"Is it possible for you to elaborate on what you mean by that, Elder Noel?" Although Valyr wanted to accept Noel's offer at the very moment he was asked, he suppressed this urge of his for now, wanting to first know the specifics of the subclass Noel was offering him.
"Hmm... where should I begin?" Surprisingly, Noel was accommodating to Valyr, faintly nodding as he pondered over how he was going to explain the subclass he was going to offer him. On the other hand, Arves witnessed the sequence of events unfolding in front of him with his mouth slightly agape, feeling a hint of disbelief.
As far as he knew, although Elder Noel was considered a kind and gentle man to many of the people within the Spearman Guild, he was someone that was stubborn in multiple things, leaving people no choice but to adjust to the whims of the old man beside them.
However, what he was witnessing at the moment was the exact opposite of what he had heard, with the cause being a man that had only come to the guild in order to obtain the Spearman subclass.
"You know what a Spearman is, right?" Finally finding a train of thought to work around, Noel went ahead and initiated his explanation by posing a question to Valyr, who merely nodded in response before opening his mouth.
"Someone who can skillfully wield a spear, right?" Listening to the answer Valyr had given him, Noel slightly frowned for a brief moment before eventually nodding.
"It's a generalized description of what a Spearman does, but it's not wrong," said Noel in response. "Though, if I were to be more specific as to what a Spearman is, then a Spearman is someone who can make use of the various limits of the spear in combat, transforming what was initially considered a disadvantage of wielding the spear into a great advantage in the battlefield."
"Now, from the single skill you've shown to the two of us earlier, I've come to realize that your foundation regarding the basic movements of the spear are incredibly solid, especially for someone of your rank." Noel looked at Valyr from head to toe. "All of the movements you've done up until the release of the skill was at a level that even I hadn't reached when I was your age."
Listening to Noel's words, Valyr could not stop his face from slightly flushing, feeling a bit embarrassed at being complimented left and right. After all, his proficiency with the spear had only come about due to the fact that he had spent a long time with the spear in his previous life.
As for Arves, the expression on his face had changed into that of incredulity, considering that he had never heard Elder Noel praise someone to that extent before. However, the part that bewildered him the most was the fact that Elder Noel mentioned to Valyr that he had realized that the man before him had a solid foundation with the spear.
Even he, someone who had reached the Master level of proficiency with the spear, was uncertain in making that kind of judgment through just a single skill. In fact, the only reason why he knew Valyr had a solid foundation with the spear was because Valyr had shown him what he was capable of earlier.
Nevertheless, the questions in Arves' mind continued to pile up as Noel continued to talk to Valyr.
"Aside from your solid foundation with the spear, you used [Strike of the Venomous Night], a skill only accessible if one has [Shadow Serpent Combat Style] learned," Noel said not long after, prompting Valyr to remain silent as he faintly nodded in response. "However, [Shadow Serpent Combat Style] isn't such a simple skill to obtain. With that in mind, let me ask you..."
"Did you obtain [Shadow Serpent Combat Style] from the skill [Serpent Spear Combat Style]?"
At those words, Valyr's eyes widened in slight surprise. After all, never once had he mentioned that he used to own [Serpent Spear Combat Style] in the past to Arves or Noel. However, in the end, he eventually nodded in response, explaining to Noel that [Serpent Spear Combat Style] was a staple part of his fighting style before he evolved the skill to [Shadow Serpent Combat Style] just recently.
After that, he also mentioned that he had [Shadow Serpent Movement Style] in his skill list, prompting a grin to appear on Noel's face as he nodded with enthusiasm. As for Arves, more and more questions piled up within his mind, leaving him in a daze as he stood frozen in place, blankly staring at the two as they continued talking.
"[Shadow Serpent Combat Style] and [Shadow Serpent Movement Style], the two cornerstone skills of the subclass I'm about to give you," said Noel as he gazed at Valyr with excitement. "Though, just before I inform you of the subclass that would make you a spearman beyond spearmen, let me ask you something just to be sure."
"When you activated [Strike of the Venomous Night] earlier, did you feel a connection from your body forming with a special source of energy?" Hearing this question, Valyr merely nodded, somewhat curious as to what Noel was going to say to him. After all, he did not have much experience with his newly upgraded Special Skills in the past, considering that he had taken Serpentine Lancer as his subclass.
"Now, what if I told you that the energy you've formed a connection with can only be utilized to the fullest extent by people with the subclass I'm about to offer to you?" At those words, Valyr raised his eyebrow in curiosity, now eager to find out the subclass Noel was offering to give to him.
Of course, Noel had already taken note of Valyr's eagerness to find out the subclass. However, he decided to inform the man a bit more regarding the various aspects of the subclass he was about to give him. "To those without the subclass, this energy you use while using [Shadow Serpent Combat Style] goes by a lot of names. However, to those with the subclass I'm offering to you, it is only known by one name."
"Shadow Energy. That is its name," said Noel to Valyr, who nodded as he committed the term to memory.
"Now, with all of that said..." Feeling that he had already explained enough to Valyr about the subclass, Noel decided that now was the right time to pop the question.
"Would you like to become a Shadow Serpentine Lancer?"
