In a room made of gray stone, dozens of scars were carved into its surface, bearing witness to the fierce battles between the two protectors of humanity's fortress.
In the center of the room stood a tall man dressed in neat servant's attire, his eyes blood-red, filled with satisfaction.
Before him, a beautiful blonde girl stood with a firm stance. Her blue eyes shone like sapphires, filled with a blazing spirit.
"Well, well, it seems you've reached the beginner level in the art of swordsmanship. I commend that. Now, you must face the final test before concluding this training."
"This test is a real battle."
Marie swallowed hard, knowing this would be her first real fight. Today would mark the end of her entire six days of training—the process of metamorphosis from a protected little girl to a brave girl who wields a sword.
She wouldn't be fighting her merciful teacher, who would stop when she could no longer fight. Instead, she would face a real lowly demon, a mindless monster that lived to devour her flesh. Of course, her teacher would save her if she were in danger, but that would also signify her failure and render all her training useless.
Marie was determined to grow stronger. She wouldn't let a lowly demon destroy all her efforts. She would destroy it.
"I'm ready!" Marie declared firmly.
Morgan looked at her and smiled slightly. Then, he drew the sword sheathed at his waist. Without hesitation, Morgan sliced his finger, and blood dripped onto the floor, carrying the scent of iron and blood.
Marie felt a chill run down her spine. She truly would never get used to seeing someone casually cut off their own body part.
Morgan then tossed his severed finger away as if discarding worthless trash.
A miracle occurred. The finger began to squirm like a worm. From the pale severed end, a green flesh-like protrusion emerged. The protrusion grew, forming a strange, pulsating lump with a rhythm of life.
Quickly, bones grew from the lump, followed by muscles and nerves, until it formed a green arm. The arm stretched, muscles crawling like snakes, newly formed bones cracking like popcorn.
Marie felt sick watching it.
A shoulder then formed, collarbones extending in both directions. A neck elongated, and at its end, a head began to take shape. From there, an ugly green face formed, with long ears and nose, and several warts growing, making the face even uglier. Soon, the body was complete. A naked, green-skinned body the size of a grown man stood on the stone floor.
Marie's eyes widened.
Its chest rose and fell for the first time, its eyes slowly opening, revealing two murky green eyes. It blinked several times as if just waking from sleep. Suddenly, it seemed startled and looked left and right.
Morgan casually tossed his sword in front of the creature. It appeared very wary of him. The creature lowered its body, crawling toward the sword, its eyes locked on Morgan.
Morgan turned his back. "That is your opponent, a hobgoblin. They are slightly smarter than goblins, but still stupid. A fair opponent, I think," he said casually.
Marie stared in shock, her jaw dropping. "You created life!?!?!!"
Morgan raised an eyebrow. "No, I didn't create it, I restored it."
"What?"
"No time for explanations. Hobgoblins really like targeting young girls, you know!"
Morgan vanished from sight in an instant, replaced by the hobgoblin raising its katana high into the air. Marie swiftly moved away from her position. She really wanted to know what Morgan had brought before her, but she wasn't in a position to ask.
In front of her was a lowly demon desperately wanting to tear her flesh apart. Its teeth were covered in thick, disgusting saliva. Its eyes reflected the ferocity of a mindless creature.
Marie's foot stomped the ground, instantly closing the distance between them. Marie intended to launch an attack to end the fight in a single strike. But she was shocked when the hobgoblin managed to parry her attack. It even pushed her away.
Marie stared in disbelief once again.
"He's not an ordinary hobgoblin! He can use a sword too!" Morgan shouted from the corner of the room.
It sounded hard to believe. But judging from how it held the sword and its stance, it clearly knew how to use a sword. It had never occurred to her that a goblin could wield a sword. The hobgoblin seemed to have some intelligence, making it even more difficult to defeat.
Fighting a mindless creature was easier than fighting a cunning one. Attacks from mindless creatures were easier to read because they relied solely on wild instinct without thought. Unlike rational creatures who could think, deceive, and set traps.
From the start, Marie hadn't expected an easy opponent, but she hadn't anticipated such a unique one.
Seeing the goblin preparing to attack, Marie adjusted her stance. One foot forward, the other back. Her sword was gripped tightly—firm enough not to slip, loose enough not to drain her energy.
Marie charged forward with her katana near her left ear. The hobgoblin drooled thick saliva and also charged forward.
The two swords collided. They scraped against each other, sparking flames.