<Monday Morning, Arcadia Hunter Academy>
–CLANK!
The room, whose sole purpose was to accommodate students engaging in a spar, was now filled with weapons clashing. It was still very early in the morning, even before the classes.
On the first day of the week and its first hours, it was expected that the training grounds would be deserted.
Yet there were two students who were doing different things from others.
–CLANK!
With each second passing, sparks continued to fly through the ceiling, two weapons clashing. One was two short blades coated with a red aura, while the other one was a long stick with a metal head coated with a yellowish aura.
SWOOSH!
The figures were blurry, as it was very hard for any normal onlooker to clearly see what was happening there. But the constant sounds of weapons clashing made it evident that there was an intense clash going on there.
–CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
The spear rapidly pierced through its opponent, the yellowish aura flashing in rapid succession.
Yet, the daggers, now turning the aura of colors to gray, also rapidly intercepted its path, clearly not letting the spear do as it wished.
For a split second, the fight seemed to enter a stalemate as the two figures stopped moving. There revealed a blue-haired young boy holding a spear, his eyes focused yet his face with a smile.
“HA!”
He gathered his breath and, with a shout of spirit, converged his aura right on top of the spear, swirling like a hurricane.
「Spear of Hartley. Extension」
The swirl of energy shot forward in an attempt to take down its target.
–SWOOSH!
Yet, before the energy could hit the target, the young boy’s purple eyes flashed for a second. Shadows swirled around his feet, channeling energy. In an instant, he disappeared, flashing away.
The swirl of energy was missed, reaching out to the wall and getting nullified by the formations surrounding the training grounds.
“Here I come!”
However, contrary to how his attack was missed, the spear-holder didn’t even seem to be flustered, as if he had already expected this to happen.
Utilizing his superior stats and his talent at controlling mana, he appeared right before the purple-eyed boy, his spear already targeting his shoulders.
“Tch.”
The purple-eyed boy clicked his tongue in annoyance, seeing his opponent not giving up the pursuit. Since he was in the process of evading the attack, it was hard for him to move normally.
The purple-eyed boy, realizing he was in a tight spot after narrowly evading the spear attack, relied on his agility and close combat training.
–THUD!
With a swift, acrobatic movement, he dodged the spear’s stab and kicked the spearhead upwards, creating an opening.
Seizing the opportunity, he quickly grabbed a dagger from his belt and hurled it towards the spear user, aiming to exploit the moment of weakness.
However, the spear user, with his fast reflexes and strong physique, anticipated the incoming attack.
‘This….I can’t use my spear fast enough.’
Realizing he wouldn’t be able to retrieve his spear in time, he made a split-second decision. He freed his second hand from the spear and channeled mana into it, forming a protective barrier.
CLANK!
As the dagger hurtled towards him, he intercepted it with his bare hands, the mana coating acting as a shield against the blade. The dagger clinked harmlessly against his hand, deflecting off to the side.
“Huh?”
“Magic?”
–THUD!
Before he could even question just when he conjured the magic and fired it, his forehead echoed with pain, his posture shaking. Though the attack lacked the necessary strength to deal a serious injury to him, let alone fatal, the precise location of the attack messed with his eye nerves, blurring his vision.
–SWOOSH!
Following that, as his vision cleared, he saw a silhouette appearing right before his face and felt the cold blade on his neck. He heard rough breathing from the person before him while he himself remained untired. The boy’s hoarse voice broke the silence, “It is over,” he declared, his cold purple eyes showing no emotion.
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the spear user smiled while raising his hands in surrender. “Yeah, I lost,” he admitted defeat. “You really are clever when it comes to fighting, Astron.”
Hearing him speaking like that, Astron looked into his eyes, opening his mouth. “Not everyone is blessed with overwhelming talent like you, Ethan ‘Hartley.'” He spoke while emphasizing the word Hartley, his hoarse voice slowly returning to normal.
It seemed he was slowly recovering his energy.
“…..Right….” Ethan didn’t deny it; instead, he lowered his head, looking at the traces of fighting around the training room.
There was a lot of leftover mana on the formations and the walls that were slowly repairing themselves—some cracks on the ground as well as cuts on both of their clothes.
‘To think I wasn’t able to land a decisive blow on him….Though I didn’t go all out for the sake of training, considering my stats and my prowess, I thought I would win this spar at the end.’
He thought to himself, looking at the purple-eyed boy floating the dagger he had just thrown.
‘He had even managed to master some magical spells….He really is an all-rounder type…’
The guy named Astron was an enigma to Ethan. He couldn’t understand him, no matter how hard he tried. He didn’t know what he wanted or what kind of person he was. He knew he was talented at using daggers and bows and fighting in close combat. Adding magic to that, he somehow became very unique.
‘Yet, it feels like his stats can match mine…..how is it possible? Is he also in the range of mid-rank-5? Even with my newly risen stats, I couldn’t overpower him clearly. Maybe it is his way of fighting? Hmm …..’
He threw a quick look at the status window appearing at the corner of his eyes.
——————————————
▶Name: Ethan Hartley
▶Occupation: Spearman (Level 5)
▶Talent Limit: ?????
