Chapter 33

After Rimer announced that the sparring matches would be held a month later, the children intensified their training, imagining their future opponents. They honed their sword skills and practiced their aura to the best of their abilities, determined to perform at their peak no matter who they faced. However, there were some who continued their training as usual, like Raon and Martha. The two, whose opponents were already decided, maintained their usual attitudes. Raon trained from dawn till dusk with all his might, as he always did, while Martha, the strongest among the trainees, displayed a relaxed demeanor befitting her status.

Thus, a month of intense training passed, and the morning of the sparring matches arrived. The trainees were excited and nervous, as this was their chance to prove their strength after nearly a year of training and to earn good scores from the instructors. In contrast, Martha looked at one side with a smile, as if such things were of no concern to her.

'Finally, I can repay you.'

She clenched the arm she had been hit on seven months ago when she was struck by Raon's counterattack.

'It was the first time.'

Before coming here, she had never been hit by anyone in the back alleys. It was the first humiliation she had ever experienced, and it still hadn't faded from her memory. She had been waiting for this chance to repay the humiliation. After eight months, the day had finally come.

'This ends today.'

Raon Zighart had only been practicing aura for a month, while she had been doing so for over three years. It was essentially a meaningless match.

It could be seen as cowardly, but waiting for a talentless person was a waste of time.

'I have things to do.'

He couldn't afford to be held back by a thin wall like Raon. He needed to become as strong as possible as quickly as possible to save someone.

Rumble!

Martha clenched the yellow aura rising from her palm, her lips tightly pressed together.

* * *

Raon sat on the right side of the temporary sparring arena, checking his status window.

<Status Window>

Name: Raon Zighart

Title: First Victory

Condition: Frost Curse (six strands), reduced physical abilities, reduced mana sensitivity

Traits: Anger, Ring of Fire (3 stars), Water Resistance (3 stars), Snowflower Sense (1 star), Ten Thousand Fires Technique (2 stars), Frost's Cold (2 stars), Fire Resistance (2 stars)

Strength: 35

Agility: 36

Stamina: 35

Spirit: 26

Senses: 50

Not only had the number of traits increased, but his stats had also risen to an incomparable level through training that pushed his limits.

'Not bad.'

Raon smiled in satisfaction at the significantly improved numbers in his status window.

"Attention!"

When he closed the status window, he heard Rimer's voice. Rimer nodded after checking the entire arena.

"Watching others fight is as helpful as sparring yourself. Observe the other trainees and plan how you will move in your own match."

"Yes!"

"Then, the first match: Baren Zighart and Dorian."

"Yes!"

"Ah!"

Baren stood up confidently and entered the arena, but Dorian trembled as he walked in.

"Um, Instructor?"

"What is it?"

"I forfeit!"

Dorian raised his hand and loudly declared his forfeiture.

"..."

Everyone was speechless at his desperate voice, of course, with looks of disbelief.

"But the match hasn't even started yet?"

Rimer scratched his cheek, looking flustered.

"Well, I'm not feeling well. I've had a fever and chills since yesterday. Cough!"

Dorian awkwardly coughed and trembled.

"Wow, really?"

He took an ice pack from a pouch on his belt and placed it on his head. He was really thorough in his preparation.

-How disgraceful. If I were your superior, I would have beheaded you immediately!

'As expected.'

Raon knew Dorian would act this way. Given his usual character, it was predictable.

"Dorian. At least try once. Even if you lose, you'll learn something. I'll stop the match before you get hurt, so don't worry."

"Then, could you change the opponent... Ah!"

Dorian raised his head and shuddered when he met Baren's eyes.

"Whatever status you had outside, you are now a Zighart trainee. If you disgrace the Zighart name, I will behead you here and now."

Baren's voice was so menacing that it didn't seem to come from a child.

"Ah!"

Dorian opened his mouth wide and hid behind Rimer.

"Dorian. It's just a sparring match. Don't be afraid; just show what you've learned so far."

"I, I understand."

Dorian's trembling slightly subsided at Rimer's calm voice.

"Baren. You don't need to take it so seriously. Honor is important, but there are more important things in the world."

"..."

Baren didn't respond but seemed to think it was a bit harsh and relaxed his stance.

"Hmm..."

Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched Rimer smiling between Baren and Dorian.

'He's good at this.'

His advice was effective for both sides, indicating that he had been closely observing the trainees, despite appearing to play all day.

'Is this what a teacher is like?'

In his previous life, if such a situation had occurred during his training as an assassin, the instructor would have beheaded both Dorian and Baren.

It seems that a true teacher is someone who calms them down and helps them perform to the best of their abilities.

"Then, let's begin."

Thanks to Rimer, everything was in order, and Baren and Dorian faced each other.

"Start!"

As soon as the command was given, Baren rushed forward and swung his sword.

Since he was using aura, the speed was on a different level from their previous matches.

"Ah!"

Dorian screamed and twisted his body. As a result, Baren's sword missed by a hair's breadth.

"Don't run!"

Baren frowned and swung his sword down, while Dorian only moved his feet, waving his practice sword.

"Ah!"

Baren's sword swung more than five times, but Dorian kept running.

"How long are you going to run?"

Baren narrowed his eyes and kicked the ground, closing the distance in an instant. He revealed his hidden strength.

"Ah!"

Dorian tried to dodge but was too late. Baren's practice sword had already reached his waist.

Crash!

With a loud noise, Dorian was sent flying to the side.

"Ah, I, I surrender! I surrender!"

Dorian clutched his waist and shouted his surrender.

'He's still quite flexible.'

Raon smiled at the sight of Dorian lying on the ground. The boy's talent wasn't bad. His speed in using aura and agility were on par with the direct descendants.

