In a mine abandoned for years, the constant clang of metal against metal echoed through the tunnels and drew the curiosity of passersby.
Whenever someone tried to peek inside, however, the burly giant guarding the entrance scared them away. He stood more than two meters tall and was broad enough for two men.
After glaring down yet another overly curious traveling merchant, Ted returned to the mine, watched the two people clattering away, and broke into a broad grin.
"Hey! This method still works, and you can both train at the same time."
Malika, standing off to one side, shrugged. "It works, sure, but it is also against Guild regulations. Julius once caught us training like this, and he nearly arrested us."
"Then we just make sure no one sees us, right?"
At the center of the abandoned mine, Altaïr and Isis were "fighting."
Altaïr planted the end of his Insect Glaive against the ground and vaulted upward. The weapon spun with him and struck the Large Shield Isis held overhead with a sharp ring.
The impact arrested his fall and sent him shooting upward once more.
At the same moment, Isis thrust her Gunlance into the air. Altaïr twisted aside from the attack rising beneath him, kicked off the barrel, and flipped over her head.
He continued to leap and maneuver above Isis while she raised her shield against blows from every conceivable angle, swinging her Gunlance whenever she found an opportunity to counterattack.
Anyone with a trained eye could tell this was not a real fight. Neither of them was trying to defeat or injure the other; they were honing their aerial combat and defensive techniques.
Guild regulations strictly forbade Hunters from turning their weapons against another person. Even training weapons with blunt edges carried enough force to kill with ease.
To reduce the risk of an accident, they had removed the blades from both ends of the Insect Glaive as well as the cutting edge of the Gunlance.
Even so, their training method remained against regulations. If anyone with law-enforcement authority, such as a Guild Knight, found them here, both of them would be held accountable.
A severe reprimand, mandatory safety training, or a disciplinary mark would count as a light punishment. A spell in detention would hardly be surprising.
Still, as long as no one saw them and no one reported them, there was no problem...
After several more ringing blows, Altaïr failed to dodge in time and Isis knocked him to the ground with her Gunlance.
The training was harder for him than it was for Isis. He had only started using an Insect Glaive a few days earlier, and repeatedly using attacks and kicks to redirect his momentum and remain airborne was far more difficult than simply raising a shield to defend.
Altaïr spun the Insect Glaive, tucked it beneath one arm, and exhaled. "It really is difficult. The longer I stay up, the harder it becomes to keep my balance. I still cannot remain airborne as long as you can, Senior."
Malika's mouth twitched.
Remain airborne as long as I can...? How long have I trained, and how long have you trained? Aside from the Hunters in Kamura who cheat with Wirebugs, hardly any Insect Glaive users in the world can stay aloft for that long!
How else do you think I earned the title "Soaring Spirit"?
Yet she merely gave him a dismissive look. "I have shown you how it is done. You can take your time practicing on your own.
"To be honest, you are not an Insect Glaive user anyway. You only wanted to study these techniques for ideas, so did you actually learn anything useful?"
She had only asked in passing, but to her surprise, Altaïr nodded.
"A little."
Malika and Ted exchanged a glance. So he really had found something useful?
Ted's interest was piqued as well. "Oh? Show me."
Altaïr looked around for a suitable target. Finding none, he eventually turned his gaze to Isis.
"Raise your shield for me. I need a target."
"Okay."
Isis lowered her center of gravity and settled into a standard defensive stance.
Under Malika's increasingly exasperated gaze, Altaïr shifted his hands from the middle of the Insect Glaive to the blunted end and gripped it like a Long Sword.
This was only a demonstration, and the target was his own girlfriend, so he was not trying to put any real power behind the attack. He skipped gathering sword aura, adopted a Long Sword stance, aimed at Isis's Large Shield, and executed a Spirit Thrust before using its momentum to leap into the air.
Clearly, the technique he meant to demonstrate was related to Spirit Helm Breaker.
He twisted in midair, forcing his body through a full one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn, and brought the weapon down directly behind him.
Previously, he had been able to adjust the direction of Spirit Helm Breaker to some extent, but never by such a wide angle. Fifty or sixty degrees had been his limit.
Next, he demonstrated how he could shift a short distance in midair before executing Spirit Helm Breaker. He also showed how, at the last instant before striking, he could rotate his body to bleed off his momentum, abort the attack, and bring the weapon back to rest.
Training in aerial combat with the Insect Glaive had dramatically improved his flexibility when performing airborne techniques such as Spirit Helm Breaker.
"Whoa." Malika let out a whistle.
With their trained eyes, she and Ted could immediately see how Altaïr had improved.