▶Passives:
-?????’s Might
▶Attributes:
-Variable Attributes:
Strength: 5.69
Dexterity: 4.42
Agility: 4.60
Constitution: 5.92
Intuition: 4.65
Magical Power: 3.9
Mana Capacity: 4.5
-Invariable Attributes
·Might: 9
·Charisma: 10
·Vitality: 10
·Will: 16
—————————
Looking at the stat, he couldn’t help but think that Astron wouldn’t be able to come close to his stats, knowing that he had a cheat in terms of raw physical power.
Reflecting on his past spars with Astron, Ethan’s mind wandered back to their earlier encounters when they first began training together at Arcadia Hunter Academy.
He recalled their initial spars, where they fought without weapons, relying solely on hand-to-hand combat and martial arts techniques. Despite Ethan’s superior strength and physique, Astron proved to be a formidable opponent, using his agility and quick reflexes to evade Ethan’s attacks and counter with precision strikes.
Then, as they progressed to sparring with weapons, Astron’s fighting style became even more apparent. He would wait for Ethan to make a move, observing his opponent’s actions and patiently biding his time.
And when the opportunity presented itself, he would strike with calculated precision, exploiting even the slightest opening in Ethan’s defense.
It was as if Astron had a sixth sense for identifying his opponent’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities, allowing him to adapt his strategy accordingly.
‘Yeah…It must be his eyes that are special…At first, I thought he was someone like me, but that may not be necessarily true…He is somehow different…While I improve constantly in fights, thanks to my traits, I still maintain my core identity as Hartley. But he is like water, slipping into every different bottle, taking different shapes.’
Ethan realized that Astron wasn’t just fighting against him; he was fighting against his own limitations, using his opponent’s strength against them.
‘Certainly…I could see that….’
As Ethan pondered over their past encounters, a newfound respect began to bloom within him for Astron’s cunning and tactical prowess.
Despite his initial frustration at being unable to defeat him in combat, Ethan now understood that Astron’s strength lay not in brute force but in his ability to outmaneuver and outsmart his opponents.
“He’s always fought against people stronger than him,” Ethan mused to himself, a sense of admiration creeping into his thoughts. “And yet, he never backs down. He always finds a way to turn the tide in his favor, no matter the odds.”
With a newfound appreciation for Astron’s unique fighting style, Ethan made a silent vow to continue sparring with him.
“I can hear you.”
As Ethan heard Astron’s irritated response, he couldn’t help but chuckle, a sense of familiarity washing over him. Despite everything that was happening around them, Astron remained steadfast in his demeanor, unwavering in his attitude.
“Right,” Ethan replied, his smile widening as he looked at Astron. “I forgot you were always so perceptive, being an archer.”
Astron raised an eyebrow in response, his expression unreadable as he listened to Ethan’s words.
“Being an archer is irrelevant,” Astron continued, his tone serious. “All Awakened people have strong senses. You should get rid of this speaking habit of yours.”
Ethan nodded in acknowledgment, his amusement still lingering as he considered Astron’s advice. Despite the seriousness of their conversation, Ethan couldn’t help but feel a sense of comfort in Astron’s presence.
Recently, the world around him was changing, and Ethan could feel it. He was getting stronger and stronger with each day, climbing the ranks. He also found himself in a lot of different situations, from Emily to Lucas and then to Jane.
People were changing, and he was having a slightly hard time adapting to it. Yet, seeing Astron the same as ever, he somehow liked this.
‘Yeah, from time to time, I should meet him.’
“I will pay attention to it,” Ethan assured him, his smile softening.
“You better.”
With that, Ethan made a silent vow to himself to heed Astron’s advice and become more mindful of his words in the future. But for now, he wanted to enjoy the moment of camaraderie between them.
“Hey, Astron,” Ethan began, his tone light and casual. “How about we grab breakfast together?”
Before Astron could refuse, Ethan added with a grin, “It is my treat. Consider it a token of my appreciation for all those times you’ve outsmarted me in sparring. I learned a lot from this sparring.”
Seeing Ethan looking at him with earnest eyes, Astron didn’t refuse the offer of treatment. He didn’t have any plans after this training either, or he had already exerted himself enough for the day before the assignment. Thus, it was a good time for a free meal.
After a brief pause, he nodded in acquiescence, a faint hint of satisfaction dancing in his purple eyes.
“Sure, why not,” Astron replied, his voice calm and composed. “I could use a decent meal after all that sparring.”
With their plans set, Ethan and Astron finished their training session and made their way towards the showers.
The training grounds were gradually emptied out already as the other diligent students also concluded their morning routines, leaving the two of them with a sense of tranquility amidst the bustling academy.
After a refreshing shower and a change of clothes, Ethan and Astron emerged from the training grounds, ready to head to the dining hall for breakfast. As they walked side by side, their footsteps echoing in the quiet dawn, Ethan shuddered for a second.
‘What?’
Turning his eyes, there he saw a group of eyes looking at him as if they could strip him at any moment.
‘Ah….’
Realizing the source of the gazes, he couldn’t help but get embarrassed a little, though this wasn’t the first time he was getting such attention from girls, especially since this was more severe after the changes he could feel in himself, awakening that passive [?????’s might].
Yet, seeing Astron undisturbed, he followed him, attempting to chat….