Klaus up and down before extending his hand.

"I'm Adrian. I'll be handling your introductory session."

Klaus shook his hand.

"Leo."

Adrian nodded.

"So, what brought you here?"

"I want to learn weapons."

"Any particular reason?"

"I don't like being unfamiliar with things that could kill me."

Adrian stared at him for a moment before laughing.

"That's actually a pretty good reason."

He gestured toward the training area.

"Come on."

Klaus followed him.

They first entered a large room filled with wooden training weapons.

Adrian walked toward a rack and pulled out a wooden sword.

"Let's start with this."

He handed it to Klaus.

Klaus looked at the weapon.

It was lighter than he expected, and the balance felt strange in his hand.

Adrian noticed his expression and smiled.

"Don't worry about looking impressive. Just get used to the weight."

Klaus nodded.

He held the sword properly.

"Like this?"

"Yes."

Adrian stepped behind him and adjusted his grip.

"Keep your dominant hand here, loosen your other hand slightly, and don't lock your elbows."

Klaus followed every instruction.

Then Adrian stepped away.

"Now swing."

Klaus raised the sword.

He didn't use his enhanced strength.

He simply swung it according to what Adrian had shown him.

The wooden blade cut through the air.

He swung again.

Then he changed his stance and performed another strike.

Adrian's expression gradually changed.

"You're learning fast."

He was focused on the weapon.

His body naturally adjusted to every movement, and after several swings, the awkwardness disappeared.

He shifted his feet, adjusted his grip, and performed a horizontal slash.

Then another and then a thrust.

Adrian watched him carefully.

"Have you really never used a sword before?"

"No."

"Then you have an absurdly good sense of movement."

Klaus smiled faintly.

"Maybe."

He swung again.

The moment the wooden sword completed its first clean strike, a familiar blue screen appeared in front of him.

[Host has completed his daily weapon training!]

Klaus froze.

His sword stopped halfway through the next movement.

Adrian frowned.

"Everything alright?"

"I just realized something."

"What?"

Klaus looked at the sword.

"I want to learn all of them."

Adrian raised an eyebrow.

"All of them?"

"Yes."

"You're serious?"

"Very."

Adrian chuckled.

"Alright, then let's see how far that ambition takes you."

They moved to the next section.

The second weapon was a spear.

Adrian demonstrated the basic stance, showing Klaus how to hold it and how to use its reach.

Klaus copied him.

The first thrust was awkward.

The second was better.

By the fifth, his movement had become smooth.

He rotated the spear through his hands and performed a controlled thrust.

Adrian nodded.

"Good."

Klaus looked at the weapon thoughtfully.

The spear felt completely different from the sword.

It was less about close-range movements and more about controlling distance.

He tried another thrust.

Then he changed his footing.

They moved on, and the staff came next.

It was surprisingly versatile, and Klaus quickly discovered that it could be used for strikes, blocks, sweeps, and even controlling an opponent's movement.

After that came the axe.

The weight was far greater than the sword, and Klaus intentionally limited his strength to keep himself from damaging the training equipment.

Adrian demonstrated a few basic swings.

Klaus copied them.

The axe moved through the air with a heavy whistle.

Then came knives.

Adrian handed him two wooden training knives.

"Knives are different," he said seriously.

"They're short-range weapons, so footwork matters more than people realize."

Klaus nodded.

He followed the instructions and practiced several movements.

His eyes narrowed as he studied the differences between the weapons.

He moved through the remaining training stations one after another.

He tried a bow and learned how difficult it was to maintain proper form while drawing the string.

He tried a crossbow and immediately understood why it was easier to use but slower to reload.

He learned the basics of a chain weapon, although Adrian repeatedly warned him not to swing it recklessly.

Finally, they entered the firearms section.

A glass barrier separated the room from the rest of the facility, and several instructors were teaching students how to handle different firearms under strict supervision.

Klaus stopped before the entrance.

Adrian looked at him.

"You've never fired a gun either?"

"No."

"Then we'll start with safety."

Klaus nodded.

The instructor spent several minutes explaining how to hold the firearm, how to check its condition, and how to maintain awareness of the surrounding area.

Klaus listened carefully.

Unlike the other weapons, firearms had an entirely different relationship with physical strength.

A normal person could kill another person from a considerable distance without needing extraordinary physical ability.

Klaus understood immediately why firearms had changed warfare.

He practiced handling an unloaded training weapon first, then moved to supervised live-fire training.

The first shot echoed through the room.

Klaus's eyes remained fixed on the target.

He fired again.

The instructor stared at the target and then at Klaus.

"That's your first time?"

"Yes."

The instructor shook his head.

"I don't know whether to call that talent or something else."

Klaus smiled and lowered the weapon.

By the time the introductory session ended, several hours had passed.

Klaus stood in the middle of the training facility, looking at the various weapons around him.

He had barely scratched the surface.

He hadn't mastered anything.

He hadn't even reached an intermediate level with most of them.

Klaus turned toward Adrian.

"I'll be coming back tomorrow."

Adrian smiled.

"I figured."

"I want to learn everything."

"Then you'd better prepare yourself."

Klaus chuckled.

"I will."

He walked toward the exit, but his phone suddenly vibrated.

He pulled it out and looked at the message.

It was from Carl.

[Everything is going according to plan.]

Another message appeared.

[You really don't want to know how much money we're about to make.]

Klaus smiled.

He typed a short response.

[Keep going.]

Then he put his phone away and stepped outside.

The afternoon sun fell across his face as he looked toward the road.

His eyes slowly narrowed.

He had spent the morning learning how to use weapons.

Carl was handling the money.

Maker Finance was growing.

His people were preparing for the future.

And he was finally beginning to understand that ruling didn't mean doing everything himself.

It meant knowing what needed to be done, finding people capable of doing it, and making sure the pieces moved in the right direction.

Klaus smiled.

"Maybe I'm finally growing up."

Then he walked toward the road, already thinking about which weapon he would learn first tomorrow.