Chapter 13: Optimal Condition (3)

‘Looks like he was quite surprised.’

Marhan, who had shown his surprise, now seemed lost in deep thought. It was a side of him I had never seen before.

He was always so calm and composed.

Well, I guess even I can admit that today’s me was definitely special.

When I thought about doing something, my body flawlessly replicated it without the slightest error.

Compared to the naivety I felt when I first faced the Duke, it was a world of difference.

Of course, apart from the basics, I had only learned the Highsen sword technique.

But even the Highsen sword technique, which ordinary soldiers learn, is by no means simple.

I am aware that my worst condition penalty is the reason for this, but Marhan doesn’t know, so it’s understandable that he’s reacting this way.

I was genuinely surprised by what I could do myself.

Still, I can’t tell him, so I can only wait.

‘Maybe he’ll really find a solution.’

Penalty traits and high-level traits don’t always persist; they can disappear due to special events.

For example, someone with OCD might usually deteriorate mentally and commit suicide after being imprisoned in a dirty underground cell, but there’s a low probability that the OCD might disappear.

The survival instinct overcame the penalty trait.

Of course, in reality, this would be hard to understand, but it’s a game, so it’s acceptable.

I felt a bit of regret. It would have been nice to have Mohen here today.

If he were here, he might not have kept his mouth shut, just like he didn’t provoke Denif.

“Denif.”

I was pulled out of my thoughts by Marhan’s voice. Denif and Bout, who had been moving intensely, immediately walked over.

Bout shrugged.

“What is it?”

“I want to see a sparring match.”

“Huh?”

Bout, unable to hide his surprise, quickly composed himself.

“Ah, yes.”

It was a statement that could confuse even the spies under the Duke. I was equally surprised.

A sparring match with Denif all of a sudden? I just picked up a sword today?

Denif’s eyes were wide open as well. He didn’t ask, knowing that Marhan’s orders were absolute here.

Marhan added, walking toward Denif.

“Kalin is a beginner, so use a wooden sword.”

“Yes.”

Denif switched to a wooden sword and took his stance. I followed suit, holding a wooden sword and standing in front of Denif.

My thoughts were racing.

‘I’ve only learned the Three Disasters Sword and the Highsen sword technique.’

Denif must know this as well. No matter how I look at it, I’m at a significant disadvantage.

Still, there must be a reason for the sparring. Even if I don’t win, showing something will be good for the evaluation.

But I don’t need to think too deeply. If Marhan says to do it, I do it. That’s how I’ve lived so far, and it will likely be the same in the future.

I took the starting stance of the Highsen sword technique.

I extended my right foot and placed my right hand, holding the sword, in front of my left ribs. The blade lightly touched above my left shoulder.

It’s the preparatory stance for a thrust. Marhan spoke softly.

“Don’t use mana, but don’t go easy on him.”

Of course, he wasn’t talking to me, so I remained silent.

“Yes.”

Denif nodded, meeting my eyes, and then nodded calmly.

Though he didn’t say it, the message was clear. He couldn’t go easy on me, and he had no ill feelings.

I nodded back. There was no signal to start the sparring. It’s always been like this. A sparring match is like a real battle.

So, Denif didn’t wait for me. He immediately charged at me, kicking off the ground.

“Hiss.”

I took a short breath, filling about two-thirds of my lungs and tightening my grip on the sword.

I also kicked off the ground immediately, but I was a beat late, and the situation wasn’t good.

‘Damn. I should have moved first.’

Losing the initiative to someone better than me was even more disadvantageous.

First, there’s a difference in acceleration.

This difference leads to a difference in power. The biggest problem is that the overall momentum shifts.

‘I haven’t learned enough to maintain momentum, anyway.’

This can also be seen as a lack of experience. The initial distance between Denif and me was about 12 meters.

Now it’s about 7 meters.

Since I was late, I changed direction and ran diagonally.

The hopeful part is that the optimal condition isn’t limited to just the body.

My thoughts were accelerating. It felt like time was moving slower in my head.

I didn’t do this during training, but maybe it’s due to extreme focus.

No, I need to put aside distractions. I need to focus solely on the sparring.

Denif was running straight, with his sword hanging low on the left side. Should I strike diagonally? Or thrust?

I couldn’t be certain. I prepared to move according to my instincts.

‘Whatever it is, I’ll block it and move to the side first.’

There’s already a difference in acceleration. No matter how much stronger I am than usual, a long-term fight with Denif, who has been trained for a long time, is impossible.

I judged that it would be better to pass by and then face each other again.

We were now 2 meters apart.

We were within each other’s attack range. I didn’t force an attack in the already unfavorable momentum.

Denif chose to thrust. The sword, which was hanging low, sharply aimed at my chest. I tightened my right wrist and extended it.

The sword, which was touching my shoulder, quickly went down.

The process was similar to the Highsen sword technique. A meeting of thrusts. But I pushed it to the side with force on my wrist.

My sword deflected Denif’s thrust.

Denif’s sword slightly veered to the left. I took a step to his right.

Is it because of the optimal condition? My body moved as I thought.

‘...!’

At the moment of passing, I saw an opening. The sword deflecting to the side exposed Denif’s front to me.

I tightened my wrist again and aimed for Denif’s torso. It was an immediate reaction.

Suddenly, Denif bent his upper body and spun around. He didn’t control the rebound of the deflected sword but continued the rotation.

My sword stabbed the air. Denif, having spun, struck from below.

