Techniques were like weapons themselves. They allowed Martial Artists to achieve things that they would ordinarily not be able to. They allowed for greater prowess in combat. Lower-grade techniques had a marginal effect whereas higher-grade techniques could change the tide of battle.
Usually, the one with more of these weapons, and better-quality weapons won. They would usually overwhelm with a quantity or a quality advantage.
However, there was a variable that was often left unseen.
Mastery of these weapons. Mastery of these techniques.
Someone who had higher mastery of a technique would defeat someone with a lower mastery. Mastery was an important variable that had significant impact on the outcome of a clash.
Yet, there was a reason people moved on to another technique after mastering one to a satisfactory level. Learning new techniques was easier than increasing an already high mastery.
The higher the mastery, the more energy and time it took to raise that mastery. It became an inefficient exchange and the effort and energy it costed to raise the mastery even a bit simply wasn't worth it. Why spend all that time and energy for marginal gains when one could simply start mastering a new technique and make much greater progress?
This was the rationale that drove ninety-nine percent of Martial Artists to mastering multiple techniques.
Even Rui was part of this group. Perhaps he was even at the forefront of that group with sheer number of techniques he had mastered in a short amount of time.
But not Hever Mendelieve. Born in a prestigious Martial Family, he had reached Martial Apprentice even before he had joined the Academy.
In all his time in the Martial Academy, he was the only Martial Apprentice to have never entered the Apprentice Library.
He had chosen the Meteor Swing technique the day he broken through to Martial Apprentice, and had dedicated everything to this counter-offensive technique.
Within a year of entering the Academy. He had mastered the technique to a general level. He had mastered it to a level that other Martial Apprentices would have stopped training it and begun training new techniques.
But Hever wasn't satisfied with his mastery of the technique.
No matter how much better he got, there was always something missing.
In fact, his sense of inadequacy only grew stronger and stronger.
He grew more and more unsatisfied with his mastery of this technique.
The Squire instructors had encouraged him to attempt learning other techniques, but he had deigned to reject their suggestions. He would move onto other techniques after he was satisfied with his mastery of Meteor Swing, despite their unspoken disapproval.
Only Headmaster Aronian had encouraged his decision wholeheartedly.
"Every technique is a limitless well of potential and possibilities. This is true even for the lowest of techniques, as well as the highest." Headmaster Aronian told him. "Yet most never realize this until much later in their Martial Path, many have heard this, yet very few truly understand it."
He paused before, continuing. "Your sense of inadequacy grows because your subconscious awareness of the infinite potential of your technique grows as well."
"However, just because your awareness of the limitless potential of your technique grows, doesn't necessarily mean you have to realize that potential." Headmaster Aronian told him as he stroked his flowing white beard. "You don't have to do anything. Anything at all."
"What does that mean?" Hever had asked, confused.
Headmaster Aronian chuckled at his confusion. "Your voyage down your Martial Path isn't an obligation. It's a choice, it's a will, it's a desire." He said. "You only need to do what you want to, if you wish to keep travelling down this Path. So what is it that you want to do? Continue mastering this technique despite it yielding lower short-term growth or... abandon your training of this technique and pursue new techniques?"
More than five years later, Hever Mandelieve stood before Nel in one of his final few matches in the twenty-seventh preliminary contest of the Hajin branch of the Martial Academies.
And he had yet to master more than one technique.
No.
If asked, he would say he hasn't mastered a single technique yet.
"That's crazy story, to be honest." Rui muttered excitedly as they waited for the match between Hever and Nel to commence.
They had long since migrated to the sparring facility waiting for the matchup between Nel and Mendelieve. Neither Rui, Kane nor Fa had faced either one of the, so that alone was enough reason to spectate their match. Furthermore, this was a fight between two undefeated top rankers, the outcome mattered a lot and would significantly affect who would eventually become the representative of their Martial Academy.
"It is a remarkable story." Fae agreed.
"We're quite alike." Rui blurted, earning stares of confusion.
"You're nothing alike." Kane grumbled. "He remained faithful and loyal to a single technique whereas you mastered seventeen techniques in eighteen months, you Martial Whore."
Rui threw a sharp glare at Kane.
"Putting his phrasing aside." Fae said throwing a disapproving glance at Kane. "He does have a point, you're the exact opposite of Hever in every way."
Rui shook his head wordlessly. He didn't bother defending himself against Kane's rebuts. They wouldn't understand.
But what Fae had told him about Hever resonated with him. He felt the exact same way with the VOID algorithm. The more he used it in this world, the more he realized that there was an immense amount of potential in his master of the VOID algorithm and the algorithm itself.
Although he mastered other techniques, he only mastered them because they were necessary for his Martial Art and Martial Path; the VOID algorithm and Project Water.
In way, he could relate to the one-track mindedness of Hever, and could even appreciate it.
This made him all the more excited for his fight against Nel. He wasn't sure who would win because he lacked too much information, but he hoped for an amazing fight more than anything.
