Peng!

Peng!

The sound of two wooden swords clashing together, I was in sword lock with an old man wearing a rusty armor. His face has a scar extending from his left eyebrow to his left cheeks. He had an air of a veteran warrior who survived many battles.

"You're getting better, kid."

"Thank…."

I twisted my wrist slightly to remove the sword lock between us and jumped away.

"----you!! Old man Ornn"

Just after I landed, I quickly put my strength on the tip of my feet and dashed, extending the sword with a horizontal slash but it was block completely by old man Ornn. 

I am not yet finished the sequence of my attack. I rotated my body using the impact of the clash and did another horizontal slash in the other side yet it was still beautifully blocked by old man Ornn.

The crowd of soldiers cheered on the sidelines as they watched the duel between me and the old man.

"That was fast, kid! You are already this good after just two weeks' time."

"I've been busy practicing what you guys thought me."

"Though you are just a kid, you already have strength comparable to a veteran warrior, I'm envious, but still, what you just learned are textbooks. Those techniques are not enough to defeat a person who battled a hundreds of battles. Let me teach you how to fight for real."

I flew away by a sudden kick. I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen.

"T-that was unfair, old man."

I immediately supported my body and stood up. After the pain disappeared, with a flash I shot forward while putting the sword high in the air and gallantly charge.

Using the momentum of the charge, I swung down my sword with the best of my capabilities but the old man didn't dodge.

'Was he just waiting for my attack?' I thought inna confused manner. 

"Let me teach you, kid. Everything in the battlefield is unfair."

In an instant, the sword in my hand flew away by the sudden punch at my hand.

"You need to think how you can go above your opponents. When you are dead, it's not important if you are in the right."

The old man Ornn's sword was already in the tip of my chin and my hands were already up in the air. This old man was really strong and cunning.

"You Lost!"

I sighed deeply. I completely lost in experience.

"You okay, kid?"

"I'm okay. Thanks for your guidance, Old man Ornn"

I deeply bowed my head in gratitude.

"hoh! So the weakling really is trying hard, what about we spar a bit"

Harvi appeared in the crowd with a mocking smile directed at me.

"Scared?"

Another word of blasphemy came out from his mouth.

"Of course he is scared. A useless guy fighting a genius the results are already clear."

With his lackey's second the motion, they gave a heartfelt laugh. But the laugh was immediately stopped by an irritated voice.

"How about you spar with me?"

With a sharp glance, Reina looked at Harvi and his gang.

"Always bullying Andre but can't even fight head on with me. You didn't even take the training seriously compared to Andre you're inferior"

"tch! Always hiding in a girl's protection, you are really pathetic."

Harvi gave a sharp glance at me but Reina immediately send a sharper glance at him.

"You're more pathetic than Andre"

"At least I'm not pathetically protected by a girl"

I snapped. Those words of his really made me lose my calmness. 

"I accept it. Let's spar!"

I already reached the threshold of my patience. Those insults already beyond the line, even though I'm weak, I still have my pride and I don't forgive people who would trample my pride.

"A-Andre-kun?"

"It's okay. I know what I'm doing. I don't want to be forever saved by you. This is a fight between men. I need to stand on my own so please let me. So watch me! I will be okay!"

I smiled at her then told her to go in the sideline.

Third Person POV

Andre and Harvi were already in the center of the training grounds. Andre was wearing his usual training uniform while Harvi was dressed with a long white robe with elegant embroideries that only formal mage.

they were both holding a wooden sword.

"Don't worry I will give you a handicap. I don't even need to use magic for the likes of you"

Harvi confidently said.

"Is that so? Many thanks then" 

Andre just replied nonchalantly.

"Still putting a brave front, I'll let you have a taste of gap between us, you weakling!"

Harvi gave an icy cold glare and instantly increased his speed to close the gap between him and Andre.

Fast! As expected to a third circle. His physical capabilities are really abnormal. Andre was slightly surprised in the outburst of speed.

In a second, More than 10 meters of distance was covered by Harvi.

The edge of the wooden sword was aimed in the right shoulder of Andre.

'I will break that shoulder of yours. Let see if you won't cry in pain after this.' Harvi thought.

The expectation of Harvi was broken in an instant by sword block performed by Andre.

"tch! Then I'll just blow you away!"

Due to his innate power, Harvi overpowered Andre. He exerted a powerful force in his hands to deliberately make a large swing directed to Andre's body but Andre already seen through the move and at the same time arranged his posture and use the powerful force to glide away like a falling leaf to gain distance away from Harvi.

