Cling, Cling, Cling—!!
The entire snowy meadow resonated with the resounding clash of cold, hard steel as our weapons collided.
Though the sun hung high in the sky, the air was still an icy chill in the snowy southern mountains.
Four hours had passed since we started going at each other with everything we've got.
I used every ounce of my strength and unleashed an unrelenting barrage of spear thrusts upon Leo, determined to push him out of the circle he drew on the ground.
Yet, with effortless and masterful movements, Leo redirected, parried, or blocked each of my spear strikes with his Katana.
It was frustrating—to channel every bit of strength I had in me into my strikes, only for them not to end up connecting!
Finally, for the fifth time maybe, I ran out of patience.
Cling—!!
As soon as Leo deflected another one of my strikes, I flicked my right wrist twice and pulled my hidden blade before rushing in on him for close combat.
Since he had used his sword to push my spear away, he wouldn't have enough time to bring it back to position and strike me with it.
Basically, he is wide open right now!
Although his left hand is free, if he uses it to strike me, I will stab it and use my body weight plus the momentum of my rush to propel him out of the circle!
Yes, this is my victory–
Thak—!!
"Arghk!"
But right as I was in the middle of my thoughts, Leo swung his hand inward.
With speed that shouldn't be possible for a human, he landed a strike on the side of my ribs with the blunt edge of his blade.
Thwack—!!
But he didn't stop there.
With incredible agility, he raised his dominant leg, swiftly chambering his knee before launching a devastating front kick directly into my chest.
As if I was a rag doll, the impact of his kick catapulted me into the air before I crashed and landed on the ground a few meters back.
"Khuuk! Khuuk!"
Gasping for breath and coughing violently, I clutched my chest in pain, gradually mustering the strength to rise to my feet.
With labored breaths, I fixed my gaze upon Leo.
"Gaaah! I... Haa! I refuse to believe that you didn't use mana for that attack!" I yelled.
"Hmm?" Leo arched his eyebrows confusingly. "No, I just don't skip the leg day."
"Haa! Not that!" I retorted before finally somewhat catching my breath and yelling again. "The one before that– the sword strike! How did you swing back your sword so fast?! How is that humanly possible?!"
"Oh, that? It's just pure weapon-handling skills," Leo replied with a casual shrug.
"Weapon handling skills?" My forehead wrinkled with a frown.
The red-haired instructor elaborated, "It refers to the way one wields their weapon in harmony with their body.
"You may have observed individuals who swing their swords with a graceful finesse, akin to a dance, while some exhibit a more brute force approach as if they are trying to cut through a boulder.
"It all comes down to their unique style of weapon handling. And through practice and real battle experience, when they hone their style, it becomes a skill."
"So, what you did just now..." I trailed off, my hand gently touching my chin.
"Yes, it's my own style," Leo finished my sentence with a nod. "I prefer to use a light grip on my sword. Doing that allows me to wield it with swiftness and react quickly to unexpected attacks."
"Of course," Leo continued, "I can use hundreds of other styles. What you witnessed was merely one of the countless ways I can employ my sword in a situation similar to that."
Woah! I knew he was amazing, but still, I was stunned to hear that
He could've blocked my attack in hundreds of different ways?! And to think for even a moment that I had him… Pathetic!
During our spar a few days ago at the academy, and even now, Leo deliberately allowed me to believe I could land a strike on him, only to swiftly snatch away that fleeting hope a few seconds later.
It was to show me– No, to emphasize the vast discrepancy in our skill levels. He just wanted to make the hierarchy between us clear.
He wanted me to know why he's my master, and I'm his disciple.
If he actually wanted to end that spar between us that day, he could've done it with a single swing of his sword.
I see it now. Even though I knew how strong his character was in the novel, I can see it now with my own eyes…
From the very beginning, it should've been clear to me…
Leo and I are in entirely different leagues.
…Will there ever come a day when I can surpass him?
"Okay," lost in my ruminations, I watched as Leo casually stepped out of the circle on the snow-covered ground and sheathed his katana.
He then turned to face me. "I observed this during our spar that day, but your basics leave much to be desired."
"My basics?" A deeper frown etched itself across my face.
Leo nodded, his tone matter-of-fact. "Indeed. Your speartip shakes a little when you thrust. Your swings aren't precise and clean. Your stance, albeit good for someone your age, leaves your right side wide open after you attack."
"I-I never noticed all that," I admitted, a bit taken aback.
"I can see. It's because those things have become your habits. I'll change them one by one," Leo let out a sigh.
He channeled mana into one of the dimensional rings on his fingers and summoned a black spear in his hands.
"We'll start scratching away and rewriting your very foundation of spear handling," Leo declared. "Do one-thousand thrusts right now. After that, I will thrust my spear at you, and you will use your spear to block my attack one-thousand times. Then you will parry my attacks one-thousand times. After that, finally, you will swing your spear one-thousand times."
"...."
Why do I feel like I'm not going to get any food tonight either?
