Warcraft: When NPCs Have Player Panels

Chapter 42 Weapon Master

The grove of trees outside the town of Ambermill.

The forest was bright and clear, with the occasional shouts of loggers echoing in the distance, along with the chirping of insects and birds. It was a perfect place for daily training, far from the noise of crowds and out of sight of people.

William and Elaine walked into the woods one after the other and found a flat clearing to stop.

William casually picked up a dry twig of uniform thickness from the ground, brushed off the surface dust, and held it in his hand.

He stood opposite Elena, his gaze fixed on the wooden one-handed sword in her hand, and asked.

"You really haven't learned any weapon handling skills at all?"

Elena raised her hand and waved the wooden sword in her hand, her movements loose and without any order, the blade drawing a light arc in the air.

She shrugged and said casually, "I haven't studied it."

William frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled: "That shouldn't be the case."

"Your father is a human knight, skilled in melee weapons. Your mother is an elven ranger from Quel'Thalas, adept at archery and close combat. They are both orthodox professionals; how could they not teach you even the basics?"

Upon hearing her parents' topic, Elena's casual expression faded slightly, and she stopped what she was doing.

She looked down at the wooden sword in her hand, her tone carrying an indescribable indifference.

"Who knows what they're thinking."

"Perhaps from the beginning, they never intended for me to learn these things. Perhaps they wanted me to be a well-behaved noblewoman, to learn etiquette, and to marry into a noble family in the future, so that I could live a peaceful life."

"Fighting with people, using weapons to fight for my life against people and wild animals in the wild, maybe that's not for me."

Elena spoke calmly, glossing over her past life in a few words. Her calmness revealed her unwillingness to recall that period. Perhaps after so many years of wandering, those memories were already insignificant.

Elena quickly raised her head, her usual carefree expression returning as she looked at William.

"Let's not talk about them anymore, it's all in the past. Where should we start training now?"

William looked at her composed demeanor and didn't ask any further questions.

"Start with the basics."

William held the withered branch in his hand, straightened up, and his expression became serious.

He has the confidence to teach this way.

Others may not know, but he knows best.

Back in the secret realm, he was apprenticed under Herod.

He was a true master of battlefield weapons, proficient in all types of melee weapons and well-versed in all the techniques of battlefield combat and close-quarters fighting.

That month of intensive training was the most grueling and precious experience of his life. There, he didn't learn any fancy moves, only the most basic actions like thrusting, chopping, slashing, and sweeping, repeated over and over again.

Furthermore, there is a large amount of actual combat practice.

To help him fully understand the power generation and offensive/defensive logic of each weapon, Herod practically attacked him daily, breaking down his defenses, disrupting his movements, and undermining his confidence.

In this way, through countless defeats and tribulations, his foundation was honed to its absolute limit. It was precisely that solid training that made him stand out from ordinary soldiers, far surpassing everyone of his rank.

William didn't want to put too much pressure on Elena; Vikara would teach her everything about stalkers. He only needed to help her develop the right combat mindset so she wouldn't make mistakes while learning from Vikara.

"Stalkers... well, that's the thieves from your Thieves' Guild. When it comes to weapons, they use more convenient and concealable long and short daggers, and sometimes short swords too. The goal is to make everything happen very suddenly, giving your target no chance to react."

"This is completely different from warriors and paladins like myself, because of our different roles. We always face the enemy head-on, so our moves are faster, more direct, and more explosive. We use weapons like longswords, hammers, and axes. We don't perform fancy sword dances like elven rangers. Of course, I'm not saying their sword dances are impractical, but as a human, my body isn't that flexible, so I can't do their acrobatic sword dances."

"However, although they may seem flashy, when you actually face those kinds of enemies, they are often very lethal. Their attacks can come from any angle. Vikara and you are both half-elves, and she will teach you this later."

"So, what should I learn? And where should I learn it?" Elaine shrugged. "I can't just stand here and listen to you all the time, can I?"

William stood there, and he suddenly realized that he could only teach her the most basic things: how to use weapons and how not to let them hurt her.

The training I received was about how to become a qualified warrior. It taught me how to handle armored and unarmored opponents, and the techniques of direct combat. But as a half-elf, what she needed to learn, and should learn, was how to utilize her talents to move silently through the shadows and take lives as a shadowwalker.

For a moment, William felt like cursing. He finally understood the smile on Vikara's face that day when he talked to Vikara about charging for training Elena. When he said he wanted to train her to use the relevant weapons and didn't want to pay extra, Vikara had smiled.