I instinctively kicked off the ground roughly and rolled in the air. Denif’s sword narrowly missed my abdomen.

After rolling on the ground, I quickly got up and turned around.

“Hmm.”

Denif tilted his head, looking at me with a slightly surprised expression.

‘I didn’t block his thrust. It was Denif’s feint.’

I gritted my teeth. This time, I didn’t wait and kicked off the ground. Maybe because Denif was surprised, I was faster this time.

It wasn’t a long distance this time. I quickly reached Denif.

I put strength into my extended leg and swung the sword horizontally. Denif blocked my sword with a concise movement.

The swords met. The dull sound of the wooden swords was clear. I put strength into both hands, pressing down the sword that tried to bounce back from the initial impact.

Denif did the same. The strength competition continued. Contrary to my earlier worries, I wasn’t being pushed back by strength.

Right. No matter how much I train, it’s still a 13-year-old’s body. If I put in three times the effort, it would be similar.

“What, are you really Kalin?”

Denif smiled, looking interested. I didn’t have the time to answer. Denif’s sword was sliding down my blade.

Denif pushed the sword slightly from the bottom.

‘Damn.’

The gap opened, and his elbow aimed for my abdomen. I pulled my stomach back to avoid it, but my stance was compromised.

Denif didn’t miss the opportunity. His sword came at me. I instinctively extended my sword to block it.

The continuous attacks followed. Denif advanced, stabbing from various angles, and I retreated, blocking them.

I was barely blocking them.

I didn’t know how to use my arms. I learned a lot from this first sparring match.

And what I learned should be applied immediately.

I pretended to retreat, deflected the sword, and rotated my body around my right foot.

My left elbow, which was fixed, aimed for Denif’s head. This time, Denif bent his upper body and rolled on the ground.

The gap widened again.

I quickly regulated my breathing. Denif, who had regained his stance, looked at me with a competitive spirit.

Half a breath.

We charged at each other again.

* * *

“Hiss!”

Kalin took a quick breath. The following moves were more instinctive than thought out.

Sometimes he used the Highsen sword technique, sometimes he didn’t.

Marhan watched the sparring with a sharp eye. Sally and Orhen had also joined to watch.

Bout, who had been indifferent at first, realized the reason Marhan had set up the sparring due to Kalin’s unexpected performance.

‘He’s growing in real-time.’

Marhan confirmed that his judgment was correct. It wasn’t just about physical ability.

Kalin needed to make good use of today.

As Marhan thought this, a question crossed his mind.

What if he taught everything to the usual Kalin? He was curious about what would happen.

If he just injected the information without proper practice...

‘Could he use it all on a day like today?’

If he could, the slow growth rate wouldn’t matter.

He could grow significantly at specific points.

Of course, he couldn’t be sure.

It happens once a year, but it could mean wasting a year.

Marhan thought he needed to verify this.

He couldn’t do it recklessly, but he could test it in limited areas.

As time passed, Kalin was gradually being pushed back.

Kalin decided to go on the offensive to turn the tide and instinctively changed his breathing pattern.

He took a step, tightened his grip on the sword, and extended it.

The clash. Kalin instinctively turned his wrist.

Kalin’s sword wrapped around Denif’s sword and pushed it out. As he was about to thrust, he had to stop.

Denif’s wooden sword was in front of his neck.

‘Damn...’

He thought he had pushed it out, but Denif had taken a step to the side, extended his arm, and corrected the trajectory.

Kalin suspected that the sword being pushed out might have been Denif’s intention.

He had to admit defeat. He hadn’t thought he could win, but he felt a deep regret.

Denif put away his sword.

“Wow, that was amazing. What’s up with you today? I couldn’t even imagine it.”

“I said my condition was good today.”

Kalin smiled awkwardly in response. His heart was still racing.

The tension of the sparring made his hands tremble.

Kalin felt that this battle was more interesting than he thought.

Denif, who was about to say something more, closed his mouth when he saw Kalin’s back.

“Kalin.”

At that moment, Marhan’s cold voice rang out.

“Yes.”

When Kalin turned his head, Marhan was looking at him with a stern expression. Kalin was a bit flustered.

He thought he had done well, but he couldn’t understand what was wrong.

“Why didn’t you use your magic actively?”

Ah...

Kalin finally understood why Marhan was angry. Not using mana was a rule for Denif.

The sparring should be like a real battle.

It was his first proper sparring, but he had heard this while training his body. He had misunderstood.

After learning sword techniques, he had the notion that he should only use the sword.

That was a mistake. He should have used wind to attack or interfere with Denif.

“I’m sorry.”

Marhan nodded, looking at Kalin’s expression and words.

It was enough that he understood the reason himself.

Unnecessary scolding about his shortcomings and the need to use magic was not needed.

That was Marhan’s principle.

“Still, the rest... was excellent.”

“Thank you.”

Kalin smiled faintly at the warm words.

“Denif, you need to work harder.”

“Yes! I was a bit surprised too. I’ll try harder.”

Marhan nodded and looked up at the sky.

“It’s time for lunch. Eat as quickly as possible and gather at the training ground.”

Denif asked, puzzled.

“Eat as quickly as possible...?”

“I’ll give you 20 minutes.”

Kalin started running to the dining hall as soon as Marhan finished speaking. Marhan chuckled at the sight.

Denif, who was momentarily flustered, also started running.

“Orhen! Hurry up!”