Clang!Thwack!
The sharp sounds of wooden swords colliding echoed across the training yard. I was locked in a brutal contest with the old man, Ornn, a veteran warrior whose rusty armor and scarred face—a thick line running from his left eyebrow to his cheek—spoke of countless battles.
"You're getting better, kid," Ornn grunted, his strength pressing down.
"Thank—" I cut off my reply, subtly twisting my wrist to break the sword lock, and then leaped back three steps. "—you, Old Man Ornn!"
The moment my feet hit the ground, I channeled strength to my core and shot forward like an arrow. I extended my sword in a rapid horizontal slash, but Ornn's seasoned block was absolute. I was far from finished. Using the impact of the clash, I immediately rotated my body, pivoting for a swift reverse horizontal slash, yet the veteran gracefully countered, blocking the attack with flawless precision.
A small crowd of soldiers cheered loudly from the sidelines.
"That was quick, kid! Two weeks and you're already this sharp," Ornn praised.
"I've been meticulous in practicing everything you and the others have taught me."
"Your strength is already comparable to a seasoned warrior, I'll give you that. But what you've learned are textbook moves. Techniques alone won't defeat a man who's survived a hundred battles. Let me teach you how to fight for real."
Suddenly, a sharp pain blossomed in my abdomen as Ornn's boot drove into my ribs. I was sent flying backward, skidding several feet across the dirt.
"T-that was unfair, old man!" I gasped, immediately bracing myself and staggering back to my feet as the initial searing pain faded.
With a flash of pure resolve, I shot forward, raising my sword high for a grand, galloping charge. Using all my momentum, I swung the wooden sword down with the full extent of my physical capability. Ornn did not move. He simply waited.
'Was he luring me in?' I thought, confused.
"Listen up, kid. Everything on the battlefield is unfair."
In a blur, Ornn's free hand lashed out, striking my wrist with brutal force. My wooden sword instantly spun away and clattered uselessly onto the dirt.
"You need to think about how to overcome your opponent. When you're dead, being 'in the right' doesn't matter."
Ornn's sword point was now pressed lightly against my chin, and my hands were raised in surrender. The old man was truly strong and unnervingly cunning.
"You lose!"
I let out a deep sigh. I had been completely outmatched by his experience.
"You alright, kid?" Ornn asked, retracting his weapon.
"I'm fine. Thank you for the guidance, Old Man Ornn." I bowed deeply, genuinely grateful.
The Challenge
"Hoh! So the weakling actually tries hard, does he? How about you and I have a spar, Crux?"
Harvi emerged from the crowd, a mocking sneer plastered across his face.
"Scared?" he goaded, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Of course, he's scared," one of his lackeys chimed in. "A useless guy fighting a genius. The result is already clear."
They shared a hearty laugh, but the noise was abruptly cut short by an icy, irritated voice.
"How about you spar with me, Harvi?"
Reina stepped forward, fixing Harvi and his gang with a sharp, challenging glare.
"Always bullying Andre, yet you can't even fight me head-on. You haven't taken the training seriously. Compared to Andre's diligence, you are inferior."
"Tch! Always hiding behind a girl's protection. You really are pathetic, Crux." Harvi shot me a venomous look, but Reina's gaze instantly intensified, matching his malice.
"You're more pathetic than Andre."
"At least I'm not pathetically protected by a girl!"
That was the breaking point. The insult hit a nerve and shattered my composure.
"I accept it," I snapped, my voice ringing with sudden finality. "Let's spar!"
My patience had reached its limit. Those insults crossed a line. Even if I was physically weak, I still possessed my pride, and I wouldn't let anyone trample it.
"A-Andre-kun?" Reina looked concerned.
"It's okay, Reina. I know what I'm doing. I don't want to be forever saved by you. This is a fight I need to face alone. Please, just watch me. I will be alright."
I offered her a reassuring smile and motioned for her to join the sidelines.
The Reckless Genius
Third Person POV
Andre and Harvi positioned themselves in the center of the training grounds. Andre wore his sweat-stained training uniform, while Harvi was dressed in an elegant, embroidered white robe—the formal attire of a high-class mage. Both held wooden swords.
"Don't worry, I'll give you a handicap. I won't even need to use magic against the likes of you," Harvi boasted, oozing contempt.
"Is that so? Many thanks then," Andre replied nonchalantly.
"Still putting on a brave front? I'll give you a taste of the gap between us, you weakling!" Harvi's face twisted into an icy glare.
In an instant, Harvi exploded forward, his speed unnaturally enhanced by his connection to the third circle of magic. The distance of over ten meters vanished in a fraction of a second. Andre was slightly surprised by the raw burst of physical power.
The edge of Harvi's wooden sword was aimed directly at Andre's right shoulder.
'I'll break that shoulder. Let's see if he doesn't cry after this,' Harvi thought viciously.
Harvi's expectation of an immediate victory was instantly broken by a precise sword block from Andre.