' damn!  That strength really is something. I'm somewhat envious!' Ace cursed in his mind

Seeing the difference in strength, Andre really felt envious of it.

After a couple of exchanges, Andre played in defensive. Harvi continuously bombarded him with reckless attack pressuring him to move backward every time he parried the heavy blows.

"Orraaa!!! Orahh! Orra! Ora! Ora! Is that all you got!"

Peng!

Peng!

Peng!

Peng!

'I need to break this stale mate! My hands already feeling numb' The barrage of attack continued, making difficult for Andre to break out from it.

Seeing his clear victory, Harvi's face showed  ecstasy. He lifted his sword up in the air to deal the last blow but-

'A chance!'

The gap between his earlier attack and his last move gave Andre a chance to ready his sword. With the head start, Andre's sword moved a little quicker, drawing a slanted trajectory and hitting the tip of Harvi's sword before it hit its target resulting to Harvi's loss of balance.

Without waiting for Harvi to recover, Andre shifted his weight and made a 360 spin midair and slammed Harvi in the ground.

"ArgH!!"

Harvi gave a pained howl. 

Seeing the moves Andre performed, the scattered audiences awed in surprise . Silence overshadowed the crowd. Then one after another, series of complement filled the air from left to right.

"That move was well done!"

"Not bad, Kid!"

With the sword in Andre's hand, he slowly walked over to where Harvi was. Unable to see his face, HArvi's back was trembling violently. Andre then asked in a small voice.

"Do you still want to fight?"

Harvi stood up shakily and shouted. His voice was full of hatred. His face, which was covered in dusts, revealed resentment.

"How dare you! How dare you! Y-you insolent fool!!"

Harvi was emitting a large amount of killing intent. He picked up his sword and once again dashed to Andre's location. He swung his sword left and right but the reckless attack of his was easily seen through by Andre.

Every time Harvi swung his sword, Andre either blocked or dodged his attack and sometimes countered Harvi with stabs.

Seeing his upcoming defeat, emotions of hatred surged up.

'I can't lose! I can't lose!' 

These words crept to Harvi's mind, continuously playing and slowly eating his sanity.

Then I'll just have to waste you! You're just a weakling after all!

In the midst of exchange, he chanted silently.

"Earth release magic: Hold of earth"

Andre, who was already in the midst of ending the battle, staggered. He was unable to step forward.

My feet won't move! He used magic! This bastard!

In that brief instance, with a crude smile on his face, Harvi directed his sword straight to Andre's shoulder.

Sound of bones cracking, the strength of the blow was overwhelming which made Andre howled in pain.

"ARGGGHHH!"

The pain quickly spread in Andre's right arm. Without a time to recover, he once again felt a tremendous pain in his abdomen and he thrown away by the punched and rolled in the ground.

He coughed a mouthful of blood.

"GAHAAA!!"

His eyes were already tearing up and blurry. It is a pain that almost he can't endure.

'It hurts! It damn hurts!'

Andre coughed out a mouthful of saliva then a vulgar laugh coming from his opponent rung in his ear

"KAhahahaha!!! So weak! You sure are weak!"

'Weak your ass! You cheating bastard!'

But words unable to escape from his mouth, making a blunder now would just make him a person who gave an inappropriate reason for the lost. He just looked at Harvi in somewhat hateful way.

Harvi slowly approached and readied himself to kick Andre, who was still wailing in the ground in pain, but suddenly Harvi flew meters away by a ball of wind.

"Andre-kun, Are you okay?"

Reina quickly run over to Andre's location and quickly chanted.

"Light release magic: Heal thy wounds and bring life, recover!"

A transparent light covered Andre and a warm feeling completely covered his body. The aching pain slowly subsided and the broken bones in his shoulder felt like it didn't happen.

"Thanks Rei, I was always saved by you"

 Andre smiled wryly.

"You damn bitch!"

A deafening roar echoed. Harvi who just recovered from Reina's attack immediately approached the two of them.

"Don't call me bitch! You cheater!"

Reina quickly rebuked.

"Cheater! How did I cheat?"

"Though it was just for a second you use magic"

"You didn't even have any proof, how can you say that I cheated. Maybe your friend here is just far too weak.".

"Let's go Andre-kun being in the same place as these annoying thugs make my mood foul."

"What did you say!!"

Harvi furiously roared but he was just ignored.

Then Reina helped Andre to stand up and stepped away in the crowed.

"There will be no next time, you damn bitch!"

Harvi silently whispered as he clenched his fist in hatred.