And so it came to Feral and Desperado. Feral won. And it wasn’t even a contest. He had his club, as thick as a tree trunk, and Desperado had his club. It was like a child fighting against a grown adult. Desperado tried to do anything he possibly could to get around his opponent’s defenses, but he couldn’t.  

With one mighty hand holding his tower shield, he slammed it forward at such a speed that even Servi had trouble following it.  

His upper body strength is really something to behold. Honestly, without skills, I don’t see a way I can best him. Even then, can I do it only using Rank 10 skills? Servi questioned her own ability when it came to her regular strength as a Human.

Desperado pulled his shield up, but it was useless. He was flung backwards and slid on the concrete.  It was clear for all to see that he did not stand a chance, and the match was over.

“Servi, you get in there,” Fisher ordered. Servi was afraid of fighting Feral when she couldn't use her skills, but she did it anyway.  Win or lose, if she kept the opportunity to butcher Fisher's life, then it was worth it. 

“It’s been a week since then,” Feral said. He slammed his club against his shield.  Even though she saw it happen in front of her eyes, the idea that Feral could hold that giant slab of iron with one hand amazed her. 

“If not today, then I'll definitely win next time!” Servi barked.  

Servi used Soul Essence of Primal Combat and started to advance at an angle. She knew she wasn't going to win because it was the worst kind of match-up. Servi was only a Human with Human bones and skin. In physical terms, she was at the bottom of the barrel.

Feral had two options. His massive shield and tail. If Feral used the latter, then Servi would have to jump to avoid his attack. In that case, she'd most likely be attacked by his club while she was airborne. If she blocked his shield bash, she’d be thrown back.

Servi's Absorption was only at level 2, which meant she received 2% of the physical strength from a total of over 732 souls that she had absorbed since she connected with Itarr. But some of those were from rodents and creatures, and those didn’t provide much in the way of anything. They were used as a source for Potential and not much else. Only souls from Humanoids-- Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Koena, Singi, and Kobolds-- gave Servi a substantial amount of power. That came out to 497 souls in total. Counting in her 2% efficiency rate and adding in her own strength as a Human woman of decent shape, Servi currently had the power of eleven people inside of her.  Itarr didn’t count for the physical strength because her main strength relied on the use of skills.   

When it came to the power of Demi-Humans, Servi had none because she hadn't absorbed any Demi-Human souls. The attributes Servi will gain differed from Demi-Human to Demi-Human.  For example, ingesting a Kobold, Dwarf, or Koena soul would grant her more physical strength.  Singi and Elf souls would contribute more to her speed and agility.

But even with the power of nearly eleven people, she could barely lift the heavy iron tower shield 2.5 centimeters. She had no idea how she was going to win.

Come on,  Servi! You can do this! She thought to herself as she continued her sideward advance. She knew she needed to reach Albert's level. His ability to read and predict movements by watching the minute adjustments of the body before an attack was her ultimate goal.  His soul was inside her body, but she couldn't access any of his combat memories.  She didn't know why, but her first guess was that Soul Essence of Primal Combat was under-leveled.  Either that or Albert's soul was too strong for her to properly absorb. Even though he was an old man, he was a mighty warrior. Servi wondered how strong he was in his prime.

Feral faked his tailspin, and Servi fell for it. She was in mid-air when he turned back around the other way. Unable to use any skills, she braced herself as his tail collided with her ankle.  

Or it would have.

She bent and twisted her body so that her left hand, with her shield, was there. Feral's tail hit its flat surface, thereby redirecting the energy transferred from the hit. She still went sliding across the ground, with only her leather armor protecting her from becoming a fleshy meat crayon. But unlike the first match, she didn’t break anything.  

“Alright, it’s over!” Fisher stomped.  

“Feral, you feinted with your tail. That was good. Servi, you reacted and put your shield in the way. That was also good. If his tail would’ve hit it straight on, you’d be out of commission for a few days. Even with advanced healing skills, your ankles would’ve completely shattered.  This way, your arm is hurting.  It's probably broken, but you can still walk. This outcome is infinitely better than the alternative. Alright, Silverado and Desperado!” 

And so the day continued. Unlike the sparring during the first day, where they only fought a few times, everyone fought everyone. In the end, Servi only lost to Feral, and Feral won every match.  

It was a combination of her sheathing her sword and using a modified version of hand-over-blade, which Fisher internally called shield over hand, that won her the matches. She only used it against enemies who had blunt weapons. That way, it would be impossible for her fingers to glance against the cutting edge of any blade.