"Tch! Then I'll just blow you away!"
Overpowered by his innate strength, Harvi put immense force into his arms, deliberately swinging the sword in a massive, sweeping blow directed at Andre's body. But Andre had already anticipated the move. He adjusted his stance, expertly using the powerful incoming force to pivot and glide backward like a falling leaf, gaining crucial distance from the aggressive mage.
'Damn! That strength really is something. I'm envious!' Andre cursed internally, keenly feeling the disadvantage in raw power.
For the next several exchanges, Andre maintained a strict defensive. Harvi continuously bombarded him with reckless, powerful attacks, forcing Andre to stumble and retreat every time he parried the heavy blows.
"Oraaa! Orah! Ora! Ora! Is that all you've got!" Harvi bellowed, his face ecstatic with the thrill of dominance.
Clang!Clang!Clang!Clang!
'I have to break this stalemate! My hands are going numb!' Andre thought desperately. The unending barrage was making it impossible to escape.
Seeing victory assured, Harvi raised his sword high for a final, overhead strike—a deliberate, showy wind-up.
'A chance!'
The briefest hesitation between Harvi's last parry and his final, powerful overhead motion gave Andre the opening he needed. Andre's sword moved fractionally quicker, drawing a slanted trajectory that caught the tip of Harvi's rising blade. The unexpected counter unbalanced Harvi completely.
Without a second's hesitation, Andre shifted his weight, executing a smooth, mid-air 360-degree spin, and slammed the flat of his wooden sword directly into Harvi's midsection.
"ArgH!!" Harvi howled in genuine pain as he crashed violently onto the ground.
Silence fell over the scattered audience, quickly replaced by a chorus of surprised and admiring comments.
"That move was flawlessly executed!" "Not bad, kid!"
Andre walked slowly toward the prone mage, the wooden sword held ready. Harvi lay face down, his back trembling violently.
"Do you still want to fight?" Andre asked quietly.
Harvi scrambled to his feet, dirt covering his resentful face. He roared, his voice thick with hatred. "How dare you! How dare you! Y-you insolent fool!"
Harvi snatched up his sword and dashed back at Andre, swinging wildly and recklessly. But the attacks were easily anticipated. Andre either blocked the crude swings or deftly dodged them, occasionally countering with sharp stabs to Harvi's exposed sides.
As his imminent defeat became clear, a surge of burning hatred consumed Harvi.
'I can't lose! I can't lose!' The words pounded in his skull, eroding his sanity.
Then I'll just have to cripple you! You're just a weakling after all!
In the midst of their chaotic exchange, Harvi chanted silently.
"Earth Release Magic: Hold of Earth!"
Andre, just about to end the spar with a final strike, suddenly staggered, unable to lift his feet.
'My feet won't move! He used magic! This bastard!'
In that tiny instant of vulnerability, Harvi's face contorted into a cruel, crude smile. He channeled all his strength and drove his sword straight into Andre's right shoulder.
A sickening sound of bone cracking filled the air. The strength of the blow was overwhelming.
"ARGGGHHH!" Andre howled, the white-hot pain instantly spreading through his right arm.
Before he could recover, Andre felt a tremendous impact to his abdomen, sending him flying meters away. He rolled several times on the ground before collapsing, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
"GAHAAA!!"
His eyes watered and his vision blurred. The pain was agonizing, almost unbearable.
'It hurts! It damn hurts!'
Andre coughed weakly. A vulgar laugh from his opponent rang in his ear.
"KAhahahaha!!! So weak! You are so weak!"
'Weak my ass! You cheating bastard!'
Andre couldn't speak. Any retort would just be dismissed as a poor excuse for losing. He could only glare at Harvi with intense hatred.
Harvi approached slowly, raising his foot to deliver a final, humiliating kick to Andre, who was still wincing in pain.
Suddenly, a ball of wind slammed into Harvi, sending him tumbling several meters away.
"Andre-kun, are you okay?"
Reina raced to Andre's side and immediately began to chant.
"Light Release Magic: Heal thy wounds and bring life, Recover!"
A shimmering, transparent light enveloped Andre. A feeling of warmth flooded his body, and the agonizing pain slowly subsided. The broken bones in his shoulder felt as if the injury had never occurred.
"Thanks, Rei. I'm always being saved by you," Andre managed a wry smile.
"You damn bitch!" A deafening roar echoed as Harvi quickly picked himself up from Reina's attack and charged toward them.
"Don't call me a bitch, you cheater!" Reina quickly snapped back.
"Cheater! How did I cheat?"
"You used magic, even if it was only for a second!"
"You have no proof. Perhaps your friend is just far too weak to handle a real spar."
"Let's go, Andre-kun. Being in the same place as these annoying thugs is fouling my mood." Reina helped Andre stand up, ignoring Harvi completely.
"There will be no next time, you damn bitch!" Harvi silently seethed, clenching his fists in simmering hatred as they walked away.