The improvement might not look impressive or increase his attack power, but aerial attacks were inherently risky.
Against a Monster with fast reactions, he might be swatted away before he could even strike. That was why techniques such as Spirit Helm Breaker were usually reserved for moments when the Monster left itself open.
After drawing on the Insect Glaive's aerial combat techniques, however, he could perform Spirit Helm Breaker far more flexibly and even attempt it during a fierce exchange with a Monster.
The same skills could also prove useful for jumping attacks that exploited the terrain or attacks launched while climbing.
It was a considerable improvement.
As Altaïr settled back into his mock blade stance with a satisfied look, Isis ground her teeth.
"Are you done? It is my turn now. Help me practice Perfect Guard!"
"Uh..."
—--
Altaïr and Isis continued their special training for more than twenty days.
Morgan did not remain idle in Harth, either. He set off alone for the Furahiya Mountains and the Frozen Seaway in the north to hunt Barioth.
He planned to hunt several Barioth over multiple trips, carefully selecting materials for a Barioth Gunner Armor Set in preparation for his eventual promotion to High Rank.
He also wanted to craft the highly regarded Barioth Heavy Bowgun. As a Gunner, he ought to have several primary weapons ready for different situations.
That would take a great deal of time, and he would probably miss Altaïr and Isis's first High Rank quests.
There was no helping it. With his current equipment, joining a High Rank quest would be a stretch, so upgrading his gear was essential.
Altaïr and Isis, meanwhile, practically moved into the abandoned mine.
Alongside learning and familiarizing themselves with new techniques, they brought together all the moves and skills they had mastered in the past and practiced them until everything flowed smoothly again.
As their strength entered a new phase, this was an essential step.
Only now had their overall abilities truly stabilized at the level of High Rank Hunters, rather than a handful of exceptional strengths carrying them beyond the rest of their skills.
Their new armor was completed during that time as well.
Mindful of the unprecedented foes they might face, they gathered every Armor Sphere they had accumulated from past quest rewards and spent a considerable sum to have their new gear fully upgraded.
Altaïr's previous Espinas Armor Set had not received the same treatment. It had been a transitional set acquired largely by chance, and its overall performance had been rather underwhelming.
They soon received a message from Gemma and eagerly rushed to the Smithy to try on their new equipment.
—--
At the same time, an Airship from Mezeporta arrived in Dundorma.
As the gangway lowered, a man and a woman stepped off the Airship.
They wore ordinary clothes, but their unusual physiques and presence made passersby instinctively clear a path.
"Should we go home first?" the man asked his wife. "Or should we report to the Elder Hall?"
The woman rolled her eyes. "Not the Elder Hall. Have we not done enough quests already? We finally managed to scrape together a few days of leave. I do not want His Immenseness roping us into unpaid work again..."
The man shrugged. "Fine by me."
The couple strolled through the streets, stopping at food stalls and buying whatever caught their interest.
The warmth and bustle of the marketplace enveloped them, gradually softening the cold, iron-scented air that set them apart from ordinary people.
By the time they reached their doorstep, evening had fallen.
They could no longer even find their house key, so they had no choice but to knock.
"Coming."
A familiar voice answered from inside. A moment later, the door opened.
Master Amos stared at the pair outside in brief surprise. Before he could say anything, the woman stepped forward and embraced him.
"Master Amos, have you been well?" Her voice was thick with emotion.
The man rubbed the back of his head. "Senior Amos, it has been a long time."
Amos studied the two of them, and a faint smile appeared on his face. "Why are you still standing outside? Come in."
The three entered the house together.
Everything inside felt both familiar and strange. The man stood in the living room with his hands on his hips and looked around. "Nothing has changed since we left. How many years has it been since we were last here?"
"About five years. Isis had just graduated from the training camp then," the woman replied, melancholy coloring her voice.
She took a photograph from inside her coat. "If Kitty had not written to us, we would not even have known that she had made High Rank..."
"That is how children are. They grow up before you know it," the man said blithely, as though he bore no responsibility for the matter.
Amos shot him a glance. "By the way, do not enter the room on the first floor that used to serve as a storeroom.
"A caravan just delivered a number of personal belongings. Someone is living there now."
The man stared blankly at him. "Someone? What do you mean, someone? Who is living there?"
A trace of vindictive delight gleamed in Amos's eyes. "Isis's boyfriend.
"Isis wrote that they plan to use Dundorma as their base from now on. Since we had a spare room, she invited him to live here.
"Just as you said, children grow up before you know it, do they not?"
"?"
"??????"
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