Of course, it was still far from matching Baren's skill.

"Baren. You still can't control your emotions. If you had faced him properly, you would have hit him in five moves."

"...Yes."

Baren nodded silently and stepped back.

"Dorian. Why do you keep running? You can do it. If you had faced him instead of running, you would have lasted longer."

"I, I'm sorry, but I was scared..."

"You can be scared, but if you can't overcome it here, you won't stand a chance in real combat. To become a swordsman, you must overcome that fear."

Dorian, unlike Baren, received a long lecture before leaving.

"Next, Lunan and Crane."

"Yes."

"Yes!"

Lunan and the collateral descendant Crane walked into the arena.

Crane was a strong collateral descendant and one of Baren's subordinates who had challenged him before. His skills were good, but he was no match for Lunan.

"Start."

As soon as Rimer lowered his hand, Lunan and Crane rushed forward.

"Ha!"

Crane took the initiative, gritting his teeth and swinging his practice sword horizontally from the left.

"..."

Lunan maintained his usual expression and parried the sword, which emitted a cold white aura.

Clang!

With a sound like metal bending, Crane's sword fell and embedded itself in the well-prepared arena floor.

"Ugh..."

Crane trembled and took a step back.

"That's enough."

Rimer scratched his chin and entered the arena.

"Crane. You were too tense. You put too much force into your wrist and grip. When holding a sword, you need to be relaxed."

"I, I'm sorry."

"And Lunan. Your counterattack was good, but your aura didn't reach the tip of your sword."

"Yes."

Lunan nodded with a calm face.

"Good job. Next..."

* * *

The sparring training continued until dusk, and only two people remained.

"Raon Zighart, Martha Zighart. Step forward."

"I knew you'd wait until you were old and gray."

Martha's eyes, which were usually cold, sparkled with excitement. In contrast, Raon met her with a calm gaze.

"Eight months is a long time for me to wait. Let's end this."

"Want to make another bet?"

Raon raised a finger, showing his teeth in a smile.

"What?"

"The loser obeys the winner. How about that?"

"Obey? I don't need the obedience of a talentless person like you, but it's fine."

Martha nodded with narrowed eyes, not thinking she would lose.

"This is the last match of the day. Everyone, watch closely. Then..."

Rimer smiled mysteriously and raised his hand.

"Start!"

As soon as Rimer's hand fell, Martha kicked the ground. With a thud, her face was right in front of Raon.

Whoosh!

Raon swung his sword to meet Martha's descending practice sword.

Clang!

The swords clashed, and sparks flew into the air.

"Curious why I didn't use aura?"

Martha pushed her sword forward and grinned.

"Let's start with sword skills, and then I'll show you the power of aura!"

As her voice brushed past his ear, her sword skills changed dramatically. Not only the speed and power but also the trajectory became more intricate.

Clang!

Raon parried Martha's practice sword and narrowed his eyes.

'Unknown sword skills.'

Fast, powerful, and intricate. They seemed to be advanced sword skills he had learned during direct descendant training.

'Strong, but...'

Imperfect sword skills. It would have been better to use the well-known flexible sword techniques.

Clang! Clang!

Raon used the five techniques of the flexible sword to block Martha's sword skills.

"Blocked all of them?"

After using the new sword skills dozens of times without breaking through his defense, Martha's expression turned cold.

"All sword skills start with five basic forms. If you know that, it's not hard to block them."

Raon parried Martha's sword and closed in, throwing a punch.

Whoosh!

She stepped to the right, dodging the punch and swinging her sword at his waist.

Clang!

Raon set his sword at a diagonal angle to deflect the attack and pushed Martha back.

"Indeed."

Martha swung her sword and stepped back.

"I admit it. You have talent. But it's only in sword skills. A half-baked martial artist with weak aura has a predetermined path!"

A yellow aura swirled around her. The training ground trembled from the earth attribute aura.

Rumble!

Martha rolled her feet, and her practice sword pierced the air as the ground cracked.

"Ah!"

She raised her sword to meet the descending yellow aura.

Boom!

Blocking the sword made his legs wobble. It was the same charge as before, but the speed and power were on a different level.

"Wow, you blocked it?"

Martha's eyes, visible between the blunt blades, curved into a half-moon.

"Did you understand now? A sword with proper aura has this much power."

She looked at Raon, whose wrist and thigh were trembling, and raised her chin.

"Aura depends on talent more than sword skills. With your talent, which only managed to create a pea-sized aura in seven months, becoming a swordsman is impossible."

The power and speed of Martha's sword strikes increased. Each time he blocked her attacks, his entire body wobbled.

"This isn't even my full power. I'll give you one last chance. Surrender now. Next time, I'll break your bones."

"You talk too much."

Raon swung his sword to the right. With a loud noise, Martha was pushed back.

"Kicking away my last consideration, really stupid."

Martha's voice became as cold as the north wind.

"Talking about talent, talent. The people in this family like to talk about talent to the point of being annoying."

Raon snorted.

'Talent is certainly important.'

But a martial artist's temperament is more important than talent. No matter how strong the martial arts or how talented a person is, if they are weak, it's useless.

"Your lack of talent makes my words sound annoying, but I enjoy hearing about talent every time."

Martha's lips curled up like a leaf.

"So, I'll show you clearly. What real talent is!"

The brown aura around her body intensified, like sharp rocks falling.

"I'll show you the opposite."

That there is something more important than talent.

The twilight reflected in Raon's eyes, and a single red flame bloomed on the blue sword blade.

Ten Thousand Fires Technique: First Flame

The first and only flame.

The legend of the Zigharts, spanning a thousand years, ignited at the tip of Raon's sword.