Scarlet stopped in the center of the clearing and pointed her sword at me.
"Today you don't fight monsters."
The wind moved low through the leaves, carrying the damp scent of the forest. The Rank S dungeon stood a few meters behind us, silent like a closed mouth.
"You fight me."
I had already imagined that this moment would come, but hearing it changed the feeling inside my chest.
I took a deep breath.
"No holding back."
She tilted her head.
"I never hold back."
I moved first.
A direct, firm attack, aiming for close distance. Scarlet dodged with a minimal step to the side. Her blade touched mine and slid along it, altering the angle of my strike as if guiding my own strength against me.
I lost my balance for a second.
It was enough.
The tip of her sword touched my neck.
"You died."
I stepped back.
Adjusted my stance.
This time I waited.
Scarlet advanced.
Her movement was clean, economical, without waste. I blocked the first slash, dodged the second, but the third came at an angle I hadn't anticipated.
She struck my shoulder with the flat of her blade.
A sharp pain.
"You died again."
I breathed through my nose, controlling the frustration.
It wasn't strength.
It wasn't speed.
It was something I still hadn't mastered.
Experience.
I tried to change the rhythm. Less predictable movements, alternating heights, turning my body to make it harder to read. For a few seconds, it worked. I managed to force Scarlet to step back twice.
Then she smiled.
And everything collapsed.
She began anticipating before I even completed my movements. Every attempt of mine already met a ready response.
A tap on my ribs.
A light strike on my leg.
Her sword against my chest.
"Three deaths."
I was sweating.
Out of breath.
And starting to understand.
"You think too much before acting," she said. "And act too much after thinking."
I lowered my sword for a moment.
"Explain."
"You fight like someone who learned alone. You built strength, speed, endurance. But you didn't build combat reading."
I raised my sword again.
"Then teach me."
Scarlet didn't advance.
She began walking around me.
"Fighting monsters taught you to react to the obvious. They attack with instinct. I attack with intention."
She stopped in front of me.
"You try to defeat the strike. I try to defeat you."
That stayed in my head.
We started again.
This time I didn't rush.
I observed.
Her shoulders.
The placement of her feet.
The way her hand held the sword.
Scarlet attacked.
I blocked.
She changed the angle mid-motion. I didn't follow the blade. I followed the body.
I managed to dodge.
First time.
She stepped back half a step.
"Better."
We continued.
The fight stopped being an exchange of blows and became a reading. Every step, every breath, every shift of weight said something.
Even so, I kept losing.
But now I understood why.
When she hit me, I knew exactly where I had gone wrong.
After long minutes, my legs began to feel heavy.
My arms trembled.
Scarlet stopped.
"Rest."
I pressed the tip of my sword to the ground and took a deep breath.
"How many times did I die?"
"I lost count after the tenth."
I laughed, without humor.
She stepped closer.
"Do you know the difference between you now and you before?"
I shook my head.
"Before, you didn't know why you won. Now you know why you lose."
I closed my eyes for a moment.
That made too much sense.
We resumed.
Slower.
More technical.
At one point, I managed to dodge three attacks in a row. On the fourth, she still hit me, but barely.
Scarlet nodded.
"That's it."
The sun was already setting when she finally sheathed her sword.
"That's enough for today."
I was exhausted.
Tired in a different way from fighting monsters. It wasn't only physical. It was mental.
We walked out of the clearing in silence.
Before leaving, Scarlet spoke.
"Tomorrow you'll lose again."
I looked at her.
"I know."
She smiled faintly.
"But you'll lose better."