As for when she fought the Dwarves? She allowed them to attack first and followed the red images. She thought about hooking her sword on the beard of the axe and pulling upwards. And that’s what she did.  She won by disarming her opponents and bashing them away with her shield. If it was Dwarves, she could match or even surpass their strength. They were Rank 10, after all.  

After each of Servi's fights, her classmates couldn't believe the strength and technique packed inside her 179cm frame.

Servi knew she was supposed to and wanted to keep her strength hidden, but she always felt the urge to prove herself. She felt good afterwards, and that was why she did it.  

But having six people fight each other in multiple matches took its time. And soon, the sun started to set. 

“Feral, Servi, good work. The rest of you, you need to work on it. That’s what next week is, so this is the schedule for the foreseeable future. You’ll come in, do a lightened workout, then I’ll teach you the proper technique and what to do in specific moments. Being a tank is more about standing still and taking hits. The way you move and think is a big part of it. You’re all dismissed, and be sure to be here at 8 AM.” 

And with her day over, Servi walked backed to Warden.  As she ascended the stairs, she saw her best friend sitting on the bench outside her room.  With a gentle smile, Servi approached her and sat down.

---

Going back in time a few hours, Momo also had a sparring match. Instead of fighting Srassa, Dineria told her two mentees to fight her.  

They were in the training room at Levadia Woods, a store that Dineria and her family partly owned. Said training room was all wooden with nary a spec of metal or plastic. There were fake trees that people could practice climbing, as well as some archery lanes.  Wooden targets were also set up for people to test out their skills.

The fight was a total washout. Dineria was just too agile and for the inexperienced pair to keep up with. It was a combination of flips and jumps and rolls and dives, as well as recovering straight into a guard or an attack, that bested them.  Momo tried her little heart out and only managed to connect blades with her teacher once. Srassa couldn't even achieve that.  

The two were on the floor, breathing hard as Dineria spoke to them.  Momo braced herself against the ground with her wooden sword.  Sweat poured down her face and slithered across her arms, and Srassa wasn't any better.  Sitting on her knees, she held a hand to her pounding stomach.

“Maybe it was a little bit too early for that, but do you see how useful it is?” Dineria asked.

“I do,” Srassa said between breaths. “It’s hard to follow.” 

“Yeah. I don’t even think I could do it if I trained for a year straight.” 

Dineria laughed. “It took me 37 years to be as good as I am, but my grandma is even better than me. This is the result of hard work and determination. I was just like you two, you know. I still remembered when I asked my grandma to teach me. Boy, she put me in the ringer for months on end.” 

“Months?! But…” Momo blurted out.  She helplessly covered her mouth after those words had been spoken. 

She smiled as she explained. “I know. We only have 16 days left, but don’t worry. I’m going to teach you some more stuff to do before you go to bed and after you wake up. These are the core moves to how I fight. Practice the smaller pieces separately and combine them when you think you're ready."

Momo and Srassa stood up and walked backwards. There were two or three meters between them as they followed Dineria’s movements.  

She bent to touch her toes without bending her legs. Then she stretched sideways, holding each for ten seconds before sitting down. She bent down until her stomach almost touched the floor, then rolled to her stomach. Using only her hands, she pushed herself up and curled her back upwards, then downwards. Dineria giggled when she heard small grunts of pain and discomfort coming from behind her.

“Yeah. That’s the hardest position. It really stretches your muscles in this area,” Dineria got to her feet and moved her hands around her stomach and her back. “Okay, so I want you to practice these moves after you get done stretching.  Remember to stretch in the morning and at night."

Dineria performed a series of forward and backwards rolls, as well as some somersaults. She explained. “These moves are usually reserved for something called ‘Gymnastics,’ but they can also be used in battle. So go ahead and try it. If you fall or anything, I know healing skills.” 

For the rest of her class, Dineria watched and critiqued her pupils’ rolls. “Momo, tuck your arms in a little bit more. Srassa, don’t be afraid to roll backwards. It’s scary, but it’s not that bad. Remember, chin down and head tucked in.” 

Momo crouched down and put her palms on the ground in front of her. Listening, she tucked her arms in a little bit more until they were perfectively straight and did the rest in one swift motion. Well, it was kinda quick. Momo ended up veering off to the side, and it was more of a diagonal roll.  

Dang it… I always saw other kids doing stuff like this and having fun... But they never let me join in. And grandpa was too old to be rolling around. Come on, Momo! No more complaining! Do it for Servi! For your best friend! 

If only Momo could hear Servi thanking her for watching her back... That one goal fueled Momo's because she wanted to have the courage to stand on her own while being Servi's equal.

It was ironic. The two friends, who considered each other to be their best friends but were afraid to tell each other, had joined the mentor program for each other.  