We can't teach her because we're from different systems, and I'm afraid we'll teach her the wrong way!

But she needs ten silver coins a month!

And not all weapons! It's ten silver coins for each weapon!

Suppressing his frustration, William had no choice but to teach him some basic knowledge.

From the way you grip the weapon, your stance, how you shift your center of gravity to maximize power, and how you control the offensive and defensive distance within your own rhythm.

The only solution is to break down each of these basic details and hand them over to her one by one.

Elaine listened attentively, putting away all her playful smiles and carefully memorizing every key point, adjusting her posture in sync with William.

By the time all the basic theories were explained, it was already noon.

"Give it a try." William raised the dry branch in his hand. "Attack me with all your might, use all the moves you just memorized, don't hold back."

"Really going all out?" Elena asked, looking up eagerly.

"Yes." William nodded. "Only by going all out can all your problems be exposed."

Having received permission, Elena no longer hesitated.

She pushed off the ground with her feet and thrust the wooden sword straight at William.

It must be said that half-elves have a great natural advantage in agility, and their speed is much faster than that of human apprentices who are just beginning to learn.

But that's about it.

William stood still, his eyes calm. With a flick of his withered branch, he deflected the wooden sword to the side. Because the half-elf had used too much strength, his body was sent flying by his own wooden sword.

"Whoa~~ I can't control my body anymore."

William grabbed her by the back of the neck, helping her regain her balance.

William twirled his sword with the wooden stick in his hand and said calmly, "You're a novice, a half-elf novice at that. You have the same physique as elves. Speed ​​is your advantage. But being fast also requires controlling your body, which tests your ability to master your center of gravity. Don't overthink it."

"Build a solid foundation. Remember the basics I just taught you and apply them to your work. Once you're proficient, you won't need to consciously memorize them anymore."

"Then, it's about controlling the weapon in your hand. You are the user of the weapon, not the one being led by it. Don't let it slip out of your control; always keep your weapon pointed at your enemy. Otherwise, it's extremely dangerous."

After saying that, William used the wooden stick in his hand to chop, slash, and thrust without pausing.

"Boss, how did you train like that?" Elena looked at William's motionless body in astonishment. "That's amazing."

“You wouldn’t want to know,” William paused, took the short sword from Elena, tried swinging it for a while, and then handed it back to her. “No matter what weapon you choose, it takes years of practice and combat to hone your skills. Once you choose these, you can’t slack off.”

"Otherwise, you'll face an experienced opponent. Defeat and loss of life are almost inevitable."

Elena listened intently, watching William's earnest upward and downward strikes and thrusts, and felt a pang of shame. Her boss bought her clothes, tolerated her temper, and even had the head of the gang teach her supernatural abilities, teaching her with such seriousness. She should be learning diligently, not treating it like a game, just like him.

So she began to seriously follow Professor William's method, performing the movements meticulously and in a very proper manner.

They practiced for over half an hour, until the little girl was covered in sweat and her face was flushed, without stopping. Only then did William nod repeatedly and tell her to stop.

"That's how it is. Once you're proficient, you can make some small changes and fully utilize your strengths. When you go to learn from your older sister in a few days, she won't call you stupid. Practice on your own whenever you have free time."

"I won't be watching you every day; that's something you need to maintain yourself. Okay, that's enough. Let's go back."

"Oh, I'm exhausted, boss." Elena let out a sigh of relief. William took the wooden sword from her hand, stuffed it into the bag of wooden weapons behind him, and slung it over his shoulder.

The two walked towards the town one after the other, with the elf skipping and talking beside William.

"Boss, how's my training going?"

"Hmm, it's alright."

How does it compare to others?

"Hmm, it's alright."

"Boss, can't you give me a compliment?"

"Hmm, it's alright."

"Everything's alright? Alright what?!" the half-elf muttered, walking backwards in front of William. "Boss, you don't look that much older than me, so why do you act like an old man every day? Can't you laugh?"

"If you keep acting like this, how will any beautiful woman ever fall for you?"

"Oh? You're admitting now that you're not forty?"

"Ah... Boss, you still remember? Hehe..." The half-elf said with an awkward laugh, "I was just afraid you were a bad person, right? As a little half-elf girl, I have to be careful around someone like you."

"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you angry? Boss? I'll cook you something delicious when we get back!"

...

William felt a strange sense of relief as he listened to her chattering in his ear.

He even started to wonder if he was really old-fashioned.