After a break, the trainees split up by offensive skill for specialized training. The guild has trainers ready for the most common skills.
"Hey, unarmed fella!" The shield trainer beckons me over. A grey-haired, musclebound man is standing next to him. "This is Old Rick! He's your trainer!"
"Happy to make your acquaintance! I'm Eric Warden. Most folks here know me as the monster in the advanced courses, but you'll know me as your trainer! Now, let's start with you telling me your combat skills."
I open my status menu. Under offense, I see Unarmed and Holy. Under defense, I see Magic Defense, Magic Resistance, Magic Deflection, Magic Nullification, Magic Reflection, MagicAbsorption... it goes on for pages.
"I've got unarmed, holy, and magic defense."
"Magic defense! That's a good one. Most folks have to spend a fortune on armor for that." He returns to his lesson plan. "First things first, defense. Monsters spawn faster than we can train adventurers!"
Old Rick teaches me versatile guards that block many angles of attack, how to transition between them, and how to attack out of them. He emphasizes the weaknesses of each guard, and drills the proper reaction to defend it.
"Good. Now you know the basics of defense. The only way to get good at it is to practice," he says while throwing a left hook. I barely get my arm up in time to stop it. "Good! Now keep that up until noon!"