Momo glanced over at Srassa and saw her forward rolling with ease and grace.  She even had enough momentum to rise to her feet while jumping into a backward roll. But the Singi was more determined than ever and kept practicing. After about twenty minutes, Momo decided to move on to the backwards roll after being happy with her forward progress.

When it came to those, Momo was better than Srassa. She couldn’t exactly do it as well as Srassa could do forward rolls, but it was only the first day.  Dineria quickly assured them that, with practice, these motions would become second nature.

While the rolls by themselves were easy, the hard part was transitioning into different stances and judging distances. Dineria taught a style of swordplay that favored speed and maneuverability to get in, attack, and get out. Oddly enough, it was perfect for Momo. Her friend could be the tank and get the attention, and she could roll in and attack before acrobatically retreating. Then once Servi had the attention of whatever they were fighting, Momo could strike again and dodge away.  

It was hard to master, and it wasn’t that uncommon to hear that someone dodged into the gaping jaws of a monster when they were disoriented.

Just think. If my sweet students can do the rolls, then the obstacle course should be a piece of cake. Dineria thought to herself. She glanced at her clock and realized it was getting late.    

“Alrighty. So practice those tonight and be ready for tomorrow. I’m going to have some delicious cookies to give each of you if you can do it.” 

“Right! I’ll make sure to practice!” Momo said in between breaths.

“Same here!” Srassa said.  Her face was slightly flushed pink, and sweat dripped down her cheeks. Her green eyes stared at her mentor with nothing but the firmest determination.

You know, she’s been acting a bit more confident lately. She almost reminds me of myself.

Ten minutes later, the two were outside the shopping center.

“Well, bye, Momo. I’ll see you tomorrow," Srassa gently spoke as she moved her blond hair out of her eyes.  She stared at Momo's pink ears and waving tail.

“Same here. Bye-bye," Momo touched a hand to her grandpa's sword and bag and smiled at her new friend.

With the two waving and going their separate ways, Momo thought she would jog the rest of the way home as a way to get in some last-minute exercise.  

She made it back to Warden sooner than her friend and decided to wait on the bench beside Servi’s room after nobody answered. She took the time to wipe her face and arms with a rag.  She was sweaty, but it wasn't that bad.  Ten minutes later, she saw a head of familiar black hair and red eyes coming towards her.  

Smiling, Servi took a seat, and the two friends began to talk.  

“You know, talking on this bench is becoming a thing,” Servi observed.  

“Yeah. It feels liked we’ve talked here every day since the program started. I like it. It gives me a chance to calm down and think about what Dineria told me. She showed us a bunch of moves to perform after stretching,” Momo yawned and rubbed her eyes. Like its owner, her tail lazily swooshed and swished in short arcs.  Then it went still.  That was probably because its master was tired.

“Sounds like it’s hard work.” 

“It is. It sure does leave me tired, but it's probably nothing compared to what you're going through.  It's super physical, right?" Momo said. She yawned again.

"It is, and sometimes I'm tired as well,” Servi told a little white lie.  "It's a good thing showers are free, though." 

Showers at Warden were free. All they had to do was ask the employee at the front desk on the third floor for a shower ticket. But it was something hidden by Warden, and Servi thought that was a scummy move.  

“Same here. The cash we got from selling that red pelt should be enough to get me through until the end of the program.  That way, I only have to pay maybe six or seven dupla a day for breakfast and dinner.  And we don't need to worry about our rooms because of that deal they did a few days ago,” said Momo.

The deal Momo talked about referred to a deal Warden had.  For a limited time only, a room at the inn only a single dupla.  The two took advantage of it and paid for 21 days.

Momo continued. “But I still have some money saved up.  What about you?” 

"Same. I still have a good amount left.” That was a vast understatement coming from the girl who had over thirty million inside her ring.  

The two friends enjoyed an entertaining chat, followed by the usual shower and meal.  

It’s like the food is getting blander and blander. I wonder why? Servi thought. She didn’t know why the once delicious steak and chicken were dry and flavorless. Any flavor Servi could even taste was gone by the next day.  Sometimes, she didn't even want to eat dinner, but she kept it up for Momo's sake.

That kind of irritated her, but then again, it didn’t.  

“Alrighty, I’m about to go do my stretches and rolls. Good night,” Momo sat up from the table. Her pink hair was still just a little bit damp. Her plain white t-shirt and shorts were a bit unusual. Usually, Momo would have dressed in a cute skirt, but she was too tired to even do that.  

So Servi went to her room and locked up before taking out her bed. 

Good night Servi. I love you.  

“I love you too, Itarr.” 

And like that, she fell asleep. The moon quickly gave way to the sun, and morning came all too soon.